Father's advice for every day. Church Life Beginners Religious Councils

Dear friends!

In this section of our website, you will find the opinions of priests on topics that are relevant to each of us: from advice on where to go on vacation to recipes for your favorite dishes. The clergy who cooperate with our website will share their views on the most pressing issues with you in an accessible and interesting way.

We draw your attention to the fact that you can ONLY ask the clergy a question in the section. Questions to the priests WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED through the comments form to the texts on this page.

Best regards, editors of the site "Law of God"

Number of records: 21

About the servants of God

The icon "Tenderness", the memory of which we celebrate on August 10, depicts the Mother of God at the moment of the Annunciation. "Behold, the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word," answered the Virgin Mary, when the angel announced to her that the Savior of the world would be born from her. 1, 35). This is the moment of the triumph of mankind. "The joy of all joys," Father Seraphim called this icon. Generations worked, gaining righteousness, so that the first promise of a Savior who would crush the head of the serpent would be fulfilled (Genesis 3, 15); so that to bring to the Lord this beautiful fruit - the Virgin Mary, who through her humility became the Mother of God.

She so wanted the will of God to be done that she did not even doubt it. She did not say: "It is impossible" - clearly knowing that everything is possible for God. Didn't ask: "What about me? My plans? My personal life?" - because God's works are more important to Her. Anyone who feels this and seeks to build their values ​​accordingly, putting

Priest Sergiy Osipov

Supported: 387

Does baptism change fate?

This is the second question that often arises in a modern person in connection with the Sacrament of Baptism - is it possible to be baptized and change your destiny?

It must be said that in the very formulation of this question one can see either the roots of Eastern religions ("karma"), or occult and pagan roots.

First of all, one must clearly understand that there is no destiny as a “programmed” life path - on the contrary, every person, every minute making his own free choice between good and evil, makes his own unique life path. One cannot, of course, disagree with the fact that each of us has been given some talents and abilities from God, all people in this regard are gifted in different ways, and in accordance with the gifts, different fruits are expected from each, but to say that everything already decided and destined, absolutely wrong.

Our actions give rise to inevitable consequences, giving rise to a chain of events due to cause and effect

Abbot Nikon (Golovko)

Supported: 415

Great Wednesday

“Mary, taking a pound of pure precious nard ointment, anointed Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with a fragrance of the world. Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray Him, said: Why not sell Is this ointment for three hundred denarii and not to give to the poor? He said this not because he was taking care of the poor, but because he was a thief. ...

"But Jesus said: ... you always have the poor with you, and when you want, you can do them good; but you do not always have me. She did what she could: she preceded me to anoint my body for burial. Truly I say to you: wherever the Gospel will be preached this in the whole world, it will be said, in her memory, and of what she did. ”And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to deliver Him to them. And he was looking for a way to betray Him at a convenient time "(Mark 14,

Priest Sergiy Osipov

Supported: 167

Great Monday

The holy Forty-day has passed, dedicated to prayer and penitential work on one's soul.

Passion week has come, and the Church calls us, forgetting about ourselves, to descend upon the Lord Christ on His path to Calvary, to suffering and death for man.

“Remember ... what happened in the days of the Passion of the Lord: how many people were, and kind and terrible people who would have given a lot to escape from the horror and exhaustion of these days. Those who were close to Christ - how their hearts were breaking, how their last strength, bodily and mental, was exhausted during these few terrible days ... And how hundreds, probably, of the people would like to escape from this week, to be free from what happened: from anger, from fear, from horror ...

And life did not let go anywhere; the Blessed Virgin Mary could not get away from the passions of the Lord; The disciples of Christ could not hide from their terror, even in those moments when fear prevailed and they tried to hide from the anger of the people.

Priest Sergiy Osipov

Supported: 135

The sacrament of baptism (continued)

Is it possible to enroll in godparents in absentia?

Such a question can often be heard during the administration of the Sacrament. The answer is unequivocal - no. Why? The fact is that during the performance of the Sacrament, the godparents take vows for the baby. The first of them is the renunciation of Satan: the godfather and mother, turning their faces to the west, symbolizing the kingdom of darkness at the moment, pronounce the words of renunciation for the godson three times - "I deny you, Satan, your pride and service to you," after which they turn to east, to the altar, and pronounce the vow of union with Christ.

Here it is important to understand that with the uttering of these words, the duty of the godparents is to raise the baby so that his life really becomes a daily renunciation of the service of Satan and an example of the fulfillment of Christ's commandments.

There are a lot of similar moments when the godparents take the most active part in the divine service - this is the acceptance of a baby

Abbot Nikon (Golovko)

Supported by: 154

Two recipes for fish dishes for the festive table for the Annunciation

For two days of Great Lent, according to the monastery charter, fish is allowed - on the day of the Annunciation and on Palm Sunday. In no case do I urge you to strictly adhere to fasting in a monastic manner; it is better to coordinate the measure of fasting with your confessor and doctor. But I would like to offer two recipes for delicious holiday dishes.

Mackerel soup with spinach

Ingredients for a 4 liter saucepan:

1 large headless mackerel (if with a head, then be sure to remove the gills, otherwise the soup will taste bitter).

15 medium potatoes.

Half a medium leek (regular onions can also be used, but leeks work better with fish).

1 carrot.

Half a packet of chopped frozen spinach.

Salt, pepper and spices to taste.

Preparation:

Pour cold water into a saucepan, put the gutted washed mackerel there. Cook after boiling for 40 minutes.

At this time, we clean the ka

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Supported: 112

The sacrament of baptism (continued)

Why are babies baptized?

Until now, we talked about the need to prepare for baptism for adults who have reached the age of majority, however, in the Orthodox Church there is a custom to baptize babies who, due to their age, not only do not understand the dogmas of the doctrine, but, as Scripture says, “do not distinguish where is the right, where is the left. " What is the basis of this practice?

For those who doubt the correctness of the baptism of infants, several passages from the Holy Scriptures should be recalled, where it is said that the Apostles baptized entire families, in which, along with adults, there were children, for example, the family of Lydia (Acts 16: 14-15) , the family of the jailer (Acts 16: 34-37), Crispus (Acts 18: 8) and "Stephen's house" (1 Cor. 1:16). Already in the first centuries of Christianity, the possibility of baptism in infancy was enshrined in the decrees of several Councils of the Church: Canon 124 of the Council of Carthage (5th century A.D.) and Canon 84 of the VI Ecumenical Council (VII century

Abbot Nikon (Golovko)

Supported: 125

The sacrament of baptism

Today we will talk about the Sacrament, which is the most initial for a Christian, since it introduces him into the bosom of the Church - this is the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. What is baptism? How should you prepare for it? Why do we baptize not only adults, but also babies? Who are godparents and what is their role? Here are just a few of the issues that we will touch on. And finally, let's leave the most important and provocative of them: can a baptized person consider himself a Christian?

What is the meaning of baptism?

So, the Sacrament of Baptism is one of the seven Sacraments of the Church. It was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (see Matthew 28: 19-20 and John 3: 5-7) and, as the Orthodox catechism teaches, thanks to it, “a believing person is three times immersed in water with the call of God the Father, and The Son and the Holy Spirit dies to a sinful life, and is reborn from the Holy Spirit into a spiritual, holy life. Since Baptism is a spiritual birth, and a person is born once, so

Abbot Nikon (Golovko)

Supported: 85

New book by Father Ilia Kokin "The Life and Teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ"

Recently I came across a textbook by Deacon Ilia Kokin "The Life and Teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ." For a long time, not a single Orthodox book, let alone a textbook, impressed me so much. This book is a pleasure to hold in your hands: smooth paper and beautiful design. But the main value of this book is hidden in the content. It is written in such a simple and understandable language that you immediately want to start reading it to children. The accessibility of the presentation and the lack of flowery in the explanations makes it attractive for adults who have just begun to comprehend the full depth and beauty of Orthodoxy.

The illustrations in the tutorial are amazing. The child to whom

Archpriest Andrei Efanov

Supported: 78

Humility

A good attitude of the soul, the opposite of pride, is called humility. Real humility is not insinuity and unctuousness, not deliberate emphasis on one's own insignificance. Even if you learn how to act like that (including in front of yourself), this lie will sharpen and sharpen from the inside. Pride will whisper about how pleasing to God such behavior, and conscience will be hurt by the imposed, wrong way of "humble".

Pride makes you compare yourself to others all the time. He who has learned humility does not waste his spiritual strength on this, because he does not think about himself. And peace and tranquility reign in his soul. He accepted himself as he was, with the features and talents that God had endowed him with. He is not looking to do on "five" if he can only on "four". He does not even think about the assessment, but simply does what he should at the moment.

Humility knocks the ground from under the feet of pride.

Pride makes you look exclusively at yourself, forgetting about God and your neighbor. And accepting myself

Priest Sergiy Osipov

Supported: 162

Larynx

I will allow myself today to state my point on one question, which, as far as I know, interests many - what is "guttural impunity"? This word is often incomprehensible to a modern person, this sin, the name of which seems so ancient, but, unfortunately, it is still very, very alive in people and does not give them rest today.

Gorethany is a passionate enjoyment of food, gourmand. In general, it is not a sin to enjoy food: food should taste good, as it was given to us by God, however, people tend to cross the border of the norm in natural things. Larynx is such a pleasure in food that harms a person, both bodily and, naturally, spiritual. The easiest way to understand this is with an example.

Imagine someone loves a very spicy food. The pungency of food has become a passion for man: he feels pleasure from such a taste, without pungency he does not want to taste anything. But at the same time, it is known that spicy food is harmful to health, it is poorly absorbed, it may even be asked

Abbot Nikon (Golovko)

Supported: 335

Pride

The word pride has two meanings. One is “wholehearted admiration,” such as a country or a school; the second is pride, a state of mind in which nothing can satisfy unless there is more or better than others. By comparing oneself to others, one falls into a trap. It becomes necessary for him to have more money, success, popularity, power than the one who is next to him.

Pride in the first sense is nothing wrong. Admiring something or someone outside of ourselves, we are open to other people.

Pride is the worst sin, because it makes you admire only yourself and turn your back on your neighbor. After all, the one who questions the primacy of a proud person becomes his worst enemy.

But pride also covers from God. How can a proud man stand before the One who is immeasurably superior to him in everything? Thus, the first angel in perfection fell away from God, and is now called the devil - "the adversary."

Let's think about it today.

Priest Sergiy Osipov

Supported: 124

My American Impressions

My trip to the States took place back in 1997. And then it was a different country, at least in the eyes of a visitor from Russia, ruined by Yeltsin's rule. In the USA, my wife and I were invited (and paid for) by my college friend, who immigrated there and came close to the bar called the "American Dream." When he left our country, he asked to baptize him in my church. And now, in 1997, he had a desire to show me the country and at the same time communicate on church topics, since America ceased to seem to him a promised country. Earlier in his letters, he referred to it as "a very Christian country."

We immediately celebrated our arrival in the United States with a trip to the “black quarter” of Baltimore. I no longer remember why my wife and I wanted extreme, but crossing the border between "black" and "white" turned out to be like plunging into the underwater world of hungry sharks in a bathyscaphe. We, white aliens, were saved from negro spitting and dirty curses by tight closed

Archpriest Maxim Khizhiy

Supported: 51

Lenten recipes

Fasting time. Abstinence in food should have its own measure. If the ancient hermits, in Lenten abstinence, sometimes completely refused food, now even in monasteries there is a certain variety in the Lenten menu. In the world, not everyone can eat sauerkraut and pickles for the entire fast - however, this is not useful. Without indulging in excesses, the table can be diversified and during Great Lent. For example, make this soup - moderately satisfying and very tasty:

Based on a 4.5 liter pot:

1 can of green peas

1 can of beans (in tomato sauce or in your own juice)

1 can of lentils

½ cans of corn

tomato paste (to taste)

potatoes, onions, carrots - "by eye" (it is better to take more onions and carrots),

Garlic (to taste)

Grate the carrots on a fine grater, finely chop the onion. Pour water into a saucepan about half, cook peeled potatoes until tender. V

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Supported: 47

How to tune in to fasting

What is the main mistake we make at the beginning of the post? There is only one mistake - bodily fasting, but it has two diametrically opposite forms. Those who are just learning to fast often place emphasis on food. Yes, undoubtedly, it is easier to decide on the severity of abstinence in food, in accordance with age, health and lifestyle and take care of this in the first place. We carefully study the composition of the products, refuse vegetable oil, get used to eating only once a day - so we are fasting. In fact, abstinence from food is nothing more than help in the most important things. And the important thing is to learn to live according to God's commandments. It is important to learn prayer, love for one's neighbor, and chastity (in the sense - the integrity of the mind, directed towards pleasing God). Restriction in food in this case disciplines and does not overload the stomach, which is able to distract from the spiritual, being satiated.

Years pass and the Christian realizes that bodily fasting, being an end in itself, does not benefit the soul. And some

Supported: 87

Forgiveness Sunday

On forgiven Sunday, we ask forgiveness for all the insults from the parishioners of our church. But how many have we offended in the temple? Yes, it happens that we can say a rude word even in the church, by any act to cause temptation among people. But the main thing for which one must ask for forgiveness is not at all in the temple space.

They quarreled with a neighbor and colleague, were rude to family members, injured parents with disrespect, and paid little attention to children. These are the real sins before your neighbors, for which you should ask for forgiveness. We rarely see these people in the temple. If they visit the temple, it is not often the one we go to. Usually these are parishioners of other churches, especially in the capital and large cities. But it is from them that you need to ask for forgiveness on this day.

What if we can't meet these people on Sunday? We can ask someone for forgiveness over the phone, write a penitential sms or an e-mail to someone. And colleagues have the opportunity to ask for forgiveness in advance - in

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Supported by: 67

Athos. Hilandar

Have you ever been to Athos? I want to tell you today about one amazing Athos monastery - Saint Chilandar. Even if you have been to Athos, you could not forget the first meeting with this Serbian monastery!

The pier of Khilandar - Yovanitsa is the first stop of that battered by wind and waves ferry "Saint Panteleimon", which runs along the coast of Athos, probably the only ship in the world, which only men can board. Those who have already been to those parts will understand me - remember the nagging feeling that you experience, expecting to see the Holy Mountain? The ferry departs from the pier of Ouranoupoli, floats along the entire noisy and colorful city embankment, slowly bends around a large cliff that drops into the sea, and behind it, in front of your eyes, in the distance and in the fog, Athos opens - a long mountainous ridge that goes into some kind of almost mystical haze with its two-kilometer peak. The delight of meeting the Holy Mountain soon gives way to pacification, the bustle of the world remains somewhere behind, quietness of thoughts and the languid feeling of a soul thirsting for grace imperceptibly come.

Abbot Nikon (Golovko)

Supported by: 44

Vegetarianism. Diet. Fast.

You know, it's good that you are interested in such topics! How vegetarianism and diets differ from fasting are subtle questions, only interesting for thinking people.

What is the difference? For purposes, motives, in the very foundation.

What are the motives, for example, of vegetarianism? This phenomenon, which first took shape in England not without the influence of Buddhism, states the following: a person should not cause suffering to animals, plant foods are more natural for humans and reduce the risk of serious diseases, in addition, they are cheaper and help save money. Some vegetarians are convinced that raising a large number of livestock negatively affects the environment, in addition, for a large number of vegetarians, religious beliefs are also motivated - Buddhism, Hinduism, Adventism, and others.

Lectures by Professor Osipov

The lectures of Professor Alexei Ilyich Osipov are wonderful because you can start listening to them in any sequence. They are designed for a person who knows almost nothing about faith, or who knows little and only fragmentarily. Before starting to read any book, I always leaf through it - I look at the end, in the middle, read several pages at random. If reading interested me, then I immerse myself from the very beginning, sometimes I reread. I cannot say that my method is perfect, correct. But this is my way. Find for yourself the most interesting, important to you personally - and then you, as they say, "by the ears" cannot be pulled away from his lectures. Go for it! Scroll, run to the end, to the middle !. For my part, to begin with, I can recommend a simple and interesting lecture "Afterlife". You can find it here: http://predanie.ru/audio/audioknigi/professor-a-i-osipov/.

Archpriest Maxim Khizhiy

Supported: 60

Not only those who are just starting independent steps along the road of life, but also those who have already made a very significant segment of it, think about the right choice of the path of life. Someone realized that they were going in the wrong direction, someone was attracted by the side paths, showing other possibilities for realizing their talents ... What to do? How do you know which road is right for you? How to understand what is God's providence for you? What to do to open the road of life in a clear perspective? And who can help if you're at a crossroads? Pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church give their advice

THE LORD REVEALS HIS WILL TO THOSE WHO LIVE ACCORDING TO HIS WILL

Not a single person is born just like that, as a result of a confluence of some random circumstances. Each of us is called into being by the will of God... We can say that even before the existence of the world, before the existence of this entire universe each of us was already present in God's plan... And therefore there was a certain divine plan for each of us... And, of course, the Lord wants us to fulfill this plan in our lives, so that each of us, as much as possible, live a full life, a happy life... AND implemented everything those talents that the Lord has awarded us.

Hence, we just have to trust Him in everything and ask Him to show us this way. Of course, a person can say: “Behold, I pray to God, I ask Him to open this path for me, but I do not receive an answer. Why?" There is always an answer to this question, and the answer is very simple, which, nevertheless, is very difficult to understand. When a person seeks to fulfill the will of God in everything in which it is obvious, then the Lord reveals to him His will in those situations when it seems to be hidden. If a person does not fulfill the obvious will of God, then it is all the more hidden from him at certain moments when we especially need to know it. And the answer, indeed, turns out to be very clear: if you strive to fulfill the will of God every day in your daily life, then the Lord will certainly reveal it to you when you especially need to know it, and will also show you your path.

And one more thing: when we ask God for something, then we often conceal the following thought in ourselves: "Here, Lord, I ask for this and that, but in fact I want it to be so"... I ask the Lord to reveal His will to me, but at the same time I have a clear idea of ​​what I myself want. But you need to give it up and to offer oneself to God as if completely naked from all wishes and talk: "Lord, as you please, so be it." And at the same time, to understand that in fact, what God wants, we may not be at all pleasing, and that we give God freedom to do with us what He wants, and this can be both difficult and unpleasant for us, and even painful and excruciating.

But there is something else that must be remembered: if we understand all this and ask for it, The Lord not only reveals His will to us, but also helps us to fulfill it, and He Himself builds up our whole life... AND the way to this is through trust- that which is so difficult to give and so necessary.

CHOOSING THE WAY, YOU SHOULD HAVE AND THE DECISION TO FOLLOW IT

When choosing your good path, you must, first of all, take into account the determination of your will to remain on this path irreversibly! This is what you need to pray about, so that the clarity of what the heart is leaning towards appears in the heart... This can be seen both from past successful experiences of meetings with this ministry, and from the enthusiasm of the heart while exploring the possible prospects for your gradual ascent to perfection in it.

THE PROFESSION MAY NOT COUNT WITH THE VOICE, BUT GIVE MEANS FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION

I have no answer to this question, except for general considerations that

the profession should not contradict the commandments(hitman, porn actor, etc. have nothing to do with what we can choose from). That is, before making a positive choice, it would be good to immediately cut off everything that is inappropriate;

the profession may not coincide with the vocation, being a means for the implementation of the latter... For example, a person can earn money as a businessman, but invest his soul in the creation of a gallery, which later became known as the Tretyakov Gallery;

accident is the alias of the Fishery, and if you have an unplanned opportunity to learn any skills, learn a language, take part in any good business (not to the detriment of other matters), better try... Because from these seemingly random options, a tree of life can grow, very different from what we have designed for ourselves;

in some cases, our profession is given to us so that we step over it and go further... How this happens is described by Tolkien's dying and very small-sized narration "A Sheet by Niggle's Brush", or "A Sheet of Melkin's Work" - depending on the translation into Russian.

IT IS CORRECT TO CONSULT WITH A SPIRITUARY

If we are talking about doubts about whether the already existing profession has been chosen correctly, then we recall what the people say: "They do not seek from goodness"... You have a job, you are happy with it, well, thank God. As they say: "Best the enemy of the good"... You have - and have and thank God.

If you are at the beginning of your journey, graduated from school, college, choose your own path in life, then, of course, this is the most important and most difficult problem, but for a church person, it is resolved somewhat easier, because one can consult with a confessor... Of course it is necessary consult with parents. And pray, seek... The confessor also needs to offer options, and not like this: "Tell me, father, what should I do?" - "And what do you want to do, what do you have a soul for?" - "No, you tell me, father, tell me!" So, perhaps, one can turn, if he is really a spirit-bearing elder, to whom the Lord reveals His will. But are there such elders now? Somehow the Lord hides them from us, and maybe we simply do not know these wonderful people, because the world is held by the prayers of the righteous and the righteous will never become scarce in the Lord. Another thing is how to find the elder ...

Well, if you yourself cannot be inclined towards something definite yet, then think, pray, consult, look for options, and if there are several options, choose the best one, the one that attracts you the most... Let's say that work is more interesting there, but they pay more in another place. You must understand what is more important to you. And although, perhaps, you are attracted by an interesting job, but you have a family, you need to support it, earnings are important, albeit at a “boring” job, what can you do ... Or, on the contrary, you see that the work is so interesting, you are so inclined to it burns, and there is a possibility that after some time you will achieve success and you will have material well-being ... There are a lot of pros and cons, they need to be weighed and, of course, discussed with people who love you, know about they pray to you and help you. Then you will find the right solution.

A PERSON SHOULD DO WHAT IS FOR HIMSELF

I am deeply convinced that a person should do what he likes... Earthly life is too short to spend it on activities that are not interesting to us, unless, of course, you are the head of a large family and simply must be able to feed it. But in this case, you can look for something to your liking.

People who have learned that they have ... a fatal (or terrible) diagnosis come to the conclusion that it is necessary to do what they want. I have met this many times. Only a person who was told that, for example, he had oncology, suddenly says to himself: stop! Why am I selling sausage if I have dreamed of doing photography all my life ?! or all my life I wanted to sing, so why not learn now ?!

And these people are doing what they love. And they often recover or receive support in illness, because the activity that they enjoy is a huge potential and resource, thanks to which the whole human being is restored and feels better. And I think that it seems that a person in such circumstances intuitively feels what he needs in order to survive.

It is, of course, easier for a Christian than for an unbeliever to make the right choice..

And that's why.

First: we understand that there is eternity, therefore, acquisition, earning cannot be an end in itself for us... The mere understanding of this is an incentive to do what you want, and not something more profitable.

Second: a Christian knows (from the Holy Scriptures) that for each of us God has measured out his talents and gifts... And everyone can serve the Church in their own way. The apostle Paul said about this beautifully:

“The gifts are different, but the Spirit is the same; and the ministries are different, but the Lord is the same; and actions are different, but God is one and the same, who works everything in everyone. But everyone is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit. One is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; faith to another, by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; to another miracles, to another prophecy, to another discernment of spirits, to another different languages, to another interpretation of tongues. Yet one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each separately, as He pleases "(1 Cor. 12: 4-11).

Just think: each of us has his own gifts, and this is from God! How wonderful that we can realize that precious potential that God gave us, and all this is for the benefit of the Body of Christ - the Church and for our salvation!

Therefore it is necessary listen to yourself and try to decide what you want to do, what your soul is in. And try yourself... Even if you don’t guess right the first time, I don’t see anything wrong with that.

CHOOSING LIFE, LOOK INTO YOUR HEART

Perhaps, choosing a life path is one of the most difficult and painful... Even in the lower grades, schools are given to write an essay on the topic: "What am I going to become." But the soul, as a rule, rushes from one to another for many years. For example, for a long time I wanted to become an investigator, solve crimes, but as a result I became a priest, and now, in a sense, crimes have to be solved too, or rather, people themselves reveal their sins in confession, and my task is not to put those who have fallen into spiritual crimes. but, on the contrary, to help them find true freedom of heart.

The most important thing that I personally would advise is choose a profession not according to the principle of "how much they will pay", but according to the principle "how much it inspires and pleases"... If you look for a job just to earn money, you will never be satisfied. In our spoiled soul, there is no clear criterion for security. Experience shows that no matter how much a person tries to earn, he still wants more. Actually richer is the one who is less attached to money, who least of all depends on their accumulation.

Work should be pleasing, enjoyable... Therefore, I will offer the most elementary advice: think, what would you like to do? So try to master it.

The choice of a profession should be approached in the same way as the choice of a life partner.... In order not to be mistaken, it is important to feel the kinship in your heart, that it is yours, corresponding to your inner world, dear to your heart. Then unnecessary mistakes can be avoided in advance.

There is also such a thing as a vocation... The Lord has put some gifts into the soul of every person. After all, someone is called to become a surgeon, and someone is a teacher, someone is a military man, and someone is a singer in the choir of a parish church. We can recognize a vocation as a special inner call that tells us what to strive for and what to look for, and is accompanied by a special creative inspiration. This is a new understanding of life, when landmarks appear and you are trying to achieve a suddenly important goal for you. This is an inner voice that needs to be heard, and this requires sensitivity to what is happening inside.

Here it is important to look inside your own heart listen to his inner call. And let the choice of life's path correspond to the search of the heart, then this choice will not oppress, but nourish and strengthen the soul.

Sometimes a person is still lost and does not know what step to take. At least, we can pray that the Lord will enlighten, enlighten and He Himself directed our lives for good. The Savior said:

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and they will open for you "(Matt. 7: 7).

The main thing is not to sit idly by. He who does not seek anything will find nothing., but he who seeks will certainly find. The Lord hears the prayers of seeking people and always helps them.

MAN DOESN'T RECOGNIZE GOD'S WILL UNLESS WON'T ACT

One thing can be said: the person is not recognized a it is the will of God, if, firstly, he does not seek with all his heart the fulfillment of God's will, and secondly, if he doesn't act... Mistakes are not scary. Precisely mistakes, not deliberate sins. Because when a person really seeks the fulfillment of the will of God and acts, the Lord finds an opportunity to reveal to a person what he is right and where he is wrong, what needs to grow and be asserted, and what to leave. Moreover, perhaps there is no other way. And when a person is looking for an experienced confessor in order to ask him the will of God about himself, this is good, of course, and right, but even here a lot depends on the faith of the person himself, on the intensity of his prayer. Because if a person is serious and prays with faith, the Lord will certainly reveal His will to him, and if he is in carelessness and relaxation, then no elder, even a truly spirit-bearing one, will help him.

Life is a creative process, and the Lord wants us to live full, creative lives., using all his strength to avoid sin and consciously do the commandments of God. Now, if there is such an attitude, then no matter what we do, the Lord will certainly help us find our place in life, get out on our way.

THE MAJOR IS TO REMAIN A CHRISTIAN

Standing at a crossroads, you need first of all, to be affirmed in the decision that you will follow the chosen path as a Christian. First of all, you will be a Christian, secondly, a doctor, or a lawyer, or an athlete.... It needs to be carefully weighed and evaluated: can you sustain this prioritization? Will sports, or business, or something else absorb your Christian beliefs? Will you not be forced to act contrary to the commandments in the framework of your professional activity, as, say, doctors who carry out abortions do it?

The main thing is to make a decision on your own after consulting, thinking, praying.

And there is also a lot of evidence when people went to a radical change in their lifestyle, when they realized that something was going wrong. And they did it! He was a businessman - he became an artist. He was a builder - he became a livestock breeder. I was a livestock breeder - I became a priest! Who is not wrong? That's right: the one who does nothing.

Currently, a large number of people who have understood or felt in their hearts that God exists, who realize, albeit unclearly, their belonging to the Orthodox Church and who want to join It, are faced with a problem churching, that is, entry into the Church as a full-fledged and full-fledged member of Her.

This problem is very serious for many, since, entering the temple, an unprepared person is faced with a completely new, incomprehensible and somewhat even frightening world.

The clothes of the priests, icons, lamps, chants and prayers in an obscure language - all this creates in the newcomer a feeling of his own alienness in the temple, leads to reflections on whether all this is necessary for communication with God?

Many say: "The main thing is that God is in your soul, and you don't have to go to church."

This is fundamentally wrong. Popular wisdom says: "To whom the Church is not a Mother, to that God is not a Father." But in order to understand how right this saying is, it is necessary to find out what the Church is? What is the meaning of Her existence? Why is Her mediation necessary in the communication of man with God?

The rhythm of the Christian life

PriestDaniel Sysoev

Let's start with the simplest. Each type of life has its own characteristics, its own rhythm, its own order. Likewise, a newly baptized Christian should develop his own rhythm and type of life. First, the daily routine is changing. Waking up in the morning, the Christian stands in front of the icons (they are usually placed on the eastern wall of the room), lights a candle and an icon lamp, and reads morning prayers from a prayer book.

What is the correct way to pray according to the text? The Apostle Paul writes that it is better to say five words with the mind than a thousandtongue (1 Cor. 14:19). Therefore, the prayer must understand every word of the prayer. St. Theophan advises starting with the fact that, having disassembled part of the rule, pray with these words, gradually add new prayers, until the person begins to understand the whole rule. During prayer, in no case should one imagine saints or Christ. So you can go mad and spiritually damaged. It is necessary to carefully follow the words of the prayer with the mind, forcing the heart to remember that God sees everything everywhere and everything. Therefore, it is more convenient to keep your hands close to your chest during prayer, as the Divine Service Rite says. Do not forget to protect yourself with the sign of the cross and make obeisances. They are very good for the soul.

After morning prayers, they eat prosphora and drink holy water. And they go about their business. Before sitting down to eat, a Christian reads the Lord's Prayer:

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in Heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also leave our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

And then he makes the sign of the cross over the food with the words: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." After the meal, we do not forget to thank the Lord:

We thank Thee, Christ our God, for thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; Do not deprive us of Thy Heavenly Kingdom, but as among Thy disciples you came, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.

It is worthy to eat as truly blessed Thee, Mother of God, Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and Mother of our God. The most honest Cherubim and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, we magnify the Mother of God. (Bow.)

During the day, Christians try to keep God in their memory all the time. And so we often repeat the words: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." When it is hard for us, during temptations, we turn to the Mother of God with the words:

Virgin Mary, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; blessed are you in women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, as you gave birth to our souls.

Before any good deed, we ask God for help. And if the matter is big, then you can go and order a prayer service in the church. In general, our whole life is dedicated to the Creator. We consecrate homes and apartments, cars, offices, seeds, fishing nets, boats and much more to receive grace through this. If you like, we create an atmosphere of holiness around us. The main thing is that the same atmosphere should be in our hearts. We try to be at peace with everyone and remember that any business (whether work, family, cleaning an apartment) can serve both to salvation and to death.

In the evening, before going to bed, we read prayers for the coming sleep, asking God to keep us in the night. We read the Holy Scriptures every day. Usually a chapter of the Gospel, two chapters of the Epistles of the Apostles, one kathisma Psalter (but the measure of reading is still determined individually).

Every week we fast on Wednesday (remembering the betrayal of Judas) and Friday (remembering the Calvary torment of Christ) and keep great fasts (Great, Peter's, Dormition and Rozhdestvensky). On Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings we are always in the temple. And we try to take communion at least once a month (and the more often, the better). Before Communion, we usually fast for three days (for example, if we partake once a month or less often, and if more often, then we determine the measure of fasting together with the confessor), read the rule from the prayer book (three canons: penitent, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel, as well as Follow to Holy Communion). We definitely come to the evening service, confess our sins and on an empty stomach come in the morning to the Liturgy.

It is very useful to find yourself a spiritual father - a priest who helps us to go to Christ (but in no case to ourselves - beware of false spirituality!). No need to rush to the first father you meet. Confess to different people, pray, and if you have a heartfelt understanding with someone, then he, gradually, can become your spiritual father. Just find out first whether his life is pious, whether he is following the Fathers of the Church, whether he is obedient to the bishop or not. It is also advised to look at how he performs the service. Reverence before God will tell you if he can help you come to Christ. Ask your confessor for an explanation based on the Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers, and then follow their advice. This should not be done because you do not trust him, but because you need training, which is impossible with blind obedience.

From the book of Priest Daniil Sysoev "Why haven't you been baptized yet?"

MY FIRST PRAYERS

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfill everything, Treasure of the good and life to the Giver, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save our souls, Beloved.
Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquity; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, like in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also leave our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Symbol of faith

I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, Who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, God, true from God, true, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, Who was all. For us, for the sake of man and for our salvation, he descended from heaven and incarnated from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. And packs of the coming with glory to judge the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, Life-giving, Who is from the Father who proceeds, Who is worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke the prophets. In one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I tea the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the century to come. Amen.

Virgin Mary

Virgin Mary, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; blessed are you in women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, as you gave birth to our souls.
It is worthy to eat

It is worthy to eat as truly blessed Thee, Mother of God, Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and Mother of our God. The most honest Cherubim and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, we magnify The Mother of God.

CHURCH ETIQUETTE

Before entering the Temple, you should make the sign of the cross with bows three times.

To do this, in order to correctly make the sign of the cross, the thumb, forefinger and middle fingers of the right hand are connected in such a way that their ends are always folded evenly, the other two fingers - the ring and little fingers - are bent to the palm. With three connected fingers, we touch the forehead, stomach, right shoulder, then the left, depicting a cross on ourselves, and lowering our hand, we bow.

You should come to the service in advance in order to calmly, without fuss, enter the Temple and be a participant in the service from the beginning to kissing the Cross. First, you need to approach the festive icon lying on the analogion in the middle of the church: cross yourself twice, bow and venerate, that is, kiss the Holy Icon and cross and bow again.

You must enter the Temple quietlyand reverently, as in the house of God. Noise, talk, walking, and even more laughter, offend the holiness of the Temple of God. In the temple, men of any age take off their hats and must stand on the right, while women pray with their heads covered with a headscarf, being on the left side of the Temple. Entering the Temple and leaving it, one must cross three times and bow to the belt towards the altar. We do bows with prayers: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner (oh)", "God, cleanse me, a sinner (oh), and have mercy on me" and "Who created me, Lord, forgive me."

Only the names and only baptized people are written in notes about health or peace. The Church does not pray for the unbaptized. Names needwrite in full, in the genitive case.

In the Temple, we can pray for ourselves, for our relatives and friends, for their health or repose. To do this, you need to go to the desired icon. Putting a candle in front of the icon of this or that saint, you need to be able to turn to him with prayer, request, gratitude. Approaching the icon, cross yourself, mentally gather yourself and say to yourself: "To the saint father ( saint's name), pray to God for us. " Then light a candle, attach yourself to the icon with the same words and, standing in front of the icon with a lit candle, say your prayer. Who knows, you can read the troparion. When placing a candle for yourself or someone else, you can pray like this: “The holy servitor of Christ and father ( saint's name), help me, a sinner, in my life, beg the Lord to grant me health and salvation and forgiveness of my sins, help my children. .. " etc. When placing candles in front of different icons, especially during the service, try not to walk around the entire Temple, as this distracts the worshipers.

The Church has rules of conduct during congregational prayer. When a priest overshadows those praying with the Cross or the Gospel, the image or with the Holy Gifts, everyone is baptized, bowing their heads. When it lights up with candles, blesses with a hand or censes, you should not be baptized, you just need to bow your head.

Before communion, everyone bows to the ground and stands up, saying to themselves: "Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God." Before the Holy Chalice, the hands are folded on the chest in a crosswise manner, with the right hand on top of the left. This replaces the sign of the cross, since one cannot be baptized in front of the Chalice before and after communion, so as not to accidentally touch it and spill the Holy Gifts. Approaching the priest, they call their name. Having communed, everyone kisses the edge of the Chalice. After that, a little warmth is received: diluted wine and a piece of prosphora, which are on a separate table. After receiving communion that day, they no longer kneel.During the liturgy, they usually kneel three times: when the consecration of the Gifts occurs (from the exclamation "Thank the Lord" until the end of the singing "We sing to you" ), when the Holy Chalice is brought out for communion and when the priest overshadows the people with the Holy Chalice with the words: "Always, now and ever, and forever and ever." When the priest censes in our direction, reads the Gospel, utters the words "Peace to all" , it is customary to bow your head. At the end of the liturgy, the faithful go to bow to the Cross, which the priest holds in his hand, and kiss him. TO rest without bowing:

• In the middle of the Six Psalms on "Alleluia" - three times.
• In the beginning "I believe"
• On dismissal "Christ our true God"
• At the beginning of the reading of Holy Scripture: the Gospel, the Apostle and the Paremias.They are baptized with a bow in the waist:
• When entering and leaving the temple - three times.
• With every litany petition.
• At the exclamation of the priest giving glory to the Holy Trinity
• With exclamations "Take, eat", "Drink everything from her" and "Yours from yours", "Holy to holy"
• At the words: "Honest"
• With every word: "Let us bow down", "Worship", "let us fall down"
• During the words: "Alleluia", "Holy God" and "Come, let us worship",
• by the exclamation "Glory to you, Christ God",
• before the release - three times
• On the canon, on the 1st - 9th cantos, at the first invocation to the Lord, the Mother of God or the Saints
• In the litany, after each of the first three petitions of the litany - three bows, after the other two - one at a time.Baptized with an earthly bow
• During fasting at the entrance to the temple and leaving it - three times
• In fasting after each refrain to the song of the Mother of God "We magnify you"
• At the beginning of the chant: "Worthy and Righteous"
• After "We sing to you"
• After "It is Worthy to Eat" or Zadoostinik
• With the exclamation: "And vouch for us, Lord"
• When taking out the Holy Gifts, with the words: "With the fear of God" and the second time - with the words: "Always, now and forever"
• During Great Lent, at Great Compline, while singing "Most Holy Lady", at every verse; when reading "Virgin Mary, Rejoice" and so on. at the Lenten Supper - three obeisances
• In fasting with the prayer "Lord and Master of my life"
• In fasting at the concluding singing: "Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom." Just three bows to the groundBow bow without the sign of the cross: With the words:
• "Peace to all"
• "The blessing of the Lord is on you"
• "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ"
• "And may there be mercy of the Great God"
• At the words of the deacon: "And forever and ever" (after "Like Thou art a light, our God") You are not supposed to be baptized:
• While reading the psalms
• Generally while singingYou need to be baptized and bow down at the end of the singing, and not at the last words. Bowing to the ground is not allowed:
• Sunday days
• in the days from Christmas to Epiphany,
• from Easter to Pentecost,
• during the days of the Transfiguration and Exaltation (this day, three earthly bows to the Cross). The bows stop from the evening entrance to "Grant me, Lord" at Vespers on the very day of the holiday.

Sacraments

• Baptism. The symbol of a person's entry into the Church. It is performed according to the faith of the baptized person (adult) or according to the faith of the parents of the infant. This is the only sacrament that can be performed not only by a priest, but (in case of need) by any layman. Baptism is performed with water (a symbol of washing the spirit), but if absolutely necessary, snow or sand can be taken.
• Confirmation. The sacrament of the descent of the Spirit of God on a newly baptized member of the Church. Usually performed immediately after baptism.
• Repentance. The sacrament of the reconciliation of a sinner with God through confession and permission given by a priest
• Eucharist, or communion. Participation in the everlasting Last Supper of Christ. The Eucharist is the incarnation of Christ under the guise of bread and wine, the acceptance of which means the communion of the redemptive mystery.
• Blessing of the oil, or unction. The sacrament performed on the sick for the sake of their healing
• Marriage. The sacrament of the consecration of married life ..
• Priesthood, or ordination. The sacrament of the transfer of apostolic grace from bishop to bishop and the right to ordained from bishop to priest. There are three degrees of priesthood: bishop, priest, deacon. The first performs all seven sacraments, the second - everything except the ordination. The deacon only helps in the performance of the sacraments. A patriarch, metropolitan, archbishop is not a dignity, but only various forms of episcopal service.

CHURCH CALENDAR

HOLIDAYS

Twelve rolling holidays
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem- Sunday;
Easter of Christ- Sunday;
Ascension of the Lord- Thursday;
Day of the Holy Trinity(Pentecost) - Sunday.

Twelve non-passing holidays
Epiphany- January 6/19;
Presentation of the Lord- February 2/15;
Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos- March 25 / April 7;
Transfiguration- 6/19 August;
Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos- August 15/28;
Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord- September 14/27;
Introduction to the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos- November 21 / December 4;
Nativity- December 25 / January 7.

Great holidays
Circumcision of the Lord- 1/14 January;
The Nativity of John the Baptist- June 24 / July 7;
Of the Holy Primate Apostles Peter and Paul- June 29 / July 12;
Beheading of John the Baptist- August 29 / September 11;
Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos- 1/14 October.

Church reckoning is carried out according to the old style. The second date indicates the new style.

POSTS

There are four long fasts a year. In addition, the Church has established fast days - Wednesday and Friday throughout the year. In the memory of some events, one-day posts were also established.

Multi-day fasting
Great Lent- pre-Easter, a total of seven weeks. Fast strict. Very strict weeks- the first, fourth (Cross-worshiping) and seventh (Passionate). On Holy Week, fasting ends after the liturgy on Holy Saturday. According to custom, they break their fast only after Easter Matins, i.e. on the night of Holy Resurrection.

Great Lent is associated with a rolling circle of holidays and therefore falls on different dates in different years, depending on the day of the celebration of Easter.

Petrov post- before the feast of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. It starts with All Saints Day (Sunday after Trinity Day) and continues until July 12, new style. This fast changes its duration in different years, because it depends on the day of the celebration of Easter. This post is the least strict. usual.

Assumption Fast- before the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. It always falls on the same numbers: August 14-28 new style. This - strict fast.

Rozhdestvensky (Filippov) post- begins the day after the celebration of the Apostle Philip, always falls on the same days: November 28 - January 7, new style.

One-day fasts

Wednesday and friday- throughout the year, except for continuous weeks (weeks) and Christmastide. Fast usual.
Epiphany eve- January 5/18. Fast very strict(there is a folk custom on this day not to eat until the star).
The beheading of John the Baptist- August 25 / September 11. Fast strict.
Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord- September 14/27. Fast strict.

Very strict post- dry eating. Eat only raw plant foods without oil.
Strict post- eat any boiled vegetable food with vegetable oil.
Regular post- in addition to eating during strict fasting, they also eat fish.
Weakened post(for the weak, who are on the way and who eat in canteens) - they eat everything except meat.

HOW IT IS CORRECT TO REMEMBER THE SLEEPING.

The custom of commemorating the dead is already encountered in the Old Testament Church. The Apostolic Decrees mention with particular clarity about the commemoration of the departed. In them we find both prayers for the departed during the celebration of the Eucharist, and an indication of the days in which it is especially necessary to remember the departed: third, ninth, fortieth, annual Thus, the commemoration of the departed is an apostolic institution, it is observed in the whole Church and the liturgy for the departed, the offering of their Bloodless Sacrifice for their salvation is the most powerful and effective means of asking the deceased for the mercy of God.

Church commemoration is performed only for those who have been baptized in the Orthodox faith.

Immediately after death, it is customary to order a magpie in the Church. This is a daily intensified commemoration of the newly departed during the first forty days - until the private judgment that determines the fate of the soul behind the grave. After forty days it is good to order an annual commemoration and then renew it every year. Long-term commemoration in monasteries can also be ordered. There is a pious custom - to order commemoration in several monasteries and temples (their number does not matter). The more prayer books there are for the deceased, the better.

The days of remembrance should be spent modestly, calmly, in prayer, beneficence to the poor and those close to us, in meditation on our death and future life.

The rules for filing notes "On the repose" are the same as for notes "On health"

Memorial services are served before the eve. Kanun (or Kanunnik) is a special table of square or rectangular shape, on which there is a Cross with a Crucifixion and holes for candles. Here you can put candles and put food for the commemoration of the departed. Believers bring various products to the temple so that the servants of the Church remember the dead at a meal. These offerings serve as a donation, alms for those who have passed away. In the old days, in the courtyard of the house where the deceased was, on the most significant days for the soul (3rd, 9th, 40th), memorial tables were laid, at which they fed the poor, homeless, orphans, so that there were many prayer books for the deceased. For prayer, and especially for alms, many sins are forgiven, and the fate beyond the grave is eased. Then these memorial tables began to be placed in churches on the days of the ecumenical commemoration of all Christians who have died from the age with the same purpose - to commemorate the dead. There can be any products. It is forbidden to bring meat food to the temple.

Memorial services for suicides, as well as for those unbaptized in the Orthodox faith, are not performed.

But in addition to all of the above, the Holy Church creates at certain times a special commemoration of all fathers and brothers who have passed away in faith from time immemorial, who have been vouchsafed a Christian death, as well as those who, being overtaken by sudden death, were not admonished into the afterlife by the prayers of the Church. The memorial services performed at the same time are called universal.
On meat-eating Saturday, before cheese week, on the eve of the remembrance of the Last Judgment, we pray to the Lord that He would show His mercy to all the departed on the day when the Last Judgment comes. On this Saturday, the Orthodox Church prays for all the dead in the Orthodox faith, whenever and wherever they live on earth, whoever they are in terms of their social origin and position in earthly life.
Prayers are offered up for people "from Adam to those who have fallen asleep in piety and right faith."

Three Saturdays of Great Lent - Saturdays of the second, third, fourth weeks of Great Lent- established because during the Presanctified Liturgy there is no such commemoration as is performed at any other time of the year. In order not to deprive the dead of the saving intercession of the Church, these parental Sabbaths were established. During Great Lent, the Church intercedes for the departed, so that the Lord also forgives their sins and resurrects them into eternal life.

To Radonitsa - Tuesday of the second week after Easter- with the departed share the joy of the Resurrection of the Lord, in the hope of the resurrection and our departed. The Savior himself descended into hell to preach the victory over death and drained from there the souls of the Old Testament righteous. From this great spiritual joy the day of this remembrance is called "rainbow", or "radonitsa".

Trinity parental Saturday- on this day, the Holy Church calls us to commemorate the dead, so that the saving grace of the Holy Spirit would cleanse the sins of all souls from the age of our departed forefathers, fathers and brothers and, interceding for the gathering of all into the Kingdom of Christ, praying for the redemption of the living, for the return of the captivity of their souls , asks "to rest the souls of those who had departed before in the place of cooling, as if they would not praise Thee to the dead, O Lord, whoever is lower in Hell will dare to bring confessions to Thee: but we, the living, will bless Thee and pray, and we offer cleansing prayers and sacrifices to Thee for our souls."

Dimitrievskaya parental Saturday- on this day, commemoration of all the killed Orthodox soldiers is performed. It was established by the holy noble prince Dimitri Donskoy by the inspiration and blessing of the Monk Sergius of Radonezh in 1380, when he won a glorious, famous victory over the Tatars at the Kulikovo field. The commemoration takes place on the Saturday before Demetrius Day (October 26, old style). Subsequently, on this Saturday, Orthodox Christians began to commemorate not only the soldiers who laid down their lives on the battlefield for their faith and fatherland, but together with them, for all Orthodox Christians.

It is imperative to remember the deceased on the day of his death, birth and name day.

What to do after Epiphany?

First of all, realize that after Baptism a person becomes a member of the Church, and membership in any society or organization presupposes the existence of rights, duties and responsibilities. The Church is more important than any earthly organization, since it has an unearthly origin and its Head is our Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism opens the door to the Kingdom of Heaven and a person is given the right to enter this door and, subject to the fulfillment of duties, which are the commandments of God, inherit eternal life. Responsibility means an answer or a report on the work done on the fulfillment of duties, which each person will give to God at a private trial, that is, at the end of earthly life and at the general Last Judgment, which will be after the Second Coming of Christ the Savior on earth. The path is indicated, the door is open, all that remains is to make an effort to follow this path, that is, to begin churching.

What if you feel insecure while attending the temple, afraid of doing something wrong?

Don't be embarrassed by this. Uncertainty will quickly go away if you start going to the temple regularly. To learn more about the rules of conduct in the temple, you can purchase the corresponding literature in the church shop.

You should not be offended if someone in the church made a remark not quite correctly, for example, that the candle was not placed with the right hand and in the wrong way, or that something else was done incorrectly. We must try not to condemn such people, but to tell them: "Forgive for Christ's sake." Or walk away in silence, praying: “Lord! Forgive me my sins, just as I forgive this person! "

What does the word "churched" mean?

A church-going Christian is one who clearly understands the purpose of the Christian life - salvation. He measures his thoughts and deeds with the Gospel and Sacred Tradition kept by the Church. For such a Christian person is the norm of life, fasting for him is not just a restriction in food and drink, but also a time of repentance for his sins, church holidays are a time of celebration about events that are directly related to the Providence of God for the salvation of man, and most importantly - to him yourself.

The churching of a person directly affects his office and personal relationships. They become brighter, deeper and more responsible. Violating church regulations, he realizes that he is not just doing wrong, but that he impoverishes and ruins his life. And at the first opportunity, he resorts to the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, seeing in them the only possible medicine for healing his soul. Finally, a church-going person is one who perceives himself as a son of the Church, for whom any distance from her is painful and tragic. An unchurched person only has to acquire such a filial feeling in himself and understand that there is no salvation outside the Church.

Where to start churching?

Prayer, church attendance, regular participation in the Sacraments of Confession and Communion are the beginning and foundation of the church life of an Orthodox Christian.

What obstacles can be on the way to churching?

The obstacles on the path to churching can be those temptations and discontent that sometimes occur in church life. These temptations and vices are real, real, but there are also seeming, far-fetched. But in any case, for a correct attitude towards them, one must always remember that the Church is by its very nature both heavenly and earthly. Heavenly in the Church is the Lord acting in it, His grace, His saints and disembodied angelic powers. And the earthly is people. Therefore, even in the church, one may encounter human shortcomings, completely "earthly" interests, and the weaknesses of people. In this case, it is very easy to be seduced and disappointed. But we must try to understand it correctly. People come to church to be saved, but they do not automatically become saints. They bring their illnesses, passions, their sinful skills here. Many, with God's help, overcome themselves, their bad inclinations, but this sometimes takes years.

It is necessary to know oneself, one's own weakness, so as not to condemn anyone. It is important not to judge the Church as if from the outside, you need to live in it, feel yourself an integral part of it, consider its shortcomings as your shortcomings.

It is also necessary to know that the enemy of salvation always seeks to quarrel, separate people, and restore them against each other. And here his main weapon is a lie. He shows something that really does not exist, small mistakes are terrible crimes.

It must always be remembered that a lot depends on the thought with which, with what inner disposition a person evaluates the surrounding reality. Elder Paisius of Athos remarkably discusses how much the assessment of this reality depends on “thought”: “When some told me that they were tempted, seeing much inappropriateness in the Church, I answered them like this:“ If you ask a fly, is there flowers, then she will answer: “I don’t know about flowers. But the ditch is full of cans, manure, and sewage. " And the fly will begin to list you in order all the garbage dumps it has visited. And if you ask a bee: "Have you seen any impurities here in the vicinity?", Then she will answer: "Impurities? No, I haven't seen it anywhere. There are so many fragrant flowers here! " And the bee will begin to enumerate to you many different flowers - garden and field. You see: the fly knows only about garbage dumps, and the bee knows that a lily is growing nearby, and a little further away is a hyacinth blooming.

As I understand it, some people are like a bee, while others are like a fly. Those who look like a fly look for something bad in every situation, and they only do that. They do not see a drop of good in anything. Those who are like a bee find good in everything. " “If you want to help the Church, correct yourself, and one part of the Church will immediately be corrected. If this were all, naturally, the Church would be corrected. "

A person who condemns other people's shortcomings and sins eventually comes into complete spiritual disorder and cannot help anyone in this way, but can only harm.

And, on the contrary, a Christian who spends an attentive life, works on himself, struggles with his passions, becomes a good example and helper for those who are close to him. And this (in doing what each one in his place is called to do, trying to make it according to God) is the most real benefit that a believer can bring to the whole Church.

How and where to start your spiritual life?
- “Turn to the Lord and forgive sins; pray before Him and diminish your stumbling blocks. Return to the Almighty, and turn away from unrighteousness, and greatly hate the abomination ”().

Spiritual life is inner life. It is necessary to pay more attention to the inner state of the soul, the state of conscience, strive to live according to the commandments of God, constantly monitor thoughts and feelings, not condemn anyone, not be annoyed with anyone and forgive everyone.

For those who want to start a spiritual life, it is necessary:

1) Turn to God in prayer, asking Him to grant pure, deep faith, without which there is no salvation for the soul.

2) Acquire Holy Scripture and read the New Testament. Moreover, having read it for the first time in full, reopen it all over again and every day read one or two chapters, slowly, carefully, reflecting on what has been read, trying to grasp the meaning of the Divine Revelation inherent in the text. At the same time, it is good and useful to read the Interpretation of the New Testament (for example, Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria).

You can begin your acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures by reading the Children's Bible, in which the whole history of the relationship between God and man is set forth in simple accessible language, the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and His teaching about the Kingdom of God are briefly and clearly described.

3) Start reading the patristic books, which constitute the treasury of spiritual knowledge.

The selection of patristic literature for reading is a purely individual matter, accomplished with the blessing of a spiritual mentor, but there are authors whose works are understandable and useful to everyone. This is Bishop Theophan the Recluse, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt. Of the modern authors - the books of Archimandrite John (Krestyankin). And, of course, it is soulful for everyone to read the lives of the saints.

4) In order to start teaching prayer, you need to acquire the "Orthodox Prayer Book" - a collection of prayers compiled by the holy fathers, people who have dedicated their entire lives to serving God and so purified their souls that the Lord created them as vessels of Grace, conductors of Divine Revelation. We can say that the Spirit of God Himself dictated to the holy fathers the texts of prayers, which the Church subsequently included in the collection for general use.

5) Observe the fast days established by the Church and all fasting days.

6) Regularly participate in the sacraments of Confession and Communion. The most common frequency of Communion is once every three weeks. It is possible to do this more often by asking the blessing of the priest.

7) It is necessary to pray to God for the gift of a spiritual leader - a priest, who could be entrusted with his soul for spiritual guidance.

What should you watch out for in order not to damage your soul?
- You should not enter into debate and listen to sectarians who convince that their faith is the most correct one.

Before entering an unfamiliar temple, one must find out whether schismatics are "serving" in it.

You should not go to prayer and to "heterodox" (ie, non-Orthodox Christians).

You cannot communicate with representatives of the occult, the "White Brotherhood", the "Mother of God", Mormons, Eastern and pseudo-Eastern Hare Krishnas, Roerichites, psychics, sorcerers and "grandmothers", numerous "Orthodox healers". Communication with them causes great harm not only to spiritual, but also to bodily health.

You don't need to listen to people spreading various superstitions. You should not take from anyone homemade, handwritten or typed prayers and spells, even though the giver will persuade: "This is a very strong prayer!" If something similar has already been taken, you need to go to the priest and show him, the priest will tell you how to deal with it.

All problems should be addressed to the confessor or to the priest serving in the church. Do not be offended by the priest if it seems that he has not given enough attention; it is important to remember that there are other people who also need a pastor. We must try to listen attentively to the sermons of the priests, to read Orthodox spiritual literature, in which one can find answers to all questions concerning the spiritual life.

One should not get carried away by political passions - the people have such rulers, which they deserve in terms of their spiritual condition; First of all, you need to change your own sinful life, everyone will improve themselves - the world around will improve too.

It is important to remember that a person has nothing dearer than his own soul, you should not get carried away by an unrestrained pursuit of worldly values ​​that take time and energy, devastate and kill the soul.

We must thank God for everything that is sent: joys and sorrows, health and sickness, wealth and need, since everything that comes from Him is good; and even with sorrows, like a bitter medicine, the Lord heals the sinful ulcers of human souls.

Having embarked on the path of Christian life, one must not be faint-hearted, not fuss, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” () - the Lord will give everything you need in due time.

In all your actions and words, you must be guided by the main commandment of love for God and your neighbors.

Can a Christian Drink Wine?
“Wine is good for human life if you drink it in moderation. What is life without wine? It was created for the amusement of people. Joy to the heart and consolation to the soul - wine, used in moderation at the right time; sorrow for the soul is wine when they drink it a lot, with irritation and quarrel. Excessive use of wine increases the wrath of the unreasonable to stumbling, diminishing his strength and causing wounds. At a feast over wine, do not reproach your neighbor and do not humiliate him during his fun: do not say insulting words to him and do not burden him with demands ”(). "And do not get drunk with wine, from which there is debauchery" ().

Why is smoking a sin?
- Smoking is recognized as a sin because this habit, which is called harmful even in a secular society, enslaves a person's will, makes him seek his satisfaction again and again, in general, has all the signs of sinful passion. And passion, as you know, delivers only new torment to the human soul, deprives it of freedom. Sometimes smokers say that a cigarette helps them to calm down and focus internally. However, nicotine is known to have a destructive effect on the brain and nervous system. And the illusion of tranquility arises because nicotine also has an inhibitory effect on the receptors in the brain. Everything that a person harms his health is sinful. Health is a gift from God.

Why is obscene language dangerous?
- The word plays a big role in the life of a person who, unlike all other living beings, is called a verbal creature. The word is the embodied thought and expression of human feelings. Each human word has its own spirit, innermost content that affects the human soul, depending on what word it is. The words of prayers ennoble and bring the soul closer to God, and dirty and unclean words bring the soul closer to those invisible beings who are themselves unclean. It is known that possession by unclean spirits sometimes manifests itself in the form of terrible foul language. And therefore, the one who accustom himself to utter bad words involuntarily inclines himself to obsession. Indeed, is it not an obsession when the swearing people simply cannot speak without bad words, and if they are forced to restrain themselves for a long time under certain conditions, then they feel an inner urge to obscenities, as if inside someone demands to utter an evil word. So you can destroy your immortal soul by a simple habit of uttering unclean words. "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" ().

Will God Punish Those Who Watch TV?
- The Church does not prohibit watching TV, it warns how dangerous it is to be addicted to TV. Not even talking about programs that destroy the minds and souls of children and adults. One must be able to choose what is useful and what is harmful and destructive for the soul. There are many good programs, including Orthodox, but there are many in other programs and outright corruption, violence, hatred of a person. You must be able to press the button in time. “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is useful; everything is permissible for me, but nothing should possess me ”().

Can Orthodox Christians keep a dog in their consecrated dwelling?
- The opinion about the inadmissibility of finding dogs in apartments and other premises where there are icons and other shrines is superstition. A dog, as well as other animals that are not dangerous for people, can live in the dwelling of Christians. At the same time, it is necessary to take precautions so that pets do not have access to shrines (icons, holy books, antidora, holy water, etc.).

What is the difference between religion and science?
- Religion and science are two different and equally legal areas of human life. They can come into contact, but they cannot contradict each other. Religion drives science in the sense that it awakens and encourages a spirit of inquiry. The Bible itself teaches: "The heart of the rational seeks knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish feeds on folly" (). "The wise will listen, and he will increase knowledge, and the reasonable will find wise advice" ().

Both - religion and natural science - require belief in God for their substantiation, only for religion God stands at the beginning, and for science - at the end of all thinking. For religion, He is the foundation, for science - the crown of the development of the world outlook. A person needs natural sciences for knowledge, and religion - for action (behavior).

Why does a person live on earth?
- Earthly life is given to man to prepare for eternal life. The true meaning of life can only consist in the fact that it does not disappear with the death of a person, therefore, this meaning must be sought in the good not for the body, but for the immortal soul - in its virtuous qualities, with which it will go to God. "For all of us must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each may receive according to what he did while living in the body, good or bad" (). The soul is immortal, and it will be able to enjoy the acquired gift of grace forever. “By grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from you, God's gift: not from works, so that no one can boast. For we - His creation - were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God intended for us to do ”(). However, in order for the soul to be able to enjoy not only here on earth, it is necessary to enlighten, educate, train it in order to grow spiritually and improve, so that it can contain the joy that the Lord has prepared for all who love Him.

It is in the search for goodness and its creation, the gradual but steady cultivation in the soul of all the fullness of love that it is by its nature capable of, in the progressive advancement of the soul on the path to God - this is where the only true, lasting meaning of human life is acquired. The purpose of life is imitation of Christ, the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, constant communion with God, knowledge and fulfillment of the will of God, that is, in becoming God-like. The goal of life is attainable on the condition of the embodiment of its main meaning, which consists in a constant growth in love for God and people: "Love the Lord Thy God ... and your neighbor as yourself" (). An example of all-perfect sacrificial love was given by the Savior Himself, having gone to suffer on the cross for the salvation of all people (see). "Be like me, as I am Christ" ().

If there is no striving for this, then life, from the Christian point of view, is aimless, meaningless and empty. But in order to acquire the Holy Spirit, one must cleanse the heart from passions and, above all, from pride - the mother of all vices and sins.

A person should devote his entire earthly life to caring for his immortal soul, which will live forever, and not about the body and not about the acquisition of temporal earthly goods. "What is the use of a man if he gains the whole world, but damages his soul?" ().

CHILDREN - THE WAY TO SALVATION

Human life, according to the Providence of God, passes through three states: in the womb of the mother, from birth to death, and in the afterlife. If we know (or assume that we know) a lot about the second and third, then we know nothing about the first, except that "the Spirit of God created me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life" (Job, 33, 4).

From a church point of view, a person's life begins after conception. In this, all the holy fathers who expressed their opinion on this subject are of one mind (Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Maxim the Confessor, Ephraim the Syrian, etc.). In a microscopic cell, formed from the fusion of the maternal and paternal cells, the entire future of a person is already laid, his gender, blood type, even the color of his eyes and hair - all this already exists and will only develop and emerge in the future. All that is needed for the formation of an adult from this small cell is food and time. In it - from the moment of conception - an immortal soul, which, unlike the calf, the physical shell, no one has the power to dismember or kill. And which, like the souls of the parents, will appear before the Almighty at the Last Judgment. According to the Monk Ephraim the Syrian, “whoever died in the womb of his mother and did not enter into life, (the Judge) will make him an adult at the same moment in which he will return life to the dead (in the universal Resurrection) ... Those who have not seen each other here will see each other there and the mother learns that this is her son, and the son learns that this is his mother ... "

Children are a blessing of God, a parental path to salvation. According to the Apostle Paul, "a wife ... will be saved through childbearing if she abides in faith and love and in holiness with chastity" (1 Tim. 2:15). But, even children are a gift of God, and like any of His gifts, they must be accepted with gratitude and worthily preserved (remember the parable of talents). Raising children as Christians is our duty to the Creator. But on our own, without His help, without the Most Pure Mother of God and the saints of God, we are unlikely to be able to do this. Realizing the fullness of parental responsibility for children, we want to help believing parents - with the advice of Orthodox saints and modern priests, on the basis of which we have compiled answers to the questions most worrying for parents.

About the reasons for childlessness

In the Sacrament of Wedding, among other things, Christian spouses are given the grace of giving birth and raising children. But by their sins, people can deprive themselves of this grace. In this case, you need to confess to the priest, bringing sincere repentance, correct your life in accordance with the commandments of the Lord and hope for the mercy of God (remember the holy righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, and the holy Godfather Joachim and Anna). It is possible, with the blessing of the confessor, to make and fulfill a vow to the Lord in the event of a successful birth of a child. Turning to sorcerers, "grandmothers", psychics is a great sin, which can only aggravate the situation. You can go to doctors - with the blessing of the priest. "Through doctors, through medicine, Lord, help! Mother of God, heal!" (prayer of schema-abbot Sava). The Church does not bless artificial conception in a test tube, "surrogate mother" and other similar methods. If it is impossible to have children of your own, it is better, with the consent of the spouses, to adopt or take care of strangers, to take care of children from orphanages, from large families, to help in the upbringing of relatives and godchildren.

About the birth of sick children

"Parental sin is reflected in children, they suffer and suffer. And we are to blame." Priest Alexy Grachev (+1998), who worked as a pediatrician in a Moscow maternity hospital before accepting dignity, suggests that perhaps this fallen world still holds on only because there are children who, with their suffering, outweigh the scales of our atheism and impenitence. The destinies of these children will be revealed in eternity. Diseases and "abnormalities" are only phenomena of earthly life. If God did not create death, then all the more, He did not create diseases. Saint Theophan the Recluse said: "Idiots are idiots only for us, not for ourselves and not for God. Their spirit grows in its own way. It may happen that we, the wise, will turn out to be worse than idiots. And children are all God's angels." ...

About fasting and the way of life of an Orthodox woman,
expecting a baby

In a Christian marriage, a husband and wife are blessed to become not just fathers and mothers of their children, "but co-workers with God in creating a new personality." "Christian parents can directly influence the spiritual well-being of their children by surrounding them with love and prayer from the very moment of conception" (Nun Magdalene). During pregnancy, a mother should focus on loving her baby, on how to keep him in her womb, and praying for it. It is necessary to confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ as often as possible (after all, in the Sacrament of the Sacrament we are sanctified, uniting with the body and blood of Christ, and this is a guarantee of spiritual, mental and physical health not only for the mother, but also for the child that has not yet been born by her. Holy Communion during the so-called "critical periods of pregnancy" by physicians (3-4, 12, 28, 36 weeks) and at the time when the child's internal organs and systems are laid and formed so that all his senses are initially sanctified by the Grace of God. So, on about the 23rd day, the heart of the fetus begins to beat (this is described in detail in the medical literature)).

The impressions that a child receives during the prenatal period greatly affect his physical, mental and spiritual condition. All maternal thoughts and feelings are transmitted to him. If a pregnant woman drinks wine, smokes, leads an immoderate married life, then it can be assumed that, by God's permission, her child can be born passionate, predisposed to these sins, with the seeds of fornication, drunkenness, anger, all vices and passions.

The attitude of the father to the unborn baby is very important. According to the observations of midwives, the newborn recognizes the father's voice, because even before birth he heard it near his mother. It is also known that even in the womb, children are able to sense the presence of God. Let us remember Saint John the Forerunner, who leapt in the womb when he felt the presence of the incarnate Lord. In the life of the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, we read that he proclaimed three times from the womb of his mother at the most important moments of the Divine Liturgy, which, by the way, does not contradict the ideas of scientists. In the book "Life before birth" (M., "Knowledge", 1991), Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Histology and Embryology of the Crimean Medical Institute A. Brusilovsky, on p. 109 we read: "It may seem fantastic reports that the fetus is capable of making sounds. In foreign literature, 82 cases of the cry of an unborn baby were cited. The reasons for this phenomenon are unknown. The mechanism of the cry is difficult to explain ..."

We must not forget such a powerful means as the sign of the cross and the Jesus prayer. So, for a mother preparing for childbirth, one old man advised to capture a newborn baby with a spiritual seal, constantly making the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God (with the prayers of the Mother of God) have mercy on me, a sinner") during the entire stay in the hospital, even during childbirth (by the way, it is known that in women who prayed during childbirth, they passed easily and almost without pain).

According to the canons of the Church, there is no strict fasting for pregnant and nursing mothers. In each case, a woman should talk to a priest and take a blessing from him. It must be remembered that fasting is not a refusal of quick food, but of sin, our intention to correct our life and spend it in a godly manner.

What to do when there is a threat of losing a baby during pregnancy?

Hope for the mercy of the Lord, pray to the Lord (there is a special "Prayer sighing of a pregnant woman, whom God blessed with the fruit of the womb"), the Mother of God ("Prayer sighing of a Christian wife during pregnancy"), Her miraculous icons ("Mammal", " childbirth "," Blessed womb ", Albazin icon" The Word was flesh "," Quick to listen "," Healer "," Sign "," Feodorovskaya ", etc.). The Monk Ambrose of Optina advised one spiritual daughter, fearing for a successful outcome of childbirth, to serve a prayer service to the icon of the Mother of God of Feodorovskaya and to recite an akathist to her every day.

The book "Akathist penitent ..." describes the case "From the story of priest I. Balashikha." The spouses could not decide on it, and the priest went to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra for advice. When he returned, he told his wife: "... The fathers said: do not have an abortion in any case, but rely on the will of God ... You need to drink consecrated water and often baptize the fruit in your womb with your hand." And so my mother did. He drinks holy water and baptizes the fruit with his hand. And the doctor, once again making a round of the patients, told her that the fetus was dead and there was nothing to hope for, she needed to rush to the abortion. When the second week of her stay in the hospital went, one day, on a round, the doctor approached her, listened and said, smiling wryly:
- Weird. The fruit came to life. But all the same, you need to do a "cleaning" (abortion), because a freak, a sick person will be born. And the birth will be difficult, pathological.
“No,” Mother said firmly. - As God willing. And I will give birth.

And now, the time has come for her to give birth. And childbirth was the easiest in her life. And the child was born healthy, contrary to all the predictions of the doctor. There was only one strangeness in these births: a girl was born, and before only boys were born. Trust God, not doctors. For those who trust in God will not perish, and those who trust in the Lord will not be put to shame. "

Is artificial termination of pregnancy acceptable?

Killing a child in the womb of a mother is a mortal sin, a woman who wants to get rid of a child in this way also sins (but his soul is eternal, and their meeting will still happen - how then will she be justified before him?), And the man who her and the doctor with whose hands the murder is being committed (American physician Bernard Nathanson, an abortion specialist, repented after filming an ultrasound image of what is happening in the womb with a 12-week-old baby during an abortion using the "vacuum -aspirations. "His film, entitled" Silent Scream ", is a documentary evidence of the child's experiences at the moment when he - with the mother's consent - is killed. a woman, but it does not work on a child).

"She who intentionally destroyed the fetus conceived in the womb is subject to condemnation as for murder," writes St. Basil the Great (Canon 2). The consequences of this come already here, in this life: a feeling of unaccountable fear, guilt, shame, deep despondency and melancholy, sleeplessness, nightmares, physical and mental disorders, sometimes leading to death; craving for alcohol, drugs; children already born do not obey, newly born children - if born - are sick; families fall apart ... But "for the Lord there is no unforgivable sin, except unrepentant." A woman who has had an abortion must necessarily confess to a priest who will listen to her and appoint her a penance - the means necessary to calm a troubled conscience. In addition, with the blessing of the priest, a woman can read "Akathist penitent of wives who ruined babies in her womb", "Prayer to the Merciful Lord for consciously ruined souls in her womb", do good deeds, and give alms.

How can the Church help childless spouses?

Through the Sacraments - marriage (if the spouses are not in a church marriage), confession, the Eucharist (Communion), unction; through prayer (you can order the magpie about the health of the spouses); prayer service (there is also a special "Prayer of the spouses for the granting of children") - to the Lord, the Mother of God, the saints of God - the prophet Zechariah and the righteous Elizabeth, the righteous Joachim and Anna, the Monk David of Gareja, the Monk Roman the Wonderworker, the Monk Hypatius the Infant Eufio John of Kiev of the Caves, Great Martyr Catherine, Martyr Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa, the Monk Melania the Roman Woman, the Monk Alexander Svirsky (about the gift of a male baby), the Holy Tsar-Redeemer Nicholas, Tsarina-Martyr Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, the God-Lephee-Schema-Martyr baby Gabriel Belostoksky. Spouses can go to worship the relics of God's saints, miraculous icons, to monasteries for advice from experienced confessors.

But, waiting for help, they must acquire it - by their faith, prayer, observance of fasts, purity of life, and faithfulness. For example, schema-abbot Savva advised one woman who came to his monastery in May 1974: "Do you want to have a child? Let's pray together. You pray for me, and I - for you, and our common prayer will be heard by the Lord. Read each day troparion to the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God and to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. When you return to Moscow, be sure to go to the church, order a prayer service with the consecration of water to the Mother of God of Tikhvin and Nicholas the Wonderworker, then consecrate the whole apartment and bed. If a daughter is born, call her Mary, and if a son "Nicholas. Just don't forget and do as I told you." On March 6, 1975, in Bratislava (Czechoslovakia), her daughter Maria was born. Having received such a gift from the Lord through the prayer of schema-abbot Savva, she and her husband tried to raise their daughter in faith in God (Memoirs of L.A. Belovichova).

Another modern testimony is given in the book about Saint Theodosius, the Caucasian (Jerusalem) miracle worker: "My daughter could not get pregnant, she had miscarriages. Someone suggested to her that she should ask Father Theodosius for a child. My daughter had a daughter." (Maria Kamynina, Mineralnye Vody, Levokumka village).

More about these and other questions
can be learned from the following literature:

1. Prayer for children / Comp. S. Davydov. SPb: Svetloyar, 1996.
2. Prayers for help in family needs / Comp. G. Shcherbina. M .: Blagovest, 1997.
3. Sacred. A. Grachev. When children are ill: advice from a doctor-priest. M., 1996.
4. Why do children get sick. M .: Center BLAGO, 1996.
5. Sacred. Sergiy Filimonov. To help the sick. SPb, 1998.
6. Sheigumen Savva. The experience of building a Christian worldview (The path to perfect joy). Perm, 1998.
7. Sister Magdalene. Thoughts about children in the Orthodox Church today. M., 1992.
8. Sacred. T. Alferov. A word to those who came to the christening. SPb, 1990.
9. Sacred. Al. Zakharov. A word about abortion. Perm, 1997.
10. Addition to the newspaper "Our Light". Љ 5, 17/30 October 1991
11. Life of Saint Theodosius of Jerusalem (various editions).
12. Akathist, penitent of wives, who destroyed babies in their womb. M., 1995.