Who can benefit from a wonderful belt?
Archive of newspaper No. 42 (175) dated November 29, 2011
Lyrics
Society
Alla Novik
6294 0 0 0 0 0
Estimate
What does mass worship of shrines indicate - a sincere religious impulse or the fact that Russians live hard and hope only for a miracle?
The pilgrimage of Russian residents to the Christian relic turned out to be so massive that it surprised even the clergy
In Russia, something that no one expected came out of a seemingly completely familiar action. Over ten days in Moscow, almost a million (800 thousand) people came to venerate the Christian shrine - the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In order to touch the ark with the belt for a moment, people stood for days, the queue stretched for several kilometers. Even the clergy are surprised by such a stir - and it was observed in other cities of the country. What is this – a massive religious outburst or evidence that Russians live a difficult life and hope only for a miracle?
Size doesn't matter
The belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary was brought to Russia for the first time. For the last 200 years, he has not left Greece at all (the shrine is kept in Athos, in the Vatopedi monastery). According to legend, the Mother of God wove a miraculous belt from camel hair and wore it until her death. The belt is believed to heal and help women who dream of having a child.
The ark with the belt traveled around Russia for more than a month and visited 15 cities, including Kaliningrad, Vladivostok, Norilsk and Stavropol: Russia was, as it were, overshadowed by a blessing cross. And everywhere people selflessly stood in line for hours. In Norilsk, even the night frost of minus twenty degrees did not frighten us, and mothers brought their babies with them. According to some reports, about three million people in Russia came to venerate the relics.
In Moscow, the longest queue was observed in the first days. It stretches for ten kilometers - from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior along Prechistenskaya Embankment to the Crimean Bridge. Worship wait times ranged from 45 minutes to 26 hours. People carried blankets, folding chairs, food, and thermoses with hot tea. But many still did not calculate their strength, fainted, and suffered heart attacks: in six days, more than 750 pilgrims turned to emergency doctors.
To speed up the process of worship, on the fifth day the holy ark was installed on a special two-meter arch in the temple, and the passage of people significantly accelerated. Soon there were reports that the belt would “fly around” Moscow in a helicopter, but this know-how was never put into practice - they simply extended the ark’s stay in the capital by a day.
The unprecedented popularity of the imported shrine seems strange given the fact that Muscovites have their own, literally under their noses. A few hundred meters from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, in the Church of Elijah the Everyday, a particle of that very belt of the Mother of God, brought from Athos, constantly resides. And a very significant fragment of the belt lies just 70 kilometers northeast of the capital, in the Serapion Chambers of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. You can access these artifacts without any queues and at any time. In addition, according to Orthodox dogmas, the physical size or state of preservation of a relic does not in any way affect the degree of its “grace.”
Belt of Discord
Seeing such a rise, the abbot of the Vatopedi monastery, abbot Ephraim, said: “We have witnessed the great strength of the Russian Orthodox people,” the chief sanitary doctor of Russia, Gennady Onishchenko, called what was happening “a phenomenon that requires explanation,” and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin believes that, among other things, the phenomenon of the belt The Most Holy Theotokos will help solve the demographic problem in Russia.
The big event was overshadowed by reports of so-called thieves' pilgrims. True, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev bowed to the belt without harming Muscovites (one during the meeting of the ark at the airport, the other in Nizhny Novgorod). But eyewitnesses told how cars with special license plates “AMP” and “EKH” were allowed to enter the Cathedral of Christ the Savior out of turn, and then holders of important IDs were allowed through the barrier in the place where disabled people pass. Then many clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church explained this by the fact that officials, literally burning at work, do not have time to stand in lines.
Even pickpockets took advantage of the phenomenon in their own way. In the crowd they felt like fish in water, stealing wallets and cash from their fellow citizens who were thinking about lofty things. And they even carried their jewelry to their belts to illuminate; the media reported that they were stolen from the famous actress.
But these are all minor things compared to the reaction to the phenomenon on the part of the so-called Russian non-believers. They also lined up in line - although virtual, it was also impressive. And in this line there are not only motorists who are enraged by the traffic jams created by the crowd in the center of Moscow. Battles are literally unfolding on the Internet, in which the very fact of faith angers some and is perceived as a restriction of freedom for others. “Only very backward people nowadays believe that they can solve their problems by touching a chest with an old belt,” the first ones are indignant. “You have nothing sacred left,” the latter are offended.
Journalist Boris Falikov believes that, unlike Europe, in Russia shrines do not unite, but separate people. The reason for this is the revolution of 1917 and 70 years of atheism, which tore apart the cultural integrity of the country. “The modern secular public does not perceive religion as an organic part of the cultural heritage; for them, a believer is a retrograde who is trying to drag the country into the swamp of the past. Believers, on the contrary, look at culture through the prism of Orthodoxy... No one knows how to get out of this situation.”
Powerful visit
Saratov was not included in the “route cross” of the Belt of the Virgin Mary across Russia (unlike Samara), but the wave of interest in the shrines may reach the Saratov region. For the second week, the relics of the holy blessed Matrona of Moscow are being transported to regional churches - the ark with the particle was delivered from the Holy Dormition Monastery, which is near Tula.
So, when on November 20 the relics of Matrona were brought to Rtishchevo, the shrine was greeted not only by the dean of the district, but also by the first persons of the municipal district, the interdistrict prosecutor and the heads of the largest enterprises. The route of the ark passes through Khvalynsk, Volsk, Novouzensk, Balashov, Ershov, Krasny Kut, Marks, Bazarny Karabulak.
The shrine will arrive in Saratov on December 15 and will remain in the church in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on Gorky Street for five days. This is not the first visit of the relics of Blessed Matrona to our region. The Ark was brought in January 2010, and huge queues lined up at the Church of the Intercession. The data of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate included the number of 120 thousand people. People stood in the cold for hours, twice extending the period of stay of the relic - first by a week, then by another.
Judging by the excitement that has arisen around the belt of the Virgin Mary, it is quite likely that it will also happen in Saratov around the relics of the Matrona of Moscow. How many people will come to bow to them this time is unknown, but city authorities need to be prepared for at least possible difficulties on the roads.
***
Vladimir Sanatin, head of the center for social research “ROSS-XXI Century”:
SUCH A SOCIAL OUTLET
“Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with the fact that so many people responded and came to worship the Orthodox shrine. After all, the belt of the Virgin Mary was brought to Russia for the first time!
Perhaps people are trying to distract themselves from negative emotions and join something big, spiritual. It's such a social outlet. Apparently, there is a certain critical attitude towards reality in society, an aggravation of various social feelings, mental tension that many feel and are looking for reassurance.
It is also impossible not to take into account the fact that a person in a crowd is not the same as a solitary person. I know from myself: when you speak in the square, the prepared speech somehow flies out of your head by itself, and you are drawn to say what the crowd wants to hear. Large masses of people have enormous infectious power. This is from the field of social psychology. These queues may mean that people want to be involved in the bright symbolic phenomena of life. But the strength of spirit turns out to be stronger than the physical readiness to stand for days, hence people fainting and deteriorating health.
Oleg Smirnov, chief psychiatrist of Saratov, candidate of medical sciences:
PERSONS WITH SPECIAL PASSES SHOULD NOT HOPE FOR A MIRACLE
– I’m afraid to seem harsh, but the saying about God and a bruised forehead is definitely about our Russian character trait. Well, what sane person, seeing a five-kilometer queue, would stand in it?! I have a dual impression when I see this: on the one hand, a feeling of respect, on the other, a certain skepticism. By the way, I can’t imagine that a shrine could cause such a stir in Europe, in the Vatican, but perhaps among Muslims, in Mecca. There is something similar to the Hajj in this.
In fact, mass fascination with supernatural phenomena is typical for Russia. And this happens at different times. Remember how the whole country was “treated” on television screens with the sessions of Kashpirovsky and other magicians. What about the UFO craze? Now many are infected with the idea of the end of the world - people are selling apartments, giving away jewelry, money, etc.
Will the belt of the Virgin Mary help those who are “worthy”? Of course, it will help believers. It’s not for nothing that the Bible says: “Everyone will be rewarded according to his faith.” So there are those in that queue whose health will improve, some will have a long-awaited pregnancy. Understand that a miracle is not a touch of a magic belt, but a psychic phenomenon. A true believer stands for a day, preparing to meet the shrine, and at the moment of meeting it, his body experiences an unprecedented shock, excitement, and hormonal explosion. The immune system is activated and the body's hidden reserve forces are released. This release is a miracle. So there is no need to hope for a miracle for important people who have free access to the shrine and do not make any efforts - they are less likely to have their wishes fulfilled. After all, as you know, obstacles enhance the effect of victory.
Alexander Panteleev, independent political scientist, candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor of the department of psychology at Saratov State Pedagogical University:
SMART PR MOVE
– Relics and other shrines were revered in ancient times, and one of the Roman popes even put their production on stream, then various kings fought for their possession. There are so many artifacts on earth that if you combine all the fragments and parts of shrines that are carried around cities and villages, then there will be much more of them than is needed for one whole. But for most believers, to believe in the divine, spiritual manifestation is not enough; materialization is needed - icons, vestments, relics. It is precisely this majority that stands in line for the belt of the Virgin Mary.
In general, the stronger a person’s sense of uncertainty and uncertainty about the future, the stronger the desire to worship religious artifacts. It’s not for nothing that they say that a person turns to God when he feels bad, when there is no way out. Maybe this pilgrimage of people to the belt of the Virgin Mary is from the same series? In the USSR, communism used to play the role of God; people believed in the bright future of the country, and this was their shrine. Nowadays, many people are afraid to live in the information field, where something breaks, explodes, and dies all the time. And turning to religion, a person seeks reliability and confidence. As for the officials (including President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin), who also actively reached out to venerate the shrine, this is a PR stunt. Of course, ordinary people will be indignant when they see VIPs jumping in line, but the bottom line is this: officials are also with the people, this is important to them too. A very smart move before the elections!
Burnt relic: how the belt of the Virgin Mary survived the Syrian war
— As the elder of the temple in Homs told me, after the Ascension of Christ, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian. One day the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that in three days she would depart from earthly life. At the appointed hour, the apostles, who were then preaching in different countries of the world, were transported on clouds to Jerusalem and gathered at her deathbed. Only Thomas was absent. He was spreading the Gospel in India and that is why he was late. After Jesus appeared surrounded by angels and accepted the soul of the Virgin Mary, her body was placed in a cave in the Garden of Gethsemane. According to Jewish custom, the entrance to the tomb was blocked with a large stone. Three days later, the Apostle Thomas appeared. He was very sad that he did not find the Mother of God alive and asked to open the tomb. Mary was not there, only the shrouds remained. To convince Thomas of her ascension, Mary dropped her belt from the sky for him. The disciple of Christ took the expensive gift with him to India. After his martyrdom, one part of the belt was returned to Jerusalem, and the other ended up in Homs. After that nothing was heard about the belt. However, in the middle of the last century a sensational discovery was made. In the spring of 1953, an ancient manuscript in Aramaic was discovered in a monastery in Mardin (modern Turkey). From the manuscript it follows that the famous belt of the Virgin Mary is kept in the Chomsk church. Excavations were carried out. In the corner under the icon of the Virgin Mary, on a table covered with a red velvet tablecloth, there now lies a square black stone. It is dotted with lines of Aramaic writing with a characteristic slant of letters to the left. The inscription reads: “This temple was founded in the year 59 from the Nativity of Christ.” That is, only two decades after the Resurrection of Christ. “When the slab was raised,” said the elder, “underneath it was this small “coffin.” His knobby index finger moves slowly towards a time-worn marble cube with a circular indentation inside. There was a silver reliquary there. Inside lay a belt made of camel hair and gold threads, about 60 cm long, twisted into a ring. It was clear from the parchment that the belt had been woven by the Mother of God herself. An analysis carried out by scientists showed that the find had lain in the ground for about a thousand years. The belt was hidden either from the Arabs during the assault on Homs in 636, or from the crusaders. How should this whole story be perceived - as a myth or a reliable fact? What is the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to these semi-legendary events?
Prayer for finding a job. Economy helps you find the perfect
Prayer for finding a job for an Orthodox Christian is not such a big secret. To achieve some success and get the job you want, turn for help to Economissa, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God.
Prayers before the image of Economissa work miracles. More precisely, the Most Pure One Herself favors those needy people who turn to Her with faith. On our website in many articles you can always find and read a lot of inspiring material. But we will tell you some of the miracles of the Virgin Mary now.
- Lyudmila prayed to Economissa for some time to find a job at her daughter’s request, so that she would finally find what she was looking for and get a job. It so happened that, hugging the precious Icon, Lyudmila fell asleep with it on her chest. Before this, she asked the Most Pure One with tears and faith.
The miracle did not take long to happen. The next day I received a message from my daughter that the work issue had been successfully resolved! Now R.B. Galina prays for her son Alexei, knowing that the Mother of God can do ANYTHING. Below we provide a short summary of the recording of our conversation that took place in Minsk during the POKROVSKY KIRMASH 2016 exhibition.
Let's not forget to glorify the Queen of Heaven! Let us remember that to a grateful heart will be given and multiplied! You should always appreciate what you already have and thank the Lord for it, then He will see fit to improve your life even more!
The question of getting the desired job in Belarus is acute. Of course, there is work, but paying for it is a problem. In a word, Belarusians have been joking lately: there used to be free medicine and free education, now there is free work and paid unemployment. God help us overcome this difficult time! And Economissa will help us!
- Galina told us that she did not pray to find a job , although there was such a need, but she only brought (!) the Image of the Economist to the apartment and placed it with love in her iconostasis, read our website and admired the stories about this miraculous Icon and, naturally , was experiencing spiritually...
And then some time passed, and suddenly the picture of life changed! A real miracle happened. No other way than with the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, who is zealous for faith and the purity of our desires!
So, Galina’s husband was suddenly offered a new job, 2 times better than what he had before. Increased salaries, better conditions, travel and getting there are easier and cheaper. The room is a warm office. All the best that can only be!
And so Galina came to the Intercession exhibition to thank the Most Pure One before Her wonderful Image of the Economist - the House-Builder. Here she told us her wonderful story, which we told you, see the screenshot of the conversation summary:
Galina said that other blessings came from Above, but she is embarrassed to talk about all this. The Lord helps in secret. And it shouldn't be in the public domain. Thank God for everything!
- Alexander from Minsk has been praying to Economissa since 2002 (!). He reveres this Image especially. Thanks to the Most Holy Theotokos, during all this past time, he achieved good life indicators. I prayed about finding a job , and got a job. I built an apartment, found inner peace, which is the most important thing!
Then he moved to the village for his own pleasure. Despite the various difficulties of life, divorce and other tricks, the truth triumphed. The Mother of God helped restore justice, and everything ended in joy for Alexander. Got my part.
And today he orders a thanksgiving prayer with the Akathist to Economisse, glorifying the Queen of Heaven for all the miracles that She showed him in life. Alexander acquired life and spiritual wisdom. See the screenshot of the conversation with him at Pokrovsky Kirmash:
We remind you that the Most Holy Theotokos looks into our hearts and sincerely wants to help us save ourselves from sin, slavery to the devil and eternal death. She sees us from the inside with all our guile, money-grubbing and other vices.
At the same time, She sees our needs. And if we behave correctly, in an evangelical manner, in life, observing the Law of God, then we have every chance of receiving the mercy of the Mother of God and easily getting out of difficult life situations.
We turn to the Mother of God - the Economist to solve not only spiritual, but also material issues.
Our website has published dozens of cases of how the Most Pure One helped get rid of debts and other financial difficulties, helped get a good job, helped strengthen business, relationships in the family and at work, helped get married (or get married) and arrange a personal life, helped in construction or home renovation, she helped, helped, helped... and still helps the faithful to this day!
Perform a prayer to find a job or to strengthen your business! Economy helps perfectly! Read the Akathist to her. And to make this prayer more effective, order a cathedral service in front of this unusual miraculous Icon! God help you!
