Who is a Spiritual Guide
Lay people who regularly visit the temple know that they can turn to the priest with any problem or question. Sometimes this is the only way out, especially if you can’t tell anyone else about your difficulties.
Righteous Christians with any problem or question can contact a priest
A wise counselor will always encourage, give guidance, and help with practical advice. Mentoring is a fairly common practice among Orthodox and Catholics. Most often, a church minister becomes a mentor for a Christian. However, it can also be one of the parishioners who has deep knowledge of the teachings of Christ, lives strictly according to the Laws of God, does not violate the canons, and observes all fasts.
A confessor is sent by the Lord God so that a person can:
- realize your sins and sincerely repent of them;
- understand the true meaning of Christ's Sacrifice;
- completely trust the Almighty;
- strengthen your faith.
SPIRITUAL GUIDE 127
Everything is complicated not only by the fact that many of us are very willful, very proud, vulnerable and arrogant. Today, the overwhelming majority of churchgoing people have secondary education, and the majority have higher education. In many there lives a measure of self-knowledge, self-sufficiency, or a measure of self-confidence. Everyone thinks that he will figure everything out on his own, if not today, then tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, read books, think carefully, reflect and will definitely get to the truth. This self-confidence is so strong in today’s intelligentsia that a person still allows himself to somehow listen to advice, especially since at the same time he is free to think for himself. But to take the word as an instruction, which means to do and act exactly as it is said, to put aside one’s will, one’s consciousness, one’s understanding—this is something that today’s people cannot allow themselves to do. And if at the same time the priest behaves a little more strictly... Usually a strict priest, when giving instructions, will not explain why this is and why that... When we begin to explain, we involve the person’s consciousness in the execution, i.e. we persuade, convince a person and ultimately achieve his consent that it is useful for him to do so. And the person really accepts this as an instruction, but it turns out that this instruction is not accepted by the heart at all, and therefore has no serious spiritual significance. It was accepted by the consciousness, which was convinced that the priest was really right, that he advised wisely and sensibly, that he was well disposed... After such conviction, the person was internally satisfied, he was convinced that he had not made a mistake in the priest. And only after this does he allow himself to accept the priest’s given word as an instruction. There is no obedience here, here there is agreement with the reasonable word.
As we see, in this case the same self-indulgence and self-sufficiency remain in the depths of the human heart; the person does not go beyond their limits. Unfortunately, the majority of today's intelligentsia, who have been living the church life for 10–15 years, are in this state without even suspecting it. It is not surprising that for this reason confession is almost never a confession; there is no repentance. A person confesses sins, but more according to his consciousness, and not according to his heart. It’s like going to confession, having stuck bath sheets on yourself - while I was sculpting, they seemed to stick to my body, but while I stood in line to see the priest, I managed to dry off, and everything fell off, only one single one remained. . And the man stands, again trying to remember, or the paper he wrote helps him out.
The priest advises him:
- You have written two whole pages, there are more than a hundred names of sins, and you start with what your heart grieves most about, what your soul hurts about. Start with this, and then what you wrote will be remembered.
The man slowly lowers his leaf and says:
- Father, I have nothing to say.
- Okay, then speak from the piece of paper.
But what is said “on a piece of paper”, despite the fact that there is nothing to say from the heart, is clearly speaking from the consciousness. All the same intellectual state. Nothing more. All the same depth and lumps of self-indulgence, self-sufficiency, which really wants to become Orthodox and therefore, in its consciousness, is now looking for methods and ways - how to become one? And having acquired all these methods, armed himself with methods, even read all five volumes of the Philokalia and pulled out from there everything necessary for this, he, “armed to the teeth,” now lives a church life! But in reality, this is precisely the very state about which the Lord said: “Many will say to Me: Lord, Lord!.. And then I will declare to them: I never knew you; Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22–23). Unfortunately, this state is very common among people today, and converting such a person to real repentance is a very difficult matter.
The role and tasks of the counselor
A spiritual teacher in Christianity performs several functions at once: a healer, a teacher, and sometimes even a psychotherapist. His task is to listen carefully, without judgment, to a person, to help with wise advice, and to strengthen the faith of a layman.
To people who are still far from the church, but want to become full members, the confessor explains in detail the meaning of Orthodoxy, talks about the Laws of God, and explains the meaning of the Holy Sacrifice. The mentor will always explain the Holy Scripture to parishioners and indicate which psalms or prayers should be read to solve any problem.
The confessor talks in detail about the Laws of God
The help of a counselor is free, but you can thank the holy father by donating to the temple.
An Orthodox teacher can take patronage over several lay people. For each of his charges, he bears personal responsibility before the Creator. Unlike psychologists, the priest uses only one tool - the Word of God. A church minister helps people through conversion to faith, guided by the experience of the Holy Fathers.
Choosing a Spiritual Guide
Finding a good counselor is quite difficult, because not all servants of God today are role models. An Orthodox teacher must live according to the Laws of God not only for appearances, but also adhere to the canons in everyday, family life. It is difficult to trust a priest who does not fast, violates canons, or divulges information told to him during the Sacrament of Confession. A person who gives himself over to his base passions cannot become a mentor, because the Creator is able to see even the most hidden vices.
A true confessor can be seen by his attitude towards the disadvantaged, the poor and the weak. However, fanaticism is also not welcome, since it often leads to self-humiliation of a person. It is unacceptable for a mentor to be rude, angry, or show negative feelings towards a parishioner. A true teacher will never elevate himself above his student, but will dot all the i's, help him understand the Gospel, and guide him on the Bright Path. He will teach his ward to be grateful to the Almighty, trust Him, and ask for help through prayers.
Sometimes you can’t choose a counselor the first time. In this case, you should not give up; it is important to continue your search.
Author's advice
Prayer provides invaluable assistance in choosing a spiritual teacher. Before going to the temple, it is recommended to ask the Lord to send a good priest who can lead him along the righteous path. After meeting with the Holy Father, you should be left with a feeling of lightness and joy. A person who has found his mentor feels peace and spiritual harmony. A true confessor literally infects a layman with the desire to follow the Christian faith, pray fervently, and study the Holy Scriptures.
Prayer provides invaluable assistance in choosing a spiritual teacher.
A spiritual mentor takes care of his students throughout their lives. They open their souls before him, showing all the virtues and vices, tell him the most intimate secrets, and talk about the meaning of life. Communicating with a counselor, the laity gain:
- God's grace;
- the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven;
- cleansing from sins.
An Orthodox abbot is a friend for a churchgoer. The laity cannot do without his help, since questions always arise that only a confessor can answer. That is why a spiritual teacher must be well versed in the teachings of Christ, be His devoted follower and live according to the Laws of God.
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Answers to AiF crossword number 7
Answers to crossword puzzle AiF 8
AiF 6 AiF 8
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Cat [13 days ago] Answers to crossword clue AiF 7 2022
