The essence of the sobriety vow
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The shortest period during which it is recommended to follow the abstinence commitment is Lent. It allows the believer to completely cleanse the soul and prepare for the celebration of Easter.
If a person has an increased tendency to drink alcohol, then it is better to take it for 12 months, followed by an extension after the required period has been successfully completed.
It is important! Subsequently, you should accept it for the rest of your earthly days.
In its simplest form, the words of a temperance vow are a promise of complete abstinence from alcohol made to the Lord by believers.
In ordinary words, its essence is to:
- do not take a drop of alcoholic beverages or any other drugs into your mouth;
- do not push your neighbor to such sin;
- do not participate in such entertainment;
- exclude vulgar language from your speech.
The Church compares the vow of sobriety to abstaining from the use of, for example, toxic substances. It wouldn’t even occur to a person to put them in his mouth. After making a promise, alcohol becomes a similar poison. It is scary for a believer to even think that he is allowed to drink it.
People understand that the Lord will not abandon them in difficult times. They simply stop thinking about the painful habit of alcohol, unlike those who simply give it up. They will constantly think about their decision and doubt their ability to follow it.
I want to make a vow to the Lord...
Evgeniy, hello! I was very glad to read your kind, sincere letter. It shows that you are a believer and want to please God with your life. However, before making a vow to God, it is extremely important for us to gain knowledge about our Creator by studying His Holy Word - the Bible. This will not only help us understand which vow is best to take, but will also help us get closer to God. Compared to the vastness of the Universe, people seem small and insignificant. Chances are, you have once asked yourself this question: “Can an ordinary mortal man become a friend of Almighty God?” This is only possible if God himself, whose name is Jehovah, wants us to develop friendship with him. But does he want this? The answer to this question can be found in the eloquent address of the Apostle Paul to the enlightened Athenians. It is recorded in Acts 17:24-27. Let us pay attention to four aspects that Paul mentioned in his speech. First, Paul says that God created “the world and all that is in it” (verse 24). The beauty and diversity of the world around us fills our lives with joy and also testifies to the care and love of our Creator (Romans 1:20). It would be absurd to suggest that such a sensitive God would deliberately distance himself from those he loves. Second, Jehovah “gives everyone life and breath and everything” (verse 25). He is the One who sustains life (Psalm 36:9). All the necessities of life—air, water, and food—are gifts from our Creator (James 1:17). Is it reasonable to think that our generous God would keep himself aloof and thus deprive us of the opportunity to learn about him and get closer to him? Third, God “from one man...made every nation of men” (verse 26). Jehovah is impartial, that is, he is completely alien to any partiality or prejudice.—Acts 10:34. How can God treat people differently? He created “one man,” Adam, from whom all races and peoples came. God “desires that people of all kinds should be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, every person has the opportunity to develop a close relationship with God, regardless of skin color, nationality or origin. Finally, Paul reveals another beautiful truth about God: Jehovah “is not far from each of us” (verse 27). Although Jehovah is the Most High God, he is always available to those who wholeheartedly desire to draw close to him. God's Word assures us that Jehovah is not far from us. On the contrary, he is “close to all who call on him” (Psalm 146:18). As can be seen from the words of the Apostle Paul, God offers his friendship to people. However, only those who seek and try to “feel” him can have a close relationship with the Creator (verse 27). According to one manual for Bible translators, “the verbs ‘seek’ and ‘sense’ express a real possibility or a feasible desire.” For example, imagine being in a dark but familiar room, trying to find a switch or door by touch. You are confident that you will be able to do this. Likewise, if we sincerely seek God, trying to “experience” him, we can be sure that our efforts will be rewarded. Paul assures us that we will definitely find God (verse 27).
Preparing to Take a Vow of Sobriety
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A person who has decided to get rid of the sin of drunkenness needs to go to the priest of the nearest church and find out about all the rules.
Father will give advice on how to prepare for the sacrament, what needs to be done and completed.
Advice! Before accepting it for a long time, you should regularly visit the temple, pray, confess, take communion and observe all fasts.
You should not think that a person must bear all the burdens of fulfilling the vow of sobriety solely himself. It is strongly recommended that you urgently contact a narcological clinic or your treating psychiatrist if the patient has already been registered. The doctor will prescribe a treatment regimen, conduct treatment and recommend the best coding methods for alcoholism.
Turning to medical and psychological institutions is not at all a refusal or doubt of God’s help. These actions will lead precisely to the path on which the Lord directs a person to get rid of an addiction. Therefore, you must strictly follow all the advice of a specialist. If they are violated, the patient not only ruins his own health, but also commits a grave sin, violating the vow of sobriety.
It can also be taken by moderate drinkers. A vow of sobriety is usually taken at the onset of religious holidays or when there is a fear that a fatal habit is capable of completely consuming the sinner.
In this case, it is very important to stop in time, and then the church vow provides the believer with great support. Anyone who has simply given up alcohol is constantly tempted. Anyone who has taken the vow will be able to overcome alcohol addiction faster and easier. Even the suffering associated with the period of voluntary renunciation will be easier to endure with God's help.
Subsequently, a person, based on the promise he made to the Lord, will finally cease to be interested in dubious gatherings or friendly companies that push him onto the path of sin.
Adoption process
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Don't take on too much weight right away. It's better to try to act in stages.
- First, you should avoid drinking alcohol for a short period of time.
- Then you need to fully understand your life without the influence of an addiction.
- It is necessary to thank the Lord in prayers for his support.
- Then you need to make a new, stricter and longer commitment.
Note! Theoretically, a vow of sobriety can be taken at home, but then a person will need all the willpower to fulfill it. In addition, a promise made without undergoing repentance and confession will not be sealed by a church sacrament.
It should be remembered that the vow of agility differs sharply from an ordinary oath. A person pronounces her words, taking the right to decide independently and only calling God as a witness.
A vow is a humble request to the Lord for help. In this case, the believer admits that there is little he can do on his own. Therefore, he asks for strength to fulfill his plans.
To comply with all the requirements of the Church, it is necessary to take a vow of sobriety after a specially ordered prayer service. They accept it in front of the Cross and the Gospel, an icon or in front of holy relics. It is imperative to pronounce it publicly in front of the priest and parishioners.
Then, at the end of the prayer service, a letter of vow and an icon are given, in front of which a vow of sobriety was taken. They need to be placed in a conspicuous place at home. A person who has made a vow, along with the letter, also keeps a prayer promise, which he reads with morning and evening prayers. In this way, he reminds himself that he has given his word to God.
Where did the “Lunch, cozy” meme come from?
In February 2022, an abstract meme from VKontakte “Lunch, cozy” spread across the Internet, where the authors “glued” stickers with glasses, the words “Lunch”, “Breakfast” or “Cosy” on popular pics. For example, social network user Maxim Vaskin edited a photo of the meme cat Vaska.
Maxim Vaskin
The authors of the “Hard Labor of Black Workers” community on VKontakte combined Kaneki Ken from the anime “Tokyo Ghoul” and a drawn soldier, deliberately keeping the abstract picture in poor quality.
Hard labor for black workers
New age of post-irony. Posting memes is for suckers, posting “Lunch, cozy” is for normal people, and posting “Lunch, cozy” with jackal quality and a third-party interface is for the gods.
Internet users are also replacing words in popular phrases with stickers. Administrators of the “Lunch (Uyutnenko)” group on VKontakte created their own wolf quote with stickers “Lunch” and “Uyutnenko”.
lunch (cozy)
The authors of the “dinner alliance” community on the same social network made Vladimir Mayakovsky the hero of the meme and rewrote Alexander Blok’s poem “Night, street, lantern, pharmacy.”
dinner makers alliance
Lunch Cozy breakfast CENSORED Glasses with mustache Lovely Weekend Thunderstorm dream Morning coffee.
The “Lunch, cozy” template ended up on TikTok, where users began compiling their own jokes. The video by the author of muzzl1k.bs featured General Gavs from Brawl Stars and Gregorio Cortez from the movie Spy Kids.
Internet users often reposted other people's memes, so it is impossible to establish the authorship of several of the most famous pics.
Memes "Lunch, cozy"
The creation of the “Lunch, cozy” jokes, which originated on VKontakte, remains a mystery for many, since the social network does not have a sticker pack from which one could get “stickers.”
Temperance Prayer
Master Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God! I, Thy unworthy servant (name), having known all the destruction of the passions that overwhelm me, and the sins that come from them, before the most pure image of Our Lady Theotokos, I hereby express my firm intention and give a strong promise not to drink wine or anything intoxicating, and also not to tempt me to do so. others for a period from this day and (specify the period).
O Most Merciful and All-Bountiful Jesus Christ! Bless this good intention of mine and help me, Thy weak and infirm servant, with the power of the honorable and life-giving Cross, with the prayers of our All-Pure Lady Theotokos and all Thy saints, to accomplish it safely to Thy glory and for the salvation of my soul! Amen.
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