Temple and life. Spiritual schedule of the day

What is the spiritual component of an ordinary day for an Orthodox Christian? The author of these lines had been thinking about writing on this topic for a long time and already had relevant material. Many Orthodox Christians have this daily routine, so this work is not something made up, but simply a formalization of what already exists. Recently he read a letter from a young Russian woman on the Internet (DD-42.2) and this gave him the impetus to hurry up, finish and publish this work.

Introduction. This work describes the spiritual order of the day and life in general. Of course, you can not follow this 100% and change it slightly and adapt it to our lifestyle. If we find a worthy spiritual father, then we must follow his advice. In any case, it would be very frivolous to lose our Orthodox heritage, which teaches us, warms us, protects us, guides us, and takes care of us (DD-5). We must not forget that sooner or later, we will have a family, if we don’t already have one, and we will be responsible for it! Where can we have knowledge and answers for all occasions? This is where we will especially need faith in the Lord God, Orthodoxy and relevant knowledge.

1. Morning. When we wake up, we immediately make the sign of the cross and say: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.” We do not continue to lie in bed, but get up, a working day is ahead of us. Thus, from the first minute of the day we ask the Lord God to help us live this day as a Christian.

Just as a loving father teaches a child not to touch the flame of a candle with his hand and much more, so the Lord God teaches us to live a righteous life. Sin is destructive behavior, and virtue is creative. Sin brings pain, trauma, anxiety, enmity, etc. Virtue is well-being, love, silence, tranquility, etc. Everything we do, say and think should be directed in a spiritual sense (in mathematical terms - have a vector), , to the Lord God, upward, to good, to good.

2. Morning prayer rule. After we put ourselves in order, get dressed, wash our face and comb our hair, the “morning prayer rule” follows. This conversation with our Father, the Lord God, consists of several prayers and our personal petitions. (DD-42). We retire to the corner in front of the icons and read our rule while standing.

Sometimes, in a family, it can be difficult to find privacy. The author of these lines knew a family priest who secluded himself in a rather spacious closet.

We must remember that we should never pray in a hurry. If there is no time, then you can shorten the rule, say, without personal petitions or, as a last resort, just cross yourself and say “Lord bless.”

3. Breakfast. Before eating, we make the sign of the cross and say a short prayer: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.” With this we thank the Lord God for the food that we have. When we cross ourselves, it is better to stand and look at the icon in the room, in the corner. If there is no icon, then approximately to the east. Jesus Christ came from the east. If we are with strangers, then we can cross ourselves and say a prayer to ourselves. After finishing the meal, we cross ourselves again and say a short prayer.

4. Farewell to family. When we leave home, we hug and sometimes kiss our beloved family members. We leave, we break up, and of course anything can happen. How often do we not appreciate the most important thing in life: our loved ones, family, relatives, friends, acquaintances, Motherland. Let us remember the words of a touching and truthful poem in which the poet asks us:

Don't part with your loved ones!
Don't part with your loved ones!
Don't part with your loved ones!
Grow into them with all your blood -

And every time say goodbye forever!
And every time say goodbye forever!
When you leave for a moment!

5. We leave home. When leaving an apartment (room or house), we cross ourselves onto an icon with the words “Lord bless.” We ask for blessings on our path and activities and leave our Orthodox corner, where we feel so warm and good.

6. Traveling to work. We get into the car, cross ourselves again, or we can cross the road ahead, especially if the traffic is crazy. We eat quietly, calmly, not aggressively, give way, remember “defensive driving”. When we arrived, we were baptized again, we thank the Lord God for saving us.

7. Work. We come to work, are nice to everyone, and say hello. If someone doesn’t answer or grumbles, “this is his problem.” We are told that the key to life is love in all its manifestations. And “hello” and a sweet smile is the least we can do for another person.

Before work, we cross ourselves again and say “Lord bless.” At the end of the work we are baptized. As was said above, all this can be done silently.

At work, we work honestly and decently, and even a lot, but in moderation. You can't become a workaholic. Very often, employers put a lot on the employee, completely disregarding his health and family. You need to take care of your health. Work is a very important and necessary part of life, but that’s not all. Of course, if we work in the Niva of Christ or help people in some way, then that’s a different matter. Therefore, in everything, you must always show prudence and moderation.

8. Lunch break. The same thing that is said above, in “Breakfast”.

9. Trip home. Same as Commute, above. Before leaving the car, we cross ourselves and thank the Lord God that everything went well, work and travel, we are now at home.

10. We enter the house. Watch "Leaving Home." When entering an apartment (room or house), we cross ourselves onto the icon. We enter our Orthodox corner, there are icons everywhere, there is a sense of holiness, where we feel warm, good and cozy. We are grateful to the Lord God that we returned home safely and we can begin the next stage of the day.

11. Meeting with family. Look at “Farewell to the Family” above. We meet all family members with joy and love. Sometimes we hug and kiss. We undress, relax and prepare food. There’s no point in talking a lot right away, because we’re tired and it’s better to take a break.

12. Dinner or lunch. The same as what is said above about “Breakfast”. Only now we read “Our Father” while standing, and after eating “It is worthy to eat” (DD-42). We are all sitting at the table - everything is decorous, calm and dignified. Dinner is not only food, but also communication with your beloved family. We eat slowly, take an interest in all family members and talk about ourselves. At the table we do not touch upon unpleasant topics, and if someone accidentally starts, we remember the commandment “blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:7) and stop the fire before it flares up. Of course, when your mouth is full of food, you are not supposed to speak.

13. Free time. We devote our free time to our family, education, recreation, etc.

13.1 Spiritual reading. In our time, when propaganda of debauchery and destruction of the family comes from all sides and especially the media, to maintain the Orthodox spirit you need to constantly read something spiritual. This is especially important for those who do not have the opportunity to attend the Russian Orthodox Church.

Spiritual reading can be divided into two sections. The first is for spiritual renewal: lives of saints, spiritual stories, spiritual anthologies, Holy Scripture - the Bible (New Testament and Psalter). To begin with, we begin to gradually read the material on email. page which is listed at the end of this work.

The second department is study. We need to know our faith more deeply, so, first, we can systematically go deeper and read.

14. Evening prayer rule. Everything that has been said for the morning prayer rule can also be applied to the evening one. The only thing is that there is a little more time now, so it can be more complete. After the rule, we do not go to bed immediately and therefore it should not be very late.

During the evening prayer rule, we need to remember the sins that we committed during this day and repent before the Lord God (DD-47.2) and (DD-47).

We lived the Orthodox way the whole day, talked with the Lord God, remembered and asked the Lord God for forgiveness for our sins, and now is a very opportune moment to read something spiritual.

15. Let's go to bed. Before we go to bed in the evening and close our eyes, we read a short prayer: “Into Your hands, Lord my God, I commend my spirit, You bless me, You have mercy on me and grant me eternal life.” That's all. Our working and spiritual day is over.

GENERAL NOTES

16. Post. Fasting is a great help to fuel our spirit. It promotes the development of spiritual qualities, self-discipline and better understanding of oneself. One of the most beloved Russian saints, Saint Seraphim of Sarov (+1831), said that anyone who does not fast is not an Orthodox Christian. Therefore, we make sure to observe fasts (DD-11) and (DD-11.3). If we are not used to it, then we need to start gradually.

So, we observe all fasts: all Wednesdays, Fridays, Nativity Fast, Lent and others. Below is a table of posts for 2002.

FAST DAYS CONTINUOUS WEEKS (No fasting) 1. 11 Sep Beheading of Chapter John of the Cross. First week of fasting 16 Feb - 22 Feb 2. 27 Sep. Honorable Cross of the Holy Cross. Easter Week April 27 - May 3 3. November 28 - January 6 Nativity Lent Trinity Sunday June 15 - 21 4. January 18 Epiphany Eve 5. March 10 - April 26 Lent Shrovetide 10 - 17 March 6 June 23 - July 11 Petrov Fast 7. 14 - 27 Aug Assumption Fast 8. all Wednesdays and Fridays, except for continuous weeks

17. Visiting church. Of course, we definitely attend church on Sundays and other holidays. Before the liturgy, we do not eat or drink anything. Please note the following works on these pages: (DD-39) and (DD-39.2).

In order to better understand the Gospel and the Apostle that will be read in church during the liturgy in Church Slavonic, it is good to prepare and read them yourself in Russian. What will be read can be found in any Orthodox calendar or email. page “Orthodox calendar”: .

If for some reason this cannot be done, then you can read the text of the liturgy from the Prayer Book at home, standing in front of the icons, in the red corner, after 10:00 am. Before this, we also don’t eat or drink anything. If this cannot be done, then we spend the time when there is a service in the church, quietly and calmly.

18 Good and evil. Discussions about good and evil are not entirely suitable for the text about the “Spiritual Schedule of the Day.” On this topic, on these emails. pp., there are various texts including “Healing the soul (personality) in the Orthodox Church - Asceticism” (DD-43). Since this concept is key to everything a Christian does, the main points will be given here.

The quality of good and evil. What is the easiest way to characterize good and evil? The simplest explanation is that good creates and evil destroys.

So, goodness creates, builds, creates peace, love, joy, spiritual and moral beauty, forgiveness, peacefulness, holiness, good relationships between people, in the family, at school, at work, in society.

Evil is the opposite of good; it undermines all that is good. It destroys, ruins, destroys, creates anxiety, fear, irritation, malice, anger, cruelty, hatred, materialism, selfishness, spiritual and moral ugliness, bad relationships.

The church leaflet also contains the following sins to help the confessor: idle talk, condemnation, pride, unmercifulness, envy, anger, slander, insolence, irritability, slander, slander, lies, temptation, pride, ambition, excess in food and drink, vanity, laziness, unclean thoughts, excessive acquisitions, unclean views.

Sin is a disease of the soul. Bishop Alexander (Mileant) in his brochure “The Sacrament of Repentance” writes:

“Sin is a disease of the soul. All people are born with a nature that is morally damaged. Left neglected, sin intensifies in a person and enslaves him more and more. As sin intensifies, it darkens a person's mind, introduces some kind of bitterness and anxiety into his mood, arouses unkind thoughts and feelings, pushes a person to do things that he does not want to do, and weakens his will to a morally good lifestyle. "

Sin is understandable - from a comprehensive point of view. So, sin and virtue are not something far-fetched, but a real fact of life.

If we look at any sin, we will see that it always creates corruption and harm for a person and society. Therefore, sin is destructive behavior. Sometimes this is not always clear because a person usually takes into account only the present moment, and sinful behavior may seem harmless. But if we stand on comprehensive point of view and think carefully about how this or any other act has an impact on the environment, friends, acquaintances, society and the sinner himself, today, tomorrow, in the distant future and even after death, then it always becomes clear that sin is negative and - as mentioned above - destructive behavior.

In the same way, one can make an analysis and show that goodness and virtue are creative behavior.

The Serbian Bishop Nikolai (Velimirović) Žićski expressed these qualities of good and evil as follows: “Good sees far: Good is perspicacious and sees deep reasons. Evil looks only in front of itself and does not know the true reasons.”

You need to know what is good and what is evil. It is very important to understand what is good and what is evil, since our success in life, our relationships with our family, friends, acquaintances and society, our ability to love, create, work, and our happiness depend on it.

Some people, at the end of their lives, having made many mistakes, learned from bitter experience, become “wise,” others become embittered. An Orthodox person knows from the very beginning what is what and therefore works all the time to improve himself and becomes better over the years.

19. How to live like a Christian? So, morally any human activity can be defined as good or bad, virtue or sin, good or evil.

As mentioned above, sin is destructive behavior, and virtue is creative. Sin brings pain, trauma, anxiety, enmity, etc. Virtue - well-being, love, silence, tranquility, etc. Everything we do, say and think should be directed towards the Lord God, upward, towards the good, towards the good. Thus, we must learn not to sin either in deed, or in word, or in thought.

The Orthodox faith teaches us, no matter what we do, to always strive for good. Everything we do, say or think, so that it is good or strives and leads to good, that is, without sin. Of course, only the Lord God is sinless, but we still must do everything on our own so as not to sin.

This was explained very well by Saint Theophan the Recluse in his book “What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it.” He wrote that we must always act in such a way that our deeds, words and thoughts are directed towards God, and not away from him. That is, to the kind, good, honest, truthful, peaceful, beautiful, etc., and not vice versa. In technical terms, we must act in such a way that the “spiritual vector” is always directed upward to the Lord God.

In addition to all this, our holy Orthodox faith also teaches us that it is not enough not to sin, but we also need to actively work to improve ourselves and eradicate sinful habits. And we all have them, with the exception of the Lord God.

CONCLUSION

As mentioned above, many Orthodox Christians have approximately the same daily routine, so this work is not something made up, but simply a formalization of what already exists.

Everything that has been said seems very simple, but this is the most important and fundamental thing in the life of a Christian. Without such a daily routine, an Orthodox person is Orthodox only in words. This spiritual schedule clearly shows the beauty and sublimity of Christian teaching as it systematically elevates and ennobles man.

Literature on our emails. p.

• How to find a church?
  Orthodox churches in the San Francisco area (DD-39)
  How to find an Orthodox Church in the West (DD-39.2)
• Prayers and Worship
  How to live without a church? (DD-42.2)
  How to start praying (DD-42)
  Divine Liturgy (DD-10)
• What is the essence of Christianity?
  Living a good life is one of the foundations of Christianity (DD-1)
  The Orthodox faith raised the Russian man (DD-2)
  O Orthodox Christian! (Prose poem) (DD-5)
  What is the essence of Christianity? (Bishop Nicholas) (DD-15)
  Venerable Ambrose of Optina on the Latin Church (DD-16.2r)
  What is the difference between rights? faith from Western confessions (Mit. Anthony (Khrapovitsky) (1911) (DD-16.3r)
  Fifth Congress of Russ. Right Public (1985) (DD-24)
  

This article talks about the general idea of ​​good Christian living. You will read about ways to grow closer to the Lord, ways to spread faith, and the morals and ethics God wants us to follow.

Steps

Follow the example of Jesus at all times. Follow the greatest commandment of Jesus (the Son of God) - love God and everyone completely, even if they all treat you wrong, whether you know them or not. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who use you and persecute you.” Jesus says in John 13:15, “I have set you an example, that as I did, so you should do.” In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul says, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore imitate God, as loving children.” Also many Believers are “free, pure and transformed” (Matthew 12:44) Luke Christian Doctrines. If you just go to church, you will be a weak Christian and trials will bring chaos into your life. But if you go to church and say the Prayer every night, you will be a strong Christian. Most Christians do not read the Bible every day, so if all you do is go to church, you will be a weak Christian. Here are some parables for raising a Christian: 8:17-21. Psalm 1:1-3. John 14:21-27. James 1:2-8. I Thessalonians 5:16-18. Second Timothy 1:6-7, Hebrews 8:6,10. Ephesians 6:10-18. Proverbs 4:20-23.

Admit that you have mistakes (sins) and then repent - change your attitude and pray. Remember that conversion to Christianity is not an empty act, but the beginning of a lifelong commitment. Tenacity and perseverance are fundamental qualities for realizing your potential. Don't be too hard on yourself when you fail - but admit it; encourage yourself; believe in God... move forward.

READ and DO what the Bible says. James 1:22 – “To only listen to the word is to deceive yourself. Do what it says." Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written, Man shall not be satisfied with bread alone, but with every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The Bible also says that “All Scripture is inspired by God, and is useful [for] teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness,” - 2 Timothy 3:16.

Let God change you: as a follower of Jesus you cannot change yourself, only God through his son can do that. Ezekiel 36:26-27: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and direct you to follow my instructions and be careful to keep my laws.” Ephesians 4:24 says, “And put on the new man, created in the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” A true Christian, when converted, immediately notices an inevitable change in the perception of his daily life. He will begin to doubt his tastes in movies, music, clothes and even his choice of friends! The Bible says, “Therefore, get rid of everything unclean and every form of wickedness, and with a light spirit welcome the word planted in you, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21)

Please be aware that you may be persecuted for your beliefs. Don't let outside interference weaken your faith. Stand up for your beliefs to do good, but not to judge others. 2 Timothy 3:12 – “Indeed, everyone who wants to live godly with faith in Jesus Christ will suffer persecution.”

Make time for effective and meaningful prayer. Take care of people who do not pray enough for their own development, such as children of cousins, friends, enemies and relatives, etc. In Ephesians 1:16, Paul prays for the “Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation.” I recommend that you say the prayer in Ephesians 1:16-23 for yourself every day for one year, and God will open your soul and understanding.

Try to see other people's perspectives, even if you personally disagree with them. Of course, this answering prayer for the repose of your enemies, and that they will become blessed as children of God, will help both you and them.

Be patient with those who don't make you happy or even upset you. Work on forgiving those who may hurt you. You must learn to love your enemies. God loves everyone and we should do the same. Say goodbye by choosing love. If you find it difficult to love your enemies, pray to God to cultivate your understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Work and pray for others to the best of your ability. Look after people in need when they ask for help. James 2:16: “If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep him warm and well fed” but does nothing to meet the needs of his body: what good is that? This is one of the things that Jesus spoke about in his teaching. Giving does not always mean providing financial assistance, it can be in the form of basic food and clothing.

Treat people kindly, as you would like to be treated. Even a simple act of kindness, such as holding someone's door, is a kind deed that can help you feel less paranoid - because then you will feel that others should think well of you and your faith in Christ.

Strive to live a calm life. 1Thesolonians 4:11 – “And to fulfill your intentions of leading a quiet life, you must mind your own business and work with your own hands, as we have told you.” Pride can mean that you falsely judge others and is considered the mother of all sins because pride lives in each of us. The source of all sin is one’s own selfishness (greed, lust, hatred of others, murder, theft, etc.).

Share your good news openly! Remember, to live as a Christian, your actions must demonstrate to others that God is present in your life. Always know how to stand up for your beliefs, such as conservatism in good morals and be indulgent in sharing your own goods - do not be a Robin Hood or a "wealth merchant" (profit from poverty), or a spendthrift, but sow the seeds of faith in Christ among those around you, speak about grace, through faith, which always leads to good deeds, which become the RESULT of salvation, but NEVER a means of salvation.

Practice what you preach... Jesus gave us a very good example, in Matthew 7:3-5: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and ignore the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Let me take the sawdust out of your eye,” when you are always walking around with a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

1. Help people. Volunteering is a great start for a Christian who is unsure of what the Lord God requires of him. For example, you could run a kitchen for the homeless near you or visit someone living in a nursing home.

   • However, remember, you don’t need to make mistakes, knowing that someone will always forgive you... No! The Lord God knows your heart and you will only be forgiven as long as you are honest. God is always with you!
   • Remember, the center of your faith should be love, not obligation, consider these factors, but live like Jesus - easier said than done, but as long as you strive to be like him, you are on the right track. God will always be there to help you step by step.
   • Love other people and remember that the Christian life is more than following rules, it is about showing love to people through your love for God.
   • When you stand trial, you will have only one lawyer and one judge: God. And there is another mediator between God and people - the human messiah Jesus Christ.
   • If you are not a Christian but want to become one, accept Jesus into your heart, then find a local church and study the gospel. Follow it; there is no middle ground between worldliness and Christianity. You either follow Jesus or against him. As Christ said, you cannot wear the world's hat and God's hat at the same time. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and drink from the cup of demons at the same time.
   • Ask people for help. Each of us learns something new every day.
   • Forgive yourself and others.
   • Take one step at a time, moving forward and not looking back.
   • Never lose heart. Always look forward, not behind. Remember that God loves you and can forgive anything. So if you have made a mistake, don't think that God doesn't love you anymore. Just remember that God loves you, and there are no limits or boundaries to his love!
   • Attend church and weekly Christian church/school. It will help you learn more about the Christian life and teach you how to live out your faith.
   • All you have to do is believe God and Jesus.
   • Remember that the Christian life is a lifelong journey “to benefit others in the name of Christ. Do not expect to be freed from sin and error at the same time without condemnation from others. Maintaining morals and good habits that glorify God in your body and in your daily life - not to brag, but to the glory of God!
   • Trust him with all your heart and you will see miracles happen.

   Warnings

   • Remember that God loves everyone and we should do the same.
   • Forgive and Don't Forgive Again - While you cannot change events in the past, you can change your views and attitude towards the past (pray with gratitude and forgive sincerely). God forgives every sin when we sincerely repent: be like God!
   • Prayer has power; Don't underestimate her.
   • Peter reminds us to share hope with “awe and respect.” There is no need to be rude or forcefully impose faith.
   • Don't bury your talents or hide your benefits from others - share as much as possible, give less than yourself and lead by example by helping those less fortunate instead of judging them by calling them lazy or sinners because of their unluckiness and poverty. Generally, poverty is not a punishment from God, for example, extreme drought or terrible storms can bring suffering, disease and famine, and they happen to all states or nations, even good and wise ones.
   • Never lose faith in God. (There are different times in life, and we are not perfect and are not called to be)
   • Every aspect of the Christian life stated in Scripture must be observed. When you are confused about how to live the Christian life, just ask yourself one question: “What would Jesus want me to do?” If you are still in doubt, pray to God for help, then turn to the Scriptures. “If anyone needs wisdom to know what you should do, you must ask God and he will give it to you. God is generous to everyone and is not angry with anyone.” (James 1:5)
   • You can know a Christian by the fruits of his deeds, but this is a positive statement. Remember that only God can save and has already saved us. There is one judge; love others as you love yourself.
   • Never forget what the term "Christian" means... it means "like Christ." 2 Corinthians 3:18. But we Christians are faceless, we can be mirrors, brightly reflecting the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.
   • Jesus said, “Whatever you do for the rest of my children, you do for me! Your good or bad deeds are for me.” This also means that if you are one of God's servants, you suffer ridicule and violence because you insist on truth, honesty, love for your enemies and other good works, etc., by this they hate Him and do this evil to God, and not only for you...
   • There are some parts of the Bible about the Israelite lineage, history, or legal system in the Old Testament that seem archaic (and uninteresting). The books of the Old Testament, like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Samuel and several others, are especially interesting books because they contain prophecies (predictions of the future) and stories of miracles. All books of the New Testament are easy to read.
   • Remember that some ill health conditions or illnesses, such as certain cancers, diabetes, drunkenness, drug use, extreme obesity, and other physical and emotional suffering, are often associated with personal choices that Jesus stated were beneficial to health, good disposition and character.
   • You can change a lot through prayer, but you should not abuse it. God answers all prayers and He will say “No” to any unfair or hurtful prayer. Pray and His will will touch you, because He wants the best for all of us. He will change everything bad in our life into good if we believe in Him.

Holy word John Privalov on the Sunday of the Cross
Holy Presentation Church in the village of Zaostrovye Dear brothers and sisters!

Today is the third week of Lent, which is called the Worship of the Cross. On this day we hear the Gospel of Mark (8:34-9:1), where Christ addresses every Christian: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

We heard these words and earlier. Maybe , once upon a time they were piercing, wounding for us, disturbing , but then, as often happens, we were able to protect them so much in our memory and in our consciousness that They They stopped tingling, hurting and disturbing us. These words, of course, are “explosive.” And what Christ says, He does not say in order to create a scandal among his listeners. It is absolutely impossible to blame Him for this, although this does not mean that there were no scandals around Him.

The Lord says about Himself that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. It is interesting that the word “Path” comes first here. What does Christ offer us? He offers Himself as a way, He offers Himself as a way out, He offers Himself as the path of our life. But we live in a world that has fallen away from God, which is why it is so difficult to be Christ-centered. What does it mean for a world to fall away from God? This is a world that has chosen itself as the source and goal of life. In this sense, overcoming the Fall is expressed in shifting one’s attention to God, to the Creator of life, to the Source of life. It's natural, it's understandable, but it's also difficult, That's why that all of us born in this world are infected with egocentrism. We often say: this person is an egoist, and this person is an altruist, he does not spare himself for the sake of other people. Brothers and sisters, we are not all selfish, but we are all selfish, and there cannot be such a medicine on earth to free ourselves from selfishness. Egocentrism can be overcome in only one way - love. If a person loves and if this love is genuine, real, then the person outgrows himself and the interest in another in him exceeds the interest in himself. The Lord understood this when he said: “ IN love your neighbor as yourself.” And this was also new. Loving another as yourself already meant something. It has always been understood that self-love is quite natural, and there is no need to teach people this. This is natural, and this is how everyone loves themselves. But loving another as yourself already meant something. Christ took this to the extreme. He says: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you!” To treat the enemy with reverence and love - this, of course, cannot be done by an earthly person; only one who is in communion with Christ can do this. It is only by the power of the Lord’s love that you can look at the enemy like that and smile at him. Look at him and bless him, look and accept him into the depth and fullness of personal communication.

I said today that being in communion with Christ is the most difficult thing. Following Christ is the hardest thing. And it turns out that all the forces of this world, infected with egocentrism, are rebelling both within us and around us, and it is extremely difficult to keep our attention on Christ. Sometimes it's almost impossible. You can gather your strength into a fist to the limit and give yourself the following order: “I will be in communion with Christ, no matter what!” This is important, it is necessary, but it is not enough, because it is God's power and God's love that saves us. And our focus on Christ, coming from us, should end with the power of Divine love pouring into us, the power of grace, which we also hear about today. Christ, looking at his disciples, says that among them there are some who, before their earthly death, will feel and see the Kingdom of God coming in power.

Last Sunday we remembered St. Gregory Palama and they said that this was precisely one of those saints who saw the goal of Christian life in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God, in the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

But when we are focused on Christ, when we do not defend ourselves in any way before Him, when we pray to Him to support us in following Him, because everything in this world opposes following Christ, we find help and support. The lifeline that can pull us out of the hole in which we find ourselves is found in Christ. And this power that He gives us freely and freely is called the grace of God, the grace of the Holy Spirit. And when the grace of the Holy Spirit comes, we all understand very well that it comes not for something, but just like that. Otherwise, this is also called unexpected joy, causeless joy, when, despite all the circumstances of life, a source of such amazing, delightful joy suddenly opens in a person, which he does not know, about the reason for which it is pointless to look for an answer. And the person thinks: “Where do I get such joy now, where does this playfulness of life come from in me now? Why did the whole world seem so wonderful to me for that moment, so joyful, so kind, although at all other moments of my life I was convinced of something opposite? Where?" The answer is simple: the Lord visited, the Lord entered your heart, because you are reaching out to meet Him.

God grant, dear brothers and sisters, that these words about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven will be accepted in power by each of us, so that each of us will experience this grace of God, saving us, illuminating, healing and reviving us.

Amen.

To the question Christian life... How is that? given by the author August the best answer is For most, this is the kind of life when you say one thing, do another, and think something else.

Answer from Neurologist[guru]
This is how Seraphim of Sarov defines the goal of Christian life: “They told you: go to church, pray to God, do God’s commandments, do good - that’s the goal of Christian life. And some were even indignant at you because you were busy with unpleasing curiosity and told you : do not seek your superiors. But they did not speak as they should. So I, poor Seraphim, will now explain to you what this purpose really is: prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian deeds, no matter how good they are. in themselves, however, the goal of our Christian life is not in doing them alone, although they serve as necessary means for achieving it. The true goal of Christian life is the accumulation of the Holy Spirit of God. Every good deed done for the sake of Christ is a means for accumulating the Holy Spirit of God. Note, father, that only for the sake of Christ a good deed done brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Yet, what is done not for the sake of Christ, although good, does not bring rewards in the life of the next century. represents and does not give the grace of God in this life either. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ said: “Whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (Luke 11:23). To do this, we must begin here with right faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world to save sinners, and by acquiring for ourselves the grace of the Holy Spirit, introducing the kingdom of God into our hearts and paving the way for us to acquire the bliss of life in the next century. That is why the Lord said to the Hebrews: “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but because you say what you see, the sin remains on you” (John 9:41). So then, your love for God. So the accumulation of this Spirit of God is the true goal of our Christian life, and prayer, fasting, vigil, almsgiving and other virtues done for the sake of Christ are only means to accumulate the Spirit of God. The purpose of the worldly life of ordinary people is to accumulate, or make money, and for nobles, in addition, to receive honors, distinctions and other awards for state services. The accumulation of the Spirit of God is also capital, but only grace-filled and eternal, and it, like money, official and temporary capital, is acquired in the same ways, very similar to each other. God the Word, our Lord God-man, Jesus Christ likens our life to a market place, and calls the work of our life on earth a purchase and says to all of us: “use them in trade until I return” (Luke 19:13), “valuing time, therefore that the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16) i.e. e. gain time to receive heavenly benefits through earthly goods. Earthly goods are virtues done for Christ's sake, providing us with the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. Of course, every virtue done for the sake of Christ gives the grace of the Holy Spirit, but prayer gives most of all, because it is, as it were, always in our hands, as a weapon for accumulating the grace of the Spirit. Would you like, for example, to go to church, but either there is no church, or the service has passed; you would like to give to a beggar, but there is no beggar, or there is nothing to give; you would want to observe virginity, but you do not have the strength to do this due to your constitution or due to the efforts of the enemy’s machinations, which you, due to human weakness, cannot resist; We would like to do some other virtue for the sake of Christ, but we also don’t have the strength, or we can’t find the opportunity. But this has nothing to do with prayer: everyone always has the opportunity to do it - rich and poor, noble and simple, strong and weak, healthy and sick, righteous and sinner.

Answer from Admin[master]
overeat and not live

Answer from pickle[guru]
A life dedicated to serving the Lord

Answer from Mikhail Potapov[guru]
Saint Theophan the Recluse:
“We need to understand for ourselves when and how a truly Christian life begins in order to see whether the beginning of this life has been laid in us, and, if it is not, to know how to lay it, to the extent that it depends on us.
It is not yet a decisive sign of true life in Christ if someone is called a Christian and belongs to the Church of Christ. Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! God!" , will enter the Kingdom (Matt 7:21). And not all those Israelites who are from Israel (Rom 9:6). You can be among the Christians and not be a Christian. Everyone knows this.
There is a moment, and a very noticeable moment, sharply indicated during our life, when someone begins to live like a Christian. This is the moment when the distinctive features of the Christian life begin to emerge in him. Christian life is zeal and strength to remain in active communion with God, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, with the help of God’s grace, by fulfilling His holy will, for the glory of His most holy name. The essence of Christian life consists in communion with God about Christ Jesus our Lord, in communion with God, which at the beginning is usually hidden not only from others, but also from oneself. The visible or felt evidence of it within us is the heat of active zeal, exclusively about Christian pleasing to God, with complete self-sacrifice and hatred of everything contrary to this. So, when this heat of jealousy begins, then the Christian life begins; and in whom it constantly acts, he lives like a Christian. "

Answer from Yatyana.[guru]
Not easy for sure.

Answer from Yergey Dolotov[newbie]
Seek the answer from Christ himself, not from people. And He said everything in Scripture.

Answer from Andrey Chirkazerov[guru]
Striving to live up to God's standards.

Answer from Valera Khimchenko[guru]
You are a Jew. I don’t give a damn about Nature, I don’t give a damn about the Earth, I don’t give a damn about people. The main thing is that you are with the cake.

Answer from Alena Stechenko[newbie]
From the heights of heaven, our Jesus Christ brought us the Father, declaring: “He is in me, and I in him. It is true that I and the Father are one.” Jesus Christ raised man from the mud, affirming: “You are my brothers, and we are all children of one God and the Holy Spirit in us all.”
And the voice of the Prophet Muhammad echoed: “The believers are all brothers. Their prayer should be: “Glory to the Most High, the God of all, in whom is your salvation, may there be peace for All! “Can any Jew, honestly, say that God is exclusively their God, a Christian will then say that Christ is only their God, and a Muslim will say that Allah is only their God? Would any normal person insist that he was made of special blood and meat of a higher quality than other people? >>>

CHRISTIAN LIFE

Christian life is an indivisible whole: either we are with God or against Him: “ He who is not with Me is against Me"(Luke 11.23).

Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church, and the soul of a Christian, like a bride, can be either faithful or unfaithful to its Bridegroom.

If a soul has loved Christ much, much is forgiven, but if it has not loved it, then even a thousand good deeds will not save, for, as the apostle said, “ If I give away all my property and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it will be of no benefit to me."(1 Cor 13.3).

« Sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3.4), and it consists precisely in violating the law of spiritual growth. Even stopping in the movement towards God, according to the holy fathers, is tantamount to retreating back.

And a small betrayal is already a real betrayal.

Sin is everything that disrupts communication with God, our divine-human life.

There is nothing worse than fear. To a fanatic, the devil always seems scary and strong; he believes in him more than in God. However, the Monk Silouan of Athos said: “The devil only scares, but has no power.”

What a person needs most is a spiritual cure for fear.

A person who stands before God will never become a fanatic. He becomes a fanatic only when he puts himself before people. The fanatic seeks power, not Truth. Truth is not given ready-made and is not perceived passively by man; it is an endless task. Truth does not fall from above on a person like some kind of thing. Truth is a way out of oneself. A fanatic cannot lose his temper. He loses his temper only in anger against others, but this is not a way out to others and to others. This is a distortion of Christianity.

The Christian life is not about fulfilling the greatest number of rules of good conduct or accumulating good deeds; This is a complete rebirth of man.

It does not resemble not only the life of a sinner, but also the life of a non-Christian righteous person.

This Life is supernatural, divine-human. A Christian lives not alone, but with God, and not according to his own, but according to His will.

It was not new rules, not even a new moral teaching that Christ gave and gives us, but Himself, but in Himself this new Life, filled not with human, but with Divine love.

She is moved by the Holy Spirit, who is, as it were, the highest inspiration of man, the inspiration of a holy life.

A true Christian fulfills the will of God not as a slave carrying out someone else’s command, but as a son of God by adoption, and clearly realizes that the will of God is, in essence, his own, innermost desire. And, indeed, by doing the will of God, he only gains freedom and becomes himself.

But this is possible only with close unity with Jesus Christ, since only in Him human nature was inseparably and inextricably united with the Divine nature.

Union with Christ is achieved by the power of the Holy Spirit, the acquisition of which, according to the word of St. Seraphim of Sarov is the goal of Christian life.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love and unity, descended on the Holy Church, on this most perfect union of love on earth, called to unity, like the highest unity of the Most Holy Trinity. Therefore, a person can acquire the Holy Spirit only in the Church.

The fullness of communion with God or grace is holiness.

Few reach it and can say with the Apostle Paul: “ It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me"(Gal 2.20).

But even on the path to it, Christians are not deprived of communion with God, that is, the firstfruits of a grace-filled life. It is only important that its seeds, sown through the word of God and the Holy Sacraments, sprout and grow. This growth is what it's all about.

If life, driven by passions and lusts, dies away, and the effort to live according to the will of God and the ability to communicate with God grows, then we live.