Orthodox calendar: Great Lent and Holy Week

Gospel for the Preparatory Week of Lent

Week about Zacchaeus. Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, verses 1-10

Then Jesus entered Jericho and passed through it. And so, someone named Zacchaeus, the chief of publicans and a rich man, sought to see Jesus who He was, but he could not follow the people, because he was small in stature, and, running ahead, he climbed up a fig tree to see Him, because He had to pass by her. When Jesus came to this place, he looked, saw him and said to him: Zacchaeus! come down quickly, for today I need to be in your house. And he hastened down and received Him with joy. And everyone, seeing this, began to murmur and said that He had come to a sinful man; Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord: Lord! I will give half of my property to the poor, and if I have offended anyone, I will repay him fourfold. Jesus said to him, “Now salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The Gospel reading about the tax collector Zacchaeus calls for a different look at those whom everyone despises, and raises the question of whether we have the right to judge others. Zacchaeus wanted to see Christ so much that he was not afraid to expose himself to ridicule, and even climbed a tree because he was tired of the suffocating atmosphere that reigned in his life. But when Christ decided to enter his house, the crowd condemned both - the official and the Savior. Did these people have the right to consider themselves righteous? Priest Stefan Domuschi reflects.

Reading the Gospel of the preparatory week of Great Lent in Russian and complete interpretation.

Archpriest Alexy Uminsky, “Great Lent. Explanation of meaning, significance, content"

What is Lent? How to prepare for it? Why does modern man need it? These are the fundamental questions of this book.

The rector of the Moscow Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhlovsky Lane, Alexy Uminsky, the author of numerous publications on Christian topics, dedicated his new book to the period of Lent. The purpose of the book is to lead the reader to understand the deep meaning of fasting and prepare for the main holiday - the Resurrection of Christ. The author outlines the history, traditions, talks about the purpose of fasting and its meaningful observance. The book will be interesting not only for those who have been observing Lenten traditions for a long time, but also for those who for the first time decided to test themselves in the feat.

Gospel for the 1st Preparatory Week of Lent

Week about the publican and the Pharisee. Gospel of Luke, chapter 18, verses 10-14

Two people entered the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this publican: I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of everything I acquire. The publican, standing in the distance, did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven; but, striking himself on the chest, he said: God! be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you that this one went to his house justified more than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

This passage says that the tax collector went away “more justified,” although Christ did not condemn the Pharisee. How can we understand which righteousness is superior—that of the Pharisees (“from the Law”) or that of the publican (“by faith”), and can personal righteousness “guarantee” God’s mercy? Archpriest Pavel Velikanov comments.

Reading the Gospel of the 1st preparatory week of Lent in Russian and complete interpretation.

“Great Lent. Works of Russian writers"

The period of action of the works of Russian classics presented in this collection is the period of Lent. In these texts, writers turn to the most intimate - to human souls. The motives of the gospel events, the themes of repentance and humility, the harmony of the relationship between God and man - this is exactly what is described in the book “Great Lent. Works of Russian writers."

Quote:

Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev, excerpt from the book “The Summer of the Lord”:

“Our Orthodox faith, Russian... it, my dear, is the best, the most cheerful! It eases the weak, enlightens despondency, and brings joy to the little ones. And this is the absolute truth. Even though it’s Lent for you, it’s still a relief for the soul.”

Gospel for the 2nd Preparatory Week of Lent

Week of the Prodigal Son. Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verses 11-32

He also said: a certain man had two sons; and the youngest of them said to his father: Father! give me the next part of the estate. And the father divided the estate for them. After a few days, the youngest son, having collected everything, went to a far side and there squandered his property, living dissolutely. When he had lived through everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need; and he went and accosted one of the inhabitants of that country, and he sent him to his fields to graze pigs; and he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the pigs ate, but no one gave it to him. When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, but I am dying of hunger; I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants. He got up and went to his father. And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him. The son said to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son. And the father said to his servants: Bring the best robe and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fatted calf, and kill it; Let's eat and have fun! For this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they started having fun. His eldest son was in the field; and returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing; and calling one of the servants, he asked: what is this? He said to him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he received him healthy.” He became angry and did not want to enter. His father came out and called him. But he answered his father: Behold, I have served you for so many years and have never violated your orders, but you never gave me even a kid so that I could have fun with my friends; and when this son of yours, who had wasted his wealth with harlots, came, you killed the fatted calf for him. He said to him: My son! You are always with me, and all that is mine is yours, and it was necessary to rejoice and be glad that this brother of yours was dead and came to life, was lost and was found.

This Gospel passage suggests that holiness is not always equal to moral perfection and the absence of experience of sin. Often, holiness is the ability to return home from a “distant country” and open up to God again. What is wrong with the youngest son, and what is wrong with the eldest? Priest Dmitry Baritsky comments.

Reading the Gospel of the 2nd preparatory week of Lent and interpretation in full.

Orthodox calendar: Great Lent and Holy Week

In two months, the entire Orthodox world will celebrate its main holiday - the Resurrection of Christ. But, like any significant event, this day will require long and thorough preparation from the Christian, whose name is Lent.

Great Lent, also known as “Quentary Day,” lasts six weeks (42 days) and was established in imitation of the Savior’s forty-day fast in the desert before His entrance into public ministry. Since Lent is tied to Easter, which is a moving holiday, it can also fall on different months and dates, although its structure and duration remain unchanged.

Many people mistakenly classify Holy Week as the seventh week of Lent, but this is wrong. Great Lent ends with the celebration of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, and immediately after it Holy Week begins - a separate and special short fast, during which Christians remember in detail the entire last week of life, the betrayal, suffering and death on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Orthodox Christians also prepare for Lent itself - during four preparatory weeks, gradually giving up meat (after the week of the Last Judgment) and milk and eggs (after remembering Adam’s exile), when on the Sunday before Lent they strive to forgive each other old grievances.

Lent is very strict. In terms of food, he prescribes abstaining not only from meat, milk and eggs, but also from fish, which is allowed to be eaten on the twelve holidays, or vegetable oil and wine, which are allowed to be added to the diet on weekends. However, dietary rules are secondary to the spiritual component of fasting and can be relaxed by the confessor for the sick, traveling or students.

During Great Lent, it is not customary to visit or attend entertainment events, and the Church invites Christians to use their free time to look within themselves, repentance, intense prayer, reading the Gospel and spiritual literature, as well as helping the people around them.

In the liturgical life of the Church, Great Lent is distinguished by many special services and chants that are not used at other times or are used infrequently: the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and the Liturgy of Basil the Great, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete, passion, etc.

About weeks and weeks: in the Church Slavonic language, the weeks we are used to (7 days) are called weeks, and Sundays are called “weeks”. Days when they go to worship services, but do nothing in everyday life. Above, the word “week” is used in its modern sense.

Preparatory weeks

The longest fast of the church year is preceded by four weeks of preparation. These are the weeks: about the publican and the Pharisee, about the prodigal son, about the Last Judgment and the memory of Adam's exile.

The Week of the Publican and the Pharisee gives the Christian the opportunity to strengthen his bodily strength before fasting. The traditional fasts on Wednesday and Friday have been canceled this week. On Sunday, during the service, the stichera “Open the doors of repentance, O Giver of Life,” begin to be read.

The Sunday Gospel tells us about the publican and the Pharisee praying in the temple (Luke 18:10-14). The Pharisee considered himself pious in advance, and pride made his prayer insignificant, but the publican sincerely repented of his unseemly actions and was justified by God for his humility. This New Testament example contains the first hint of repentance and humility that Lent should awaken in our souls.

The Week of the Prodigal Son follows the first preparatory week. As the name implies, the Sunday Gospel reading here is also special - the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In this parable, Christ points the listeners to repentance as the beginning of the path to the reunification of man with God, which was followed by the dissolute son of his father, who seriously offended him, squandered all the wealth given to him, but repented and was forgiven by his parent (Luke 15:11-32).

It is worth paying attention to the development of repentance in these two parts of the Gospel. If the sinful publican simply asked for forgiveness from God, then the prodigal son undertook the work of breaking his pride, traveling to his father and was ready to prove his repentance by working as a mercenary.

At Sunday morning they begin to read Psalm 136: “On the rivers of Babylon, there is a gray horse and a mourner...”.

The Week of the Last Judgment reminds us of the inevitable reward for our actions. And not so much fair as merciful. After all, the righteous, who shared earthly blessings with the poor and sick, in essence gave them not their wealth, but what was given by God. But the Lord accepts them into the Kingdom of Heaven, rewarding them for their good intentions, supported by deeds, and for their humble awareness of their unworthiness (Matthew 15:31-46).

On the previous Saturday, a funeral service is held, during which the Church especially prays for all the dead.

Starting from this Sunday, it is necessary to abstain from meat food, so the week of the Last Judgment is also often called meat fasting.

The week of remembrance of Adam's exile is also called “cheese week,” “cheese day,” or “Maslenitsa.” These days you can still eat fish and dairy products, and fasting begins next Monday. The week is continuous and there are no posts on Wednesday and Friday.

On cheese week, the reading of the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian begins: “Lord and lord of my belly...” with bows to the ground. At the Sunday service, the expulsion of the ancestors Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden is remembered, and through this example the Church once again calls us to follow the path of repentance and return to the Heavenly Father.

The Church advises starting the path of reconciliation with God with reconciliation with your neighbors. After the Liturgy, the Rite of Forgiveness is performed in churches, when all Orthodox Christians ask each other for forgiveness for offenses inflicted, wittingly or unwittingly, this year.

Weeks of Lent

The six weeks of Lent also have a certain sequence and features. They are dedicated to significant moments in church history or great saints: the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the week of St. Gregory Palamas, the week of the Veneration of the Cross, the week of St. John Climacus, the week of St. Mary of Egypt and the week of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.

On the first five Sundays of Great Lent, the Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated, which is served only ten times a year. Except for Great Lent - only on Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday of Holy Week, as well as on the day of remembrance of St. Basil, the eve of Christmas and the eve of Epiphany.

Every Wednesday and Friday of Great Lent, on Thursday of the week of St. Mary of Egypt, from Monday to Wednesday of Holy Week and on some other days, another unique Lenten service is served - the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

Its authorship is attributed to Pope Gregory the Great (aka “Dvoeslov” - according to one of the main works he wrote). A peculiarity of this liturgy is the absence of anaphora with the invocation of the Holy Spirit on bread and wine for the sake of their transformation into the Body and Blood of Christ. At this service, believers are given communion with the Holy Gifts, consecrated in advance at the previous Sunday Liturgy, hence the name. In addition, it is very different from other liturgies in its rites.

On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (unless there is a holiday) the liturgy is not celebrated. Instead, the hours and a special rite of imitation of the liturgy are read and sung - “figurative”.

In the evening, on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent, passion (“fasting” - Latin) is celebrated. A special service borrowed by Metropolitan Peter Mogila from Catholics and revised for Orthodox use. During this penitential service, Gospel passages about the sufferings of Christ are read.

During Great Lent, from Monday to Thursday of the first week, the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read at Great Compline. This canon is called Great for its theological and poetic depth, as well as for the number of troparia it contains - about 250.

The Week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy opens Lent. On the first Monday they fast most strictly, as on Christmas Eve, trying not to eat any food at all until the evening.

The celebration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy has been established since 843. On this day, a council was convened in Constantinople, which finally restored the veneration of icons in Byzantium after the second iconoclastic period. This was preceded by a long and difficult struggle between the iconoclasts and the iconoclasts (from 730), during which many saints were exiled and tortured to death by emperors supporting the iconoclast heresy.

On this day, other heresies that the Church fought are also remembered, and those who adhere to them are subject to anathema - excommunication from church unity.

The week of St. Gregory Palamas is also dedicated to serious church disputes. Saint Gregory spent many years on Holy Mount Athos and adhered to the practice of hesychasm - “smart prayer.” The Athonite ascetics argued that God was revealed to them through the perception of His Divine energy - grace, although it remained essentially inaccessible to them. Western polemicists believed that God is unknowable in any form and is completely separated from the created world.

The entire experience of the Church and the phenomenon of saints testifies that the Eastern ascetics were right, in whose defense Saint Gregory Palamas wrote several of his treatises, the main thesis of which: “God is and is called the nature of all things, for everything is involved in Him and exists by virtue of this participation, but participation not in His nature, but in His energies.”

And since God is involved in our world with His energies, we can cognize Him and be deified, accumulating within ourselves the grace of the Holy Spirit. This means that the possibility of salvation is open to us. That is why the second week is dedicated to St. Gregory.

Week of the Worship of the Cross . On Wednesday of this week, the Cross of Christ, decorated with flowers, is solemnly brought to the center of the temple and left for worship by believers until Friday of the next week of Lent.

These days, Orthodox Christians worship the most shameful and terrible instrument of execution in the Roman Empire, which suddenly became the most holy and significant instrument for the salvation of the human race, thanks to which the Lord accomplished his redemptive feat. Believers perform solemn veneration of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of Christ on Sunday of the 3rd week, as well as on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the following week.

The Week of St. John Climacus is the 4th week of Lent and is dedicated to the memory of the creator of one of the most popular ascetic books in the Orthodox world.

Saturday of this week is called Saturday of Akathist or Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this day, an akathist to the Mother of God with a kontakion “To the Chosen Voivode...” is read. This celebration was established in memory of the miraculous salvation of Constantinople from the invasion of the Slavs and Bulgars under Emperor Heraclius in 626.

In the 6th century, the Monk John of Sinai (Climacus), abbot of the monastery in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, summarized the patristic experience of the struggle with sin. His book “The Ladder of Paradise or Spiritual Tablets” was written at the request of John, abbot of the Raifa monastery.

“The Ladder” lists human sins, reducing them to the seven deadly sins and showing how one sin in a person’s soul affects the birth of another. But she also lists human virtues and gives a recipe for healing from passions by climbing the stairs to heaven (an allusion to the Old Testament vision of Jacob). St. John identifies thirty steps on the heavenly staircase and calls on the Christian to patiently ascend them to God.

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt . This week is dedicated to the memory of the saint, who in her youth was a great sinner, deeply immersed in the mortal sin of fornication. In Jerusalem, the future saint was struck by a miracle - an unknown force did not allow her into the Christian temple. Then Mary realized her sinfulness, repented and received Baptism.

Having turned to Christ, the Venerable Mary went into the desert and over many years of fasting and prayer she not only conquered all sorts of passions within herself, but even achieved holiness and enlightenment of mind. The Venerable Mary’s biographer, Elder Zosima, testified that the saint knew the Holy Scriptures, although she had never in her life had the opportunity to read or even listen to it. The monk Zosima, to whom she told her story, saw how the saint crossed the river on the water, and during prayer she rose slightly above the ground.

Through the example of St. Mary of Egypt, the Church tells us that for everyone, even the most lost sinner, there is the possibility of repentance and forgiveness. You just need to want salvation, repent and start living like a Christian.

Week of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem , also known as Vai Week, Flower Week or Palm Sunday. This week ends Lent.

This twelfth holiday was established in memory of the day when the Lord solemnly entered Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey, and the people welcomed and glorified him as a prophet and Messiah, spreading clothes and branches of palm trees along the road. Palm trees do not grow in Russia, so Orthodox Russians come to this holiday with bunches of willows and decorate the temple with willows.

The people greeted the Lord for a reason. The people were amazed by another miracle of the Savior, which he performed the day before - on Lazarus Saturday. On this day, he resurrected his dead friend Lazarus, who by that time had already been in the grave for three days. People who learned about the miracle exclaimed: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” and hoped for the creation of a wonderful and rich kingdom on earth. Within a few days, having become convinced that the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world, they will shout: “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

The entry of the Lord into Jerusalem precedes the atoning Sacrifice of the Savior and, as one of the most significant events of the gospel narrative, is contained in all four evangelists: Matthew (chapter 21), Mark (chapter 11), Luke (chapter 19), and John (chapter 12).

At the all-night vigil, willows are consecrated, and the Sunday Liturgy is served according to the rite of John Chrysostom. On this day, eating fish is allowed.

Holy Week

Lent ends with a holiday, after which the Savior’s way of the cross begins - Holy Week, each day of which is dedicated to individual events in the earthly life of the Lord.

On these days, it is customary to fast especially strictly and read passages from the Gospel that correspond to the events of the day. In the first three days, the entire Psalter is read except the 17th kathisma, and at Matins the troparion is sung: “Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight...”.

On Great Monday, the Old Testament Patriarch Joseph, sold by his brothers to Egypt, is remembered as a prototype of the suffering Jesus Christ, as well as the story of the Lord’s curse of a barren fig tree, symbolizing a soul that does not bear spiritual fruit - true repentance, faith, prayer and good deeds.

On this day, the patriarch begins to cook the Holy Myrrh.

On Holy Tuesday, the Church remembers the Lord's parables about the ten virgins and the talents, calling Orthodox Christians to spiritual vigilance. Parables about tribute to Caesar, the Last Judgment and the resurrection of the dead are also read.

On the same day, it is also said about the reproof of the Pharisees in the temple, where the Savior told them the parables of the two sons and the evil winegrowers, in order to give them the last opportunity for repentance.

Instead, the Israeli teachers of the law finally hated the Lord and began to look for an opportunity to kill Him.

Great Wednesday is dedicated to the story of the betrayal of the Apostle Judas Iscariot. The corresponding passages of the Gospel are read, where Judas agrees to betray his Teacher to the Sanhedrin for 30 pieces of silver. He promises the high priests to show Christ to the soldiers in a secluded place, so that they can take Him under probation.

On this day everyone tries to come to confession. Also on Great Wednesday, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is read for the last time.

On Maundy Thursday, the Church remembers the events of the Last Supper, when the Lord established the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion). The apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ gathered for dinner in the Upper Room of Zion, where He gave them the last instruction and during the meal established the main Christian Sacrament.

Every Orthodox Christian on Maundy Thursday strives to take communion and perform ablution in order to meet the future holiday of the Resurrection of Christ in spiritual and bodily purity. Maundy Thursday is sometimes also called “Clean Thursday”.

In cathedrals on this day, the rite of washing the feet is performed, and the 12 Gospels are read, dedicated to the Passion of Christ and describing the last hours of His life and death on the cross.

On this day, the home is usually cleaned before Easter, and eggs and other holiday dishes are prepared.

Good Friday is a day without the celebration of the Liturgy, since the Sacrifice on this day was not made bloodless, but bloody - on the Cross on Calvary. On this day, Christ was condemned to death, endured insults, scourging, the path with the Cross to Golgotha, suffering and death on the Tree of the Cross, and was also buried.

On the morning of Good Friday the royal hours are read. During the day, the rite of carrying out the Shroud is performed, symbolizing the placing of the Body of the Lord in the Tomb by Joseph of Arimathea. Until this time, it is customary to completely abstain from food.

On the clock, passages about the Passion of Christ are read a second time (after the 12 Gospels), and in the evening they are recalled for the third time in one large composite Gospel.

Great Saturday begins with the Liturgy with the reading of 12 proverbs, after which the festive food brought to the temple is blessed.

On this day, the events of Christ’s descent into hell, preaching to the people there, victory over death, as well as the bringing out of hell the righteous who were there who deserved the Kingdom of Heaven are remembered.

In ancient times, on this day, a mass Baptism of catechumens took place, who prepared for this day throughout Lent. Hence the tradition of serving on this day in white robes.

In the evening of this day, the fast ends and the service of the Holy Resurrection of Christ begins - the main holiday of the Orthodox world.

We wish our readers to start Lent correctly and responsibly go through this stage of spiritual preparation for Easter. Without the repentance and humility of Lent, the joy of meeting the Resurrection of Christ will not be as intense as it should be.

Remember the prayer of the publican, which was accepted by the Lord, in contrast to the prayer of the Pharisee: “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner!” Who knows if it was he who later became the apostle and evangelist Matthew?

Andrey Szegeda

You can applaud the author (at least 10 times)31

Gospel for the 3rd preparatory week of Lent

Week about the Last Judgment. Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 31-46

When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory, and all nations will be gathered before Him; and will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him: Lord! when did we see you hungry and feed you? or to the thirsty and gave them something to drink? when did we see you as a stranger and accept you? or naked and clothed? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You? And the King will answer them, “Truly I say to you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me.” Then He will also say to those on the left side: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and they did not accept Me; I was naked, and they did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and they did not visit Me. Then they too will answer Him: Lord! when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve You? Then he will answer them, “Truly I say to you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4NqBO1jrVw

We hear terrible words about the Last Judgment shortly before the start of Lent in order to focus on its goals. Active charity does not guarantee “eternal life,” but it does give hope for it. How to fast in order to experience God's mercy? Bishop Feoktist of Pereslavl and Uglich explains.

Reading the Gospel of the 3rd preparatory week of Lent in Russian and complete interpretation.

Gospel for the 4th preparatory week of Lent

Forgiveness Sunday, a memory of Adam's expulsion from Paradise. Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6, verses 14-21

For if you forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins. Also, when you fast, do not be sad like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward. And you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to men as you fast, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break through and steal, for where your treasure is, there it will be and your heart.

The sad appearance of a fasting person is only a veiled search for praise, so it is important to remain cheerful and joyful during fasting. This is possible if you fast out of love for God, says priest Anthony Borisov. It is also important, when fasting yourself, not to demand it from others.

Reading the Gospel of the 4th preparatory week of Lent in Russian and complete interpretation.

True fasting

Fasting is a religiously determined tradition of temporary abstinence from eating and drinking (completely or of a certain type), associated with other spiritual and ascetic practices.
Many people know the concept of fasting, but not everyone knows true fasting. Under “fasting” you can hear: diet, schedule, weight loss, faith. But what is the original source and what is true?

Let's go in order:

1. concept of post
2. fasting in the Old Testament
3. post in the era after the Babylonian captivity
4. Jesus Christ and fasting.

Post concept

Fasting, like sacrifice, is not a legally binding institution. Only in one case - on the day of purification - did the law prescribe that souls should be humbled, which means, as interpreters think, fasting:

29 And this shall be an everlasting statute for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work, either native or stranger who sojourns among you, 30 for on this day they purify you, that they may make you clean from all your sins, so that you may be clean before the Lord; 31 This is a Sabbath of rest for you; mortify your souls: it is an everlasting statute. (Lev.16:29-31)

27 Also on the ninth [day] of this seventh month, the day of atonement, you shall have a holy convocation; humble your souls and offer sacrifice to the Lord; 28 You shall do no work on this day, for it is a day of atonement, to make you atonement before the Lord your God. 29 But every soul that does not humble itself on that day will be cut off from among its people; 30 And if any soul shall do any work on this day, I will cut off that soul from among his people; 31 You shall do no work: this is a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwellings; 32 This is a Sabbath of rest for you, and mortify your souls, from the evening of the ninth [day] of the month; Celebrate your Sabbath from evening to evening. (Lev. 23:27-32)

27 Also on the ninth [day] of this seventh month, the day of atonement, you shall have a holy convocation; humble your souls and offer sacrifice to the Lord; 28 You shall do no work on this day, for it is a day of atonement, to make you atonement before the Lord your God. 29 But every soul that does not humble itself on that day will be cut off from among its people; 30 And if any soul shall do any work on this day, I will cut off that soul from among his people; 31 You shall do no work: this is a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwellings; 32 This is a Sabbath of rest for you, and mortify your souls, from the evening of the ninth [day] of the month; Celebrate your Sabbath from evening to evening. (Lev. 23:27-32)

7 And on the tenth [day] of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation: ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work; (Num. 29:7).

This fast is apparently mentioned in Acts 27:9:

9 But when quite some time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous, because the fast had already passed, Paul advised (Acts 27:9).

However, many - prophets, kings and even an entire nation - often voluntarily abandoned all activities, put on sackcloth, and refused food and drink if they were in danger of trouble or if they wanted to especially ask God for something:

26 Then all the children of Israel and all the people went and came to the house of God, and sitting there they wept before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. (Judges 20:26)

12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they fell by the sword. (2 Kings 1:12)

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and turned his face to seek the Lord, and declared a fast throughout all Judah. (2 Chronicles 20:3)

21 And I proclaimed a fast there by the river Agave, so that we could humble ourselves before the face of our God, asking Him for a prosperous path for ourselves and for our children and for all our property (Ezra 8:21)

13 When they were sick, I dressed myself in sackcloth, and overcame my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to my bosom. (Ps. 34:13)

5 For you have taken My silver and My gold, and brought My best jewels into your temples (Joel 3:5)

2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then they, having fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, sent them away. (Acts 13:2,3)

And this was called “fasting.”

The fast could last a day or several days. The longest is 40 days. In the Bible they fasted:

• Moses (maybe twice or thrice - Ex. 24:18; 34:28; Deut. 9:9,18)
• prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:8)
• and the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:2). The disciples saw them together on the Mount of Transfiguration.

True fasting does not consist in abstaining from food, but in humility and turning to the truth:

3 “Why do we fast, but You don’t see? We humble our souls, but You don’t know?” - Behold, on the day of your fast you do your will and demand hard work from others. 4 Behold, you fast for quarrels and strife, and for the purpose of smiting others with a bold hand; you do not fast at this time so that your voice will be heard on high. 5 Is this the fast that I have chosen, the day on which a man languishes his soul, when he bends his head like a reed, and spreads rags and ashes under him? Can you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord? 6 This is the fast that I have chosen: loose the chains of unrighteousness, untie the bands of the yoke, and set the oppressed free, and break every yoke; 7 Share your bread with the hungry, and bring the wandering poor into your home; When you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not hide from your half-blood. 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly increase, and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will follow you. 9 Then you will call, and the Lord will hear; You will cry out, and He will say: “Here I am!” When you have removed the yoke from among you, and have ceased to lift up your finger and speak insultingly, 10 and have given your soul to the hungry and nourished the soul of the afflicted: then your light will rise in darkness, and your darkness [will be] like the noonday; 11 And the Lord will always be your guide, and in times of drought he will satisfy your soul and make your bones fat, and you will be like a garden watered with water and like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 And the deserts of the ages will be built up by your [descendants]: you will restore the foundations of many generations, and they will call you the restorer of ruins, the renewer of paths for the people. 13 If you keep your foot for the sake of the Sabbath from doing your desires on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, a holy day of the Lord, honored, and honor it by not doing your usual business, pleasing your desires and talking idle words, 14 then shalt thou have joy in the Lord, and I will bring thee up upon the high places of the earth, and will cause thee to taste the inheritance of Jacob thy father: the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isa. 58:3-14)

11 And the Lord said to me, Do not pray for this people for their good. 12 If they fast, I will not hear their cry; and if they offer a burnt offering and a gift, I will not accept them; but with sword and famine and pestilence I will destroy them. (Jer.14:11,12)

5 Say this to all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and wept in the fifth and seventh month, and for seventy years, did you fast for Me? Is it for me? (Zech. 7:5)

There is no commandment about fasting in the New Testament, but the Apostles and other servants of Christ, by instruction (1 Cor. 7:5) and example (Acts 13:2-3), showed the importance of fasting for a holy life (cf. Matt. 17:21):

5 Do not deviate from each other, except by consent, for a time, to practice fasting and prayer, and [then] be together again, so that Satan does not tempt you with your intemperance. (1 Cor.7:5)

2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then they, having fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, sent them away. (Acts 13:2,3)

21 This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting. (Matt. 17:21)

Fasting, fasting - [Heb. tsum , "to tighten (the insides)"; Greek nesteuo ] voluntary abstinence from food and the time of this abstinence.

Fasting in the Old Testament

The Old Testament often speaks of fasting by individuals or by the entire nation of Israel, but the word tsum was not used in the five books of Moses. On the day of atonement, the people were to “humble their souls” (Lev. 16:29-31; 23:27; cf. Acts 27:9), which, of course, included abstaining from eating:

29 And this shall be an everlasting statute for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work, either native or stranger who sojourns among you, 30 for on this day they purify you, that they may make you clean from all your sins, so that you may be clean before the Lord; 31 This is a Sabbath of rest for you; mortify your souls: it is an everlasting statute. (Lev. 16:29-31)

27 Also on the ninth [day] of this seventh month, the day of atonement, you shall have a holy convocation; humble your souls and offer sacrifice to the Lord; (Lev. 23:27)

9 But when quite some time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous, because the fast had already passed, Paul advised,

(Acts 27:9).

Fasting could be observed, for example, after the fasting person made a vow:

14 Every vow and every oath to humble a soul, her husband can confirm, and her husband can reject; (Num. 30:14).

Of particular importance were the fast of Moses on the mountain in the presence of God (Ex. 34:28), as well as the forty-day fast of Elijah after he was fed by the angel of the Lord (1 Kings 19:8):

28 And [Moses] remained there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, eating no bread or drinking water; And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten chapters. (Ex. 34:28)

8 And he arose, ate and drank, and, refreshed with that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb. (1 Kings 19:8)

Some Scriptures say that people refused not only food, but also water:

5 And the Ninevites believed God, and declared a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 This word reached the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne, and took off his royal vestments, and put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes, 7 and commanded that it be proclaimed and said in Nineveh in the name of the king and his nobles: “So that neither people, nor cattle, nor oxen, nor sheep ate anything, did not go to pasture and did not drink water, 8 and that people and cattle were covered in sackcloth and cried out loudly to God, and that everyone turned from his evil way and from violence their hands. (Jon. 3:5-8)

12 When the day came, some of the Jews made a plot and swore not to eat or drink until they killed Paul. (Acts 23:12)

Probably, similar abstinence was practiced during Lent:

26 Then all the children of Israel and all the people went and came to the house of God, and sitting there they wept before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. (Judges 20:26)

6 And they gathered together at Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted that day, saying, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. (1 Samuel 7:6)

6 Therefore go, and read the words of the Lord, which you have written in a scroll from my lips, in the hearing of the people in the house of the Lord on the day of fasting; and also in the hearing of all the Jews who have come from their cities, read them; (Jer. 36:6).

The Jews from the Book of Esther (Esther 4:16) and the Apostle Paul (Acts 9:9) observed this fast for three days:

16 Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for my sake, and do not eat or drink for three days, day or night, and I and my maidens will also fast and then I will go to the king, although this is against the law, and if I die, I will die. (Esther 4:16)

9 And for three days he did not see, nor did he eat or drink. (Acts 9:9)

The Bible does not mention longer periods of such strict fasting. Usually, fasting people abstained only from food, and drinking water during long fasts was allowed.

David did not eat anything for seven days:

16 And David prayed to God for the child, and David fasted, and spent the night alone, lying on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house came in to him to raise him up from the earth; but he did not want to, and did not eat bread with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died, and David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for, they said, when the child was still alive, and we persuaded him, and he did not listen to our voice, how can we tell him: “The child has died”? He will do something bad. 19 And David saw that his servants were whispering among themselves, and David realized that the child was dead, and David asked his servants: Has the child died? And they said: it is dead. 20 Then David rose from the ground, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothes, and went to the house of the Lord, and prayed. Returning home, he demanded that they give him bread, and he ate. 21 And his servants said to him, “What does it mean that you do this: while the child was still alive, you fasted and wept; and when the child died, did you get up and eat bread? (2 Kings 12:16-21)

It is said about Jesus that He did not eat anything for forty days, “and when they were over, He was hungry at last” (Matthew 4:2; Luke 4:2).

Daniel ate simple, meager food for three weeks (Dan. 10:3), which in the eyes of God was evidence of humility (v. 12):

3 I have not eaten tasty bread; meat and wine did not enter my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with ointments until the completion of three weeks of days. (Dan. 10:3)

Anna probably fasted in a similar way (Luke 2:37), who “served God day and night with fasting and prayer.”

In 1 Samuel 31:13 mentions a seven-day fast, but says nothing about how it was done:

13 And they took their bones and buried them under an oak tree in Jabez, and fasted seven days. (1 Samuel 31:13)

The mental state of a fasting person affected his appearance and behavior: he, as a rule, wore sackcloth, neglected daily ablutions, and sprinkled ashes on his head (1 Kings 21:27; Neh. 9:1; cf. Job 2:12 et seq. .).

Reasons for fasting

The fast was observed for various reasons:

a - after the death of loved ones (1 Kings 31:13; 2 Kings 1:12):

13 And they took their bones and buried them under an oak tree in Jabez, and fasted seven days. (1 Samuel 31:13)

12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they fell by the sword. (2 Kings 1:12)

b - before decisive events, the outcome of which depended entirely on God’s mercy:

16 And David prayed to God for the child, and David fasted, and spent the night alone, lying on the ground. (2 Kings 12:16)

21 And his servants said to him, “What does it mean that you do this: while the child was still alive, you fasted and wept; and when the child died, did you get up and eat bread? 22 And David said, While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I thought: Who knows whether the Lord will have mercy on me, and the child will live? (2 Kings 12:21,22)

c - during sincere repentance and humility before God (1 Kings 7:6; 1 Kings 21:27; Ezra 10:6; Neh. 9:1; Jonah 3:7 et seq.) or to achieve full communication with God (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 9:9,18):

6 And they gathered together at Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted that day, saying, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. (1 Samuel 7:6)

27 When Ahab heard all these words, he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted, and slept in sackcloth, and walked sadly. (1 Kings 21:27)

6 And Ezra arose and went from the house of God to the dwelling of Johanan the son of Eliashib, and came there. He did not eat bread or drink water, because he cried about the crime of the settlers. (Ezra 10:6)

1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month all the children of Israel gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes on their heads. (Neh. 9:1)

7 and commanded that it be proclaimed and said in Nineveh in the name of the king and his nobles: “That neither men, nor cattle, nor oxen, nor sheep, should eat anything, or go to pasture, or drink water, (Jon. 3:7)

28 And [Moses] remained there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, eating no bread or drinking water; And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten chapters. (Ex. 34:28)

Fasting was also observed in order to pray without interference or to emphasize the importance of a request addressed to God (Dan. 10:3,12).

Fasting in the era after the Babylonian captivity

During the period after returning from captivity

1During this period, the Jewish fast lost much of its internal meaning, and with it the meaning of fasting. While in Babylon, the Israelites observed four fast days a year, namely:

• the ninth day of the fourth month (Tammuz), on which Jerusalem was captured by the Chaldeans (Jer. 52:6ff.),
• the tenth day of the fifth month (Av), on which the city was destroyed and the temple burned (Jer. 52:12ff.),
• one of the days of the seventh month (tishri) in memory of the murder of Gedaliah (Jer. 41:1 et seq.)
• and the tenth day of the tenth month (Tevet), when the siege of Jerusalem began (Jer. 52:4).

After the return from captivity, these fasts continued to be observed (Zech. 7:3,5), but the prophecy speaks of the coming of a time when the people of God will make these fast days holidays (Zech. 8:19).

The prophets tried in vain to resist the transformation of fasting into an ostentatious action designed for external impression (Isa. 58:5ff.; Zech. 7:5ff.):

5 Is this the fast that I have chosen, the day on which a man languishes his soul, when he bends his head like a reed, and spreads rags and ashes under him? Can you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord? (Isa. 58:5)

5 Say this to all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and wept in the fifth and seventh month, and for seventy years, did you fast for Me? Is it for me? (Zech. 7:5)

In New Testament times

2 In New Testament times, it was primarily the Pharisees who observed fasting in this way. They fasted twice a week, i.e. much more often than prescribed by the Law (Luke 18:12; cf. Matt. 9:14):

• on Thursday, the day Moses ascended Sinai,
• and on Monday, when he came down from the mountain.

Jesus rebuked people who fasted “so that they would appear to men to be fasting” (Matthew 6:16):

16 Also, when you fast, do not be sad, like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward. (Matt. 6:16)

Jesus Christ and fasting

True fasting does not consist in abstaining from food, but in humility and turning to the truth

Jesus fasted

1 Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in order to prepare for His ministry in peace and quiet before the face of God (Matt. 4:2).

He condemned the fast of hypocrites (Matthew 6:16-18) and indicated what a true fast should be - observed in secret, with an anointed head and a washed face.

When John's disciples asked why Jesus and His disciples did not fast as often as they and the Pharisees did, the Lord answered by comparing Himself and the disciples to the groom and wedding guests, who, while they are together, have no reason to fast.

But a little later, Jesus said to His disciples, when they were powerless to help the demon-possessed young man: “This generation cannot come forth except through prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29), and words about fasting are absent in many ancient lists).

The apostles fasted

2 The New Testament reports that after the day of Pentecost the apostles fasted. Thus, the Apostle Paul fasted after his conversion (Acts 9:9) and later (2 Cor. 6:5):

9 And for three days he did not see, nor did he eat or drink. (Acts 9:9)

5 under blows, in prisons, in exiles, in labors, in vigils, in fasts (2 Cor. 6:5).

Related article: The Bible about meat, what can you eat?

The community in Antioch fasted before and after the departure of Paul and Barnabas to missionary service (Acts 13:2ff.), and the apostles themselves fasted at the ordination of elders in the churches (Acts 14:23):

2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)

23 Having ordained them elders for each church, they prayed with fasting and commended them to the Lord in whom they believed. (Acts 14:23)

Complete freedom regarding fasting

3 The New Testament gives believers complete freedom regarding fasting. As centuries passed, people became increasingly respectful of fasting, and in the Middle Ages, fasting became obligatory on certain days of the year.

The Reformation made a revolution here too, but soon fasting in the Bible and its understanding were consigned to oblivion.

True fasting does not consist in refusing food, but in humility and turning to the truth!

Gospel for the 1st week of Lent

Triumph of Orthodoxy. Gospel of John, Chapter 1, verses 43-51

The next day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and he found Philip and said to him: follow me. Philip was from Bethsaida, from the same city as Andrew and Peter. Philip finds Nathanael and says to him: We have found the One about whom Moses in the law and the prophets wrote, Jesus the son of Joseph from Nazareth. But Nathanael said to him: Can anything good come from Nazareth? Philip says to him: come and see. Jesus, seeing Nathanael coming to Him, said of him: Behold, truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile. Nathanael says to Him: Why do You know me? Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered Him: Rabbi! You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said to him, “You believe because I said to you: I saw you under the fig tree; you will see more of this. And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, from now on you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The earthly homeland of Christ - the city of Nazareth - had a bad reputation. It was believed that rude, uneducated, cruel people lived there, and the morals there were terrible. This is what the future apostle Nathanael said (“Can anything good come from Nazareth”)? But for some reason the Savior liked Nathanael’s skeptical attitude. Priest Anthony Borisov tells how Christ’s conversation with Nathanael explains the purpose of the Church.

Reading the Gospel of the 1st week of Lent in Russian and complete interpretation.

“Great Lent. Reading for children every day"

The book contains stories for every day of Lent, Christian parables and passages from the Gospel, which are presented in a language understandable to children and adolescents.

Book “Great Lent. Reading for Children Every Day" is intended for children of middle school age and is a good helper for parents. This publication can also be used in classes in general education schools during defense education classes and in Sunday schools.

The book was written by Tatyana Korshunova, an experienced journalist, mother of many children, and author of books for adults and children on Christian topics.

Gospel for the 2nd week of Lent

The week is about being relaxed. Gospel of Mark, chapter 2, verses 1-12

A few days later He came again to Capernaum; and it was heard that He was in the house. Many immediately gathered, so that there was no longer room at the door; and He spoke the word to them. And they came to Him with the paralytic, who was carried by four; and, not being able to approach Him due to the crowds, they opened the roof of the house where He was, and, having dug through it, lowered the bed on which the paralytic lay. Jesus, seeing their faith, says to the paralytic: child! your sins are forgiven you. Some of the scribes sat there and thought in their hearts: Why does He blaspheme so much? who can forgive sins except God alone? Jesus, immediately knowing in His spirit that they were thinking this way in themselves, said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts?” What's easier? Should I say to the paralytic: your sins are forgiven? or should I say: get up, take your bed and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, he says to the paralytic: I say to you, get up, take up your bed and go to your house. He immediately got up and, taking the bed, went out in front of everyone, so that everyone was amazed and glorified God, saying: we have never seen anything like this.

What does Christ say about the connection between illness and sin? Why did the Savior heal a paralyzed man who did not ask Him to do so? How did the friends of the paralytic prove themselves and what can we learn from them? The meaning of the Gospel passage is commented on by Bishop Theoktist of Pereslavl and Uglich.

Reading the Gospel of the 2nd week of Lent in Russian and full interpretation.

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmeman, “Great Lent”

The book by the famous preacher, Doctor of Theology, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann is dedicated to revealing the spiritual meanings of the Great Seven Weeks of Lent and is addressed to a wide range of readers.

The author himself wrote about the intention of his book: “This brief interpretation of Great Lent is written for those increasingly numerous readers today who would like to better understand the liturgical tradition of the Church and take a more conscious part in its life.”

Quote:

“We must remember that no matter how limited our fast, if it is a real fast, it will lead to temptations, to weakness, to doubts and to irritability. In other words, it will be a struggle in which we will probably be defeated more than once. But if our fast is, in essence, real, then here our life in Christ is revealed, a life of struggle and achievement. Faith that does not overcome doubts and temptations is rarely true faith.”

Gospel for the 3rd week of Lent

The week of veneration of the cross. Gospel of Mark, chapter 8, verses 34-38, chapter 9, verse 1

And calling the people with His disciples, He said to them: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for the sake of Me and the Gospel will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what ransom will a man give for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels. And he said to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.”

This Gospel reading is about friendship. Having tested his disciples in various circumstances, Christ directly says that he expects imminent execution, and it is dangerous to be with him. At the same time, the Savior does not try to keep the apostles close to Him, leaving them the right to choose. He gives the same freedom to each of us. Priest Anthony Borisov comments.

Reading the Gospel of the 3rd week of Lent in Russian and full interpretation.

Gospel for the 4th week of Great Lent (Sunday of St. John Climacus)

Gospel of Mark, chapter 9, verses 17-31

One of the people answered: Teacher! I brought to You my son, possessed by a dumb spirit: wherever he seizes him, he throws him to the ground, and he emits foam, and grinds his teeth, and becomes numb. I told Your disciples to drive him out, but they could not. Answering him, Jesus said: O faithless generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I tolerate you? Bring him to Me. And they brought him to Him. As soon as the demoniac saw Him, the spirit shook him; he fell to the ground and lay there, emitting foam. And Jesus asked his father, “How long ago did this happen to him?” He said: since childhood; and many times the spirit threw him into both fire and water to destroy him; but, if you can, take pity on us and help us. Jesus said to him: if you can believe as much as possible, all things are possible to him who believes. And immediately the boy’s father exclaimed with tears: I believe, Lord! help my unbelief. Jesus, seeing that the people were running, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him: the spirit is dumb and deaf! I command you, come out of it and do not enter it again. And, screaming and shaking him violently, he went out; and he became as if dead, so that many said that he was dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up; and he stood up. And when Jesus entered the house, His disciples asked Him privately: Why could we not drive him out? And he said to them: This generation cannot come out except through prayer and fasting. Coming out from there, they passed through Galilee; and He didn't want anyone to find out. For He taught His disciples and told them that the Son of Man would be delivered into the hands of men and they would kill Him, and after He was killed He would rise again on the third day.

The apostles failed to heal the demon-possessed young man because they were too carried away by the success, which they unfairly appropriated to themselves - after all, they had the gift of healing from God, and not through their own efforts. But at the same time, this story consoles us - when we find ourselves in a situation from which we see no way out, we can do the same as the unfortunate father - pray and believe. Then help will definitely come. Priest Anthony Borisov comments.

Reading the Gospel of the 4th week of Lent in Russian and complete interpretation.

How to read the Gospel

Hegumen Paisiy (Savosin) answers

Reading the Gospel

– Why do we often hear that it is very important to read the Psalter every day. What about the Gospel? So, you need to read both? Should I pray before and after reading?

– Yes, of course, the Gospel really needs to be read every day, at least a few lines. After all, this is the word of God to us. Every conversation presupposes reciprocity. We turn to God with requests and thanks. And He addresses them and answers. And each time, despite the fact that we may have read His Gospel many times, the answer will be somewhat different. The Lord is always new.

Regarding prayer before and after reading... For example, at the Liturgy there is a “special” secret prayer read by the priest before reading the Gospel, but at the all-night vigil there is none. Simply “and may we be counted worthy to hear the Holy Gospel...”, etc. However, these are also prayers, albeit brief ones.

Attention and reverence are our “main pass” to the words of the Gospel. But prayer before reading is also useful, if we need to motivate ourselves to this attention. It can consist of several words (even simply: “Lord, bless,” “Lord, give understanding,” etc.) or several sentences - there is no general rule.

There are different examples of these prayers from the holy fathers. For example, Rev. Ephraim the Syrian: “First pray to God, saying: “Lord, open the ears and eyes of my heart, so that I may hear Your words and do Your will” (Ps. 119:18). “I hope, my God, that You will enlighten my heart” - always pray to God so that your mind will be enlightened and the power of His words will be revealed to you. Many, relying on their own understanding, fell into error and, “professing to be wise, became fools” (Rom. 1:22).” Or here is St. Isaac the Syrian: “Do not approach the words of the sacraments contained in the Divine Scripture without prayer and asking for help from God, but say: “Grant me, Lord, to receive the feeling of the power contained in them.” Consider prayer as the key to the true meaning of what is said in the Divine Scriptures.”

There is also a prayer to St. John Chrysostom and others.

– Where did the custom come from to read the Gospel (especially after taking a blessing from the priest) for forty days at a time - for children, or for a drunkard, or for a sick person?

Here are the words of St. Parthenius of Kiev-Pechersk: “Reading the Psalter tames passions, and reading the Gospel burns the thorns of our sins: for the word of God is a burning fire. Once, over the course of forty days, I was reading the Gospel about the salvation of a soul who had done good to me, and then I saw in a dream a field covered with thorns. Suddenly fire falls from heaven, the thorns are scorched, and the field remains clear. Perplexed about this vision, I hear a voice: the thorns covering the field are the sins of the soul that did you good; the fire that burned him is the Word of God, what you say for her.”

There is also a well-known prayer, as Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) writes, compiled by Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov): “Save, Lord, and have mercy on Your servants (names) with the words of the Divine Gospel, which are about the salvation of Your 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 precisely the forty days of reading, what can I say? This number is symbolic, i.e. meaningful. For example, the Lord Jesus Christ fasted for forty days in the desert. But, of course, it cannot be said that if someone prayed for someone for less than forty days, then his prayer is “invalid.” Every attentive prayer is valid, whether a person prays for one day or forty.

– What do the words: “Search the Scriptures” spoken in the Gospel mean?

– Saint Gregory the Theologian, speaking about the works of St. Basil the Great on the interpretation of Scripture testifies: “I am convinced not to stop at one letter (of Scripture), and to look not only at the surface, but to stretch further, from one depth to enter a new depth, calling upon the abyss of the abyss and acquiring light with light, until I reach the highest meaning "

But the Apostle Peter says: “No prophecy in Scripture can be solved by oneself. For prophecy was never uttered by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke it, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” And St. Ignatius Brianchaninov explains that since we do not have the Holy Spirit in this fullness, we must turn to those who have or had it - to the holy fathers, to their writings interpreting the Holy Scriptures.

But you also need to assimilate the word of Scripture through your experience, and this helps to deepen your understanding. Because, as the same St. says. Ignatius, “there is a lot of deadness in every book,” and it comes to life when we assimilate it through experience. For example, it is written in the Gospel that “blessed are the poor in spirit,” “blessed are the meek.” And we will understand the power of these words when we try to implement this in practice.

– Are there any special features of reading the Gospel during fasting days?

– We are talking, we must think, about a personal, private reading of the Gospel. No, I don’t think that it is required to read it in any special way on days of fasting. Just as it is good to maintain consistency in the rule of prayer, so it is in the reading of Scripture. In the Alphabetical Patericon, one of the Egyptian venerable fathers says that he would like for a person to have a prayer rule that is small, but constantly followed, rather than large and quickly abandoned. We can find similar instructions in St. Ignatius, St. Seraphim, St. Optina elders. That is, we need to find our own measure of how much we can read, and stick to this measure.

– Is it possible to read the Gospel on your phone while traveling in public transport?

- Yes, you can! There is a photograph: the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, sitting on the deck of a sailing ship, reading the Gospel. And here is another example - the ancient Egyptian reverend fathers, walking somewhere in the desert, read by heart some books of the Holy Scriptures as they went, at will. Just watch, don’t miss your stop.

– In the Psalter there is a prayer by Ephraim the Syrian “Lord and Master of my life...” Should it be read at any time besides Lent?

– This prayer is a mandatory church-wide and church-wide prayer during the period of Great Lent. On other fasts and on other days of the year, it can be read by a Christian at will, if desired.

Gospel for the 5th week of Lent

Sunday of the Venerable Mary of Egypt. Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 32-45

When they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, Jesus walked ahead of them, and they were terrified and, following Him, were in fear. Calling the twelve, He again began to tell them what would happen to Him: behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the pagans, and they will mock Him, and beat Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him; and on the third day he will rise again. Then the sons of Zebedee, James and John, came up to Him and said: Teacher! We want You to do for us whatever we ask. He said to them: what do you want me to do to you? They said to Him: Let us sit at Your side, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in Your glory. But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.” Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They answered: we can. Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized.” but to let you sit on My right side and on My left does not depend on Me, but on whom it is prepared. And when the ten heard it, they began to be angry with James and John. Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that those who are considered princes of the nations rule over them, and their nobles rule over them. But let it not be like this among you: but whoever wants to be great among you, let us be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His soul as a ransom for many.

In this passage, two logics collide - earthly and heavenly. Christ speaks openly to his disciples about the suffering that awaits Him and asks if they can bear it. The apostles do not fully understand His words, and make plans about how they will reign together with the Savior. At the same time, this episode shows how to live in the world and not belong to it and gives an answer to the question of whether a Christian can be happy. Priest Anthony Borisov reflects.

Reading the Gospel of the 5th week of Lent in Russian and complete interpretation.

Conversations with the priest. Reading while Lent

Deacon Sergiy Muravyov, 4th year undergraduate student at the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy, cleric of the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent, answers questions from viewers.
Broadcast from St. Petersburg. – Father Sergius, let’s first of all remind our TV viewers what the meaning of Lent is when it begins this year and when we celebrate the holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, the Easter of the Lord.

– In order to understand the essence of Lent and the purpose of a Christian’s life in general, you first need to understand who Christians are. Christians are people who follow Christ. And to understand how to follow Christ, we must turn to the Holy Scriptures and the Gospel. And the Gospel of Matthew tells us that when Christ came out to preach, His first word was: “Repent!” This is very important, because it is with deep repentance that true spiritual life begins. And in our daily life with its bustle, we often don’t have enough time to understand what repentance is. We are busy with family, some cares, studies, worries, and we don’t have time to stop. But the Church takes care of her children and in a special way sets aside several weeks in the liturgical life so that we can completely immerse ourselves in this state of repentance, throw away all worldly cares and turn within ourselves to see what is wrong in this life.

After all, if we turn to the very concept of the term “repentance”, we will see that this is actually not repentance for a committed act - this is already a consequence of repentance - but a deep change in life, an understanding that you are moving in the wrong direction, that somewhere... then you miss, miss the target. And the goal in the life of every Christian, every person and in general all of humanity is Christ. And we all move, following Him, towards a common resurrection and towards common joy.

Christ showed us an example of life, and He showed us an example of fasting. We all know from the Gospel that before going out to preach, He tested himself by fasting for forty days in the desert, where He was tempted by the devil. Following the example of our Divine Teacher, we also fast for forty days.

Great Lent is the oldest canonical fast that exists in the Church. It dates back to the first centuries. We know that there is a mention of this in the Apostolic Canons, that is, this is an ancient church tradition. The purpose of fasting is the Holy Resurrection of Christ. And we are preparing for it. Just as, for example, for a birthday we buy gifts in advance, cut salads, get dressed, etc., so here we spiritually prepare ourselves for the Divine meal - the joy of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

Before Lent there are so-called preparatory weeks that prepare us for Lent itself. The Church is very loving of children, therefore it prepares its children to receive this spiritual food - strict fasting. Just like in the army, before putting a soldier on guard, he is trained: he goes through a young soldier’s course, during which he learns to assemble and disassemble a machine gun, learns the basics of the Charter, some statutory provisions, so it is here. Since we are soldiers of Christ and stand guard over our souls, we are gradually being prepared for this post so that we enter into it in its entirety. This year, Lent, or Holy Pentecost, begins on March 14, and it ends with the Bright Resurrection of Christ on May 1.

– Since today’s topic is “Reading and Lent,” let’s think about whether it’s worth reading anything at all during Lent or whether the readings that the Church offers during this period are enough for us. And we know that she offers us quite a lot from the Holy Scriptures.

– Indeed, at certain moments in its liturgical life, the Church invites parishioners and worshipers to hear certain passages from the Holy Scriptures, and this carries a deep meaning. During the days of Great Lent, we read many books from the Old Testament: the Wisdom of Solomon, the Psalter and many others.

If we talk about the liturgical circle, then these books are read in one way or another in church, but if we talk about home reading, then it would be more honest to say that I don’t know whether something is worth reading or not. This may sound harsh, so let me explain. The fact is that if you say that during Lent you should not read any literature, then this will be an outright lie, because it is obvious to everyone that reading edifies, teaches us something and even disciplines us to some extent. Therefore, you cannot refuse reading. But if we say that it is necessary to read, then here we need to highlight a general measure of reading that is specific to everyone: what exactly to read, how to read, what poems, etc.

However, each person is an individual, a microcosm, a whole living soul, and each needs its own individual approach. Here, rather, you need to decide for yourself what kind of soul you have. Naturally, all this needs to be decided with a confessor or parish priest. Everything must go through the Church.

Accordingly, it is necessary to read, and you can read different literature. You can remember Ignatius (Brianchaninov), who spoke about what kind of literature should be read during Lent, because we live in a certain society and we all have different obedience in this life. Some are monks and some are laymen, some hold high positions and some are not, so everyone needs certain literature.

For example, Ignatius (Brianchaninov) does not advise people who live in the world to read ascetic patristic literature during Lent, aimed at those who strive in monasticism, i.e. follows the monastic path because it is connected with certain spiritual problems in life: this literature gives certain ideals of monastic life, and after reading, one can imagine that one can live this way in the world. But this will be a mistake that will cause dissonance within a person, which can lead to various spiritual states, which we call delusion. But this is the worst case scenario.

Therefore, this issue is very broad and individual, and it needs to be resolved, rather, on an individual basis, depending on social status, mental abilities and disposition to a particular reading. This is my personal opinion. But it is necessary to read, as it helps to gain book knowledge and delve into the life of the Church.

– Let us now focus our attention specifically on the Holy Scriptures and ask the following question. Today people are very busy - family, work, some kind of business, church obedience, and in the modern rhythm of life it is very difficult to teach yourself to read the Holy Scripture regularly, and to read it as it should during Lent, i.e. Read several books of Scripture in their entirety. Given this state of affairs, how often can we resort to reading the Holy Scriptures, or how often should we resort to them during the days of Lent?

– Indeed, we are all very busy people, and the bustle of the world captures absolutely everyone: clergy, clergy, and laity - we are all in this bustle. But fasting exists precisely for this purpose, to specifically remind us that, no matter what, we must set aside a certain period of time for our own soul. So, you need to allocate 10-15 minutes a day for reading. In principle, one chapter from the Gospel can be read thoughtfully in 20 minutes; I think it won’t be difficult.

Fasting exists to somehow fetter oneself, to put oneself within the framework of a certain extreme, to bring oneself to a certain limit. Fasting in food also leads us to this: we bring ourselves to a certain state, and only then do we find out what we really are, what we really are, and not when we feel good, when we are warm and well-fed. Everything will come out in the post. Therefore, we must, in a sense, force ourselves to read, but we must be careful not to overdo it. You need to approach it wisely, you should read, but in moderation. The Orthodox Church has a tradition of reading the four Gospels during Lent. In principle, this is real. If you add up all the chapters of the four Gospels, you get 89 chapters, which can be read two chapters a day. But the question again is how useful it will be. Some people have more absorption of the material, some less, some have more free time, some have less. I need to decide for myself exactly how much time I can devote to reading a passage from Holy Scripture, and try to comply with this norm, while putting off some of my own affairs, for example, not watching TV in the evening. You need to remove such things from your life for a while and turn to the Holy Scriptures, because in our prayer we turn to God, and God turns to us through the pages of the Holy Scriptures, and combining prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures is very important.

Naturally, Lent is another reason to turn to the pages of the Old Testament, because all of our worship and prayer culture are built on the texts of the Holy Scriptures. We have a biblical faith, and the images that are offered to us even outside of Lent are mostly taken from the Psalter. These are hymns of praise and repentance, which represent the best example of what prayer should be, and provide an image of prayer. Naturally, she teaches us to pray ourselves, and not only according to the prayer book, which is good, but also from a pure heart. That is, the Psalter is a certain school, and the images of the Psalter dispose a person to communicate with God, open a person’s heart to God.

– It is quite possible that a person who begins to read the Bible during Lent, perhaps for the first time, will go further and decide to study biblical studies. Who knows? This is a different turn, but we know that if a person awakens a real interest in the Holy Scriptures, then he is no longer limited to just reading it.

– It’s actually wonderful if a person becomes really interested in the texts of the Holy Scriptures. There is such a concept - “Biblical theology”. And the Church lives by this biblical theology, even if to some extent it is not aware of it.

Now you can hear that Lent is a time when we mortify our flesh. This is true, but in many minds the idea of ​​the Hellenistic dualism of ancient philosophy arises, that the body is a coffin, and hatred of one’s body arises. But this is not the biblical view, not the Christian view! We do not hate our flesh, we love it, but we simply build the correct hierarchy of values, where the soul stands above the body and it is not the body that controls the soul, but the soul that controls the body. And during Lent we try to return everything to its right place, and this all comes from Biblical theology. The Apostle Paul also told us that the flesh is the combination of both body and soul. This is very important to understand in order to properly build our spiritual life. Accordingly, when you study biblical studies, you begin to become familiar with all this. And this is a whole world! If you understand this, then it captivates you, you penetrate into it, begin to feed on this milk, live by it and understand much more in spiritual life.

Because you need to understand that the text of Holy Scripture was written in a certain language, by certain people, in a certain historical context and was addressed to certain people. And in order to understand what exactly the author wanted to convey to those people, we must immerse ourselves in the historical context of that era, immerse ourselves in that language, which is what biblical studies does. It is very interesting! And if people who start reading during Lent are captivated by this reading, then they will begin to study some kind of critical literature and turn to Russian biblical studies, which at one time yielded great results.

Naturally, Russian biblical studies lags somewhat behind the global one, but we have wonderful interpreters, for example Theophan the Recluse, and we can turn to patristic interpretations. But here again the problem is that the holy fathers, for example John Chrysostom, who compiled interpretations of the letters of the Apostle Paul, also use certain terms that were characteristic of that era, i.e. It turns out that we need interpretation upon interpretation. This is probably the only thing that makes reading the patristic literature of the 1st millennium difficult. But if we take our relative contemporaries, we can read the interpretations of Theophan the Recluse on the epistles of the Apostle Paul. This reading is quite understandable for us, because Saint Theophan expresses himself in a modern language that is more understandable to us. You can also turn to modern biblical studies, for example, Archimandrite Iannuarius (Ivliev), Desnitsky and many other researchers who provide a diagram of how to engage in biblical studies and study the texts of the Holy Scriptures. If reading the Holy Scriptures leads us to such results, then we can only rejoice at this!

It is necessary that the parishioners themselves become interested in such reading, so that there is personal responsibility. Every parish needs to have Bible circles, when people get together, read and discuss the Holy Scriptures together. Because when you read a sacred text, you look at it from the point of view of your life experience, your knowledge, and when there is a comrade who is also interested in this text, he looks at it from his point of view, from his experience, and you each other complement. When it is a large circle, then it is a holy thing to read and study sacred texts. You will begin to understand more about liturgical images, worship, and our lives.

– I would also like to say that all theology and all church sciences are based on the Bible, on the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scripture becomes the basis for developing our Orthodox teaching. Perhaps you will tell our listeners about what other theological and ecclesiastical sciences emerge from the Holy Scriptures and are based on it, in addition to biblical studies, which directly works with the sacred text?

– Thanks for the question, Mikhail. I would like to correct you a little: it would be more correct to say that all our sciences come from Sacred Tradition. Orthodox theology teaches that Holy Scripture is part of Tradition. The Holy Scriptures were born in the Church, recorded by it, and a canon of sacred books was created. We also know that there are so-called apocrypha that describe the events of Sacred history, but have not been received by the Church, that is, the Church has not approved them as inspired books, but it is possible to take some descriptions from them. Some of our twelve holidays, oddly enough, originate from the apocrypha, that is, some stories are taken from them. As a person involved in liturgics, you should know this. It would be more accurate to say that the Church lives in the Holy Spirit, and everything in it is born through communication in the Holy Spirit, including the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, we will not say that everything came from the Holy Scriptures, but it is worth saying that everything is interconnected, since we say that everything has one source.

Holy Scripture is inspired by God and has its source in God. Despite the fact that it was written over several thousand years and these books were written by different authors, in different historical and political contexts, even in different languages, there is still one source - this is God, who inspired the sacred writers who recorded the sacred Divine revelation, which is Bible. It is worth saying that this same source is fundamental for other disciplines, so to speak. Discipline is a definition, a “limitation” of some area of ​​knowledge. Most likely, Orthodoxy is not a set of some instructions, it is life, a state in its entirety. We cannot single out something individually and say that this is Orthodoxy, but we must perceive everything together - liturgical tradition, biblical tradition and theology.

We know that in order to express the trinitarian dogma, the Cappadocian fathers in the 4th century had to resort to Hellenistic, essentially pagan, philosophy. But, turning to it, they put this philosophy at the service of the Church, so we can say that all our disciplines were born in a community that lived by the Holy Spirit, which lives by that Comforter, to whom we turn in the prayer “Heavenly King,” calling on the Holy Spirit so that He may come down to us.

If we talk about disciplines, then, naturally, these are liturgics and theology. There are different types of theologies that take a certain branch of spiritual life and the life of the human mind. Naturally, God is unknowable by His nature, but we can say something about Him so as not to deviate into idolatry.

– Question from a TV viewer: “How do you need to fast during the whole week in order to receive communion this Sunday? As usual or is there some easing?”

– Since I am not a clergyman in the strict sense of the word, but a deacon, I do not have the authority to decide such issues. I can only speak about practice. I cannot advise you personally on anything specific, but I can tell you in general, and you will draw conclusions based on this, but the only correct advice would be to contact directly the priest from whom you want to receive communion. Because for Christians who live a liturgical life (to which we are all called) and receive communion regularly (at least once a month), the question of how to fast during a continuous week usually does not arise.

Fasting as a three-day fast before communion appeared as a result of the fact that people stopped receiving communion regularly and received communion only once a year. And in order to somehow kindle our reverence for the shrine of Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of our Savior, which we receive in this great sacrament, the Church allocated three days so that a person at this time could think and understand what he is embarking on. True Christians are those who regularly attend church, go to Saturday and Sunday services and great holidays, venerate special locally revered saints, that is, go to church at least once a week, attend all-night vigils and the Divine Liturgy. Naturally, it must be said that it is necessary to confess before communion. Apply more often to the sacraments of the Church, the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist (Holy Communion). During the days of Great Lent, try to prepare yourself to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist every week, every Sunday. Try to do this, but you need to decide this with a clergyman.

– We touched on the topic of Holy Scripture and patristic tradition. Now I would like to talk about our modern church writers, our contemporaries. What can and is useful to read in the post? I understand that there is a lot of literature, but, based on your reading and spiritual experience, what could you advise our TV viewers?

– I don’t have so much experience that I can advise something one hundred percent. You need to decide on the content of the literature you will read. Returning to Ignatius (Brianchaninov), it must be said that people living in the world need to read literature that is aimed specifically at understanding how to behave in the world. There is a lot of different literature here. There is a very good book by Elder John (Krestyankin) “How to Prepare for Confession.” This book is written in a very simple, understandable language, but at the same time it talks about things that need to be talked about - and not in a sophisticated, not scientific, but in an accessible language. I would also advise reading literature related to understanding what the Church is. You need to read historical literature, the history of the Church, that is, you need to get to know the Church.

The fact is that about 25 years have passed since the day when the Church took a deep breath, the shackles of supervision by the state power of the Soviet Union fell off, but in fact, 25 years is not so much. The tradition of Christian education has been interrupted, and we have to learn to live like a Christian again. All of us, and the Church, have to live in new conditions. This must be understood and addressed to church writers who describe the life of the Church throughout its history, starting from the apostolic age. You can even start reading the Acts of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Scriptures - so to speak, combining business with pleasure. From the Acts of the Holy Apostles, learn how the first community of Christians lived, study how the life of the Church developed historically.

It is very important to love the Russian Church in which you are, this is natural. For example, a Greek loves the Greek Church, but we are all united in the sacrament of the Eucharist and in our faith. From historical works you can read (I personally highlight for myself) the books of Archpriest Alexander Schmemann. But I cannot offer literature that will be easy to read, which, for example, can be read on the subway, although Father Alexander Schmemann is quite easy to read. You can read his book “Holy of Holies”, “By Water and Spirit”, “For the Life of the World”, read his diaries.

I recently finished reading the very interesting memoirs of Metropolitan Evlogy (Georgievsky). He was a metropolitan at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and describes the state of the Church in pre-revolutionary times, during the first revolution of 1905. He was in the State Duma and describes these relations from the point of view of a person who loves the Church. This is very important in my opinion.

You need to learn to love. It is clear that all of us in the Church are sinners and all of us, in one way or another, bear the mark of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of sin, but now we must take a step forward in order to participate in this atoning sacrifice, and for this we need to love. Being in a state of sin, naturally, in the Church we also stumble. And you need to love, no matter what, the clergy. But clergy need to love their parish, and in this state of love build their spiritual life.

There is also a very good book “Apocalypse of Petty Sin” by Bishop of San Francisco John (Shakhovsky). This book is about how to repent, how to be sensitive to your inner spiritual life - this is also very important. Because usually we believe that we have not committed great sins: we have not killed, we have not committed adultery, we pay tithes and believe that we are moral. We may be moral to some extent as humans, but we are called to more. A Christian is a person who always strives for more, always on the move, on the go. It’s like a stone that always requires cutting, that is, we must constantly engage in cutting, despite the fact that somewhere we have fallen away, forgotten, retreated. It is never too late to return to this machine in order to change in repentance. It is very difficult to understand the mystery of our salvation with our reason; we can only participate through experience, in the sacraments and in communication in the Church.

It is very important to understand that we are the Church. And it is not in the building, but first of all in the soul, in people. The temple is the place where we all gather, it is very important to understand this and love meeting in the temple. As a clergyman and deacon, I can say: it is very important that the laity actively participate in the life of the Church, so that this is truly a parish, so that this is a life of communion. And so that we understand how important this meeting in church on Sunday, this meeting with God, is for us. By communing from the same Chalice with the parishioners, with the people who came to this parish on this Sunday, we become one body with them. The Church is the body of Christ, and everyone in it has their own function, their own obedience. Everything should go towards this service, through repentance, the same preaching, all this is necessary. It is necessary to read books not only during the days of Great Lent, but simply during the days of the Holy Pentecost - this is a special appeal to oneself. The Church is not a hypocrite and it understands that a person lives in the world and must earn his daily bread and clothe his children. But forty days a year must be given to the service of the Church, whose Head is Christ.

– I remembered the phrase of one of our brightest chief prosecutors of the Synodal period, Konstantin Petrovich Pobedonostsev, who has a collection of words for great holidays. It is surprising that he is a secular person, but due to his duties he is associated with the Church. One of the words of his collection is called: “Be patient with the Lord for the sake of your resurrection.” These words are very consonant today with the state of people who are just coming to the Church, because it may seem to them that Lenten services are long and difficult. If someone goes to church with their loved ones, they often come across the fact that they complain about the impossibly long services and prayers. With this patience for the sake of the memory of the Lord, the Sabbath day and His Resurrection, that same spiritual ascent begins. Please tell us a short wish for our TV viewers for the upcoming post.

– Of course, I wish everyone to walk this path of Lent with honor and dignity. I would like to wish that everything would be done with reason, without fanaticism. Orthodoxy is like a jacket that you grow into, and it is always too big for you, you always learn something new. I wish everyone not to stop on the path of this growth and life in communion with the Church through the sacrament of the Eucharist and through love for one's neighbor. We will live according to the commandments. There is one good quote: “Go to many books, but live in the Holy Scriptures.” I wish everyone to live in the Holy Scriptures, attend Sunday services and be one Church of Christ.

Presenter: Mikhail Prokhodtsev Transcript: Lyudmila Moiseeva

Gospel for the 6th week of Lent

Gospel of John, chapter 12, verses 1-18

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was dead, whom He raised from the dead. There they prepared a supper for Him, and Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those who reclined with Him. Mary, taking a pound of pure precious ointment of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the world. Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray Him, said: Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor? He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had a cash box with him and wore what was put in there. Jesus said: Leave her alone; She saved it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but not always Me. Many of the Jews knew that He was there and came not only for Jesus, but to see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. The high priests decided to kill Lazarus too, because for his sake many of the Jews came and believed in Jesus. The next day, the multitude of people who had come to the festival, hearing that Jesus was going to Jerusalem, took palm branches, came out to meet Him and exclaimed: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel! Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: Fear not, daughter of Zion! Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a colt. His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus became glorified, then they remembered that it was written about Him, and they did it to Him. The people who were with Him before testified that He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead. That is why the people met Him, because they heard that He had performed this miracle.

Christ visited Jerusalem many times, but only once entered it as the Messiah. This is both a solemn and tragic event. Not only strangers, but also those who were close to him for a long time (at least Judas) turn out to be strangers and embittered towards the Savior. The desire of the Pharisees to kill the newly resurrected Lazarus in order to stop the veneration of Christ also seems terrible and even irrational. This Gospel story illustrates how difficult it is for unconditional virtue to exist in our fallen world, says priest Stefan Domusci.

Reading the Gospel of the 6th week of Lent in Russian and complete interpretation.

Gospel in memory of Fyodor Tiron

The memory of the Great Martyr Theodore Tiron is celebrated by the church on Saturday of the first week of Great Lent.

Gospel of Mark, Chapter 2, verses 23 - 28, Chapter 3, verses 1 - 5

23 And it happened on the Sabbath that He passed through the sown fields, and His disciples began to pluck the ears of corn along the way. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him: Look, what are they doing on the Sabbath that ought not to be done? 25 He said to them: Have you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry, he and those who were with him? 26 How did he enter into the house of God in the presence of Abiathar the high priest and eat the showbread, which no one was to eat except the priests, and gave it to those who were with him? 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath is for man, and not man for the Sabbath; 28 Therefore the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Gospel of Mark, Chapter 3

01 And he came again to the synagogue; there was a man who had a withered hand. 02 And they watched Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, that they might accuse Him. 03 And he said to the man who had a withered hand, Stand in the middle. 04 And he said to them: Should one do good on the Sabbath, or should one do evil? save your soul or destroy it? But they were silent. 05 And he looked at them with anger, grieving over the hardness of their hearts, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched out, and his hand became as healthy as the other.

These Gospel passages show that pious talk about keeping the commandments turns out to be nothing more than a cover for hypocrisy. The appearance of Christ in a society with a distorted value system exposes the hypocrisy and unwillingness to show mercy among the Jews. At the same time, the Savior does not condemn his opponents, but only takes pity on them, notes priest Anthony Borisov (reading the Gospel in Russian and the full interpretation here).

Gospel in memory of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste

The Day of Remembrance of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste is celebrated on March 22 according to the new style.

Gospel of Matthew, chapter 20, 1 - 16

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like an owner of a house, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard, 2 and having agreed with the laborers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard; 3 When he went out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the market place, 4 and he said to them, “Go you too into my vineyard, and whatever comes next I will give you.” They went. 5 He went out again about the sixth and ninth hour and did the same. 6 Finally, going out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing idly, and he said to them, “Why have you been standing here all day idly?” 7 They said to him, “No one hired us.” He says to them: You also go into my vineyard, and whatever comes next, you will receive. 8 When evening came, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning from the last to the first. 9 And those who came about the eleventh hour received a denarius. 10 Those who came first thought that they would receive more, but they also received a denarius; 11 And when they received it, they began to murmur against the owner of the house, 12 and said, “These last worked one hour, and you made them equal to us, who endured the hardship of the day and the heat.” 13 He answered and said to one of them, “Friend!” I don't offend you; Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what you have and go; I want to give this last one the same as you; 15 Do I not have the power to do whatever I want? Or is your eye envious because I am kind? 16 So the last will be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen.

The parable of the vinedressers has a deep meaning. It clearly separates the value systems of the workers and the owner of the vineyard. Workers believe that payment for their work depends on the result (this is earthly logic), and the owner is ready to pay everyone the same amount (heavenly logic). This is how Christ reveals to his listeners that God’s mercy is not proportional to our efforts, explains Archpriest Pavel Velikanov (reading the Gospel in Russian and the full interpretation here).

Gospel for the Annunciation

The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on April 7 according to the new style.

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 24 - 38

24 After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid herself for five months, and said, 25 Thus did the Lord do unto me in these days, in which he looked upon me, that he might remove from me the reproach of men. 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; The name of the Virgin is: Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women. 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this would be. 30 And the Angel said to Her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found favor with God; 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of His father David; 33 And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end. 34 And Mary said to the angel: How will this be, since I do not know the husband? 35 The angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Here is Elizabeth, your relative, who is called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already in her sixth month, 37 for no word will fail with God. 38 Then Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. And the Angel departed from Her.

The event of the Annunciation is a “restart” of human history. With it begins a new era, which the prophets of the Old Testament were waiting for. The Son of God Jesus Christ comes into the world in the form of a baby. He will be born of a Virgin and free from sin, but not separated from us. This is the new Adam, the personification and fulfillment of the hopes of all humanity, explains priest Anthony Borisov (reading the Gospel in Russian and the full interpretation here).