Baptism begins the full life of a person in the Orthodox Church. But modern man is often suspicious of this new life. Its benefit to him is not obvious. In this book, Archpriest Gennady Fast, a priest with extensive pastoral experience, talks about the important aspects of Baptism, based on cases from his own practice, and answers questions about what can often alienate a person not only from the Church, but also from God in general. The publication is intended for those who are going to receive the Sacrament, and for those who want to understand it deeper...

• April 8, 2014, 14:15

Genre: ,

This book by a modern pastor and authoritative theologian, Archpriest Gennady Fast, presents a series of conversations on the teaching of the Church about the Mother of God: these are prophecies and prototypes about the Mother of God contained in the texts of the Old Testament, the teaching about the Virgin Mary, contained in the Gospel, Church Tradition, as well as in apocrypha. We will also talk about the historical aspect of the teaching about the Mother of God in the Christian Church, about how the teaching about the Mother of God was gradually revealed. Conversations-lectures were held in a public Orthodox lecture hall in Krasnoyarsk and are now offered to the reader in the form of a book. They are written in a lively and accessible way and will not leave anyone indifferent, especially since the Mother of God is very close and dear to each of us and occupies a very important place in our spiritual life...

• January 18, 2014, 00:26

Genre: ,

Many personalities have influenced the history of mankind, but no one is argued so long and so fiercely as about Christ. No one debates the identity of Confucius, Mohammed, or Einstein, but speaking of Christ, we encounter the greatest diversity of opinion - even among those who consider themselves Christians. Films are made about Him, He is studied at conferences, He is prayed for, and people hope for Him. He is called "Son of God", "Healer", "Teacher", "Savior". Christians consider Him God, Muslims - the greatest prophet of mankind. So who is Christ?

Approved for distribution by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church IS...

12. Barbering

In the said article, the Archbishop cites a case incriminating me, when I did not allow a clean-shaven man who came from the outback to take communion.
In our parish in Yeniseisk and in all the parishes of our deanery there are male parishioners who do not wear a beard (shaved), moreover, they are active participants in parish life and take communion.
How did the complaint mentioned in the article come about?
I do not know if there is grace in a beard, but I know that the action of the grace of God changes the appearance of a person. It becomes different in many ways for both men and women. Yes, I really say that barbering is a sin. By the action of the Spirit of God, the majority of the churched parishioners of our church still wear a beard. The Lord God said to the entire community of the people of God: "Do not spoil the edges of your beard" (Lev. 19:26). This is not a cult commandment, and therefore it is not canceled in the New Testament. The Christian Church adopted this commandment of God. This is evidenced by many monuments of the Apostolic Tradition and the works of the Holy Fathers. "Didaskalia" (Catholic teaching of the twelve apostles and holy disciples of the Savior): "Do not cut the ends of your beard and do not change the natural appearance of your face and do not make it otherwise, as God created it" (Didaskalia, ch. 2). If anyone says that the words of God about barbering, spoken through Moses to the people, do not refer to the New Testament, then St. Cyprian of Carthage. He says that Christians "should not shave," referring specifically to Lev. 19:26 (Three books of testimonies against the Jews, v. 3, ch. 84). The same was asserted in Russia by the Stoglavy Cathedral (prav.40). Barbering distorts the image of God and the masculine principle in a person. The Archbishop's reproach sounds strange that I introduced an "innovation" by opposing barbering. This is not "innovation", but rather the Old Believers. "Innovation" is also barbering.
However, barbering in the Yenisei deanery is not an obstacle to communion and a full-fledged parish life. Then, in 1983, out of my jealousy, yes, I did this to this man. But not only out of jealousy, but also out of love. In the article, the Archbishop claims that this man will no longer come to me to receive communion. But he arrived, we became friends and then together we opened a parish in the taiga outback.

Vladyka Anthony, for all my human and pastoral shortcomings and imperfections, the reproach in which would be completely justified, I am not a heretic, and there is no deviation in me towards Protestantism. Forgive me that the events of recent months have annoyed you a lot. Sorry for being so inconvenient. But my faith is the Christian faith, the Orthodox faith. I'm not looking for anything but Christ and serving Him in the Orthodox Church. Once having known the world of Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, I do not want and do not accept anything else.
There is no deviation in me into any heresy, and I ask you, Holy Vladyka, remove this accusation from me.

"Do not send empty
bags to the sky

A Discourse on the Necessity of Catechesis in Our Time

We bring to your attention an interview with Archpriest Gennady Fast, Chairman of the Diocesan Department of Religious Education and Catechism, Rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael and His Miracle in Khonekh.

“The main thing is a person who needs to be brought to God”

Father Gennady, let's start the conversation by asking you to explain the concept of "catechesis", as soon as it becomes the main subject of our conversation.

The word "catechesis" is Greek, and is translated into Russian as "announcement", or, perhaps, more understandable for a modern person - "learning". Initially, this word meant in the Christian Church preparation for holy baptism.

Catechesis presupposes a relatively brief and at the same time quite complete presentation of the Christian faith. Over time, the Christian faith took shape in the Creed, which is professed by all Christianity, and the meaning of this Creed is traditionally called the catechism.

Our Archangel-Mikhailovsky Church was recently given the status of catechism by Bishop Anthony. Tell me, what changes in parish life will this new status entail?

Each time has its own originality, specificity. Behind the era of persecution, which was replaced by an era of rapid revival of faith - this is especially the end of the 80s. and 90s. It was a time when parishes arose, communities were formed, seminaries and monasteries were opened, a time of incredible construction of new churches and restoration of old ones. That is, it was the time of occurrence.

Now, let's say, not so many temples are being built. New parishes do not often open. This process, of course, continues in our time, but the main direction is still a kind of internal transformation of the Church.

It is no coincidence that the names of the patriarchs are associated with these epochs. The patriarch dies - and the era goes with him. And now, when the patriarch of our Church is His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, in connection with his personality, the priorities that he sees and sets, catechesis becomes the main direction of Church life. In this regard, our church was given the status of a catechist.

For almost 20 years there has been a Department of Education and Catechesis of the Krasnoyarsk diocese. And if something was done in the area of ​​education - there were theological and pastoral courses, there are Sunday schools for children and adults in parishes, Orthodox gymnasiums are working - then there was zero work on the line of catechesis. Literally several parishes have been engaged in catechesis since the 1980s and today they have a fairly rich experience in catechetical work. These are mainly parishes of the Yenisei deanery.

Now the time has come here, in the diocesan regional center, to take up the matter of catechesis. This means that catechism work should be carried out both for those preparing for holy baptism and for parishioners.

- How will the catechesis of people preparing to receive holy baptism take place?

In the form of categorical conversations - this is what is really new for this temple, and for Krasnoyarsk in general.

Since any problem, as in physics, begins to be solved on the basis of initial conditions, we, for example, cannot now introduce the catechesis that St. Cyril of Jerusalem introduced in his Church. His 18 catechumens are today the subject of study in theological academies, and not at all in preparation for holy baptism. Therefore, today we must proceed from the reality that has developed in a large city with a fairly tough, fast rhythm of life.

The following decision has actually been made: there will be a small and a large announcement in the Archangel Michael's Church. Moreover, we allow people to choose for themselves which announcement they prefer.

Starting next week, baptism without catechesis will be abolished in our church.

A small announcement fits into one week and consists of two conversations on Wednesday and Friday from seven o'clock in the evening - the time is determined so that working people can have time to come. This, of course, is very, very small.

- So I'm thinking, how can all the foundations of the Christian faith fit in two conversations?

No way. Therefore, no systematic study of the Christian faith in two conversations is possible. In two conversations, a catechist can say something to a person and somehow touch his heart.

At the first conversation, those who come are asked why they came to be baptized, how they understand baptism, why they need it.

It almost never happens that a person comes to be baptized for the remission of sins, as stated in the Creed. But on the other hand, very often they are baptized according to tradition, out of patriotism, and even more often - so that there is some kind of protection, so that they are lucky in life, etc. And it’s completely sad when they are baptized because otherwise the grandmother won’t undertake to treat - that is, It turns out that baptism is not for the forgiveness of sins, but for the commission of sin.

The catechist, with the help of questions, finds out who exactly is in front of him, what type. People are different - and this dictates how you will talk with them and what to talk about. Therefore, these catechetical conversations are minimally formalized. They must be alive and addressed to a specific person who is here in front of you today.

- It is clear, i.e. there is no given sample.

Yes. The main thing is the person who needs to be brought to God.

After the questions, it is proposed to read the third chapter of the Gospel of John, where the conversation of the Lord with Nicodemus about the new birth is transmitted. That is, it is important for those who have come to show that baptism is a birth from water and the spirit, it is a birth from above, through which we can see the Kingdom of God, become part of it. This is the inner spiritual upheaval that happens to a person when he dies to sin and comes alive to Christ.

Further on in the same first conversation, the first four Commandments of God are told, which concern the relationship of man to God. The second conversation is a conversation about the remaining seven Commandments, which speaks of the relationship of a person with people and just about those sins in which a person basically lives.

During this week, those preparing for baptism also read the Gospel of Mark, learn by heart the prayer "Our Father" and the Creed, so that during baptism they pronounce it themselves.

Besides, the next step is repentance. The Apostle Peter says, "Repent, and let each one of you be baptized for the forgiveness of sins." Confession without permissive prayer is accepted by the priest. And the catechumens receive permission from sins in holy baptism. That is, a person goes to the font for the forgiveness of those sins in which he has just repented, which he has realized and which he no longer wants to do, wanting to start a new life.

Confession can be performed separately from baptism, or, if there are few people, immediately before baptism.

Baptism will be performed in accordance with the canons of the Church only by complete immersion - for everyone. Then, at the Sunday service, the baptized can partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ for the first time.

- Father Gennady, tell us about the big announcement. People, of course, will choose it less often...

Yes. By the way, we understand that some will choose neither one nor the other, they will simply go to another temple. It's unavoidable.

The big announcement will include six talks. Two interviews a week - on Tuesday and Thursday. Every conversation is complete. The first discourse is about God, the second and third are about the Ten Commandments of God, the fourth is about Jesus Christ, the fifth is about being born again, and the sixth is about the Church.

It doesn't matter in what order they are heard. Let's say we have our fourth and fifth conversations this week. It doesn't matter - you can start with the fourth. Because if you tell a person: “You didn’t have time for the first conversation, come now in a month,” it will confuse him. And here, whenever you come, you can enter. The main thing is to listen to all six conversations.

Thus, people who have chosen a large reading will take a more voluminous and deep course of catechesis.

- What about infant baptism? Do godparents and parents have to go through an announcement?

Yes. In the case of infant baptism, godparents, who, as a rule, are secular people, far from church life, and at least one of the parents, go through the announcement. Because if both parents don't want to believe, then the child's baptism is impossible.

By the way, the announcement in our church will now be held by everyone who expresses a desire to get married. With them, of course, an additional conversation will be needed about the meaning of married life, about marriage in the Christian sense. After that, the couple confesses, takes communion, and only then - the wedding.

- Father, if people are churched, they don’t have to go through categorical talks, do they?

There may be different cases here. For example, people went through an announcement, and a year later they brought their child to be christened. Then, of course, the announcement is not repeated.

And then, if we are talking about churched parishioners, up to priests, who also have children and grandchildren, then, of course, we do not disclose them.

That is, the announcement is necessary for those who lived outside the Church before baptism or wedding, at best - if the Church was for them some sacred place where they could go to put a candle.

At the beginning of the conversation, father Gennady, you said that catechesis does not end with baptism. Here, perhaps, it would be appropriate to talk about the catechesis of the baptized. What is it?

For the faithful, catechesis takes place through church preaching, preaching from the pulpit, and other forms. What is being done in our church: we began reading the Holy Scripture with its subsequent interpretation at evening services on Saturday.

Although we have not really begun to work in this area yet. But we will definitely do it.

I need to figure out which form is more acceptable here. But still, I think that Sunday evenings in our church will be devoted to the catechesis of the faithful. I hope that parishioners of other churches will also come to these talks.

“The justification for our action is this: a sower went out to sow”

It turns out that with the introduction of the practice of categorical conversations, if not the number of new members of the Church, then their quality will significantly increase. It is possible that there will be more conscientious parishioners, and not people who have run in to light a candle.

I will cite such an incident from the life of Peter of Alexandria. In Alexandria of the third century, even before the adoption of Christianity by the empire, when there were no persecutions, but there were periods of calm existence, a lot of people were baptized. And Peter of Alexandria, appearing to his successor in this chair, says: “Listen, why are you sending us so many empty bags to heaven?” The bag, figuratively speaking, is baptism, and in the bag is a person. And so, the bag arrives, they untie it, they look, but the person is not there. That is, sending empty bags to heaven is both sinful and dangerous before the Lord. And for this we will bear great responsibility. Therefore, simply baptizing without announcing is unjustified, and, at times, even harmful. That is why the holy fathers never allowed this.

At the Moscow Christmas Readings this year, all this was discussed in the catechesis section. The section was headed by Archbishop Vikenty of Yekaterinburg, and there were other bishops, well-known priests in church circles. And so, with the joint efforts of the section participants, a document was prepared, which was sent for consideration to the Synod. A document to completely stop baptism without announcement. Moreover, this document recommends a forty-day catechumen, a repentant conversation with a priest, baptism by full immersion, and the participation of catechumens in the life of the Church.

By the way, in our church, at the litanies for the catechumens, the names of the catechumens will be pronounced aloud: "Let us pray for the catechumens - Peter, Tatiana, etc. - that the Lord have mercy on them." And, of course, on the recommendation of the Nativity Readings, the catechumens will have to attend the liturgy of the catechumens.

- Why is this given so much importance?

If a catechumen participates in the life of the Church before baptism, then this is an almost complete guarantee of his churching after baptism, as well as a guarantee that we are acquiring a real Christian, a real parishioner.

Of course, there is no need to build illusions that now we will start this business, and everything will quickly blossom. No. Moreover, I fully understand the problem that today our church is the only one in the city where catechesis is conducted. But first, I hope that some other temples will follow. Because the bishop will certainly bless any rector who wishes to introduce the catechesis of the catechumens.

And, of course, it is very important that the catechesis of the catechumens in the cathedral begin, because this church is in any case a model, an indicator.

- So, catechesis is a necessity of our time.

Yes. And it must be done in fulfillment of the words of Christ: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Here teaching is spoken of twice: "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them" and "teaching them to keep." Again, this is the catechesis of the baptized and the catechesis of the baptized.

The idea of ​​learning is the root idea of ​​the Gospel and the Church. The Lord Himself is called the Teacher: He is not only the Savior, but also the Teacher. It is very important to make a person a disciple of Jesus Christ.

It is clear, and practice shows that the announcement is not a panacea for all ills. A person can, if he is commanded, go through the catechumens and, after baptism, never again appear safely in the church - with the same result as without the catechumens. Yes, it could be. Here, if we talk about a certain justification of our action, then it is this: a sower went out to sow. This is our task. And the soil, it can be both stony and good - and this very often does not depend on us. But at least we'll do what we had to do.

Archpriest Gennady Fast (Genrikh Genrikhovich Fast) was born in 1954 in the village of Chumakovo, Novosibirsk Region, into a deeply believing Protestant German family of Heinrich and Elena Fastov. In 1938, Heinrich Fast was arrested, accused of creating a counter-revolutionary organization, and after a 10-year camp imprisonment, he was sent to “eternal exile” in the village. Chumakovo, as an “enemy of the people,” Elena Fast followed her husband. After Stalin's personality cult was debunked, his father was rehabilitated and the family moved to Kazakhstan. There, in a believing Protestant German environment, the childhood and youth of the future Orthodox priest Fr. Gennady Fast.

“Physics won out of childhood hobbies for painting, history, exact sciences, and after school I entered the Faculty of Physics of Karaganda University,” recalls Fr. Gennady. – I was very fond of theoretical physics, the mathematical description of the laws of the universe of amazing beauty, I was engaged in it a lot and with enthusiasm. But there was another life going on…
…I grew up in a deeply believing Protestant German family and environment. One of the bright impressions of my childhood is a small pocket New Testament, which I received at the age of ten and read voraciously, hiding from the noisy children's games. Since then, I have loved the Word of God forever. Then, at the age of ten, I consciously turned to God for the first time. And later, when I was engaged in science, faith and science lived in me, sometimes intersecting and merging, but for the most part separately, dividing my life in two, as it were ...
At the end of my fourth year, I was expelled from the university for my faith and political unreliability. However, in the same year he was restored at Tomsk University, after graduating from which in 1978 he was left as an employee of the Department of Theoretical Physics. But six months later he was again expelled for preaching the Gospel...

Already in my senior years at the university, I came into contact with Holy Orthodoxy and realized that only in it could I find the salvation of my soul. A new wonderful world of the Holy Fathers' teaching opened before me, a pure source of God's grace in the Sacraments of the Church. As a fifth-year student, I received holy baptism in the Orthodox Church. Now there was no longer that duality of faith and science. The soul desired and aspired only to the knowledge of God and the service of Christ. Therefore, after the second expulsion from the university, I left this world and went to serve in the Russian Orthodox Church…”.

Father Gennady Fast went from church novice, deacon to priest-archpriest. He served in various parishes of the Tuva Republic, the Kemerovo Region, but carried out his main ministry in the vast expanses of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

In Yeniseisk (a small old town in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory) - since 1983. Here he became the rector of the ancient Assumption Cathedral, and then the dean of the Orthodox churches of the Krasnoyarsk-Yenisei diocese. In 1985-86 subjected to new persecution from the godless authorities. Seven months of investigation, searches, interrogations could have ended in tears for a “politically unreliable” priest, but the time has come for changes that dramatically changed the fate of Russia ...

Serving as a parish priest, and having a large family (he and mother Lidia have five children), Father Gennady graduated in absentia from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra the Theological Seminary and the Moscow Theological Academy. Here in 1995 he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Theology in the Department of Holy Scripture of the Old Testament. .

In 1994, Dean Gennady Fast, the first in the diocese and the second in Russia, opened the Orthodox Progymnasium of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Following him, in the same deanery, his pupil, priest Andrei Yurevich, opened the Orthodox gymnasium of St. John of Kronstadt. The level of knowledge of gymnasium students meets all the requirements of the Law "On Education", "only teachers in gymnasiums are a little kinder and the subjects of the school component are not quite common: calligraphy, the Law of God, Old Church Slavonic, Latin."...
Many came to the Orthodox faith or became established in it thanks to the lectures of Father Gennady in the Orthodox lecture hall at the State Universal Scientific Library of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, which has existed from 1991 to the present (2 lectures per month). In recent years, the audience of the lecture hall has expanded significantly.

All the years of his priestly pastoral service in the Russian Orthodox Church is accompanied by the work of a theologian, work on books not only of theological, but also of historical, spiritual and educational content, some of which were written without any hope of being published. But the fall of the totalitarian atheistic regime also changed the fate of these books.
The Krasnoyarsk Orthodox non-profit publishing house "Yenisei Blagovest" (http://www.enisey.name.ru) published the following books by Fr. Gennady Fasta: “Rise up, Phoenix bird!” (1992), Light and Shadows of Golgotha ​​(1993), Heavenly Ladder (1994), Orthodox Yeniseisk (1994), Seven Days in the Holy Land (1997), Lightning Zigzag on a Rainy Day (2002 ), encyclopedic monographs: "Commentary on the book of the Song of Songs of Solomon" (2000). "Explanation on the Apocalypse" (2004), "Etudes on the Old Testament", book one (2007), "Etudes on the Old Testament", book two (2008), the book "Explanation on Ecclesiastes" is being prepared for publication in 2009.

Archpriest Gennady Fast's books were distributed to many countries and continents. The voice of this Orthodox preacher and theologian sounds from the depths of Russia, pushing the boundaries, territorial and ideological, calling for the rebirth of our souls, for the rebirth of our Orthodox Fatherland, calling to Christ, to joy in Christ and the increase of faith on our earth.

In 2004, Archbishop Anthony of Krasnoyarsk and Yenisei presented the famous theologian, preacher and author of many works of church archpriest Gennady Fast to a high award - the Order of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

On July 4, 2010, by decree of His Eminence Anthony, Archbishop of Krasnoyarsk and Yenisei, Archpriest Gennady Fast was dismissed from the post of chairman of the diocesan Department of Religious Education and Catechism, from the post of dean of the Yenisei Church District and from the post of rector of the Assumption Church, after twenty-seven years of rectorship.

It's time to start analyzing the mistakes of Prot. Gennady Fast. It is better to start with articles in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate - in No. 10, October 2010, p. 66-69 and in No. 12, December 2010, p. 66-69, since they are written without the polemical enthusiasm of the Open Letter, are more correct and deliberate. The first reading of the articles gives a general picture of the activity of Fr. Fast, an activity that requires a lot of time and effort. It can be testified (see Rom. 10, 2) that Prot. Gennady has a zeal for God, but is this zeal for reason - that's the question! To answer it more colorful or what? - let's zigzag to the side and talk about women's fashion. Should Orthodox girls and women follow fashion (of course, if there are funds for this)? The wise priests answer as follows: firstly, there should be nothing unchaste in their clothes and appearance, and otherwise they can dress fashionably, but only when the fashion has already been established. Why is fashion changing? If everyone is dressed fashionably, this makes a mass of women faceless, just as military uniforms make all soldiers look the same. To stand out from the crowd and attract attention, you need to dress in something new and unusual. Here is the new fashion! Orthodox women should have no desire to stand out from the crowd, so they can only dress fashionably when the majority of women dress in fashion. If you do not follow the established fashion, this also distinguishes them from the crowd and attracts completely unnecessary attention to them.

I am far from thinking that Fr. Gennady would like to distinguish himself from the gray background of the surrounding priests. He probably just wanted to do his duty as a priest as diligently as possible. In my younger years, I also had outbursts caused by the same desire: it seemed to me that my colleagues were unjustifiably reducing the ranks - and I served and fulfilled the requirements more fully. Fortunately, next to me were priests with great liturgical experience and camp experience: they - according to the word of the holy fathers - seeing me ascending to heaven, pulled my legs and put me on the ground. They inspired me that I should not stand out from the general background - this is extremely dangerous! - and if I consider something necessary to change and correct, I must do it with extreme caution and gradualness. Apparently, next to Gennady Fast did not have such a wise mentor, and he ascended into the clouds and, reveling in his zeal, even reached dogmatic delusions - which will be discussed later.

In an October article by Prot. Gennady Fast outlines the order of catechesis established in Yeniseisk and the peculiarities in the celebration of the sacrament of Baptism. Those who want to be baptized are invited to listen to talks about faith - 6 or 8. Their duration is two hours. For non-residents, the number of conversations is reduced. It is recommended to go to Church (leaving the Liturgy after the exclamation of “Announcement, come out”), read at least one of the four Gospels, memorize the prayer “Our Father” and the Creed. At the end of the catechization, “the spiritual work done in preparation for baptism is revealed, whether or not the sinful life has been abandoned” (p. 67). The direct meaning of this phrase purely sectarian: I was a sinner, but I believed in Christ, I was baptized - and now a saint! But maybe o. G. Fast simply expressed himself unsuccessfully, but the idea is this: if a person does not want to leave a sinful, even vicious life, he cannot be baptized, and therefore the catechization has not achieved its goal. But still, the above phrase is not accidental. This is especially clear from the title of the article: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them...". The title reflects two points: learning (catechesis) and baptism. The Lord says differently: teach (so that a person realizes the need for baptism), baptize, and then constantly teach (and learn) to keep Christ's commandments, using the constant help of the Lord Himself, who promised to be with us until the end of time (see Matt. 28, 19-20 ; compare Romans 7:15-25). That is, baptism, washing away original sin and my former sins, gives me the opportunity to overcome my sinfulness, but in order to realize this opportunity, I must fight “to the blood”, “struggle against sin” (see Heb. 12, 4).

So, we must all our lives study the Christian life and strive in it. That is, the error Gennady is that he wants to get the ideal ones - according to his concepts! - Christians even before baptism and therefore lays burdens heavy and unbearable on the shoulders of the catechumens, blocking the path to baptism for those of them who cannot fulfill its requirements (for example, they are employed in two or even three jobs in order to feed their loved ones), especially if their catechesis is associated with more or less long trips. True, for nonresident archpriests Gennady makes an indulgence - reduces the number of catechetical conversations, but of course is not limited to one immediately preceding baptism.

Now about the liturgical differences of baptism. They begin even during catechesis. Before the exclamation of "Announcement, come out!" the catechumens present in the church should approach the pulpit, and the priest, leaving the altar, reads aloud over their heads the secret prayer for the catechumens, after which they leave the church (p. 68).

Often baptism takes place in a river or lake. It happens, although rarely, baptism in the hole. "Baptism in a river or lake is always a special event"(p.68). It is not clear to me, an old priest, how, in such exotic conditions, to maintain due reverence for the great sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation (see illustrations on p. 67 of the JMP). “At the time of baptism, each sacred action is explained by the priest,” which should destroy the reverence for the sacred service even more. "Sometimes baptisms are performed with the participation of the entire parish." Some parishioners then say in their hearts: “I wish I could be baptized again now, but ... this does not happen”(p. 69). In my opinion, this phrase is a sentence to the baptismal innovations of Fr. Gennady Fast: baptism becomes "in the name of Fast". Remember with what bitterness the apostle says: “Were you baptized in the name of Pavlovo?”(1 Cor. 1:13). And prot. Gennady is apparently very pleased with the regret of the parishioners that they cannot be re-baptized.

Now is the time to talk about the main sin of the article - about damaging the dogma "about a single baptism for the remission of sins." The outer shell of the sacrament - catechesis and the peculiarities of performing the ordination itself - not only obscure, but also try to destroy (turn into nothing) the very inner content of the sacrament. At the very beginning of the October article, Prof. Gennady, the ZhMP contains the following statement: “Baptism is the gates of the church. In our time, these gates stand alone in the open field, which is the world (cf. Mt. 13:38), and those who pass through them find themselves in the same place where they were. Gates to nowhere” (p. 66). It is terrible to read such blasphemous words! The great sacrament of Baptism is the gate to nowhere! It would be clearer if Prot. Gennady said that any sacrament, if treated incorrectly, leads to judgment and condemnation instead of salvation. But no, it's just "gateway to nowhere". And it is completely incomprehensible why the parishioners who were baptized “in nowhere” in childhood should not be baptized again - already in the Church. This phrase reflected the forgetfulness of God and His grace inherent in some modern theologians. After all, the priest is only an external instrument for the performance of the sacrament, and the performer is God himself.

The inferiority of catechesis in Yeniseisk is in its excessiveness, especially in excessive demands on the spiritual appearance of the person being baptized - he must still be perfect before baptism, so that catechesis according to Fast makes baptism almost redundant. And the unusual atmosphere of the baptism itself shifts the center of gravity from internal to external. At the same time, it is asserted that without this external, the internal is nothing! How could such an article appear in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchy, the official printed organ of our Church?

There is also damage to the dogmatic teaching of the Church in the December (JMP No. 12, December 2010, p. 66-69) article by Prot. Gennady Fast. Our faith "in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" has been distorted. As stated in the editorial preface - in this article, Fr. Fast "offers his philosophy of communal life." This philosophy is the source of error. The general purpose of the article is to show the advantage of the communal dispensation of the parish over the ordinary parish. Here is her main thesis: “One of the explanations for the origin of the word “church” raises it to the Latin word circus - “circle”, which arises from the disciples of Christ and is mysteriously realized in the Church of God. Jesus Christ gathers the disciples, and a circle is formed. Mysteriously, this is always realized in the Church of God. The sacred property of the circle inherent in the Church is experienced by the people of God and determines the forms of Church life. This thesis, according to Rev. Fasta must show the depravity of the parish (allegedly open) form of organization of the parish, testifying (see article) "of the impoverishment of the spirit" and "of the secularization of the Church." Therefore, he stands up for “organizing the parish as a prayerful-Eucharistic and missionary-evangelistic community”, which, in his opinion, restores the circular structure of the parish. This happens “when a parish uniting Orthodox residents of a locality, as a result of the ministry of one pastor or another, develops into a community with a distinctive inner and outer life. Such examples were observed even in the difficult Soviet years.” In this case, “communal self-awareness and self-awareness of the parish appears, that very circle arises that gathers everyone together around Christ” (p. 66). As Fr. Gennady does not see that the community is not gathering around Christ, but around the pastor - in this case around Fr. Fast?

The image of a circle is not at all as unambiguous as Fr. Gennady Fast. Muslims are moving in a circle in a warlike dance. The circle is present in the zeal of mystical sectarians and in occult practices. So the circle itself does not prove anything, rather the opposite. Although Abba Dorotheos also gives us the image of the Church as a circle (see: Philokalia, vol. 2, Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1992, Ascetic Instructions of Abba Dorotheus, p. 42, p. 617). But this image speaks against the communal philosophy of Fr. Fast. According to Abba Dorotheus, the Church is a circle, in the center of which is God. The points on the circle are people. If they go to God (along the radius!), then they come closer to each other. If they go (in the radial direction) from God, then they move away from each other. Let's supplement the image given by Abba Dorotheus - after all, you can move sideways, to the right or to the left. That is, instead of moving towards God, people move towards each other, while moving away from those who are behind them. This is how communities are created around authoritative priests. The United Church breaks up into communities - circles, the center of which becomes - instead of God! - authoritative priests: priest Georgy Kochetkov, or archpriest Gennady Fast.

It's not my fantasy This is Satan's real plan to destroy the Church.

Great hopes in the churching of the people are placed by some on communal arrival device. As we saw above, the community has no sacral advantages over the parish. They can only be compared by their fruits (see Matt. 7:16). What is the practical difference between a community and a parish? The fact that it imposes additional obligations on its member. Prot. Gennady Fast points to two types of community: the target community and the pastoral community. An example of a target community is the one created by Fr. Arkady Shatov (now Bishop Panteleimon) community of sisters of mercy. If for some reason a sufficiently strong and healthy person has stopped family and work duties (or if they exist, there is systematically freed up free time), why not give your care and your work to a good cause? The pastoral community also has the right to exist, if it does not cover the entire parish. For example, Batiushka was a sambo coach before taking the rank. It is very good if young people gather around him in order to prepare themselves for military service. But such is not the community that has gathered around Fr. Gennady Fast. She looks perfect to him. In fact, she is ugly. The inferiority of the community gathered around Fr. Gennady Fast, and in general the inferiority of the "pastoral" community is best shown by analyzing phrases from an article praising and advertising this same community. I remind you - this is a "December" article in the ZhMP Fr. Gennady, which bears a very expressive name: “How great and beautiful is our God!”.

A parish around an authoritative priest "grows into a community with an original inner and outer life" (p. 66). This originality and "growing" into it are already flawed. So this parish is not like all the others around. As it is reminiscent of: "God! I thank You that I am not like other people!”(Luke 18:11). And if a Christian with a sensitive conscience does not want to accept this growth, he is declared a stranger to Christ and an outsider to the Church (see the paragraph on "screening out" - p. 67, middle column).

Read on. Discourse on confession. “The parishioners received pastoral instruction, penances… As a result of such confessional practice, the parish naturally… began to acquire some forms of community” (p. 67). Confession, no matter how long and beautiful it may be, can serve to form a community only when the pastor is not content with the modest role of a witness to confession (as the Church teaches him, “I am just a witness”), but takes on some semblance of the role of an experienced spiritual life of the monastery elder. He becomes not just a priest, but a “spiritual father!” (young elder), gathering around him not just parishioners, but "spiritual children". Well, and the one who is afraid to entrust himself to his spiritual leadership - that one is eliminated!

Further. “The parish has become for us a school of piety. And on holidays, and on weekdays ... some book of Holy Scripture is read (for example, the Apocalypse). The priest reads the text and comments on it” (p. 67). The Apocalypse is such a mysterious and difficult book that even not such wise men as Fr. Gennady, they broke their necks. But what comes next is even worse. Lay people are also invited to interpret. “On Sunday evenings… a two-hour Sunday talk is held… The Holy Scriptures are read. The conversation is led by a priest, and all those present freely discuss the text... Such parishioners are not limited to everyday Orthodoxy, the Bible and the holy fathers reveal to them the great depths of our faith” (p. 68).

How are we with Fr. Gennady was taught in theological schools - the principle of free interpretation of Holy Scripture is the fundamental principle of Protestantism (once again - how right Vladyka Anthony is in his denunciations!). This principle has given rise to a huge number of sects. They, despite the sometimes flagrant stupidity of the free interpretation of Scripture, have an enviable vitality, which is disastrous for those caught in their net. An example is William Miller, founder of the Adventist sect. Like many Baptists - and he started out as a Baptist elder - he believed that even before the Last Judgment, Christ would come to earth for the Millennium Kingdom. This teaching is condemned by the conciliar mind of the Church, but the Church is not a decree for free interpreters of Scripture! And so Miller thought - when will the coming (adventus) of Christ. In the prophet Daniel he read: "For how long ... the shrine and the army will be trampled? ... for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings"(Dan. 8:13-14). And the prophet Ezekiel - "Day for the year, day for the year I have appointed for you"(Ezek. 4, 6). Combining these texts (which actually refer to different events), he decided that the coming of Christ should be 2300 years after Daniel spoke his prophecy - i.e. in 1854. Gathered his followers - and they were waiting for Christ in white clothes with burning candles. Despite the fact that Adventus did not occur, the Adventist sect successfully exists to this day. It is so dangerous to freely interpret Holy Scripture!

And of course, the arrival of Fr. Fasta, which had grown into an original community, could not do without liturgical identity. So, the Apostle is read in Russian. The gospel is facing the people. Although, according to the generally accepted rule, this is allowed only once a year - at the evening of the first day of Easter. At the litany after the Gospel and the sermon - a special petition on the topic of the just said teaching. The notes contain not only names, but also needs and thanksgivings (how interesting it sounds: the servant of God Andrey thanks God for the purchased car. If it were in Soviet times, such a prayer could also be heard: the servant of God Ivan asks God's help to pass the exam scientific atheism). At the exclamation "Let's love each other ...", following the example of the Kochetkovites, mutual kissing begins - however, brothers of brothers, sisters of sisters. Such is the original community! I am especially touched by the reading of the prayer “Holy God” in Hebrew by the priest. As the language of Orthodox worship, Jewish died out even before the end of the 2nd century, since Orthodox Jews were either exterminated by persecutors or assimilated by the peoples who saved them from extermination. The newly baptized Jews were part of the Churches of these peoples. And the hymn "Holy God" appeared under Patriarch Proclus, that is, two or three centuries later. Why is an artificial translation of this prayer into Hebrew needed? And if a learned person wanted to pray like that, why was it necessary to notify the entirety of the Russian Church about this through the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate? This is very similar to a shiny brooch in a fashionista costume - let everyone pay attention and envy! Although, perhaps, this is another reproach to Vladyka Anthony - what a highly educated pastor his diocese has lost!

It's too bad that Prot. Gennady Fast does not develop his own identity, but involves his parishioners in the process. “It should be noted,” he writes, “that nothing was ever introduced by order of the abbot. The river finds its own course, it is not directed” (p. 69). Let's leave it to the conscience of Fr. Gennady's word is that the reforms in the parish arose by themselves without his guiding efforts. The trouble is that parishioners can - now, after the departure of Fr. Fasta to another diocese - to cause a split. Although in fact - with or without him - they are already in a split, since they fell under the oath His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon. In his appeal dated November 4/17, 1921, listing unauthorized changes in the service that he became aware of (in particular, “liturgical parts from the word of God are not read in Church Slavonic”, “exclamations are pronounced that are not indicated in the Missal”, “prayers which are supposed to be read secretly are read aloud,” etc.), he said: “For such violations of the church charter and the willfulness of individuals in the performance there is not and cannot be our blessing"(Blessed Fire, 2010, No. 20, p. 3).

* * *

Separately, it is worth mentioning two things that I have already written about before, but it is impossible not to mention. This is, firstly, the question of the frequency of communion and preparation for it. For more on this, see my article “The True Meaning of Modern Propaganda of Extra-Frequent Communion” (Holy Fire, 2007, No. 16, pp. 3-18).

The second requires a quote: “The Holy Chalice is worn out. And here we are all with Christ and in Christ with each other forever! The circle of the Church, this Sanctus Circus, has closed with the center in Christ” (JMP, 2010, No. 12, p. 69). What is this quote talking about? It shows that the community that has formed around is not Christ, but Prot. Gennady Fast - finally "closed with the center in Christ." This - ecclesiological heresy of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, only here it is more frankly formulated. Against this heresy at one time spoke Archpriest Michael Pomazansky(his article “Ecumenics Against the Background of Orthodox Liturgy” was published in the journal Holy Fire, 2004, No. 12, pp. 96-109). Prot. Michael writes: “The individual sanctifying significance of the sacrament of the Eucharist, i.e. the meaning of not only the union of believers among themselves, but above all the union of each believer with Christ, is quite definitely expressed by the Apostle in chapters 10-11 of the 1st epistle to the Corinthians” (p. 101). That is, in the first place is the union with Christ, in the second - as a result! - connecting with each other. Schmemann and Fast say the opposite - first the formation of a community, and only then - the whole community together! - unite with Christ (or - which is the same! - put Christ at the center of an already created community). Father Michael Pomazansky, relying on the words of the Apostle: “He who eats and drinks unworthily, he eats and drinks condemnation to himself”(1 Cor. 11, 29), says that if condemnation is individual, then “the worthy acceptance of them accomplishes individual sanctification”, that is, individual union with Christ is primary, and the unity of believers in the Church (in the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church - and not in a single community) - secondarily. It is an inevitable consequence of the union of a single person with Christ. Abba Dorotheos says the same thing: the closer to Christ, the closer to each other (and not vice versa - the closer to each other, the closer to Christ - for in this way one can huddle together - a community! - apart from Christ). The same idea was illustrated by the Lord Jesus Christ himself with a striking example. He did this immediately after the Last Supper - that is, after the first ever communion of His Holy Mysteries. Coming out of the Supper, He (probably!) saw a vine and pointed it out to His apostles (see John 15:1-8). Communicators - branches on the Vine-Christ, and then the Heavenly Father - individually! - He sorts these branches: he cuts off some so that they bear more fruit, he cuts off others that do not bear fruit, and when they dry up, he throws them into the fire. Let's continue the image. The community is a broom of branches. The whole broom is not grafted onto the Vine - it must be disassembled into branches and grafted onto the Vine-Christ each separately. Then they will feed on the juices of the Vine and form a single whole with It, and therefore with each other. And the unity of the broom is pure external- it is created by the rope with which it is tied. This is the content and meaning of the ecclesiological communal heresy preached by Fr. Schmemann, and carried out by Fr. Kochetkov, oh. Fast and others.

The reaction of a believer who has preserved a sound instinct of true faith is natural: is it possible to go to a church where "original" communal orders are being established? How parishioners resolve this issue in different ways - we see on the example of the Kochetkov community (see: Holy Fire, 2007, No. 16, pp. 61, 62 and 65, as well as: Holy Fire, 2010, No. 20, p. 34- 35). True, the screening out of their parishioners is sometimes the demand of the Kochetkovites themselves: “If you come to our church again, you will not live” (Blessed Fire, No. 20, p. 35). More peacefully, this happened in the cathedral church of Archbishop Jonathan (Yeletsky): “a group of exalted persons “left” his community, ... but the church was replenished with men and women of young and middle years” (Blessed Fire, No. 20, p. 21). The same process is taking place (was taking place!) in the community of Fr. Gennady Fast. Here is what he writes about this: “Is some dropout of parishioners a good thing or a bad thing? Isn't it the priest's task to attract people by any means? (JMP, 2010, No. 12, p. 67). Well, it may not be necessary to attract (especially “by any means”). It is important not to alienate - even just a curious person, if he is not hostile to the Church. But to alienate the most sensible parishioners by violating the charter is already a crime! It is also criminal to declare them alien to the Church, as Fr. Fast: “Attraction and dropout is a two-way process. Those who are led by the Father are drawn to Christ (cf. John 6:44), while those depart from him for whom “this word is cruel” (John 6:60)” (ibid.).

It is terrible to read these blasphemous speeches in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, which is designed to be a model of the Orthodox media. Some kind of wormhole wound up in his office. Some of its editors sympathize and try to actively assist the reformers, who, according to the late elder Fr. John Krestyankin, seek to ruin the Church. The same penetration occurred in the editorial office of the journal Neskuchny Sad. In its second issue for 2011, an article was published with an eloquent title: "Renovationists do not like reforms." The purpose of the article is to separate modern neo-renovationist reformers, especially translators of divine services into Russian, from the 20th century renovationists who compromised themselves. A well-founded answer to this article has already been given in a wonderful article by a priest, now Archpriest Konstantin Bufeev“Patriarch Sergius, Renovationism and the Failed Reformation of the Russian Church of the 20th Century” (Holy Fire, 2001, No. 6, pp. 65-85). But the falsity of the article in the Neskuchny Sad magazine is visible even in its very text. It states that the Renovation Council of 1923, in addition to the decrees on the married episcopate and the second marriage of priests, called on the Renovationists to show creative initiative in worship. This call is carried out by the modern reformers of worship, justifying their name - neo-renovators. So the formidable words of the prophet Isaiah are quite applicable to the author of the article: “Woe to those who ... honor darkness for light, and light for darkness”(Isaiah 5:20).

But still, in my mind, I can’t put prot. Gennady Fast on the same board with Kochetkov. Bribes some of his childishness. It is necessary to boast of the Jewish text of the prayer "Holy God"! This childishness is even more noticeable in his "Open Letter", similar in its illogicality to a children's squabble. “Open letter” is a response to the article by Archbishop of Krasnoyarsk and Yenisei Anthony “Watch how dangerously you walk” - an article inaccessible to us (. - Note. ed.). We can judge its content only from the “Open Letter” by Prot. Fast. It contains 12 points as an answer to the 12 denunciations of Vladyka Anthony. All of them are built according to the same scheme: firstly, this did not happen, or it happened only once, and secondly, it was done correctly. Items are arranged in descending order of importance, and we will consider them in ascending order, that is, from twelfth to first.