Read the Gospel and “live healthy” - Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov

Every time you open it like the first

The Church teaches that a person can be saved by fulfilling the Gospel commandments. Is it possible to accomplish what you don’t know? It follows from this that the first step towards God is prayer and reading the Gospel.

This is a completely unique book. A skeptic will say: just think, four stories from different authors, despite the fact that three of them present practically the same plots in different ways - what’s new and unique in this? The peculiarity of the Gospel is that each time you open it differently. Many Christians have read it several times, but each time they pay attention to something new.

An experienced Orthodox Christian woman, a radio physicist by training, says: “Friends and fellow students say to me: what did you find in your religion? You are a smart person, a physicist by training. And I answer: you see, in our industry I have already reached the “ceiling”, and reading the Gospel, every time I discover something new for myself. Sometimes you sit and realize: I’ve been holding this book in my hands every day for 20 years. But it feels like I’ve never read this fragment before. There is such a depth here that you won’t reach the bottom even in your entire life.”

If a person regularly reads the Gospel and thinks about what he reads, then he simply cannot help but change.

About self-coercion and inquisition

— There are well-known components of a person’s church life: fasting, prayer, participation in the Sacraments, etc. What place should reading the Gospel occupy here?

— In the Church they tell a person about desirable things. And useful. The prayer rule in the form in which it exists - and it has existed for the third hundred years (before that they read the Psalter or Book of Hours) - is very desirable. But the Church only recommends. You can give a person an opportunity, but you cannot force him to use it. Why did Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) and his commission translate the Gospel into Russian? So that people have the opportunity to hear the voice of Christ the Savior through him. Our role is advisory: to create conditions and give advice. We never had an Inquisition in the Church.

— The Church cannot force, but isn’t it about self-compulsion? Sometimes they say that the Gospel is good to read, even if you don’t understand it at first. That it, like the word of God, in itself has some beneficial effect on a person...

- On the one hand, reading like a parrot without understanding anything is, of course, of little use. It's more of a physical exercise.

On the other hand, we encourage children to learn poetry by heart. And the text itself, learned by heart, can work in the future. Like a parable. The Lord told a parable, a man formed an image in his soul, and he remembered this image. And the image begins to work in a person, and then the person begins to comprehend it.

But still he needs to understand: for example, who the Samaritan is, how he met the wounded man, how he put him on a donkey, how he was taken to the hotel - he must imagine and remember all this. But, unfortunately, people cannot even retell the Gospel parables.

However, if a person constantly reads - in circles, every year, then in the third, fifth year he will more or less remember the content and assimilate it. And then you can, appealing to his memory, tell something about it. This is the work of the Church. The service itself is structured like this: it is a constant reminder of the Gospel. During the year, the entire Gospel is “lived” in the temple. This is an absolutely brilliant invention from a pedagogical point of view! I have been serving for forty years and never cease to be amazed at the perfection of that organism called worship. It is gospel-centric.

— And yet, quite often the words of the Gospel cannot be understood during the service... According to the canons, can’t a priest turn his face to the parishioners at the time of reading?

- At least sit sideways or lie down on a lounge chair! If you read the Gospel and you don’t hear it, this is an absurd situation. It’s the same as if an announcer came into the studio, turned off the microphone and started talking in a whisper...

Either you need to speak loudly, or you need to turn around, or stand in the center of the temple under the dome, or turn on the microphone. After all, speech exists for people to hear. Anything else is absurd.

— Are there any universal recommendations on how to read the Gospel? Father John Krestyankin, for example, advised reading one chapter of the Gospel and two chapters from the Apostolic Epistles daily. Someone reads from the beginnings - passages that are read during the service in the temple on this day...

- There are several ways. You can just read in a row. A person himself determines: what suits him best in his mind, in his heart, is how he reads. But this can only be assessed in practice. And there is no need to regulate everything.

I have never read two chapters of a message in a row in my life. I read from the beginning because at the same time I was preparing for the sermon. I have always liked how what is written in the Apostle usually fits perfectly with the Gospel text for the same day. It simply fascinated me! Different authors, different times when these books were written, and suddenly - such a wonderful unity!

- There must be some kind of systematic reading, or is there no need for regulations at all: if there is a mood - a person reads, if not - he doesn’t read?

- What is our task? Christians have a completely different task in life than worldly people - to subordinate their lives to the will of God. And not the mood. If you wait for inspiration and mood, then you simply won’t have time to become a Christian...

How to read the Gospel at home?

There are no specific rules, but there are only individual recommendations, which indicate a respectful attitude towards the shrine. The gospel is the good news of God the Word. From the sacred pages, a person seems to be talking with God. Therefore, it is advisable to have a specific mindset and throw distracting thoughts out of your head. You can read a special prayer before reading the Holy Scriptures or turn to God so that you receive spiritual benefit from reading, and not vice versa - you sin by inattention, absent-mindedness and fussiness.

As a sign of reverence, it is customary to read the Gospel while standing. But if a person is tired during the day, is unable to stand, and is constantly thinking about how to lean on his elbow, then it would be better for him to sit down immediately.

It’s good if you have the opportunity to be alone, to communicate one-on-one with God, when no one and nothing distracts you. But it doesn't always work out that way.

Prayers before and after reading the New Testament

There are special prayers said before and after reading the New Testament.

Before... “Shine in our hearts, O Lord of mankind, Your imperishable light of God, and open our mental eyes, in Your gospel sermons understanding, put fear in us and Your blessed commandments, so that all carnal lusts may be overcome, we will pass through spiritual life, all that for Your pleasure, both in thought and in action. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and we send up glory to You, with Your Originless Father and Your All-Holy, Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen". It is read secretly by the priest during the Divine Liturgy before the reading of the Holy Gospel. It is also placed after the 11th kathisma of the Psalter.

Prayer of St. John Chrysostom: “Lord Jesus Christ, open the ears of my heart to hear Your word, and to understand and do Your will, as I am a stranger on earth: do not hide Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may understand the wonders of Your law; tell me the unknown and secret wisdom of Yours. I trust in You, my God, may you enlighten my mind and meaning with the light of Your mind, not only to honor what is written, but also to create, so that I may not read the lives and words of the saints as a sin, but for renewal, and enlightenment, and for holiness, and for salvation of the soul, and an inheritance of eternal life. For You are the One who enlightens those who lie in darkness, and from You comes every good gift and every perfect gift. Amen". The prayer of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), read before and after reading the Holy Scriptures: “Save, O Lord, and have mercy on Thy servants (names) in the words of the Divine Gospel, which are about the salvation of Thy servant. The thorns of all their sins have fallen, Lord, and may Thy grace dwell in them, scorching, cleansing, sanctifying the whole person in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Regarding the latter, I will add from myself that it is also read with the addition of a chapter from the Holy Gospel in some kind of sorrow or trouble. I have learned from my own experience that it helps a lot. And the merciful Lord delivers from all kinds of situations and troubles. Some fathers recommend reading this prayer with the Gospel chapter every day.

Why is it important to read the Holy Gospel at home and how to do it correctly?

How often and in what volumes should you read the Gospel?

It is advisable to do this every day. If you have a strong intention, ask your confessor for a blessing.

There are two optimal ways to discover Holy Scripture:

1. a chapter a day;
2. look in the church calendar which passage is being read today at the service, and read it.

The first method is more time-consuming, but it eliminates the possibility of misunderstanding the context of the Gospel story. The second is useful because if you read in the evening those fragments that will be heard at the Liturgy, then while you are in church a person will listen carefully to the reading of the Gospel.

Let's summarize

In this large and long article, we looked at what prayer for one's neighbor is. Let's highlight the main aspects.

• You can pray for the health of your baptized and believing loved ones according to the Gospel and the Psalter.
• You can remember baptized deceased loved ones according to the Psalter.

• Seek help from the Most Holy Theotokos.
• Pray to the holy saints of God.
• Turn to our Lord Jesus Christ in prayer for your neighbor.
• Don’t forget to pray in your own words.
• Read, with blessing, akathists. This may be an akathist to the Mother of God or to a particularly revered saint.
• Visit the temple, submit notes about the health and repose of loved ones, order prayer services and magpies, memorial services.

Why use additional explanations?

To avoid misunderstandings, it is advisable to know the historical context and use interpretations. Look at the Protestants. They get acquainted with sacred texts every day, but each is accustomed to understanding the essence of what is written in their own way. This is where various heresies and schisms arise. Therefore, it is better for a person not to “create amateur activities”, but to take advantage of the centuries-tested experience of the church.

The explanations of such interpreters can be called authoritative:

• John Chrysostom;
• Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria;
• Bishop Michael (Luzin);
• Archbishop Averky (Taushev);
• Professor Alexander Lopukhin.

Beginners may encounter the fact that the thoughts of John Chrysostom or Theophylact of Bulgaria will not seem entirely accessible to them. Therefore, first you can read the Law of God of Seraphim Slobodsky and the texts of the last three interpreters. Questions are also often asked about which language is best to read the Gospel. If you find Church Slavonic too difficult, read in your native language. Over time, you can study the language of the church and read different translations at the same time.

Christian Library of God's Messages

There are 77 books in the Orthodox Bible, each of them tells about a certain period in the history of mankind and the formation of faith in the Creator. How to read the Bible correctly in order not only to be filled with historical information, but also to understand the meaning of God's revelations?

Orthodox Bible

You can get closer to the concept of God and learn His plan only from the Holy Scriptures.

Unlike Protestants, the Orthodox Church continues to study the Word of God, transmitted both in the Old and New Testaments, and through Traditions recorded from the oral memories of participants in those events. Since the 16th century, Protestants have abandoned the Sacred Traditions as not divinely inspired, for they were not written in Hebrew.