Sunday in the life of a Christian. Sunday Birthday What a Christian Should Do on Sunday
Why is it mandatory to go to church on Sunday in Orthodoxy? What is the story of Sunday? Are Sunday and Resurrection connected? Why do we consider this day a day of rest and joy? How and why is this day called in other countries?
Is Sunday the Sabbath?
The honoring of Sunday has a rather long and complex history. There is disagreement about whether Sunday is the first or seventh day of the week. Sometimes they say that Sunday completely replaced Saturday.
If we turn to the text of the Old Testament, we will find the following words: “And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for in it He rested from all His work, which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:3). It turns out that Saturday is the seventh day of the week, a day of rest, abstinence from worldly affairs, a day of rest. Among the Commandments of Moses, which he received from the Lord on Mount Sinai, we read: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: on it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord created the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything in them; and on the seventh day he rested. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it” (Exodus 20:8-10).
We also remember that the murder of Christ took place on Friday - "the day before Saturday" (Mark 15:42). The myrrh-bearing women were able to come to the tomb of the Teacher only after the Sabbath day had passed. And after this, on the third day, the miracle of the Resurrection happened: « Rising early on the first day of the week“Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom he cast out seven demons.” (Mark 16:9).
Faith in the Resurrection of Christ is the basis of faith in Christ in general. The Apostle Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians says: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14).
On this day, everything that the people of the Old Testament were waiting for happened - but there is a rethinking of it: the day dedicated to God is now the one on which Salvation was accomplished.
Birthday of Sunday as a day off
Sunday received the status of a holiday weekend thanks to the holy emperor Constantine the Great. It was he who issued the Edict of Milan on Tolerance, according to which Christianity acquired the status of a state religion.
In 323, when Constantine began to rule the entire Roman Empire, he extended the Edict of Milan to the entire eastern part of the empire.
March 7, 321 Emperor Constantine issued a decree according to which Sunday (in the Roman pagan tradition it was the day of the Sun) became a day of rest. Now on this day it was necessary to postpone all worldly affairs: markets were closed, government agencies stopped their work. Only earthworks were not subject to any restrictions.
The importance of Sunday was confirmed by further decrees. In 337, a law was passed requiring Christian soldiers to participate in the Sunday liturgy. Later, Emperor Theodosius issued an edict prohibiting public spectacles on Sundays. This decree has not survived, but the edict of 386 prohibited legal proceedings and trade on Sundays.
Who calls Sunday what?
Day of the Sun
In the languages of many peoples, the day corresponding to resurrection is called the day of the Sun. This tradition is clearly visible in the languages of the Germanic group. In Ancient Rome, the name of the day - dies Solis - "day of the Sun" was borrowed from the Greeks and is a literal translation of the Greek heméra helíou. The Latin name in turn passed on to the Germanic tribes. So, in English Sunday will be “Sunday”, and in German - “Sonntag”, in Danish and Norwegian - “søndag”, in Swedish - “söndag”, which literally means “day of the Sun”.
In most Indian languages, Sunday is called - Ravivar (from "Ravi") or Adityavar (from "Aditya") - derived from the epithets of the solar deity Surya and one of Aditya.
Chinese uses characters for the numbers one through six to represent all days of the week, and Sunday is written with the character for "sun."
In Japan, the days of the week are also named using hieroglyphs, and their meaning is associated more with the traditions, way of life, and historical past of the Japanese than with any specific system (Friday is written with the hieroglyph “money”, and Saturday with the hieroglyph “earth”). . However, in the spelling of Sunday, like the Chinese, there is a hieroglyph for “sun”.
In a number of languages, the days of the week are named in order and the tradition of honoring Sunday as the first day is preserved. In Hebrew, Sunday is called “Yom Rishon” - the first day.
Lord's Day
In Greek, the names of the days of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are all translated as “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and “fifth.” Sunday was once called “beginning,” but today it is called “Kiryaki,” that is, “the day of the Lord.” It’s the same in Armenian - Monday is already the “second day”, and Sunday is “kiraki”.
There is also a group of names that come from the Latin word Dominica (Lord). So, in Italian, Sunday sounds like “la domenica”, in French – “dimanche”, and in Spanish – “domingo”.
In Russian, the day of the week “Sunday” is named in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word came from the Old Church Slavonic resurrection, resurrection, and came into the Russian language through Church Slavonic.
Day "week"
In other Slavic languages, names have been preserved that come from the Slavic ne dělati “not to do” and thereby mark a “day of rest”: in Ukrainian this day is called “week”, in Belarusian - “nyadzela”, in Polish - “niedziela”, in Czech – “neděle”. Similar names exist in all Slavic languages. In the Russian language, such a meaning for the word “week” has not been preserved, but it is present in church usage: when we say “”, “Fomina’s week”, etc. – .
Sunday's place in the calendar
Currently, in most European countries, Sunday is considered the final day of the week. There is an international standard ISO 8601, according to which the first day of the week is Monday and Sunday is the last. However, Sunday officially continues to be the first day of the week in Poland, the USA, Israel, Canada and some African countries.
Sunday – Little Easter
Every Sunday for a Christian is a small Easter. The main thing of this day is to attend the liturgy in the church. It is with this that the rule of not doing (see above the origin of the word week) ordinary everyday affairs on this day is connected - they should not interfere with prayer. Sunday is always a holiday. At the same time, in Orthodox tradition The memory of the special status of the Sabbath is also preserved.
The festivity of these days is reflected in church canons. Some of them are unknown even to many churchgoers - for example, on Sunday and Saturday you are not supposed to bow down on your knees.
This is most clearly seen in the example of order, the main tone of which is repentance.
Sundays and Saturdays are separated from the days of Great Lent. They serve as a festive, non-fasting service. The full Liturgy is served, and not the penitential one is read, and no prostrations are made.
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From the Bible we know that there were seven days and on each day the Lord worked miracles. He left only one day for rest. Many people ask the question of how to spend Sunday as an Orthodox Christian? The answer is that you can work on this day, but first of all, this work must be spiritual. That is why it is worth dedicating it to God and establishing a connection with him that could have weakened due to constant bustle. Many priests recommend spending the day in prayer, visiting church and worship, and reading spiritual literature.
How to spend a Sunday
Believers often ask priests whether Orthodox Christians can work on Sunday? No one dares to give a definite answer to this question. Of course, according to the Holy Scriptures, it would be better to postpone all matters for other days, and spend this one in communication with the Lord. This ban dates back to ancient times.
The clergy consider it an ideal day if you put aside all your business and devote the entire Sunday to works of mercy and prayer. It would be nice if a person went to church for Liturgy in the morning, then took communion and came home. There he had breakfast with his family and visited all his relatives, as well as people whom he had not seen for a long time.
In the evening I went to the evening service again and had dinner with my family. And after praying, he calmly went to bed. It would be a perfect Sunday Orthodox man. But we all know that not everything and not always depends only on us.
There are certain requirements and we must fulfill them. This may be related to both our work and our position in society. After all, you must admit that it would not be Christian if the mother refused to cook dinner, because she could not work and her family remained hungry.
Or another case when a person cannot plan his day correctly. He doesn't want to do anything and just spends his time drinking or watching TV. In this case, it is said that it is better to work than to while away your time like this.
Do's and Don'ts
There is an opinion that there is a certain list of things that Orthodox Christians cannot do on Sunday, as on. It is said that you cannot work on this day for profit. And also you cannot do work that can be postponed to other days. The list of such cases includes:
- don't mow
- don't reap
- don't wash
- do not sew or do other housework,
- don't swear
- don't clean up
- don't do handicrafts
- don't work in the garden.
We can definitely say that on Sunday you cannot commit those actions that will provoke the corruption of the soul. This could be, for example: watching TV series, computer games, carnal entertainment. It is especially prohibited to enter into conflicts.
But there is another side to the coin: what can Orthodox Christians do on Sunday? In the modern world, so many professions have appeared whose work cannot be transferred to other days or stopped. The Church is tolerant of such types of activities. But he still draws attention to the fact that the day must begin and end with prayer.
It is also worth remembering that in our time some concepts are being replaced. Many people believe that doing nothing on Sunday equals laziness. So this is the kind of manifestation the church condemns. She considers it necessary to spend this day with her family. You can also visit the sick, people you haven’t seen for a long time, or go to a Sunday school class. This will help you establish a connection with the Lord.
But the church also does not prohibit cleaning up the house and, for example, washing soiled children’s clothes or removing broken dishes. This will not be considered a sin, unlike laziness. The Church allows housework to be done if failure to do it could lead to sin. And so, you need to devote your time to personal development in spiritual terms.
The answer to the question why an Orthodox cannot work on Sunday is that most Christians do not correctly understand the meaning and do not interpret this prohibition as the church implies. Everything depends on us. If a person works at work six days a week, then on Sunday he will want to clean up the house.
In this case, it will not be considered a sin, since he will have no other time for this. But if a person has not done anything all week and then on this day decided to show what he is capable of, then there is no need to do this. In the word work, the church implies doing some kind of work physically, but not spiritually.
That is why they believe that on this day it is worth directing all your efforts towards spiritual enrichment. After all, it is on this day that you can find out all the questions that may concern you and get answers to them. It would also be a good idea to provide assistance to those who need it.
Remember that laziness and quarrels on Sunday, and not only that, lead to the destruction of a person’s personality, and also deal a heavy blow to his spiritual state. That is why they advise on this day to think only about good things and spend time with pleasant people.
The Lord is always with you!
And since it is obvious that God did not need rest, what follows from this if not that this decree had in mind man, that is, that the Sabbath, as Jesus Christ proclaims, was given for man who the most ancient times and celebrated it much earlier than the celebration of the Sabbath rest was legalized in the form of law at Sinai. This is the original basis for establishing a day of rest.
So, before us is a Divine decree: the Sabbath is for man, for man of all times and places. We will add: for a person until his fall. If she was necessary for him in his state of innocence, then did not fallen man need her all the more; a person subject to the flesh, the visible world, the harsh necessity of work, and finally, sin, which constantly erases from his heart the image of God and the consciousness of a high human purpose?
The book of Exodus (16:23-30) is the first time the Sabbath is mentioned, and this mention only preceded Jewish law. The very way in which Moses reminds the Israelites of this decree regarding the collection of manna on the eve of this day shows that he does not at all give them a new commandment, but restores an old one, weakened and, perhaps, forgotten among the hard work in Egypt. Now, in the desert, in freedom, it was possible and should have been restored. Why is the very expression in which the fourth commandment is prescribed: remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, shows that they remember only what they already know, just as they cherish only what they have. Therefore, it is impossible to attribute to the Sinai legislation the ruling that it itself carries over 25 centuries ago and borrows from the first traditions of mankind. It is obvious that even before the Law of Sinai, the establishment and observance of the day of rest was known and applied even outside the Jewish people, everywhere being a universal and eternal decree. The centuries have not destroyed it; it remains as necessary and sacred for us both in our business life and in a noisy civilization, as it was among the first believers, who brought with them under the desert tent faith in God, the original traditions of the world and the future of humanity.
Its very severity shows us how necessary God considered this decree for the religious education of His chosen people. But, having learned from the holy Apostle Paul that we are not under the law, but under grace (see), let us not take this ancient decree lightly. What is most worthy of notice here is that the institution of the Sabbath found its place in the Decalogue, instead of being mixed up with the many different small regulations of the Mosaic Law. The Decalogue, in a brief but wonderful form, sets out the entire moral law, and all the requirements contained in it are directly related to the religious life of every person who would wish to serve the Lord God in any era. Thus, seeing that the observance of the day of rest occupies such a prominent place and is prescribed in such an insistent and precise form, we conclude that it is based on the most fundamental conditions of the religious and moral life of man and must have eternal significance.
The Pharisees added their petty regulations to the law; They accurately determined what activities should be allowed on this day, even calculated the number of steps that could be taken, and decided that instead of caring for the sick person, it was better to leave him to die, glorifying God with his complete inaction.
Jesus Christ, by His teaching, freed us from such pharisaism. He destroyed the collections of their instructions and prescriptions. Redeemed by grace, we are no longer under the yoke of the law and its ritual regulations. But if Jesus Christ removed from the Jewish Sabbath its legal, ritual and purely external character, does it follow from this that He condemned the very establishment of the Sabbath? No. On the contrary, He returns to it its eternal meaning with these memorable words: “Sabbath is for man.” He only raises us with this expression to the original establishment of this day. On various occasions He shows us in what spirit this day should be celebrated. By allowing His disciples to pluck ears of corn for food, He thereby resolves an extremely necessary matter of everyday need; by healing the sick, He blesses the works of mercy; does not forbid pulling out a sheep, or a donkey, or an ox that has fallen into a pit or a well (see ; ), showing that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and that if it comes to serving God, then we can be called on this day to the most difficult and difficult feats.
The New Testament Church inherits the spirit of its Teacher: it refuses external observance of the Jewish Sabbath and obeys the instructions of the Apostle, who clearly says to those hearts that such a thought could frighten: let no one condemn you for ... the Sabbath ().
And as if wanting to show that the Church enjoys the spiritual freedom given to her, she changes the day of rest: she boldly devotes the day dedicated to the Father to the Son, celebrating the memory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, by whom all things were made new. The Church itself, back in the time of the apostles, sanctified the first day of the week. So, in the book of the Acts of the Apostles we clearly see this day established for the breaking of bread (). This custom was immediately introduced into the churches founded by the Holy Apostle Paul, and this is clearly proven by the fact that, during his stay in Troas, the Holy Apostle Paul, despite the fact that he was in a hurry to continue his journey, remained to wait for the first day of the week, when the disciples gathered to break bread, and talked with them until midnight (see Acts. 20:7). This is, although indirect, but, as it seems to us, quite clear evidence that this day was established, that is, the celebration was moved from Saturday to Sunday, by the first Christians. In the apostolic epistles we find exhortations relating to charity, especially on this day; finally, the last book of Holy Scripture - the Apocalypse - tells us in its first verses that on one of the Sundays the holy Apostle and Evangelist John, exiled to Patmos, had a vision, which he talks about, calling this day directly Sunday (see. ).
This is the teaching of Scripture regarding the day of rest. This day, as we have seen, was preserved at all times by God’s chosen people, and if in some periods it took on a formal character, then, nevertheless, from the same Jewish form it is reborn in the New Testament, as a Divine, universal and eternal decree .
Having risen on the first day of the week, the Savior, the true Lord of the Sabbath, connected with Sunday memories that were more important for Christians than those that were connected with the Old Testament Sabbath. The Sabbath recalled the creation of the ancient world, which, due to the fall of man, fell under the power of the “prince of this world” and found itself in evil; The very first day of the week reminds of redemption from the power of sin and the devil, of the re-creation of humanity.
We already find an indirect indication of the peace observed on Sunday in the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer in his Epistle to the Magnesians. Then the presence of Christians of the primal church on Sundays during divine services and at love suppers shows that they stopped their everyday affairs at least in the first half of the day. But one can guess that Christians, out of respect for Sunday, which replaced Saturday, did not work all day. The observance of rest on Sunday is spoken of in the Apostolic Decrees (book 7, chapter 33; book 8, chapter 33). The first church rule that legitimizes the custom of resting on Sunday is the 29th rule of the Council of Laodicea, which took place at the end of the 4th century. “It is not proper,” says this rule, for Christians to practice Judaism and celebrate on Saturday, but to do so on this day; and Sunday is celebrated primarily, if they can, like Christians.” Here the contrast between Sunday, which must be celebrated, and Saturday, on which one must work, shows that the celebration of Sunday must consist of rest, and the words: “if they can,” make it clear that necessary, important and urgent matters can be performed on Sunday, without violating its holiness - that Christians do not need the coercive and petty regulations with which the Jewish celebration of the Sabbath was burdened in later times - that they must act according to conscience and be guided by moral freedom.
The custom of observing Sunday rest, in addition to church rules, was also approved by the authority of the emperors. Saint Constantine the Great freed Christian soldiers from military training on Sundays so that they could more freely come to church for public worship. He also prohibited trade on Sundays, and this was later confirmed by the law of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It was allowed to trade only items necessary for life. In addition, the saint and many subsequent emperors forbade court proceedings to be carried out on Sunday, unless the duty of philanthropy and the preservation of public order did not allow a delay.
The Church forbade carrying out everyday activities on holidays. But acts of reverence and piety, such as visiting church and being present at public worship, home prayer, burying the dead, religious processions, selfless help to neighbors, especially the unfortunate, reading religious books, explaining Scripture, etc., she not only prohibited, but either directly and persistently legitimized, or at least approved, because with such deeds Sunday is mainly sanctified.
The Church has always recognized Sunday as a day of spiritual joy. She expressed this, first of all, in the prohibition of fasting on Sunday (see 64th Apostolic Canon; 18th Canon of the Gangra Council).
Abba Dula, a disciple of the Monk Vissarion, said: “I entered my elder’s cell and found him standing in prayer; his hands were stretched out to heaven, and he remained in this feat for fourteen days.”
Prayer is a reverent conversation between the human soul and God. On holidays, it is quite decent to have a conversation with people, but, of course, not every conversation, but only about divine objects.
After pious conversations, the soul is filled with holy thoughts, feelings and desires. The mind becomes clearer, brighter; Regret for the poorly spent past penetrates into the heart - the will would like to do only one thing that is pleasing before God.
Oh, that each of us would love to talk and listen more about what concerns God and the soul; then we would not have faith and virtue only in words, but would be the life and property of the heart, of our entire being.
Both conducting soul-saving conversations and reading soul-saving books are equally useful and saving. The Holy Apostle Paul commands his beloved disciple, Bishop Timothy, to read holy and soul-helping books as one of the main means for success in spiritual life. Listen to reading (), he writes to him. And the holy fathers, following the Apostle, command everyone to read holy books, as one of the important means to spiritual improvement.
It is especially helpful to read the Holy Scriptures. “If we read the Holy Scriptures with faith,” says the saint, “we feel that we see and hear Christ Himself. What needs do we need—whether by a living voice or through scripture, who speaks to us? It's all the same. So in the Holy Scriptures God speaks to us as truly as we speak to Him through prayer.”
It is very useful and soul-saving to do charity on holidays. The Holy Apostle Paul advised the Christians of the Corinthian church to establish a constant collection for the benefit of the needy: do as I established in the churches of Galatia. On the first day of the week (i.e., every Sunday - Ed.), let each of you set aside and collect as much as his fortune allows (). The saint, instilling this commandment in the Christians of Constantinople, says: “Let us build in our house an ark for the poor, which should be located near the place where you stand for prayer. Let everyone put aside the Lord's money at home on Sunday. If we make it a rule for ourselves on Sunday to put something aside for the benefit of the poor, we will not break this rule. A craftsman, having sold one of his works, should bring the firstfruits of the price to God and share this part with God. I don’t ask for much, I just ask you to put aside at least a tenth. Do the same not only when selling, but also when buying. Let all who acquire righteousness observe these rules.”
Ancient Christians lovingly honored holidays with abundant offerings to the church, one part of which went to support church employees and church needs, and the other to help the poor. “These offerings,” says one ancient Christian writer, “serve as a guarantee of piety; because they do not go to feasts, not to drunkenness, not to overeat, but to feed and bury the poor, to boys and girls who have lost their property and parents, to elders who, due to weakness, can no longer leave the house and do work, and also to those who suffered misfortune and were imprisoned for their faith in mines, islands and dungeons.”
Many of the people who were sufficient to honor the holidays themselves distributed generous alms to the poor brethren, fed the hungry, looked after the strange and went to hospitals, trying with words of consolation and various services to alleviate the suffering of the sick. Thus, the writer of the life of St. Martha, talking about how she revered the divine holidays, among other things, says: “she was indescribably merciful to the poor, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. Often entering hospitals, serving with your own hands to the sick, giving burial services to those dying from your labors, and also giving white clothes from your handicraft to those being baptized.”
The general custom of ancient Christians was to arrange holiday meals for orphans, strangers and all the poor. In the first times of Christianity, meals of this kind were established at churches and tombs of martyrs; but later they began to be hosted by benefactors only in their own homes. The generosity of some Christians extended to the point that sometimes, due to a large crowd of beggars, they organized several meals one after another on one holiday. Thus, it is known that one Christ-loving brother, named Isaiah, was distinguished by his special charity during the holidays: having created a hospice and a hospital, he tried to give peace to everyone who came to him and served the sick with all zeal: “on Saturdays and on weekdays, two , three and four meals are presented to the poor for the sake of the poor.” If one of your relatives or friends is sick, go to the sick person and console him as best you can. Maybe someone close to your heart is lying in the cemetery. Go to the grave of the deceased, pray for him. Now, on holidays, many churches organize non-liturgical interviews between pastors and people. It's good to visit them too.
This is how a Christian should spend a Sunday or holiday. But is this how we really spend it?
Many Christians, dissatisfied with their constant income, also devote time of sacred rest to their work, thinking through this to increase their wealth. But they are in vain to think so. The Prologue contains such a story.
Two artisans lived nearby, who both practiced the same craft: they were tailors. One of them had a wife, father, mother and many children; but he went to church every day. However, despite the fact that through this he took a lot of time from himself to work at his craft, he sufficiently supported and fed himself and his entire family, thanks to the blessing of God, sought daily for his work and his home. The other devoted too much to his craft, so that often on holidays, which should be dedicated to serving God, he was not in the temple of God, but sat at work, but was not rich and had difficulty feeding himself. So he began to envy the first; One day he couldn’t stand it and asked his neighbor with irritation: “Why is this and how do you get rich? after all, I work harder than you, but I’m poor.”
And he, wanting his neighbor to remember God more often, replied: “Here I am, going to church every day, often finding gold along the way; and little by little I am gaining. If you want, we’ll go to church together, I’ll call you every day; but only everything that each of us finds should be divided in half.” The poor man believed, agreed, and together they began to visit the temple of God every day, where the soul is involuntarily disposed to prayer and where the grace of God invisibly touches the human heart; The other one soon got used to such a pious custom. But what? God apparently blessed him and his work: he began to get better and get richer. Then the first one to give a good thought admitted to his neighbor: “I didn’t tell you the whole truth before, but what I said for the sake of God and your salvation is of what benefit to your soul and to your property! Believe me, I didn’t find anything on earth, no gold, and I didn’t visit the temple of God because of gold, but precisely because God said: seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you (). However, if I said that I found gold, I did not sin: after all, you found it and acquired it.” - Thus, the blessing of the Lord on those who sacredly honor the Lord serves as the best and most reliable accomplice to their labors.
Those who disrespect holy holidays can always suffer God's punishment. After all, having a holiday completely free from work, they are too lazy to even go to the temple of God, and even if they come, they stand in the church of God absent-mindedly, praying carelessly, thinking about how they can spend the holiday more cheerfully. And when they come home, they indulge in unbridled fun.
Of course, there is no sin in innocent pleasures and complete relaxation from permanent job. The monk often told his disciples: “just as one cannot constantly and strongly strain a bow, otherwise it will burst, so a person cannot be constantly under tension, but he also needs rest.” But the best joy for a Christian is in God; - therefore, the best joy of a Christian on the day of the holiday should be the joy of reading soul-saving books, conducting pious conversations and performing godly deeds. However, not only is a Christian not prohibited from any reasonable entertainment on this day, such as visiting any museum or exhibition, visiting relatives or friends, etc., but these healthy and useful entertainments are even strongly recommended. But it is completely inconsistent with the holiness of Sunday to indulge in drunkenness, sing disorderly songs and indulge in excesses of all kinds. The saint says: “The holiday is not for us to commit outrages and multiply our sins, but to cleanse those that we have.”
Once the Lord God, through the mouth of His prophet, spoke to the Jews, who spent their holidays in the service of one sensuality: My soul hates your holidays (). This is a scary word. Let us fear the wrath of God, let us spend the holidays holy, not indulging in feasting and drunkenness, nor sensuality and debauchery, nor quarrels and envy (), but we will spend the holidays in purity and righteousness.
CONCLUSION
In Christianity, the very first day was a day of bright joy for the disciples of Christ. Since then, the day of the Lord's resurrection has always been a day of joy for Christians.
Therefore, the word “holiday” is associated with spiritual joy. This does not include manifold worldly entertainments, which, even if sublime in their form, cannot in any way sanctify the holy day.
The celebration of Sunday is a direct service to God, consisting primarily in the remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ. Peace from worldly affairs - necessary condition celebration, and joy is its natural result.
Communication with God, which constitutes the essence of celebration, is more conveniently achieved in the company of people, for the Lord said: where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them (). The celebration must first of all take place in the temple - this place of the special grace-filled presence of God. Here the Sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated, here the clergy teach the word of God, appointed by God Himself to shepherd His flock and who have received special grace-filled means for this. Here all believers with one mouth and one heart offer their prayers, petitions and thanksgiving to God. Here the members of the Body of Christ enter into the closest spiritual communion with their head Christ and among themselves. Solemn silence and reverence lift hearts to God. The communication of all believers and mutual example excite and strengthen the reverence and prayer of each individual. Performing holy and spiritual deeds on Sunday satisfies the most essential needs of the human soul. This in itself is a good thing, and at the same time it is the most important means of achieving heaven, unity with God and eternal bliss.
Orthodox Christians! Let us strictly and unswervingly celebrate Sunday and all other holidays established by the Holy Church for our earthly happiness and eternal salvation.
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...The first time I saw Father Alexy on TV - a local television company showed a story about the rector of the Intercession Church visiting the Shchelkovo orphanage in the village of Khomutovo. “I could go to confession with such a priest...” - this thought stuck in me and served as the beginning of my return to the temple, after I stopped attending Sunday school, I began to be afraid to show myself in the vicinity of the temple.
“Blessed is the Kingdom...” begins the Liturgy.
Gradually, numerous parents and children gather at the temple. Older children immediately go to the service, little ones go to the playground on the territory of the temple. Mothers and fathers of very young children usually take turns attending the service so they can pray quietly. Sandbox, swings, climbing frames - what a joy for kids! But all this appeared not so long ago; the number of children in the parish, thank God, is growing every year.
Those who have signed up for baptism timidly peer into the territory through the gate. Mothers rock babies, future godparents, rosy-cheeked and cheerful, ask where the guardhouse is, standing right in front of her door. Owners of video cameras and cameras, in anticipation of the main event, capture the beauty of the temple and the numerous flower beds in the fence, carefully cultivated by parishioners. Most often, a church for those who come to be baptized or baptize children is something distant, mysterious and enigmatic... Soon our Lena, who conducts public conversations before baptism, will approach them, explain everything and answer all questions. In addition to this obedience, Lena is also involved in the library at the temple, from which anyone can borrow books to read. And she, like many, helps clean the temple.
I remember the first time I decided to offer my help in the church - I stayed after the service. Valentina, the young woman behind the box, was a little surprised, smiled friendly, and went to teach me how to put out the lamps. I remember how my father, passing by, looked at me for a while - someone new had appeared... And then, with tears in my eyes, I told my friends at school how I wanted to become a member of this family - to clean, wash the floors, everything that anything - just to be There...
I remember that the first person who greeted me in church at the night Easter service with a joyful cry of “Christ is Risen!” there was Irina, under whose leadership my friend and I looked after the candles and washed the floors on Holy Saturday...
...Annushka, an old altar girl, walked from the guardhouse into the temple. It seems that she has very little hearing and vision, but she will never pass by familiar faces without a slight bow and a surprisingly kind and joyful smile. We have two altar girls - there is also Antonina - a zealot for a reverent attitude towards the temple and the service, simple and kind, but she does not let the altar boys off the hook in case of negligence.
It's time for us to go to church. You enter and immediately hear harmonious choir singing. Today, on Sunday, the choir is in full force. Regent Lyuba is still very young, but very strict - try to hit the wrong note! But this doesn’t happen on Sundays - the choir has parishioners with the best vocal abilities, and the most experienced ones. Among them, if you look closely, you can see our oldest and most respected singer, Zinaida Grigorievna. It was she, Mother Zinaida, who once took me by the hand and led me to the choir, not even imagining how much it meant to me then, and forever this event became significant for me in my life... Modest and unnoticed at holiday services, Mother Zinaida, who dedicated her entire life to the church, is simply irreplaceable at everyday services, when there are very few singers, and often one had to help the priests sing and read the service that lasts several hours...
Behind the box are Elizaveta, Valentina, Lyudmila Andreevna - the treasurer of the temple. They will always smile, answer the inexhaustible questions of those who are just looking for the way to the temple, who came “by chance”, out of curiosity, they will recommend a book, talk about icons, and tell you when it is more convenient to approach the priest with a question. Well, for mothers with children they will always add extra prosphora - after Communion, no sweets can compare with fresh prosphora!
There is a confession in the Nikolsky chapel. Now Father Vasily is confessing. Amazing father! Recently the entire parish celebrated his 70th anniversary. Despite all his infirmities, Father Vasily does not leave the service in the church. He confesses, concelebrates, serves a memorial service - his service means a lot, his parishioners love and appreciate him. Next to him is always his right hand - Mother Tamara - kind, friendly, the favorite of all the kids in the parish.
We have another priest - Father Alexander. You don’t often meet such a cheerful priest - everyone will remember one of his good jokes, a cheerful remark that brings one out of despondency. Father Alexander will never just pass by children - he will bless them, pat them on the head, ask how they are doing, if anyone is offending them? Many have noticed that he is especially partial to boys - the priest has four daughters and two granddaughters, about whom he never tires of talking.
One cannot help but remember Mother Evgenia, the wife of our rector, the mother of four children. She is always aware of all the affairs in the parish, will always support in difficult times, pray, and find someone who can help in a difficult situation. He will advise young mothers on how to cope with small children, not to forget the temple and not to give up prayer under any circumstances.
“Draw near with the fear of God and faith...” - that’s Communion. Many young mothers and fathers with babies in their arms reached towards the priest holding the Chalice in his hands and reading a prayer. In front of Father Alexy there are many children in colorful festive clothes and scarves, a little further away there are older children, decorously folding their hands on their chests... Thank God that there are so many of them! Grant, Lord, that they go through their entire lives with faith and trust in God’s help...
After Communion, the babies are taken away to be fed and put to sleep in their strollers; many remain until the end of the service. Adult parishioners move closer to the priest to listen to the sermon. But, thanks to the care of our craftsmen, Gregory and Sergei, who stretched wires with microphones to the altar, the sermon can be heard very clearly not only next to the priest, but also in any corner of the church.
We approach the Cross. The priest greets everyone, asks how they are, whether things are going well, and invites them to a meal.
In the vestibule, many linger at the stands. Here you can always find out parish news, read announcements about upcoming Processions of the Cross, parish holidays, read articles by parishioners from our website, look at photo reports from past general parish events and holiday concerts, admire the drawings of young Sunday school students, and learn much more. Adults are invited to conversations about Orthodoxy with the priest, held on Wednesdays at the children's club in the town of Shchelkovo-7.
The youth, under the leadership of the young officer Vladimir, agree on the next walking or cycling trip - after all, summer is just around the corner, it’s time to relax in nature.
Approximately once a month in the vestibule, and on sunny summer days and at the exit from the temple, clothing and shoes are distributed to those in need. Natalya Nikolaevna, who carries obedience here, says that such distributions help many. Well, the mothers in the parish at any time do not stop exchanging children's clothes and things that babies, as a rule, do not have time to wear out.
On the days of patronal feasts, at the exit from the church, a festive meal awaits everyone - specially placed tables are laid with dishes with cookies and sweets, everyone is treated to fragrant tea - the whole air around is permeated with the atmosphere of the holiday... We communicate, rejoice, share news and impressions, plan future meetings.
After the service, many stay in the church to help, and after a meal and rest, Sunday school classes begin. For seniors, Alexander Georgievich, a former military man, conducts a hand-to-hand combat section.
The children and I are going home - they are still too small for Sunday school, and my husband’s obedience in the church is rather “homey” - Boris, and another of our parishioners, and just a friend, Sergei, with the blessing of the priest, are working on the website of our church. They write new articles, make photo reports, regularly update the schedule of services, and look for interesting materials.
Last look at the temple sign of the cross, bow... We are going home, but our souls never leave here. This is our second, or rather, first home, here are our friends, our family, which is constantly growing and changing, always ready to accept someone who is hard and lonely, ready to help and support. Our family is our parish.
Olga Ushkevich
Remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy: six days
do and complete your works in them, in the same day
the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord your God
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy
(i.e. spend it sacredly): work for six days and do
in continuation of them all your works, and the seventh day is the day
dedicate the Sabbath to the Lord your God
By the fourth commandment, the Lord God commands us to work for six days and do our own business, to which one is called, and to devote the seventh day to serving God, to holy and pleasing deeds to Him.
Holy and pleasing to God deeds are: caring for the salvation of one’s soul, prayer in the temple of God and at home, studying the Law of God, enlightening the mind and heart with useful knowledge, reading the Holy Scripture and other soul-helping books, pious conversations, helping the poor, visiting the sick and prisoners in prison, consolation of the sad and other good deeds.
In the Old Testament, the seventh day of the week was celebrated - Saturday (which in Hebrew means “rest”) - in remembrance of the creation of the world by the Lord God (“on the seventh day God rested from the work of creation”). In the New Testament, from the time of the holy apostles, the first day of the week, Sunday, began to be celebrated - in remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ.
The name of the seventh day must mean not only Sunday, but also other holidays and fasts established by the Church. As in the Old Testament, the name Sabbath also included other holidays (Easter, Pentecost, Tabernacles, etc.).
ORTHODOX HOLIDAYS
The most important Christian holiday is the “Feast of the Holidays and the Celebration of Celebrations” - The Bright Resurrection of Christ, called Holy Easter, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, in the period from March 22 (April 4 n/s) to April 25 (May 8 n/s).
Twelfth holidays
Then follow the Great, so-called twelve holidays, established in honor and glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother, the Virgin Mary.
7. Annunciation(angelic announcement to the Blessed Virgin Mary about the incarnation of the Son of God from Her) - March 25 (April 7 n/s)
8. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem(Palm Sunday) - the last Sunday before Easter
9. Ascension of the Lord- on the fortieth day after Easter.
10. The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles(Pentecost, or the day of the Holy Trinity) - on the fiftieth day after Easter
Other most revered holidays
Posts established by the Church
1. Great Lent, or Holy Pentecost(before Easter). It lasts seven weeks: six weeks of fasting itself and the seventh week of Passion - in remembrance of the suffering of Christ the Savior.
2. Christmas post(before the feast of the Nativity of Christ). It begins on November 14 (November 27 n/s), from the day of the Holy Apostle Philip, which is why it is otherwise called the Philip Fast (forty-day fast).
3. Dormition post(before the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God). Lasts two weeks, from August 1 (Aug 14 n/s) to August 14. (27 Aug. n/s) inclusive.
4. Apostolic, or Petrov, fast(before the feast of the holy apostles Peter and Paul). Begins a week after the Holy Trinity Day and lasts until June 29th (July 12th). Its duration depends on whether Easter occurs earlier or later. Its longest duration is six weeks, and its shortest is a week with one day.
One-day posts
Christmas Eve (day before Christmas)- December 24 (b Jan. n/s). A particularly strict fast during the days of the Nativity Fast (the custom is not to eat until the first star appears).
Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in remembrance of the sufferings of Jesus Christ on the cross, September 14 (September 27 n/s).
Wednesday and Friday of every week. Wednesday - in memory of the betrayal of the Savior by Judas. Friday - in remembrance of the sufferings on the cross and the death of Jesus Christ for us.
Fasting on Wednesday and Friday does not occur only in the following weeks: on Easter week, on Christmastide (from the day of the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany), on Trinity week (from the feast of the Holy Trinity to the beginning of Peter's Lent), on the week of the publican and the Pharisee (before the Great Lent) and in the Cheese or Butter Week, just before Lent, when only milk and eggs are allowed.
During fasting, you need to be determined and fight against all your bad habits and passions: anger, hatred, enmity and the like.; you need to get away from the distracted, cheerful life, from games, shows, dances; there is no need to read books that arouse unclean thoughts and desires in the soul; There is no need to eat meat, milk, eggs, but you should limit yourself to lean food (i.e. plant foods and, when allowed, fish), consuming it in very moderate quantities. During a multi-day fast, one must confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries.
DEFINITION OF SINS UNDER THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
Did you spend your time as a Christian on holidays and on the eve of them? Did you attend church services these days and pray at them with attention?
Have you visited the sick, prisoners, the suffering and the mourning on holy holidays?
Didn't you indulge in drunkenness and overeating on these holy days?
Have you been carried away by idle talk, condemnation, sinful amusements, gambling, watching obscene programs on television, reading obscene books - especially on church holidays?
Did you not work on holidays, as on ordinary weekdays, did you force your subordinates or relatives to work during this memorable time?
Have you been lazy about working on weekdays?
Did you try to shift the dirtier and harder work onto others?
Did you hide from public work under the pretext of an imaginary illness?
When working at a church or monastery, did you fulfill the obedience entrusted to you with love and diligence?
Do you use the time of holy holidays for reading the Word of God and spiritual books, for prayer, spiritual reflection and good deeds?
Do you sincerely love our holy mother - the Orthodox Church? Did he prefer any heterodox churches, Christian societies or unauthorized meetings to her?
Did you strictly adhere to fasting and fasting days? Didn’t he disrupt these days by eating savory food and participating in various everyday entertainments?
Have you not defiled holidays and fasting days by conjugal intercourse or other types of carnal intemperance?
Didn't you grumble about the duration and severity of the fasts and the large number of fasting days?
Sins against the fourth commandment
Disrespect for Sundays and church holidays, failure to attend church services on these days.“Solid it,” says the commandment about the Sabbath, which for us Christians, after the Resurrection of Christ, replaced the first day of the week - resurrection. Not honoring Sundays and holidays means not going to services on these days, not devoting holiday time to deeds of piety (prayer, spiritual reading, singing, visiting the sick, the poor and prisoners). This means spending holy days as usual, in social and domestic work, secular entertainment, simply in idleness, or, even worse, in drunkenness. I would like to especially dwell on the last sinful pastime. Many people think that they glorify God and celebrate holidays by getting drunk in honor of these days. Complete madness. What more can one offend God's goodness than by drunkenness and the indecent behavior that flows from it. It is painful to see how, for example, on the day of the Holy Trinity, churches, especially rural ones, are half empty, but there is a general drunkenness in the cemetery, after which the unconscious bodies of the “celebrants” rest there until the evening. Not visiting church on a holiday or Sunday means not loving Christ and not striving for communion with God. No home prayer can replace church prayer. “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them,” says the Lord. “My house will be called a house of prayer,” Christ foretells in another place. According to church canons in the old days, if a person without good reason missed three Sunday services, he was absent from church. Such severity occurred because a zealous Christian simply physically could not miss so many services, for his desire for public prayer was extraordinary. If an Orthodox Christian allowed himself to miss three services, this meant that internally he had long ago cut himself off from the church, and the church’s excommunication only externally signified this long-established fact.
Orthodox fasts and holidays (.pdf)
Dishonoring the day of your Angel. Housework or going to the bathhouse these days. In holy baptism, everyone from the font receives a Guardian Angel and a special heavenly intercessor and prayer book, a saint in whose honor he is named. The day of remembrance of the saint whose name a Christian bears is the day of his Angel. On this day, every Orthodox Christian should be in church for a service, strive to confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, read the akathist and serve a prayer service in honor of their saint. An ordinary, indifferent conduct of the day of this spiritual holiday insults the saint whose name we bear, depriving us of his spiritual protection and prayerful intercession. It is even more unacceptable to go to the bathhouse on the day of your Angel, on Sundays and holidays. By doing this, we express our disdain for God, for the memory of our saint, and show complete indifference and oblivion to the spiritual side of life. Showing special care at this festive time for the flesh, which will someday rot and be eaten by worms, we forget about the soul, an immortal essence, the afterlife of which depends on how this earthly life was lived.
Going to the theater, cinema or sports shows on church holidays- spending time specifically devoted to God and spiritual matters in secular entertainment is a significant sin. Such a pastime testifies to our lack of spirituality, to the fact that the center of our existence is in the world of carnal pleasures, that the Divine and spiritual are far away from us. How can a believer, for example, be at a football game and watch with passion the kicking of a sword, while in church they glorify the Holy Trinity or offer prayers in honor of the Feast of the Assumption? Holy Mother of God? Man’s indifference to God causes a corresponding retreat of grace from blasphemers. Let us recall at least 1999, when during the holiday of the Holy Trinity in Minsk a “beer” festival with a rock concert was held near the cathedral. During this sacrilegious act, thunder roared, lightning flashed and torrential rain poured down. The godless crowd rushed to escape the thunderstorm into the underground passages of the metro and crushed each other, killing and injuring hundreds of people.
Watching a lot of TV and reading empty, depraved literature, especially on holy holidays. Watching a lot of TV and reading such literature is in itself a sin, as it corrupts a person and leads him away from spiritual life. If this happens on holy holidays, then the person falls into grave sin. For he spends the time devoted to God in serving his passions, that is, the deeds of Satan. Christian! Beware of offending the goodness of God with lust, sensuality, and the desire for empty entertainment. Remember that time passes quickly, and a person will have to give an answer for his aimlessly lived life at his hour of judgment.
Fussiness about worldly affairs on holidays. Failure to visit the sick, mourning, poor, and suffering during this memorable time. Some people, although formally adhere to the rule of not working on holidays and Sundays, indulge in the bustle of business on this day. There are so many meetings and long conversations on economic, commercial and official matters on holidays! Don’t many people also think about moving to another apartment or dacha on Sundays, and don’t they leave all the accumulated correspondence with relatives and friends for this day? And all these activities do not happen unexpectedly, but are already planned in advance. Isn't all of the above household work or at least the end of a week's work? Yes, this is the same work, only festive in its own way. No, Sunday should be free not only from hard work, but also from all everyday vanities, worries and worries. His main goal is to spend the whole day in a spiritual way. For example, dedicate to prayer and deeds of piety: visiting the mourning, the sick, the poor - making their lives and sorrows easier during this holy time.
Guests and entertainment on the eve of church holidays. Singing songs and dancing on and during Sunday and church holidays. The church day begins in the evening (18.00) according to the order of the world: “And there was evening, and there was morning: one day” (Gen. 1, 5). Likewise, every Sunday day, which replaced the Jewish Saturday in the New Testament, as well as every holiday, is counted in the evening and ends in the order of worship in the evening, that is, every other day. Although some great holidays also have their own “pre-celebrations and post-celebrations.” That is why the first step of a Christian to honor the holiday refers to the evening of this day: the evening here is part of the holiday itself. How are we spending this evening? It’s good if by Saturday evening everything in our rooms is tidy, when a lamp glows in front of the icons and after attending the evening service we indulge in spiritual reading and contemplation of God. Unfortunately, it happens that others, as if on purpose, invite guests to their place for a holiday or go to visit a theater, cinema or club. The Church convenes Orthodox Christians for all-night vigil, and these people gather for carnal evening entertainment. The church rings the bell for matins, and they are just starting to leave the party or are fast asleep, tired from the night's amusements. A pious Christian does not allow such desecration of Sunday and holiday! Remember the words of Holy Scripture: “God is a jealous God! You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Joyful anticipation of a bright holiday not with the thought of the Lord, but out of a desire for idleness, intemperance and sensual amusements.
Others wait for the holiday not because of the spiritual greatness of the event being celebrated, but because of the desire to quickly end the fast or “legally” indulge in carnality and worldly entertainment. Such people must understand that God needs our heart, sincere love for Him, and not formal observance of external rules with the passionate desire of the heart of worldly vanity. For such a state is disastrous, and only external observance of the ritual is useless. Those who feast and drink at night are likened to the Babylonian king Belshazzar, who, having forgotten God and lost his mortal memory, spent many nights in crazy fun. One night he saw a hand on the wall writing judgment (sentence) against him (Dan. 5). Everyday conversations, feasting and amusements after midnight undoubtedly constitute a special guilt, since, in addition to the sins of drunkenness, gluttony, and often debauchery, they are combined with forced night wakefulness. The latter often gives a person a headache, reduces his performance for the day, causes lethargy and apathy. If anyone can get up at night, it is better to devote this time to night prayer, remembering the coming Judgment of the Lord.
Rural work on Sundays and holidays. Often, under the pretext of good weather and urgent business, peasants go to haymaking or other agricultural work on church holidays. Here we see a clear manifestation of lack of faith, lack of trust in God’s providence for the Christian. God will always help the believer, and his work will not go in vain, especially if he honors God and His holy holidays. And when there is no hope in the Creator and a person relies only on his own strength and ingenuity, he is often put to shame. Often, seduced by good weather, people go haymaking on Sunday. And what? Never once has the Lord allowed an Orthodox Christian who violates the Feast of God to benefit from the fruits of illegal labor. Either it will rain unexpectedly and the hay will get wet, or the hay that was mown on Sunday will then rot from prolonged rains and the like. The peasant must always remember that he works, and the result depends only on the mercy of God. And God’s mercy is most often poured out on people who love the Lord and honor His holy holidays.
Trade and markets on Sundays and church holidays. This, which has become an everyday, ordinary matter for some, is an insult to God and an insult to the Holy Church. Thus, those selling in shops and markets absolutely do not distinguish church holidays from everyday life. Instead of God Christ, they serve mammon; but it is known: whoever serves whom will be with him in the times of eternal life.
Excess of pleasure and drunkenness under the pretext church holiday . Drunkenness under the pretext of a church holiday is the greatest sacrilege. God is served by abstinence, humility and prayer, and the devil by drunkenness, debauchery and gluttony. Anyone who gets drunk on holidays defiles the Lord's day and is a temptation and a bad example for others. A person who forgets God on holy days and indulges in worldly pleasures also defiles a church holiday. The essence of the latter is spiritual activity, internal standing before God with a contrite and grateful heart. But does someone who drinks and has fun remember about God and His holy commandments?
Non-Christian celebration of Christmastide. Non-Christian celebration of Easter. Some people indulge in uncontrollable carnal merriment on Christmastide and Easter. They overeat, get drunk, sing worldly, passionate songs, perform immodest dances. They say, the time of abstinence is over, let's have fun. Such people are like madmen trying to pour water into a sieve. Just as those, having collected water in a sieve, immediately spill it, so foolish Christians, who indulge in carnal pleasures after fasting, lose grace and good habits, acquired with such difficulty during ascetic work. During Christmas time, some adhere to the pagan, sinful custom of dressing up in costumes of evil spirits, acting out (this is especially common in the village), scattering other people's firewood, breaking fences and gates. What, besides the wrath of God, can cause such behavior, causing offense and material loss, usually to lonely and defenseless old people. On holidays, a Christian should indulge in spiritual joy and acts of mercy: visiting and feeding the poor and poor, helping the sick and lonely: in deed, in word, simply with a kind, caring attitude, so that they, feeling love and care, glorify God.
Celebrating name days and birthdays is not Christian.“Herod, on the occasion of his birthday, held a feast...” (Mark 6:21). Name day for a Christian is, first of all, a collection of the most important memories dedicated to the main events of his spiritual life: his birth, as a rule, close to his name day; holy baptism, at which the name is usually given; the first communion under the given holy name, as well as the day of remembrance of the holy heavenly patron of the Christian, in whose honor he was named. The best way to spend a name day is this way: to confess and receive communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ on this day, serve a prayer service to the named saint, especially fervently pray to him in your heart and ask that he be worthy to “unite with him in the next century.” It is advisable to repeat the reading of the life of your saint, read an akathist to him (in church or at home), do feasible alms or some other godly deed. You can celebrate your name day by hosting guests, having lunch or a dinner party. But at the same time, it is necessary to maintain a spiritual attitude, honor the sanctity of the day, and not abuse wine. Many, unfortunately, spend this day in idleness, without serious prayer, without communion. They take care of a rich treat, a “worthy” reception of guests, fuss in every possible way, and behind this worldly bustle the main spiritual being of the holiday passes unnoticed.
Drinking and eating before the end of the festive liturgy in the church. Fasts do not constitute a holiday, but they either prepare for some great holiday, or in themselves constitute a service to God. Therefore, where we talk about serving God on Sundays and holidays, we should always talk about fasting. First, let's talk about short shit hours. Thus, one should not eat or drink on holidays until the end of mass. On these days, although fasting is not required in its full extent (that is, in the quality, quantity of food and the time of its consumption), fasting until a certain hour is still necessary as an aid in prayer (remember the popular wisdom: “a full belly is deaf to prayer.” "). The holiday is sacred with prayer, and prayer is strengthened by fasting (Matthew 17:21). This means that it is necessary to abstain from food and drink every time until the end of mass on Sundays and holidays. Orthodox Christian! Do not humiliate yourself with gluttony for early tea or early eating on holidays, just for the sake of being an obedient servant of your habit and bodily pleasure.
Visiting a cemetery, instead of church, on holidays (Trinity, parent's Saturday) and drinking there. It was already mentioned above that visiting a cemetery on holidays instead of a church is a sin and does not bring any benefit to the deceased. Only the Lord and church prayer for them can help the dead, which appeases God and therefore benefits the deceased. When on Trinity Sunday, instead of church, we go to the cemetery, and even drink there, then this only causes bitterness and regret among the deceased about our madness.
Drowsiness, habit of getting up late in the morning.“How long will you sleep, sloth? When will you arise from your sleep?” (Prov. 6, 9). How do we take advantage of the blessed morning? Is it following the example of the Old Testament righteous, for example Joshua (Joshua 7:16; 8:10), Abraham (Gen. 19:27), Job (Job 1:5), who got up early in the morning and began to work, and then got up sooner, the more important things awaited them. Unfortunately, for many of us early morning (5-6 o'clock) does not exist at all; many get up after seven, and others even at 9-10 o'clock. What is harmful and contrary to the law of God in this? Forgetfulness comes from drowsiness: sleepy people in the morning do not use the most best time, when mental strength and spirit are especially fresh. Time that is best spent in prayer, spiritual reading, and mental work. In addition, excessive sleep contributes to the development of sensuality and carnal passion. Late risers often oversleep church services while rushing to work, skip prayers, and the like.
Slowness, lethargy in business and actions.“Speed up time...” (Sir. 36, 9). Getting up in the morning, we set about fulfilling our duties and responsibilities. But in our very activities, aren’t we wasting a lot of time? Are we not fussing, trying to complete the necessary work as quickly as possible, while at the expense of its quality and quality? The Lord, Who could create the world instantly, creates it within six days, teaching us gradualism and attentiveness in our affairs. At the same time, those who unnecessarily delay and procrastinate in completing the task commit sin. Who simply sits, or stands, or remains waiting for someone or something, delaying the execution of the necessary work. This often leads to the fact that successful completion of the work begun becomes simply impossible. Slowness, lethargy and carelessness (frivolity) in business are a vicious quality. Christian! Don’t let your days and hours, or even minutes, go to waste in vain. We will procrastinate in vain in any task, and then we will rush and do everything with omission and considerable harm to him.
Unreasonable and frequent visits to friends, habit of being away from home.“The foot of a fool rushes into someone else’s house...” (Sir. 21:25). There are visits: on official duty, honorary (mainly on holidays), friendly and family. All such visits are necessary and sometimes useful. Even holy saints visited each other (for example, Paul of Thebes and Anthony the Great). But you need to do them during leisure hours, and not when you need to do business (this especially applies to women who often have empty meetings and idle talk on the phone take up almost all their free time). Internal disposition or work necessity may also be a motive for a visit or a visit, but not idle vanity or compulsion. Time is fleeting, it is irrevocable and changeable: we cannot return a single hour from the past, and the future is beyond our control. Treasure time, “... because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16), we can only use the present time at our discretion. We will have to give an answer to God for our earthly life, and if it is wasted, then we will become like the careless servant from the parable of the talents, who buried the goods given to him in the ground and for this was condemned to eternal torment.
Irresponsibility is the unwillingness to be responsible for one's own words and actions. In external behavior it is often revealed by the expression of obviously unacceptable proposals and intentions, which the speaker does not intend to implement at all; attempts to ensure that the desired decision or opinion is put forward, expressed by other people and accepted by the majority of people participating in the discussion (all kinds of meetings, voting, “the will of the people”); the desire to evade responsibility by explaining one’s behavior or statement by the pressure of circumstances or one’s own inability, powerlessness to do otherwise; trying not to reveal one’s goals and plans, so as not to be blamed not only for one’s actions, but even for one’s thoughts. Irresponsibility is manifested by reluctance (and subsequently inability) to predict and provide for the consequences of one’s feelings, thoughts, statements and actions. It can also be detected by a tendency to engage in activities that do not lead to any tangible result for which one would have to be responsible (for example, playing games on the computer). Irresponsibility is often cultivated by improper parental upbringing, direct pampering of the child, for example, permission to do whatever he wants, lack of punishment not only for disobedience, but even for openly dissolute behavior, an attempt to protect him from fair reproaches and claims of others. Like all sins, irresponsibility stems from pride through pride - self-pity - self-justification and leads to aimlessness and meaninglessness of life (loss of purpose and meaning in life), reducing all human activities to satisfying everyday, momentary everyday needs.
In medicine, the state of the human soul, determined by irresponsibility, is usually called infantilism. An irresponsible person around him rejects any qualities that could make him responsible for his actions, and above all, determination, determination, and exactingness. By the way, the last trait (quality) is often characteristic of the most irresponsible, but not in relation to oneself, but only in relation to others. An irresponsible person easily violates his obligations (“my word: I want to give, I want to take back”), accepts obligations that are obviously impossible to fulfill, and does not show up on time for meetings, including business ones. Most of all, adherence to the Hindu teaching about karma and the reincarnation of the soul, in which a person is not subject to final responsibility for his life for an indefinitely long time, serves to cultivate irresponsibility in people. An irresponsible person takes everything quite lightly and is often prone to irony, which greatly diminishes the difficulties that an irresponsible person cannot avoid. The easiest way to resist irresponsibility is with those qualities that are most actively rejected by those suffering from this sin; this is the unconditional recognition that even “for every idle word” a person will bear responsibility on the Day of the Last Judgment and that by his words and deeds “you will be justified or condemned.”
Excessive fussiness in business.“The heart of a wise man knows both the time and the rules” (Ec. 8:5). Some people are literally overloaded with various worries. But they take on these numerous tasks themselves. Such people want to be everywhere, to know everyone and everything, and are listed as members of all kinds of societies and committees. This would be acceptable if it were done out of zeal and for the glory of God, but this is done, as a rule, out of vanity or out of a desire to have influence on affairs and certain individuals. Excessive fussiness leads to oversights, harms the success of the business, leaves little time for prayer and generally diverts a person from main goal in his life.
Dishonest labors and trades.“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your increase...” (Proverbs 3:9). But the work that gives a person the necessary means for subsistence must be of a godly nature and be useful to people and society. According to church rules, the so-called “playful exercises” are directly called “impurity” and are punishable by six years of excommunication from the church (Carthage 74). “Playful exercises” include circus performers, buffoons (modern parodists, clowns), artists, professional athletes and others. IN Orthodox Rus' these activities were considered shameful, since they only serve to inflame human passions and do not create anything useful for society. People who make money in this way are engaged in “dishonorable labors and trades” and, naturally, do not follow the above rule (Proverbs 3, 9). In our time, a time of global distortion of spiritual truths, the above-mentioned artists are considered almost the best people in society, while others worship them as idols. But this does not mean that the church rule is incorrect, but that the consciousness of people has undergone terrible pathological changes.
Lateness to work and generally a careless attitude towards work activities.“Cursed is everyone who does God’s work carelessly,” says the Holy Scripture. Whatever work we do, we must do it as if before the eyes of God, for the glory of the Lord. Lateness and a careless attitude to work are an indicator of relaxation and delicacy of the human soul, which in turn can be a sign of spiritual obsession. A Christian, whatever he does not do, must do to the fullest extent of his strength “greatly good,” diligently and on time.
Parasitism or complete idleness.“Some among you act disorderly, do nothing, but fuss. We admonish and convince such people by our Lord Jesus Christ, so that they, working in silence, eat their own bread” (2 Thess. 3:11-12), says the Apostle Paul in relation to lovers of idleness. These people, who have neither a craft nor a position, spend whole months and even years thinking about where they can find a job. Many of them frankly do not want to work, but want to live in idleness at the expense of others. Life is activity, and that means an inactive life does not even deserve the name “life.” God created man for work, not for idleness. Even before the Fall, God showed man the task of “cultivating and maintaining paradise” (Gen. 2:15). And after the Fall, when sin became a common penance for everyone (Gen. 3:19), a special commandment appeared about working six days a week. Thus, idleness is a fault. Being a vice of the soul, it corrupts it even more and brings with it “friends” (that is, other vices). “Idleness has taught many evil things” (Sir. 33:28), says the Holy Scriptures, and popular wisdom testifies to the same thing: “idleness is the mother of vices.” In addition, a parasite burdens his neighbors, some of whom give him food and shelter, others - clothing, others - money to fulfill everyday needs, and so on. But even if they live in idleness on inheritance or interest, physical or spiritual labor is still the duty of every person, under all circumstances of life and at all times, excluding illness or old age. It is known according to legend that before our Lord Jesus Christ went out to preach worldwide, he shared carpentry work with Elder Joseph. The apostles said about themselves: “they ate no one’s bread for nothing” (2 Thess. 3:8).
Vagrancy (homelessness)- these are not just lazy people or parasites, but people “walking”, who abandoned their homes, families, and jobs. When several similar persons appeared among the Thessalonian Christians (2 Thess. 3:11), the Apostle Paul wrote about them with all severity, so that they would certainly correct themselves and so that others would not be carried away by their bad example. What motivates some people to start such a life? Usually this is some kind of misdemeanor. They are ashamed of their action, which everyone knows about, they are afraid of punishment for it - and they hide. Then, the reason may be flight from military service, sometimes evasion from family discord or oppression, sometimes heavy drinking or drug addiction. As for the punishment for the offense, it would almost always be less than the execution to which a homeless person condemns himself with his life. But, there is some kind of demonic appeal to vagrancy, and many quickly get used to this relaxed and irresponsible life.
Begging and begging due to unwillingness to work."My son! do not live a beggarly life...” (Sir. 40, 29), says the Holy Scripture. Beggars, however, have always been and will be. The Lord allows such a state of people both for their personal salvation and for the benefit of those around them, so that it would be more convenient for the latter to show their mercy. Forced poverty is not a vice. A true beggar is pleased to give alms. Meanwhile, how many beggars there are who could work and don’t work! They could still be in service, as nannies, housekeepers, or dacha servants, but they simply don’t want to work. Instead of labor, they collect alms from the church, from home, on public transport and at train stations. There are also so-called professional beggars who, standing, for example, in the subway, collect alms in a day equal to a worker’s weekly earnings. There are especially many who turn the collected alms into wine and, not out of appearance, but out of real need, remain in dirty, worn-out clothes. All this false poverty accustoms people to hypocrisy, trying to hide their true physical strength, cover up their vices, and evoke pity from compassionate people with their supposed illnesses and suffering. How far such beggars have strayed from the true path of life. How they dishonor the name of Christ by luring out, in fact, alms they do not need! Everyone must be nourished by his own labors. It is said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), therefore many saints, in their visible poverty, refused alms, earning their living by handicrafts. Some beggars who beg from the church, justifying themselves, say: “Our work consists in the fact that we pray for those who give us alms.” But they are not priests to take upon themselves the work of praying for others and do nothing else when they still have the strength to various works. In addition, when praying, you can also have manual work; prayer is powerful only with sobriety and a good life. However, this is simple self-justification on the part of the beggars; for they often really cannot and do not want to pray for themselves, because they have become lazy and practically do not go inside the church, but always remain on the porch, waiting for alms. Abuses of Christ's alms! Why do you renounce the Kingdom of Heaven, turn from parasitism to feasible work, or, if you have no strength to work, spend your life in abstinence, and not in drunkenness and vice, because Christ Himself stands invisibly behind your shoulders when for His sake you ask for alms for yourself , and good Christians give it to you for His sake.
Neglect of simple, hard, dirty work, the desire to avoid it or blame it on someone else. There are people who would rather starve and sell their last things than take a menial, low, in their opinion, job. Great misconception! Every necessary work in life is also honest work. Our Lord washed the feet of His disciples when there was no servant to wash the feet and when none of His disciples volunteered to do so. The angels of God also descend for simple work - when they leave the bright abodes of heaven and move to our earth in order to protect us, according to God's dispensation. No, only low motives can humiliate simple or menial labor, but in itself any communal labor is honest. Anyone who tries to avoid hard work or dump it on others is guilty of the sins of conceit, vanity, self-pity and laziness.
Indiscriminate giving of alms to those who abuse it (drunkards, parasites, of whom this is known), on the one hand, stinginess and non-giving of alms with condemnation of those asking, on the other. “Everyone should give according to his heart’s desire, not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). We must give alms with an inner disposition, with good will, with pity for the situation of our neighbor, out of a feeling of Christian mercy and with such a thought that in the person of the beggars Christ Himself accepts our alms. But can there be an internal disposition to give alms if we know for sure that the beggar will drink our alms? And we do not refuse him only for the sake of accepted custom or fear of slander on his part. What pity can there be for those whose situation is not at all pitiful, who only ask and do not need, who, due to their age and health, could still work and not ask. Is it mercy to feed the well-fed, often ungrateful, and comfort the cheerful? Is this a reverent attitude towards the name of Christ when we allow a drunken tongue to pronounce this sacred name to ask for alms, when we allow ourselves to be deceived under this name and, as it were, pay with alms for the fact that it is pronounced unrighteously? - No! Christ the Savior showed us the people whom we should help with alms, only in the face of the hungry, thirsty, naked - in the face of forced and actual poverty. It is better to help the poor and those with many children, whose needs we really know, to help even once every six months, but significantly, than to distribute coppers to lying brethren. And it will not be contrary to Christian love for one’s neighbor if, by our non-giving, we force a person who does not want to work to go hungry a little in order to incline him to work. Giving alms indiscriminately and every time means wasting it, sometimes making oneself poor as a result and essentially not helping the poor. Often this means encouraging the lazy to continue being lazy, and the drunk to continue drinking. The reasoning of some Christians will be incorrect, as if their job is only to give, and where the beggar will use their alms, who he is, why he is poor, whether he deserves alms, is not for them to figure out. Behind such reasoning there is often a formalism in fulfilling the commandments of the Lord: he gave alms, fulfilled the commandment, but there is nothing to do with the fate of this person, and without him there are enough worries. Such reasoning is initially incorrect, since every Christian virtue must be combined with prudence and experience. However, the Word of God says: “But you, brothers, do not lose heart in doing good” (2 Thess. 3.13). These words of the Apostle Paul are addressed to those who give alms, so that they do not grow cold in their zeal and do not allow the thought that their merit is not accepted by God and the good is wasted. After all, no one leaves his own brother hungry, even if the latter himself was to blame for his poverty. Also, it is not always possible to quickly and correctly determine the state of the person asking, therefore, if the heart does not protest and there is an opportunity, you should give it to him. In addition, we may not give alms due to stinginess, justifying ourselves by the fact that it may fall into unworthy hands. To avoid this, you should not give it to obvious parasites, but give it to those who, in your opinion, are really in need, without getting particularly involved in the study of his personality.
The opinion that a large number of Church holidays harm the national property.“They are idle, that’s why they shout: let’s go, let’s make a sacrifice to our God” (Ex. 5:8), Pharaoh reproached the Jews about their prayers and sacrifices. And at present, some say and write: “Russian Orthodox Christians have many holidays; holidays take away their time intended for work and lead them to drunkenness.” The falsity of such reasoning is obvious. Even in the Old Testament, the Lord established other holidays besides Saturday. In the New Testament we read that Jesus Christ used to attend all the festivals in Jerusalem. Church holidays, such as the Twelfth Day, are the most important reminders and spiritual consolations for a Christian. They were established by the Church, consecrated for centuries, supported by folk tradition and custom. These are the days when people can feel their soul with special strength and realize their heavenly destiny. Due to their busy schedule, few people can visit a temple on a weekday and completely devote themselves to prayer. In addition, Church annual holidays perfectly bring together Orthodox Christians of different states and classes; here both friends and enemies come together in the name of Christ. They congratulate each other, often forgive and become closer. If anyone allows himself to get drunk on church holidays, then he does this not at the behest of the church, but at the suggestion of the enemy. The Church always stands for sobriety and moderation. And for those who want to get drunk, any excuse is suitable. They say: “The people need bread, not holidays.” If holidays and Sundays are abolished, then only the factory owners and capitalists, in whose hands the enterprises in which the poor people would work without rest, would become richer, who in such a situation would simply turn into working animals. For spiritual and moral life, man needs prayer and communion with God, like air.
Non-participation in the burial of loved ones, as well as the poor and lonely. Pay your last respects to the deceased, see him off eternal life praying as much as possible during the funeral service is the duty of every Christian. The body is the temple of the soul and has a certain connection with it even after death. Therefore, to bury a person in the Orthodox way: “from earth you are and to earth you will go”, to help organize the funeral service and the installation of a cross on the grave is the sacred duty of every Christian. Helping or even organizing the funeral of a poor or lonely person whom the Lord has destined us to meet in this life is also a necessary Christian virtue. IN ancient Church There were even special partnerships of “grave diggers” who were engaged in the funeral of lonely people and wanderers. These people enjoyed universal respect. If anyone, due to laziness, coldness or negligence, avoids helping in the funerals of lonely and poor people, he sins before the Lord.
Eating fast food after midnight on a fast day. The church day begins at 18.00, and after twelve at night the beginning of the natural day begins. It's already the morning of the next day. After midnight the Myrrh-bearers appeared at the tomb of the Lord, and the Lord was already risen. Eating fast food and drinking wine on Wednesday or Friday, or on the first day of fasting, at the expense of the previous day, is a deceit of conscience and disregard for church statutes.
Failure to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. Lenten food, and no other food, has been accepted by the Church in these days since the very first centuries of Christianity. On Wednesday we remember the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas. On Friday there is suffering on the cross and the death of the Savior for the sins of the human race on the cross. Whoever does not fast these days is like those who betrayed Him and crucified Him. During these days, Christ’s enemies indulged in merriment, while his disciples fasted and wept. Let us sanctify these days in our hearts with intense fasting and prayer.
Failure to observe in strict fasting the days of the Beheading of John the Baptist, the Exaltation of the Cross, and on the pre-Christmas and Epiphany Eves. The Lenten Rule for the first of these days defines: “It is not proper to even eat fish, lest one become accomplices to Herod’s gluttony.” Here, in one day, two memories converge: the birth of Herod and the death of John the Baptist; the latter event was a consequence of the first. The beheading of the head of the Forerunner is a holiday, but can a Christian, having served himself a festive meal on this day, not be confronted with the thought of Herod’s feast, which ended? bloody sacrifice? Therefore, for a Christian there is a strict fast on this day, which expresses his lively participation in the suffering and death of the Baptist. Regarding this day, the Lenten Rule says: “We dare not touch cheese, eggs, or fish.” Such severity is associated with the remembrance of our sins, which brought the Savior to the cross, with the remembrance of the suffering of Christ for the human race. Regarding fasting on the eve of the holidays of Christmas and Epiphany, in addition to the above, the Lenten Rule adds: “We eat food only after the dismissal of Vespers.” These are the so-called Christmas Eves. The first of them, Rozhdestvensky, speaks of the evening star, the appearance of which, according to legend, may end our fasting and which recalls the diligent search by the Magi for the born Christ. The second, Epiphany, brings to mind the baptism of the Lord in the Jordan (according to legend, it also followed in the evening) and, at the same time, requires fasting until the consecration of the Epiphany water.
Perversion of the purpose of cheese week (Maslenitsa). Cheese week is not at all one of the church holidays. Its purpose is to serve as an easy transition from a meat-eater to a strict fast. In the synaxarium for the week of cheese it is said: “Cheese week was established by the holy fathers for the sake of some pre-purification, so that we would not fall into despondency, suddenly switching from meat-eating and polyeating to extreme abstinence in food, also so that there would be no harm to our body " Since the fast of Pentecost is the strictest of fasts, the Church prepares the Christian spirit for it even before cheese week with its readings and chants, which awaken a feeling of repentance. During cheese week, the Church would like to prepare our body itself for the feats of fasting. Therefore, this week there is generally a half-fast: “we eat cheese and eggs twice a day.” On Wednesday and Friday it is permissible to eat the same food, but only once a day, during the day. These days there is no longer a liturgy and Lenten bows begin. In reality, many people spend cheese week in such a way that it not only does not prepare for Lent, but, on the contrary, destroys the preparation for it. They overeat on pancakes and other dairy products, indulge in festivities and various kinds of entertainment. And so, those who have been accustomed to such satiation, drunkenness, amusements, and absent-mindedness for a week, are suddenly overtaken by fasting with its dry eating, bowing, repentance and solitude. How difficult it is for an abstinent person to calmly endure such a transition from contentment to poverty, from laughter to crying about sins. Christian! Remember during cheese week, the suddenness of Noah’s flood and the days of Lot. The flood unexpectedly overtook the people who were “eating and drinking,” and so the fire of Sodom fell when the people were “eating and drinking.” This means that in both cases, terrible events appeared with particular surprise to those who were devoted to intemperance and did not remember God in their vanity.
Fish table and wine on fasting days when there is no permission for this. According to the rules of the Church, those Christians who, without any urgent need, during fasting and fasting days consume fish and wine, “to rebuke their voluptuousness,” are not worthy to begin the Holy Mysteries on Easter (Nomocanon at the Great Breviary, pr. 225). This penance was especially sensitive for the ancient Christians, who, in addition to communion during Lent, received communion on Easter day. In fact, is this a feat of fasting, unless we eat meat and dairy, but we always allow ourselves fish and wine, not only on the Assumption, Petrov and Filippov fasts, but even on Lent, during which the fish table is allowed only twice: on the holiday Annunciation and Palm Sunday? This is another step towards completely abandoning posts. Fish food only fattens the body less than meat food (until the 16th century, it was not considered a lean food in Russia, as a rule). Others resign from fulfilling positions strictly according to the regulations due to “illness and weakness of strength.” The fast is indeed weakened for the sick and weak, for example, pregnant and nursing mothers. But, in any case, to weaken the fast you need to take a blessing from the priest.
Saturation with lean food. In the Orthodox Church, fasting must be observed not only in relation to the quality of food, but also its quantity. You need to eat lean food itself no more than is required to maintain life and as incurred or only expected physical labor. Working people are allowed a larger amount of lean food than people with mental work. Therefore, fasting will not be perfect if you eat lenten food to the point of satiety, even to the point of illness, if you come up with many lenten dishes with different seasonings and sweets, if you consume them in excessive quantities. During Lent, the saints ate so that when they got up from the table, they felt slightly hungry. It is very important to observe fasting within the fast itself, in other words, not to eat or drink too much or frequently.
Self-pity regarding fasting, rejection of dry eating.“Dry eating” is food made from dried fruits with bread, and sometimes boiled plant foods, also “dill with honey,” which in our country can correspond to tea. Its highest level is bread and water. Such a strict fast is encouraged to be observed especially during the days of Great Lent. Then, according to the rules, you should only eat once a day. So, for example, in the first two days of the initial week of Lent, there is no food at all for those people who are healthy and can endure such abstinence. On Wednesday, after mass, during this period the first lunch is served (from the beginning of Lent), but only from bread and boiled vegetables; the weak and the elderly are allowed to fortify themselves with bread earlier, on Tuesday after Vespers; on Thursday again there is no food, on Friday - the same meal as on Wednesday, with the addition of only boiled grain (kutia). In the following weeks, except Saturdays and Sundays, you are supposed to eat food every day, but once and then not earlier than in the evening. Wine and oil during Lent are allowed only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. These rules about the strictest observance of Lent go back to apostolic times. We have shown you the strictest rules of fasting and high examples of fasting so that those who do not fast will be ashamed of their evasion from the strictures of church fasting and will try, to the best of their ability, to come closer to the exact fulfillment of the church charter of fasting. Let us remember that even now there are people who, out of great need, eat as if Lent is eternal for them. But during fasting, as with all ascetic deeds, sobriety and obedience to the instructions of the confessor are needed. The severity of fasting should be consistent with the age, gender, health, work and intensity of the spiritual life of a Christian.
Failure to observe Great Heel without food.“But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days” (Mark 2:20). This is what the Savior predicted about His disciples, who began to fast in their grief when He was no longer with them. But we are all also followers and disciples of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, on the day of His crucifixion we do not have a liturgy and on this day we are not supposed to eat or drink, except perhaps for the completely weak. Is it possible to feast in those hours when Christ accepted beatings, abuse and death on the cross itself for your sake? Christian! Do not spare your flesh on this day, force it for the sake of Christ to complete abstinence.
Violation of all fasts, except the Great Fast, by eating modest food.“If anyone does not keep the fast of the saints, the Apostle, and the Nativity of Christ, and the Mother of God, let him not be accepted into this Church” (Nomocanon pr. 228) - this is the verdict of the universal Church on violators of the fasts. “This race is driven out by fasting and prayer,” says Jesus Christ about the fight against the demonic race, and those who do not keep fasts become powerless before the demonic force. Also in physical terms, each of the four fasts a year has its own beneficial effect on a person. For example, the time of fasting coincides with the time of restructuring of our body into summer-autumn, autumn-winter, winter-spring and spring-summer modes. Thus, Filippov's fast protects against inflammatory winter diseases; Petrov and Uspensky are very helpful in enduring the summer heat, because when a person eats plant foods or fish, the body is less polluted, the level of metabolism and energy (heat) release is not so high; Lent, after strict days of abstinence and cleansing of the body, increases the importance of meat food for the body, gives it a special taste and pleasure when eating. A person who does not observe fasts violates church laws and decrees, renounces patristic tradition, which means he falls away from the Church and dooms himself to eternal destruction.
Only partial observance of fasts (for example, the first and last week).“If anyone does not fast on Holy Pentecost, except as a result of bodily weakness, let him be excommunicated” (Apostolic Rule 69), this is the will of the Church regarding Great Lent. In our time, there are quite a few Orthodox Christians who, even during Great Lent, allow themselves a meat table, with great sorrow abstaining from meat only in the first and last week of fasting. In Orthodox Rus', during Great Lent, fasting was considered so criminal and strange that such violators of the fast were looked upon as nothing other than “ungodly Jews.” But gradually, acquaintance with European countries, freethinking, and atheism led many to fall away from life according to church canons.
Fasting with grumbling.“When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you who fast may not appear to men, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:17-18). Indeed, fasting at first seems like a difficult and unpleasant task for our flesh; the flesh hardly obeys it. We sigh when the time of fasting approaches, we miss it when it comes, we carefully calculate the days and weeks until its end. But this burden occurs only until a person experiences real benefits from fasting, feels that grace and peace of mind, which occur if it is followed correctly. Fasting refines the body and mental perception, passions subside, and sleep often normalizes. Murmuring during fasting often means the victory of the flesh over the spirit, it means that a person lives entirely by material interests and faith still illuminates only a small part of his soul.
Murmuring against fasts, asserting that they are unnecessary, searching for excuses to break them. An indication of the need for fasting is found in all books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Even the very first commandment to man was given in relation to fasting: “You shall eat from every tree of the garden, but you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:16-17). According to the book of Genesis, we see that in the beginning plants, for example, fruits from trees, were food for humans. The Lord Himself showed us the need for fasting when he fasted for 40 days before going out into public service. The Church, by the Holy Spirit, affirms the need for fasting. Therefore, anyone who rejects their necessity opposes the Divine commandments and decrees of the Church. Searching for excuses for breaking fast is a sin of self-justification and shows the complete lack of spirituality of a person.
Distracting others from fasting (by conviction, example in hospitality).“Whoever eats, do not disparage the one who does not eat; and if anyone does not eat, do not judge him who does eat” (Rom. 14:3). Those who sin have another vicious property: by sinning themselves, they try to drag others into the same sin. This property is especially pronounced in inveterate fast breakers. When they meet, the latter persuade relatives or friends to relax their fast (eat fish or drink wine, saying: “God will forgive”), or to stop fasting altogether, so as not to harm their health. Others (for example, spiritually authoritative people or clergy), knowing that their weakening of the fast or its violation will encourage the weak to do the same, still act on their whim. Still others, having invited guests to their place, indiscriminately serve modest dishes even on a fast day, tempting those invited to sin. It is not coercive circumstances that are to blame for these violations, but a frivolous attitude towards fasting, a desire to entice others into one’s sinful way of acting and thinking.
During a physical fast, failure to try to maintain a mental fast. Every person consists of soul and body. Therefore, fasting also applies to a person’s soul, and not just to his flesh. By refining the body by fasting, we facilitate our spiritual perceptions, force the body to obey the spirit, while by fasting the soul we abstain from all sensual, emotional entertainment, concentrating its forces on repentance, prayer and spiritual reflection. If a person fasts with his body, and his soul spends his time in entertainment (watching TV, going to the theater, visiting guests and other secular entertainment), then such fasting will not bring any benefit to the person. Mental fasting also consists of freedom from anger and humility (David humbled his soul through fasting (Ps. 34:13)), deeds of alms and other virtues towards others. Fasting with just the body, without the spirit and warmth of the heart, only more strongly develops spiritual passions in a person and especially pride.
Omission of reading spiritual books during fasting.“All the children of Israel were gathered together, fasting, both in sackcloth and with ashes on their heads... and they stood up and confessed their sins and the transgressions of their fathers... and for a quarter of the day they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God” (Neh. 9, 1-3). Reading sacred and spiritual books during fasting (to obtain greater spiritual benefits from fasting) is a necessary part of spiritual work. According to the church charter, during Great Lent it is commanded to read the books: Genesis and Proverbs, conversations of St. Ephraim the Syrian, St. Ladder. John, the Studites, the life of Mary of Egypt, as well as works that help repentance, reverent confession and communion. During Holy Week, one should listen to the Gospel in church, read it with appropriate interpretations at home, and reflect on the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Participation in secular pleasures during Lent, especially Lent.“We sang sad songs to you, and you did not weep” (Matthew 11:17). Those who respond to the Church’s call to cry over their sins with joy and laughter, who do not at all distinguish the penitential days of Great Lent from a meat-eater, act similarly. Sincere fasting requires that both the soul and body of a person fast. So, for example, for the eyes it means not watching TV, for the ear it means giving up secular music and songs that relax the soul. This is also a refusal of vain entertainment (reading secular books, going to theaters, cinema, etc.). Especially in such strictness, the Orthodox must spend the entire Great Lent from the first to the last day. During these days and nights (that is, Lent), which were followed by the days of His suffering, our Lord did not drink or eat. If, due to our weakness, we cannot completely imitate Him in this, then we can still, for the sake of Christ, completely abandon all worldly amusements.
Neglect about strengthening spiritual life during Lent, failure to perform Lenten prostrations at home and neglect about strengthening prayer.
As we said above, refinement of the body and cutting off vain pleasures during fasting help us concentrate our spiritual efforts on repentance and prayer. Proper fasting helps us to better see our passions, bad habits, sins and begin an intensive struggle against them. If during fasting we simply eat plant foods and live as usual, then there is no benefit to us from fasting. Physical fasting must necessarily be combined with spiritual fasting and active strengthening of one’s spiritual life. For this, the Church invites us to bow not only in church, but also at home, to increase the time of home prayer and spiritual reading. Remember, formal fasting will not bring benefit and is unlikely to be pleasing to God. Inabstinence from marital relations during fasting, fasting and holidays.