Orthodox magazines. There's always something to read

One of the main tools for dialogue among youth, intelligentsia, and clergy in the context of Orthodox culture is literature and the word. It is worth paying attention to periodicals that have a bias towards Orthodox ethics and are aimed at young people. Today there are a sufficient number of publications of this kind. This article contains short essays on several periodicals that can be combined under the title “Orthodox magazines.” Information from this kind of publications can be recommended for familiarization in educational institutions as an elective or used in synthesis with material from a number of humanities disciplines.

For this review, several Orthodox magazines were selected: “Vinograd”, “Heir”, “Neskuchny Sad”, “Thomas”, “Russian House”, “Tatiana’s Day”, “Slavyanka”, “Orthodox Book Review”. Many parish libraries have copies of these publications, making them easy to access. Publications have their own Internet portals, so you can familiarize yourself with their materials online.

It’s worth starting the review with the magazines “Grapes” and “Heir”, since from the list of the above-mentioned publications, it is these two whose main topic is the problem of children, youth, family and education. And, as you know, family is the first step in the formation of the younger generation.

"Grape" It is notable for the fact that on the pages of this magazine considerable attention is paid to the problems of teenage education and the solution of these problems in an Orthodox manner with an appeal to traditional spirituality and the cultural experience of previous eras. Thus, on the pages of the publication a dialogue between modernity and tradition takes place. Great emphasis in the magazine is placed on the problem of motherhood and male education.

Orthodox youth magazine "Heir" addressed to a young audience. On the pages of this publication you can find many interesting articles, reports, essays, interviews, the content of which is interesting primarily to young people.

It is also worth mentioning separately the version of the magazine on the Internet. The varied content and user-friendly interface are very attractive from the point of view of the average Internet user.

“The Grapes” and “The Heir” are excellent both for individual reading and as additional literature to help school teachers and teachers of secondary vocational educational institutions, i.e. people directly involved in the problems of children and adolescents.

"Boring Garden" positioned as a magazine about Orthodox life; very informative and voluminous. On the pages of the magazine you can get acquainted with the traditions of Orthodoxy, with Orthodoxy in the context of history and modernity, much attention is paid to the issues of correlation between science and faith, faith and modern culture, religion and politics, the dialogue of the Church and society, the dialogue of Orthodoxy with other world cultural traditions.

Magazine "Thomas" can be described as a cultural, educational, analytical, religious publication. It positions itself as an “Orthodox magazine for doubters,” which initially indicates the democratic nature of the publication. The magazine actively analyzes modern social and cultural processes.

"Russian house" - a magazine, from the name of which the patriotic orientation of this publication is immediately clear. A lot of interesting material is presented on the pages of “Russian House”: problems are discussed, answers are sought to many questions related to the position of Russia in the world, problems of Russian culture, the modern situation of the Orthodox faith, many interesting facts from the history of our country are given, the diversity of Orthodox traditions is revealed and canons.

The three publications listed above are designed for a diverse, but, above all, thinking audience. These magazines can be recommended as additional literature or as material for elective classes for high school students, as well as students of humanities colleges and universities.

Internet edition "Tatyana's Day" very informative and notably an interesting news portal, has a characteristic bias in the history of Orthodox culture. Here you can get acquainted with a very diverse material, elements of Orthodox ethics in the context of historical, cultural and social processes.

This Orthodox Internet portal can be very useful from a religious studies point of view. The information in this online publication can be used as additional material when working with such disciplines as philosophy, theology, religious studies, social studies, history and a number of other humanitarian academic disciplines at universities.

Orthodox women's magazine "Slav" differs from all of the above publications in that it is addressed directly to the fair half of humanity. As in all similar publications, “Slavyanka” touches on issues of female beauty and health, family life, and raising children. The pages are full of reviews, interesting articles, interviews, and photographic material is very well selected. What distinguishes this publication from other women’s magazines is that “Slavyanka” addresses readers through the prism of Orthodox traditions, the original Russian vision of the image of a woman.

The Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church publishes a magazine "Orthodox Book Review". The magazine talks about all the most important events in church book publishing and book distribution: official events, exhibitions, meetings, presentations, and the release of new books. The Orthodox Book Review publishes reviews, annotations, reviews, interviews, articles about book culture from different times, and many others.

In conclusion of the review, it is worth recalling that Orthodoxy is not just a form of religion, Orthodoxy is an entire cultural and ethical position, the basis of the Russian worldview, the foundation of the people and the country; The Russian language has the character of a unifying language that binds together a great colorful nation; it is a language with the help of which continuity between generations of cultural values and traditions is carried out.

It is important to increase interest in national culture and Orthodox traditions. The future moral image of our people and country depends on the information field in which the worldview of the younger generation is formed.

So, let's take a short excursion into history. Why was March 14th chosen to celebrate “Orthodox Book Day”? Everything is very simple. It was on this day, in 1564, that the first book, the liturgical “Apostle,” was printed by Deacon Ivan Fedorov. I would like to remind you that before the advent of the printing press, books were weighty folios. They were copied by hand, using very expensive materials such as parchment, i.e. specially treated leather. Such books were real works of art, combining calligraphy, painting and jewelry. Naturally, only the richest people could afford handwritten books. The advent of the printing press significantly reduced the cost of creating books, and they have now become more accessible and widespread. Thus, it is believed that the above-mentioned “Apostle” was published in a circulation of approximately 2000 copies.

It is safe to say that 1564 was a turning point, since the printed book gave a tremendous impetus to the development of modern culture and science in Russia.

The holiday itself that we are talking about today is very young. It was established by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on December 25, 2009. And, like any holiday, it has a function not only of a cultural and educational nature, when we meet with people, mainly young people, and talk about the Orthodox book as a kind of historical phenomenon, about its significance for the development of society and the state. Another important function is to highlight some of the problems facing modern education. We can say that the emergence of “Orthodox Book Day” is the Church’s reaction to the general decline in the cultural and, first of all, spiritual and moral level of man.

According to VTsIOM data for 2014, which we see on the presented slide, compared to 2009, the number of people who practically do not read books increased from 27 to 36 percent. I would like to note that in 1992 there were only 20 percent of such people. 43 percent of respondents said that they do not like to read at all. In another survey conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation, a more alarming trend can be seen: it turned out that 58% of Russians cannot name any books at all that would make a strong impression on them. Why is this happening? The answer to this question is found in the same statistics. For the modern reader, light, entertaining reading is of greatest interest - 37%. Fiction is in second place - 29%, and specialty literature is in third place - 21%. In last place, unfortunately, is religious literature - only 5%. What share of this 5 percent Orthodox literature occupies is an open question; there are no such statistics, however, I don’t think it’s very large.

Based on these data, it is not surprising that today the question of the need to carry out work to popularize books with spiritual and moral content arises. But it’s one thing to make a book popular, and another thing to awaken the reader’s interest in this topic. The latter is the most difficult, since the modern world, with all its nature and widespread propaganda, imposes on us the idea that it is good for a person to conform to a certain fashion, a certain trend. Suffice it to remember the excitement that appears when the next Hollywood film is released. At this moment, especially among young people, you can often hear the question: did you watch? At the same time, it is surprising that the plot of the film itself can be retold in just a couple of minutes. I don’t presume to say what this plot is, good or bad, films are different. But we are attracted more by the picture and the “cool” special effects in isolation from the real content. There are very few people who, after watching another picture, will try to find the literary work on which it was based. Even fewer people are able to comprehend what they see and hear. This probably happens because by the time such a sensible idea can arise in our heads, we are already being carried headlong by a new wave of fashion. In addition, we are very lazy, because thinking about morality is hard work, and we want something easy that can instantly cheer us up. Unfortunately, everything I just said about films is also true for literature.

However, each of us has an idea of enduring, that is, permanent, values, which include love for our Motherland, knowledge of its history and culture. All this is a sign of education for us. I think that everyone present here will agree with me if I say that being an educated and cultured person is better than being uneducated and uncultured. And it’s no secret that the development of our state is closely connected with the Church. You cannot run away from this fact or pretend that it simply does not exist. And if I love my country, if I want to be useful to my compatriots in the future, if I care about who my children will become, then I have no right to throw into the dustbin of history that huge layer of culture accumulated by the joint efforts of the Church and the state, starting from Prince Vladimir, who was baptized more than 1000 years ago, in 988. And in such a situation, the book, as a material carrier of knowledge, should be of great interest to us.

The Orthodox Church has always set and still sets as its main task the spiritual and moral development of the individual, and the state, especially since the era of Peter I, encourages scientific knowledge. Let's think about what an educated, but unspiritual and immoral person can become? You don’t have to look far for examples; just remember the inhumane experiments that were carried out on prisoners during World War II in Nazi concentration camps. So, so that we, or our descendants, never become those who trampled on everything human, we need to now learn to be People, People with a capital “H.” And naturally, in this teaching it is best to turn to the experience of the Church, which dates back more than 2000 years.

Today, on the shelves of our bookstores, or in online libraries, you can find entire sections called “Orthodox literature.” And what is not included in it: calendars indicating the days of remembrance of saints, prayer books, cookbooks, lives, teachings, answers to everyday life questions from Orthodox priests, stories, historical and theological works, etc. However, few people have any idea what exactly is called an Orthodox book and by what criterion can one judge its Orthodoxy?

Indeed, according to generally accepted opinion, an Orthodox book can be called one in which there are no contradictions with the teachings of the Church and its dogmas. Also, it will most likely talk about something that is to one degree or another connected with Orthodox traditions and faith.

But is it possible to find a book that is both Orthodox and does not contain an explicit mention of Orthodoxy? The answer to this question is more interesting, but at the same time complicated, since it “does not lie on the surface.” It is complicated because here we face such problems as assessing the personality of the author and the reader himself. Who are they? Atheists of today or the past? Liberals who consider it possible to revise the doctrine of the Church in favor of new discoveries in natural science? Maybe sectarians? Or, what is even more terrible, people close to the church, those who often mix the Orthodox faith and popular superstitions?

It should be understood that the division that exists now into secular and spiritual literature is in fact conditional, since there is a deep connection between them. Suffice it to recall the works of our classics, such asG.R. Derzhavin, A.S. Pushkin, F. M. Dostoevsky, N. V. Gogol, A. I. Kuprina or K. G. Paustovsky, etc. The works of these writers constantly raise themes of love, humanism, the meaning of life, the place of man in the world, the constant struggle between good and evil and the choice between them. All these are Christian themes that were present earlier in ancient Russian literature. And the main goal of the latter was precisely the education of our ancestors, former pagans and idolaters, through the assimilation of Christian truths, through familiarization with the vast spiritual heritage of the Byzantine Empire and, naturally, through faith in God. The result of this upbringing is a huge country with a rich culture that managed to preserve itself in very difficult times and emerged victorious. This is what our Orthodox literature is. However, it should be understood that its heart and primary source is the Gospel and no other works can replace It.

So, if you decide to start reading serious literature, then which book is better to take first? Of course, it is difficult to please everyone's tastes at the same time. Moreover, on the Internet, if you set yourself such a goal, you can find a huge list of works, at least one of which will suit you. And yet, to begin with, I would suggest you read the book by a modern author, Archimandrite of the Russian Orthodox Church, Father Tikhon (Shevkunov), “Unholy Saints.” The book includes short stories from the life of the author. Many of them are related to, where the author began his monastic life. As Archimandrite Tikhon himself said: “I told almost all the stories that were included in the book during sermons. All this is part of our church life. Sermon... after all, it is based on understanding the Holy Scriptures, on the interpretation of church eventsholy fathers and examples from life."

Another work, general Christian, and by its name should be familiar to all of you, is “The Chronicles of Narnia”,cycle out of seven children's fantasy books (fairy tales ), written . They tell about the adventures of children in a magical land calledNarnia where animals can talk,magic no one is surprised, butgood struggling with evil . The Chronicles of Narnia reveals the meaning of a large numberChristian ideas in a form accessible to readers.

If you want to get acquainted with modern Orthodox periodicals, then your attention should be focused on two wonderful magazines. The first is called "Thomas", whichpositions itself as “an Orthodox magazine for doubters.” The name of the magazine is in the nameApostle Thomas , denoting an incredulous listener (due to the apostle's initial unbelief inresurrection of jesus christ ). Main theme: a story about Christianity and its role in cultural and social life. “Thomas” is addressed to all interested readers, regardless of their religion, attitude to faith and political views.

STATISTICS According to VTsIOM data for 2014, compared to 2009, the number of people who practically do not read books increased from 27 to 36 percent.

EXCITION - Artificially caused excitement, excitement in order to attract attention to something. (Ozhigov’s Explanatory Dictionary)

“Remember that the earthly Fatherland with its Church is the threshold of the heavenly Fatherland, therefore love it fervently and be ready to lay down your soul for it.” (right. John of Kronstadt)

In the destinies of the present and in the destinies of the future of Orthodox Christianity - this is the whole idea of the Russian people, this is their service to Christ and their thirst for exploits for Christ. This thirst is true, great and unceasing in our people since ancient times, unceasing, perhaps never - and this is an extremely important fact in the characteristics of our people and our state. (F.M. Dostoevsky)

For 20 years, the library has been working in the direction of “Revival and preservation of the national and spiritual traditions of the Russian people.” The revival of spirituality, intelligence, morality is always relevant in the work of the library. The project “My Rus', Orthodox!” allows our readers to broaden their horizons in the study of literary heritage about the history of our Motherland, the history of the church, Orthodox holidays

Goal and tasks

Orthodox education of children, adolescents, and rural youth; Preserving the memory of the great Orthodox saints; Teach readers - children, teenagers, young people - to read Orthodox literature correctly, understand it and think correctly; Show readers Orthodox customs, traditions, and everyday life. Involving readers-children, teenagers, youth and their parents, institutions and organizations existing in the village to participate in events held by the library for the Orthodox education of the younger generation;

about the project

"Peter and Fevronia. Day of Family, Love and Fidelity" - we were filmed by Orenburg Television

Dear supporters! In our difficult times, the spiritual education of the younger generation is acquiring extreme importance. And this is not accidental, because moral development in a person is connected with his spiritual development. A well-educated person and a person who reads books will never go astray from the right path, become a drug addict, alcoholic, etc.

The holiday "Day of Family, Love and Fidelity" was held again in the registry office of the village of P-Pokrovka. They honored the heroes of the day - those who lived in love and harmony for 35, 40 years.

And that is why the library is often called the temple of the book, and the word temple itself is associated in the human mind with a spiritual temple, therefore, spiritual enlightenment is the leading place in the library. Our library has extensive experience in this noble cause. Spiritual and moral education consists of many aspects, including the education of patriotism "Forever in the people's memory!"

And citizenship, instilling family values, instilling love for one’s small homeland, one’s land, preventing bad habits, instilling a desire for a healthy lifestyle. my motherland Working on the project “My Rus', Orthodox” we have achieved considerable results.

"The light of book understanding. Day of Slavic culture and writing. Cyril and Methodius."

Fragments of the holiday "Easter! Great Resurrection!"

Illumination of the library by Father Daniel

From our events readersacquire knowledge about the Orthodox past of our Fatherland, about Orthodox saints and their exploits in the name of the Faith. We also interact with the Orthodox Church. We show all the hardships of the trials that our country has suffered.

"Nativity!"

The hours of Orthodoxy that we spend in the library and outside on the basics of Orthodox culture not only help disseminate information about the role of Christianity and national culture, but also draw attention to the moral foundations Orthodoxy, introduce the younger generation to national shrines... Work on the project will continue next year, 2015.

On International Children's Day at the Pravoslavnaya station, librarians held loud readings about the Lives of the Saints. Children took part in quizzes and received prizes purchased with funds from library readers.

Fragments of holidays

Studying the history and cultural heritage of our region, we introduce readers to famous poets and writers. Live communication gives good results. After all, the formation of a civic sense of an individual begins with small things: a careful attitude towards the village, city, town where you live; respect for family; involvement in what is happening around... So that our children do not grow up “Ivans who do not remember their kinship...”.

Meeting with the famous Orenburg poetess N.Yu. Kozhevnikova

Meeting with the famous Orenburg poet and prose writer P. G. Rykov

Meeting with S.I. Zhdanov. a famous photo artist, author of the book “Notes of a Photo Hunter”, Thanks to Sergei Ivanovich, we know what wonderful birds and animals inhabit our steppe region, how to take care of our native nature...

Meeting with the Orenburg writer, poet S.I. Burdygin.
We don’t have enough chairs to accommodate our readers in the library during the holidays that we hold, we don’t have books to encourage children to participate in competitions, quizzes, etc., we need stationery, we need money for gifts for children at our most beloved Orthodox Christian holidays "Nativity of Christ", "Easter", "Trinity", which are traditionally held in the library. Thank you in advance if you find it necessary to help us! Instilling spiritual and moral values in readers, infusing goodness into their souls is the goal of all our work. About our holidays you can see in the blog Library work on the Orenburg news portal on the library website about the library work you can also see

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Orthodox calendar

St. Eutyches, Archbishop. Constantinople (582).

Equal. Methodius, Archbishop. Moravsky (885). St. Platonides of Syria (308). Mchch. 120 Persian (344–347). Mchch. Jeremiah and Archilius the Priest (III).

Mchch. Pyotr Zhukov and Prokhor Mikhailov (1918); sschmch. John Boykov presbyter (1934); sschmch. Jacob Boykov presbyter (1943); St. Sevastiana Fomina, Spanish (1966).

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

At the 6th hour: Isa. LXVI, 10–24. For eternity: Gen. XLIX, 33 – L, 26. Proverbs. XXXI, 8–32.

We congratulate the birthday people on Angel Day!

Icon of the day

Saint Eutyches, Archbishop of Constantinople

Saint Eutyches of Constantinople, Archbishop

Saint Eutyches, Archbishop of Constantinople , was born in a village called “Divine” in the Phrygian region. His father, Alexander, was a warrior, and his mother, Sinesia, was the daughter of a priest of the Augustopolis church of Hesychius. Saint Eutyches received his initial education and Christian upbringing from his priest grandfather. Once, during a children's game, the boy wrote his name with the title of patriarch and thereby, as it were, predicted his future service. At the age of 12 he was sent to Constantinople to receive further education. The young man succeeded in studying the sciences and realized that human wisdom is nothing before the teaching of Divine Revelation. He decided to devote himself to monastic life. Saint Eutyches retired to one of the Amasian monasteries and accepted the rank of Angels there. During his strict life, he was made archimandrite of all Amasian monasteries, and in 552 he was elevated to the patriarchal throne.

When the convening of the Fifth Ecumenical Council was being prepared under the holy blessed king Justinian (527–565), the Metropolitan of Amasia was ill and sent Saint Eutyches in his place. In Constantinople, the elderly patriarch Saint Menas (536–552, commemorated August 25) saw blessed Eutyches and predicted that he would be patriarch after him. After the death of the holy Patriarch Menas, the Apostle Peter appeared in a vision to the Emperor Justinian and, pointing his hand at Eutyches, said: “Let him be made your bishop.”

At the beginning of the patriarchal ministry of Saint Eutyches, the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553) was convened, at which the fathers condemned the heresies that had arisen and anathematized them. However, a few years later a new heresy arose in the Church, the autodocetes, that is, the “incorruptibles,” who taught that the flesh of Christ before the Death on the Cross and Resurrection was incorruptible and did not experience suffering.

Saint Eutyches boldly exposed this heresy, but Emperor Justinian, who was himself inclined towards it, brought down his anger on the saint. By order of the emperor, soldiers seized the saint in the temple, tore off his patriarchal vestments and sent him into exile to the Amasia monastery (in 565).

The saint meekly endured his exile, remained in the monastery in fasting and prayer, and performed many miracles and healings.

Thus, through his prayer, the wife of the pious husband Androginus, who had previously given birth to only dead babies, had two sons born and reached adulthood. Two deaf and mute youths received the gift of speech; two children, who were seriously ill, recovered. The saint healed cancer on the artist's hand. The saint healed another artist by anointing his sore hand with oil and making the sign of the cross over it. The saint healed not only physical, but also mental illnesses: he cast out a demon from the young woman, who did not allow her to receive Holy Communion; expelled a demon from a young man who had run away from the monastery (after which the young man returned to his monastery); healed a drunkard leper who, having been cleansed of leprosy, stopped drinking.

During the Persian attack on Amasia and the general devastation of the inhabitants, at the direction of the saint, grain was given from the monastery granaries to the hungry, and the grain reserves in the monastery did not become scarce through his prayers.

Saint Eutyches received from God the gift of prophecy; Thus, he indicated the names of two emperors-successors of Justinian - Justin (565-578) and Tiberius (578-582).

After the death of the holy Patriarch John Scholasticus, Saint Eutyches returned to the see in 577 from a 12-year exile and again began to wisely govern his flock.

Four and a half years after returning to the patriarchal throne, Saint Eutyches on Thomas Sunday 582 gathered the entire clergy, gave a blessing and departed to the Lord in peace.

Troparion to Saint Eutyches, Archbishop of Constantinople

The rule of faith and the image of meekness,/ the self-control of the teacher/ will show you to your flock/ even the truth of things,/ for this reason you have acquired high humility,/ rich in poverty./ Father Eutyches Yes, / pray to Christ God / for our souls to be saved.

Translation: The immutable Truth was revealed to your flock by the rule of faith and the image of meekness and self-control. Therefore, through humility you have acquired high things, and through poverty you have acquired riches. Father Eutyches, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion to Saint Eutyches, Archbishop of Constantinople

Let us all sing, O people, to the Divine faithful Eutycheus, / let us please him with love, as he is a great shepherd and servant, / and a wise teacher, and a banisher of heresies, // praying to the Lord for us all.

Translation: Truly, we all glorify Saint Eutyches, people, with love, as a great shepherd, a wise servant and teacher, and a banisher of heresies, since he prays to the Lord for all of us.

Reading the Gospel with the Church

April 19. Great Lent. We study the Holy Gospel history. About the Cross

Hello, dear brothers and sisters.

The Great Lent has come to an end. This week we remembered the most important events that were a prototype of the coming Passion of Christ. Ahead of us are the memories of the resurrection of Lazarus, the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and Holy Week.

Every day you and I read the Gospel, becoming witnesses of God’s great blessings and listeners to the words of Christ’s Truth. But once a year, before the great holiday of Easter, for several days we read very terrible words about the betrayal and suffering of our Savior, about His death on the Cross. And today I would like to talk specifically about the Cross.

Even in the days when none of the apostles could even imagine that anyone was capable of raising a hand against Jesus Christ, our Lord began to warn His disciples about the suffering that lay ahead of Him. In the Gospel of Mark we read:

8.31. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day rise again.

8.32. And he spoke about it openly. But Peter, having called Him away, began to contradict Him.

8.33. He, turning around and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter, saying: Get away from Me, Satan, because you think not about the things of God, but about the things of men.

8.34. And calling the people with His disciples, He said to them: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

(Mark 8:31–34)

This part of the Gospel of Mark contains central and important points of the Christian faith. So, from the conversation with Peter we learn that for Jesus as the Messiah, as the Christ, there is only one path, the path of suffering. And this road is for everyone who wants to follow Him. The Lord never tried to bribe people by promising them an easy path. He promised them the glory of the Kingdom of God, but he never promised people comfort. Therefore, the Savior Having called the people with His disciples, He said to them: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.(Mark 8:34).

To tell a man that he must be prepared to bear his cross was to tell him that he must be prepared to be looked upon as a criminal, that he must be prepared to die. It is clear that the first Christians understood this expression differently than we do, but literally: “to bear the cross” means to be crucified.

The execution of crucifixion was the most shameful, the most painful and the most cruel. In those days, only the most notorious villains were executed with such a death: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. The torment of a crucified man cannot be described. In addition to unbearable pain in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified man experienced terrible thirst and mortal spiritual anguish. Death was so slow that many suffered on crosses for several days.

The Lord offers such a terrible image of following Him for a reason. The memory of the cross should not only frighten, bring to life the people who accompanied the Lord, but confirm their faith in Him when these same people become witnesses of the suffering of Christ.

The cross itself, as a form of shameful and painful death, will be transformed by the Honest Blood of the Savior into a symbol of sacrificial love - a clear example of all the Gospel words of the Savior. If in the first centuries the Cross was a symbol of suffering, now it is a symbol of glory for millions of Christians around the world.

But what does the Cross of Christ call us to? To only one thing – love! After all, the Cross is love, the all-conquering, merciful, compassionate love of God for every person. To be outside of this love means not to accept either the Cross of the Lord or the Gospel of Christ in general. And every Orthodox Christian is called to embody the Gospel, sacrificial service to one’s neighbor, in his life.

There is one instructive story in the life of St. Paisius the Svyatogorets. When Elder Paisios carried out his feat of prayer in Sinai, next to him were Greek missionaries who had come on a mission to the Bedouins. One day the monk learned that one of the missionaries had given his clothes to a Bedouin to wash for money. This caused the saint’s amazement, and he asked the missionary: “What were you doing while he was doing the laundry?” - to which the young man replied: “Like what? I read commentaries on the Holy Scriptures so as not to waste a minute of time without spiritual benefit.” Then the Monk Paisius wisely remarked: “Perhaps you haven’t lost time, but you’ve definitely lost the Gospel. You had to wash the Bedouins' pants yourself. Only then will the Gospel become your life. If you sit and read a book while others wash your clothes, there will be no spiritual benefit.”

The Monk Paisius himself was an example of evangelical love for people. To some, as a consolation or blessing, he gave icons of the Most Holy Theotokos and crosses, which he himself made from Athonite trees. Looking at this cross-blessing of St. Paisius the Holy Mountain and remembering the numerous instructions of the Athonite elder, you understand how important it is to accept Divine love into your heart, how important it is to respond to the Sacrifice of our Savior on the Cross and trust in God.

Ahead of us lies Holy Week, a time when we must give ourselves an account: who will we be at the terrible moment of Christ’s suffering? We will be idle and indifferent onlookers who watch the Gospel events with interest, not letting them into our hearts, or we will find ourselves among the faithful followers who bear their cross with Him.

Help us in this, Lord!

Hieromonk Pimen (Shevchenko),
monk of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra

Cartoon calendar

Orthodox educational courses

THE BATTLE WITH OUR DEATH: A Word on the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

G The Lord is now entering Jerusalem, His city, to enter into battle with death. With whose death? With the death of each of us - with yours, with mine, with the death of each of the people. Enter the battle and win.

IN After all, death is not a one-time event when a person passes from this life to some state completely incomprehensible to him. What is called biological life ceases. Death continues on. This is only the beginning of death, what you and I sometimes witness - the death of our loved ones or some other people. This is just the beginning. And then it continues in another life. And as terrible and sad as it is when we see it here with our own eyes, it is infinitely more terrible when it continues in the spiritual world, when death covers not only the body, but also the soul. All thoughts, everything that makes up a person’s soul: his feelings, aspirations, the enormous experience that he has accumulated during his life, everything that we don’t even suspect is contained in the human personality - everything begins to undergo terrible destruction and decay.

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Hieromonk Irenaeus (Pikovsky)

Preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Baptism

IN section " Preparation for Baptism" site "Sunday school: on-line courses " Archpriest Andrei Fedosov, head of the department of education and catechesis of the Kinel Diocese, information has been collected that will be useful to those who are going to receive Baptism themselves, or want to baptize their child or become a godparent.

R This section consists of five cataclysmic conversations in which the content of Orthodox dogma within the framework of the Creed is revealed, the sequence and meaning of the rites performed at Baptism are explained, and answers to common questions related to this Sacrament are given. Each conversation is accompanied by additional materials, links to sources, recommended literature and Internet resources.

ABOUT course conversations are presented in the form of texts, audio files and videos.

Course topics: