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"Father Eliy: about the will of God, the destiny of man and material success."

– Father Eli, what is communication with people for you?
– What I'm here for is me as a tradition or even an obedience. So Father Kirill (Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), confessor of Patriarchs Pimen and Alexy II - ed.) conducted conversations here. I'm just trying to help a person, although I don't know how I manage to do something good. For me, it's obedience.

—How can one prove that Orthodoxy is the only true path to God?
—First, I must say that we believe in a Living, Personal God. God is not some kind of abstraction. God is Living, Living Action, Creator. And first, He is incomprehensible. You must have read Derzhavin's ode "God"? It says that God is incomprehensible and infinite in space. Of course, God is love, He gave free will to man, first of all. In general, man is the highest creation on Earth. There is nothing comparable to a human. And the Lord, of course, must let a person understand that there is Truth. At Pilate's trial, the Lord said that He testifies of the Truth. Truth is Christ. There are different Christian denominations and confessions, but, however, life must discover where is the real way of life for Christians, the true confession. The Lord does not force anyone, except that the Lord gives the opportunity to believe. Man is given a choice. The testimony of the truth of Orthodoxy must of itself be revealed as truth. First of all, this Truth is evidenced by the experience Christian life which gives us the Orthodox Christian faith. here, of course, the evidence is shown by life itself. Our theology comes from our Orthodox life Christian.

What kind of prayer is pleasing to God?
- The main prayer is the one that the Lord commanded. We have no more prayers than the prayer "Our Father". The Lord himself gave it. The Evangelists have it: Matthew, Luke. The Lord hears everything and knows before our petition. But the Lord, perhaps, does not fulfill something, because, again, the love of God is manifested here too. The Lord does everything for the good of man and does nothing for the evil of man. Suppose a person prays for recovery, and it seems that the Lord does not fulfill his request. But the Lord does. Only, let's say, we would like to get better right away, so that our illness would immediately go away. This is how we humanly desire. But after all, the Lord, what sufferings did He endure for man, so that man would receive the fullness of goodness? And the fullness of goodness is not only in the earthly plane, but in eternity. Since a person continues his life, it means that the Lord wants it. A disease has befallen a man - the Lord wants him to show more jealousy, more prayer so that he gets as much as possible in the end. But the man dies. His illness is over. He himself and his relatives prayed that this person would live longer, and the Lord knows that further life will not give him more good in eternity. If he continues to live, he will sin more.

—Father Eli, what should you be guided by in order to choose the right job?
- Each person chooses a job according to his intellectual, moral abilities, desires, and affections. Many, according to the tradition of parents, for example, choose one or another job. Of course, if a person understands that work is connected with a deal with conscience, then this already indicates that a person is moving away from conscience, and his faith is weak. Such a person prefers the material rather than the spiritual than salvation. We consider our life not only for temporary benefits in our this world. If a person thinks sensibly in his life, then first of all he understands the essence of our existence in this world, and, of course, he will not look for work that is associated with immoral action.

– Should a Christian take care of his material well-being?
– Every person seeks the good in his life, but an excessive search for the good often brings harm. A person sometimes does not understand that the search for benefits does not benefit not only him, but also other people, society. If a person understands the essence of life, he realizes the real good, both in the spiritual sense and in the material. The Savior said: "Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven." The Lord arranges the rest. When a person is weighed down by his conscience, then a person has no peace in his soul, no joy. No blessings give a peaceful life and joy. The Savior said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." If a person deviates from this law, nothing will satisfy him: neither career nor material well-being. It does him no good.

– What are the dangers in the world for a modern Christian?
There are many dangers, of course. Elder Silouan of Athos said that if all people turned to God, then there would be paradise on Earth. Even on Earth… Although it is practically impossible. Our whole trouble is that the world is drowning in sins. Everything is said in the gospel. The world will come to an end one way or another. Therefore, the most terrible thing is the personal sin of a person. There is a further deviation from the norm of life. Now the most terrible thing is what people think about this worldly life.

One philosopher says that the devil managed to convince many people that he does not exist. But he exists. He is. Usually in a war, one side takes into account the strength of the enemy. Otherwise, she will be easily defeated. Non-recognition of reality, the reality of life, this is the very danger. People do not want to admit that by retreating and falling, they are in trouble. It shows up in everything. Beginning with a personal act, if a person does not recognize the law of God. And about the leaders it is said in the Gospel: "If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit." Therefore, the most important thing we need is to recognize the reality of life. It is safe to say that the spiritual world is real world. Therefore, the whole trouble of our life lies in the fact that a person has too proudly imagined himself. Often a person does not see where he is going, what his goal in life is, what awaits him in the future. The man refuses to acknowledge all this. This is the danger.

- What are you praying for?
- So that everything in life is good for everyone. First of all, so that there are no upheavals, which are now very dangerous for this world. To have peace.

- How can young families not be afraid of having many children?
- There was a family here: a husband, a wife, mother abbess was with them. She says: there are fifteen children in the family. I thought I didn't hear if I understood correctly. Waiting for the sixteenth. And they are so happy. They even brought something (smiles). Some people think: “One child, how to feed or educate?” Of course, we need children. Of course, now there are a lot of infertile couples. Our marriage is at a low level.

How to know the will of God?
- Will you pray? After all, these are questions not of a material order, but of a spiritual one. It is important to have a clear conscience, prayer and strong faith. The Lord himself will reveal the will of God. First of all, it is said about the will of God in our Gospel: seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, the rest will be added.

To understand the poison with which books like Elder Anthony are drunk, one must know the unusual structure of the Orthodox Church. Two types of organization of religious communities are known in history. One of them can be called charismatic. This model suggests that the status of a religious leader is determined by a person's personal gifts.

Review of the book "Spiritual Conversations and Instructions of Elder Anthony"

Provocation named "Elder Anthony"

To understand the poison with which books like Elder Anthony are drunk, one must know the unusual structure of the Orthodox Church. Two types of organization of religious communities are known in history.

One of them can be called charismatic. This model assumes that the status of a religious leader is determined by a person's personal gifts, his special spiritual or magical powers(as an option - in Islam and Judaism - his personal educational qualification). The advantages of such a model are obvious. Its disadvantage is instability. Here is the problem of determining the quality of the leader's spiritual experience, and the problem of transferring this spiritual experience to his successor.

The second model of the organization of a religious community is institutional. It is here that the place paints a person. Erasmus of Rotterdam expressed this principle very clearly when he defended the papal principle against Luther: "God has poured out the Spirit on those to whom He has given office." The advantage of this model is also obvious: the sustainability and stability of life in this community. The downside is also easy to see: the risk of losing a spark of spirit when transferring external powers.

In Orthodoxy, both of these principles are combined. The institutional and hierarchical understanding of the clergy frees the parishioner from the necessity of confessing and examining the priest to whom he turned to perform the sacrament or request. A Christian may not question a priest about his personal spiritual life, but simply believe that he will serve the Sacrament of the Liturgy regardless of his personal merits or demerits. Indeed, in this case, the priest shares not his own, personal and accumulated, but God's.

But when it comes to spiritual council- here you can look for a "charismatic", that is, a priest with personal spiritual experience. "Old Man". It is this combination of priesthood and monasticism, episcopacy and eldership that gives Orthodoxy vitality and stability. And it is precisely to break this two-unity that the cutting edge of the current "reformation" is directed. Its main thesis is the opposition of "eldership" to the episcopate (as well as to the parish clergy and theological schools).

From this perspective, the widely circulated book Spiritual Conversations and Instructions of Elder Anthony cannot be described otherwise than as a very successful special project to split the Church. Its recipe is simple: a story is constructed about a certain blessed old man. The name and place of his feat are encrypted (they say, this is not the time to open it). Miracles and feats are added in the required amount. To these are added the normal patristic spiritual advice. When the reader feels native, patristic in this book and begins to trust it, he will be offered "novelties". Nothing can be checked: neither the publisher, nor the author, nor even the year of publication are indicated. It only remains to believe in the existence of a spirit-bearing and educated elder-confessor who teaches that…

That gasoline is "hell fuel". That libraries are harmful - because "every person who has read a book before you leaves his imprint in it - either grace or hellish failure" (p. 269). That "high-rise buildings are a satanic invention" (p. 207). That "the creators of the electronics of demons put crowds there" (p. 185) (this, it turns out, is what is happening at Russian defense enterprises!). That "the state is already the main enemy of salvation" (p. 173) .

"Elder Anthony" is presented as a person with a classical pre-revolutionary theological education. He supposedly studied at the seminary "outside the walls of the Lavra" back in tsarist times (p. 16). But the producers of this apocrypha missed here: the seminary settled within the walls of the Lavra only at the end of the 40s of the twentieth century, before the revolution, only the Academy was located in the Lavra.

An “elder” studied in a strange seminary. According to him, “The Church teaches that the Antichrist will enter every house at once… How much controversy was caused by the assertion that the Antichrist will enter every house at the same time. And we argued in the seminary, how we argued! It was only with the invention of the television that everything became clear” (pp. 62 and 223). And where did he find such a "doctrine of the Church"? There is nothing like it in Scripture. And the Fathers of the Church did not have such a "prophecy".

And although the apocrypha assures that everything was excellent with the theological education and with the Greek language, the “elder” nevertheless demonstrates an absolute unfamiliarity with the theological meaning of the term “cathedral”: “If in the relationship of powerful boss-subordinate there was only absolute power one and the deep humility of the other, then there would be no need for the catholicity of the Church. But if it weren’t for catholicity, the Church and the Orthodox wouldn’t have remained – how many times the custodians of the truth turned out to be loners, while the highest hierarchy were heretics?!” (p. 83)

The education of the "old man" is not good. That is why he says that "Litvins, Chukhons, Poles - all experienced a fall, all went through a terrible path of apostasy, but not the people of Holy Russia" (p. 257). Yes, no one seems to have had a more terrible fight against theomachism and mass falling away from the faith and desecration of shrines than ours ... But the ideological dogma here blurs the eyes of the “old man”. Well, he does not like, for example, cities and factory people (“All this is an enemy ploy - to gather people together to work together in factories, to tear them away from God's peace. And the factories themselves should also be used for their intended purpose - the destruction of what was created by the Builder! - With. 206). But was the village Christian in the pre-factory era? For most of its history, Christianity has been the religion of the townspeople. And it's becoming like this again...

He has the most fantastic ideas about Catholicism - “Where is the place for a person who has come up with the idea that if the pope passed a sentence that does not coincide with the judgment of God, then the latter should be changed in favor of the opinion of the bishop of Rome. Does that sound like it?" (p. 152). No not like this. Not at all.

Even about the history of the heresy of the Judaizers, he has a very strange idea: “All (!) Lithuanian printing houses prepared heretical books and, under the guise of things, brought ambassadors in carts to Novgorod, Moscow” (p. 139). The author of the book about "Elder Anthony" put an exclamation point after the word "everything." And I would put a big question mark with several exclamation points after the words "Lithuanian printing house". The fact is that in the 15th century, the century when the heresy of the Judaizers appeared in Novgorod (it appeared in 1471), there were no printing houses in Lithuania. “In the early 20s of the 16th century, Francysk Skaryna arrived in Vilna and, in the house of a wealthy Belarusian tradesman Yakub Babich, founded the first printing house in our country, where he published “A Small Road Book” and “Apostle””.

in Church Slavonic and Greek The “elder” is just strong enough to turn the meaning of the liturgical expression on its head: “Hell, the all-laughing one, will complete the work of ridiculing everything God’s, spiritual, that he has begun” (p. 62). But in hell there is no room for laughter. There is a place to cry. A Christian can laugh at a deceived hell. "All laughing hell" means "a hell worthy of all ridicule." In the "Complete Church Slavonic Dictionary" of Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko, it says: "All-laughing - worthy of any ridicule or scolding." Even the apostle Paul said: “Hell, where is your sting. Death, where is your victory. This is some kind of mockery. It should be noted that in some apocrypha, reflecting on the descent of Christ into hell, this theme of ironic mockery of Satan sounds.

The knowledge of “Elder Anthony” in the Scriptures is evident from his call: “The gospel should be taken literally – it is said to run into the wilderness, so run away without pondering the holy words” (p. 207). But there are no such words in the Gospel. The "elder" confused the now fashionable sermon of "Anastasia" and the Gospel. Christ does not speak of fleeing from a city to a desert, but of moving from one city to another city: “When they persecute you in one city, run to another” ().

It is not the Gospel that speaks of the Church’s presence in the wilderness, but the Apocalypse (this is really a book, when reading which literalism is just dangerous): the continuation of time, times and half a time "().

In the desert, into which “Elder Anthony” calls to leave now (!) He recommends taking “a potbelly stove, shovels, axes, clothes, shoes – everything that will help to hold out for three and a half years. And medicines and matches and salt” (pp. 217-218). However, the Apocalypse says something different here too: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where a place was prepared for her from God to feed her there for a thousand two hundred and sixty days” (). If we understand this place literally, which is what “Elder Anthony” calls for, then in the desert one must wait for angels with manna from heaven, and then there will be no need for “matches, salt” and secret gardens.

In general, this preaching of flight to the gardens is surprising. Why should a Christian care so much about continuing his physical life for an extra and terrible three and a half years? Why this concern for medicines, if a Christian already knows for sure last days the history of the cosmos can simply be crossed out with a pencil from the calendar, counting from a completely clear and final date (1260 days from the day of the coronation of the Antichrist)? Why such concern for the most convenient and non-martyrdom spending of the last days?

The American science fiction writer Robert Sheckley has a short story "The Battle" (I suspect the original title of this story is "Armageddon"). So the day of the last battle, Armageddon, is approaching. A priest enters the bunker to the commander-in-chief general and, on behalf of the clergy, asks for permission to take part in the Battle of the Lord. And here's the next big quote:

Supreme Commander Vetterer nervously drummed his fingers on his thigh. He would rather stay in good relations with this brother. Whatever you say, it won't hurt even him, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, if they speak up for him at the right time good word…

"Understand my position," said Vetterer wistfully. - I am a general, I have to lead the battle ...

“But this is the Last Battle,” said the priest. “People should be involved in it.

“But they are in it,” said Vetterer. - Through their representatives, the military.

The priest looked at him doubtfully. Vetterer continued, “You don't want this battle to be lost, do you? For Satan to win?

“Of course not,” the priest muttered.

“Then we have no right to risk it,” said Vetterer. All governments have agreed on this, haven't they? Yes, of course, it would be very nice to bring the massed forces of humanity into Armageddon. Very symbolic. But could we be sure of victory in this case?

The priest tried to object something, but Vetterer continued hurriedly: - We do not know the power of the satanic hordes. We must throw into battle all the best that we have. And that means automatic armies, interceptor robots, tank robots, hydrogen bombs.

The priest looked very upset. “But there is something unworthy about it,” he said. "Couldn't you include humans in your plans?" “Many,” the priest said sternly, “think it was a mistake to entrust the Last Battle to the military. “Sorry,” said Vetterer cheerfully, “this is defeatist chatter. With your permission…

He pointed to the door, and the clergyman sadly left.

“Oh, those civilians,” Fetterer sighed. “So, gentlemen, are your troops ready?”

“We are ready to fight for Him,” General McPhee said fervently. “I can vouch for every automatic soldier under my command. Their metal sparkles, their relays are updated, their batteries are fully charged. Sir, they are literally eager to fight.

“Excellent,” said General Vetterer. “The rest of the preparations are complete. Television transmission for the population of the entire globe is provided. No one, rich or poor, will be deprived of the spectacle of the Last Battle.

“And after the battle…” General Ongin began and fell silent, glancing at Fetterer.

He frowned. He didn't know what was to happen after the battle. This, apparently, will be done by religious institutions.

“There will probably be a solemn parade or something like that,” he answered vaguely.

"You mean we'll be introduced to... Him?" General Dell asked.

“I don't know for sure,” Vetterer replied, “but probably. After all, after all ... You understand what I want to say.

But how should we dress? asked General McPhee, bewildered. What kind of dress code is prescribed in such cases?

What do angels wear? Fetterer inquired of Ongin.

"I don't know," Ongin said.

- White robes? suggested General Dell.

"No," said Vetterer firmly. “We’ll put on our full dress uniform, but without orders.

The generals nodded. It suited the occasion.

And now the time has come.

In glorious battle garb, the forces of Hell moved across the desert. Infernal flutes chirped, hollow drums hooted, sending forth a ghostly host. Raising blinding clouds of sand, General McPhee's automatic tanks rushed at the satanic enemy. And then Dell's sub-machine bombers screeched overhead, bombarding the legions of dead souls. Vetterer courageously threw his mechanical cavalry into battle. Into this chaos moved Ongin's robot infantry, and metal did everything that metal could do.

Hordes of infernal forces crashed into the formation, tearing tanks and robots to shreds. Automatic mechanisms died, courageously defending a patch of sand. Dell's bombers fell from the sky under impact fallen angels led by Marchoses, whose dragon wings whirled the air into typhoons.

The shabby line of robots withstood the onslaught of giant evil spirits that crushed them, striking with horror the hearts of TV viewers around the world, who did not take their enchanted gaze away from the screens. Robots fought like men, like heroes, trying to push back the forces of evil.

Astaroth shouted an order, and the Behemoth moved heavily to attack. Belial, at the head of a wedge of devils, fell upon the wavering left flank of General Vetterer. Metal screamed, electrons howled in agony, unable to withstand this onslaught.

A thousand miles behind the front, General Vetterer wiped his sweaty forehead with a trembling hand, but he still calmly and calmly gave orders which buttons to press and which knobs to turn. And the magnificent armies did not deceive his expectations. Mortally damaged robots rose to their feet and continued to fight. Broken, crushed, torn to shreds by howling devils, the robots still held their position. Here the Fifth Corps of Veterans was thrown into the counterattack, and the enemy front was broken through.

A thousand miles behind the line of fire, the generals led the pursuit.

‘The battle is won,’ whispered Supreme Commander Fetterer, looking up from the television screen. - Congratulations, gentlemen.

The generals smiled wearily. They looked at each other and let out a joyful cry. Armageddon has been won and the forces of Satan have been defeated.

But something was happening on their television screens.

- How! It's… it's…” General McPhee began and then fell silent.

For Grace marched across the battlefield between piles of warped, crushed metal. The generals were silent. Grace touched the mutilated robot. And the robots stirred throughout the smoking desert. Twisted, burnt, melted pieces of metal were renewed. And the robots stood up.

“McPhee,” whispered Supreme Commander Fetterer. - Press on something - let them, perhaps, kneel down.

The general pressed, but the remote control did not work.

And the robots have already soared to the skies. They were surrounded by the angels of God, and robot tanks, robotic infantry, automatic bombers ascended higher and higher.

He takes them alive to heaven! Ongin exclaimed hysterically. “He takes robots to heaven!”

"There's been a mistake," Fetterer said. - Faster! Send a liaison officer... No, we'll go ourselves.

The plane was instantly filed, and they rushed to the battlefield. But it was too late: Armageddon was over, the robots had disappeared, and the Lord with His army had gone home.”

This fantastic story is a good antidote to the horticultural fantasies of "Elder Anthony."

The flight preached by this apocrypha implies separation not only from city apartments, but also from the customary canonical way of church life. This is an escape from the bishops.

The favorite thought of "Elder Anthony" is a constant reminder of the superiority of "Elders" over traitorous bishops. “Who denounced the hierarchy that had fallen into Arianism, Monophysitism and other heresies? Desert hermit monks, our elders. Therefore, everything was done to eradicate the elders from church life” (p. 134). Well, who was the main fighter against the heresy of Arius? Is it not the holy Bishop Athanasius the Great? And who rebelled against Nestorius? Isn't it Saint Cyril of Alexandria? And the heresy of the Monophysites (just born of the monk Eutyches and zealously supported by Egyptian monasticism) did not denounce St. Pope Leo the Great?

As is typical for the current Reformation literature, the book about “Elder Anthony” contrasts “ common people and traitorous bishops. “The highest hierarchy, those in power have already fallen into heresy. But the uncorrupted people supported the righteous” (p. 139). In fact, nothing is known about the popular protest against the movement of the Judaizers. The protest began just from above: from Novgorod Archbishop Gennady, the second person in the hierarchy of the then Russian Church.

And such poisonous nonsense passes in this book from page to page. Here and Komsomol savoring " expensive cars and the never-failing tables of the higher clergy” (p. 274). And cuts with a scalpel in the style - “The Provisional Government was welcomed by everyone, up to the highest bishops. Everyone, except for the elders, recognized and not” (p. 141). And personal memoirs that make you remember one of the sons of Noah: “I say to him: forgive me, lord, but doomsday are you not afraid? And he told me: whether it will be, or not, but I want to live here too! (p. 100). And indications of today's realities: “The test of the power of hell has already been carried out, assigning numbers to everyone. With the tacit consent, or even the direct blessing of the clergy, the whole country turned into a camp ... Each church has a rector, and a bishop over the rector. Who is standing behind him? (pp. 132 and 227).

And all this is for the sake of the main thesis: “it is possible to serve outside the church legalized by the state” (p. 197). If you think that you have been removed from service for your extraordinary spirituality, then you have every right to serve without the blessing of the bishop.

To the mention of the canons that establish the episcopal structure of the church, the answer follows: “The only and unchanging principle is self-observance” (p. 289). “Father Anthony, how can you correlate your eldership with the hierarchy and clear order in the church? – And who blessed the great Anthony? And what about the thousands of Thebes and Nitrian ascetics? Why did Paisios, the great saint in the saints, stay in Wallachia, did he not want this hierarchy of yours?! And why? I think that by no means because of the hierarchs, but because Orthodoxy is the freedom of the spirit and any restriction of it is already Protestantism” (pp. 286-287). “You wanted to understand what this decrepit vessel is filled with, how it can even exist without the blessing of the ruler, right? .. With whose blessing were liturgies served on the bodies of half-dead martyrs in Roman prisons? And the communion of hermits by angels? But what can I say, there are many examples of the apparent violation of accepted customs in the lives, and in the Gospel itself! (pp. 288 and 190).

And in general - now "the end of time, other laws come into force" (p. 270). And the fact that the Apocalypse is scheduled for tomorrow is beyond doubt for “Elder Anthony”: “Why is so much steel being smelted? Tell me, how many kilograms of iron do you use at home? Let's say a hundred kilograms. Multiply by the number of inhabitants, add the needs of the army, public roads. And where does everything else go? It goes to prepare the coming of the Antichrist, that's where! It means that all this production is not needed” (pp. 257-258).

True, and here there is a contradiction within the book itself. On the one hand, she insists that all the worst has already begun and the suitcases should be prepared now. On the other hand, she claims to be predictive and promises that “England will not exist, the island will go into the sea, burdened by an ocean of sins… The same awaits Japan. China will overwhelm most of Russia. Yellow will be all the lands beyond the mountains and after them. Africans will fill our cities and villages” (pp. 170-171). “Soon the sinners will treat their guests with dishes from children's bodies, cannibalism will be perceived as a completely normal action, a sign of good taste. You will live” (p. 160). Well, it would seem that since you know the future so well, you can also establish the sequence of your actions: first England and Japan will disappear, then the Chinese will come, then advertising will invite people to expensive restaurants to taste human flesh, and then the Antichrist will appear. So, in the interval between the penultimate and last acts, the time for flight comes (if we consider it useful) ...

This is how the main line of the apocrypha manifests itself: secret prayer houses and liturgies without the knowledge of the local ruling bishop are presented in this book as a feat, and not as a violation of canonical rules (while “Elder Anthony” hypocritically lies on every page that he is a mountain behind the observance of these rules ). However, he doesn’t even know the rules, and therefore he invents that the “Apostolic Canons” forbid a priest in lay clothes to enter the altar (p. 285). But at the time of writing the "Apostolic Canons" there was still no special clothing for the clergy, the liturgical vestments were in the altar, and in order to put on them, you had to first go into the altar in ordinary clothes.

If there is an antimension with relics, this is enough for liturgy without the blessing of the ruling bishop (this book tells about why Russian antimensions allow liturgical celebrations without a bishop on p. 191).

Antimins - "instead of a throne." This is essentially a letter of credence from the bishop, with which he blesses to celebrate the Liturgy in his absence. That is why the bishop's signature on the antimension is so important. But the sewing of relics into the antimension is just not necessary: ​​it is not the relics of a saint that make it possible to celebrate the liturgy, but the unity of the liturgical priest with the Church; unity and which is expressed in his canonical connection with the Bishop.

Therefore, the priest unfolds the antimension on the throne at that moment of the litany, when he lifts up a prayer for the bishop. At the exclamation at the end of the litany about the catechumens - "Yes, and ti with us glorify ..." - the priest kisses the antimension. But not the place where the relics are sewn into it (a Russian tradition that the Greeks do not have), but the place where the bishop's signature is. Thus, the priest takes a blessing from his archpastor to celebrate this liturgy at a distance from the cathedral.

But according to the people behind the publication of the book Elder Antniy, the signature of the bishop is beginning to be considered more important than the bishop himself. And indeed - in the Irkutsk diocese in 2001, three priests gathered in the woods - away from the "seal of the Antichrist", which they considered the TIN. Having learned about their calls, the Archbishop of Irkutsk and Angarsk Vadim came to them to persuade the fugitives to continue their usual pastoral service. The dissidents, however, refused to concelebrate with their bishop and did not even approach the bishop for his blessing. In their opinion, a bishop who has accepted a tax number becomes a graceless apostate. And yet, leaving for the taiga, these priests did not forget to take the antimensions signed by Archbishop Vadim (by the grace of God, two of them had already come to their senses and, having brought proper repentance, returned to normal church service).

The emergence of the practice of schismatic treatment of holy antimensions, and the emergence of a “theological” justification for such a practice, requires a ecclesiastical discussion of the issue of antimensions. It seems appropriate when changing the ruling bishop to replace all antimensions in the diocese - for parish priests form a cathedral around their living and ruling bishop, and not around the past bishop. A church once consecrated by a bishop does not need to be reconsecrated by a new bishop. But why, when raising the name of one bishop, kiss the signature of a completely different one?

Holy relics sewn into antimensions should, of course, be transferred into new antimensions. The former must be stored in cathedral, as the church tradition prescribes regarding spattered, worn or torn antimensions.

Another option is also possible: without replacing the antimension itself, supplement it with the signature of the new ruling bishop. In this case, the antimension does not need to be re-consecrated. But you can determine what days the Colored Triodion is (this time is most appropriate, because Pentecost is the birthday of Christian Church and there is a day of communication to the apostles of those grace-filled gifts that they transferred to the bishops) following the appointment of a new bishop, in this diocese all antimensions must be replaced or supplemented with the painting of the new ruling bishop.

... In the message of President Vladimir Putin after the seizure of the school in Beslan, it is said that an undeclared war is being waged against our country. It would be strange if the enemies of Russia destroyed her public life, killed her children, but at the same time left the spiritual core of Russian life alone - Orthodox Church. Indeed, we see that in the last 10 years, one after another, attempts have been made to bring a schism into the life of the Russian Orthodox Church.

And the enemies of the Church and Russia drew the line of the desired schism through the opposition of the episcopate and monasticism, monasticism and theological schools, monasticism and parish clergy.

Newspapers, anonymous leaflets and pamphlets (and sometimes not anonymous, and sometimes with false blessings and false signatures) year after year repeat one thing: the hierarchy has lost spirituality and Orthodoxy; the bishops are either secret Catholics or ecumenist Freemasons; the hierarchs, if they are not pressured by rallies, cannot understand who is truly holy, just as they cannot see the real spiritual danger (in tax numbers or in passports).

The total distrust of the bishops, multiplied by the rumors about the advent of antichrist times, provide a “theological” justification for the preaching of resolute autonomy and disobedience, as well as the practice of shamelessly violating church canons. In the end, in the minds of people covered by this propaganda, it becomes permissible to violate the most important thing that is in church canons: church unity.

A lot of things came together: the mass semi-knowledge, and the legacy of late Soviet dissidence, and the lust for power of some "Orthodox publicists", and the prudent game of our enemies. Together it put our church life on the threshold of a serious mutation.

How to stop her? - For starters, at least stop singing the “simple faith”.

Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev

Holy father,” I began in a low voice, “now one desire has taken possession of me very strongly. I believe it is from the Lord. I want to be cleansed. I see my passions run amok. I feel that the heart is a jungle where many wild animals live, and at their head is the devil, who does what he wants. I strive to get rid of this terrible state, to betray my soul to God, so that He enlightens it, so that it can be His. The flattering devil had robbed her enough. Now I want to get clean, but I don't know how. Hear, father: I want to be cleansed. Show me the way. I am ready to accept them and blindly follow everything that you tell me.

I started in a low voice and ended up screaming and crying. Like thunder, my last words to the hermit sounded. They were so hot. He paused a little. Looked at me with great love; only monks can show such love. He made me understand that I should not be discouraged by this anxiety, for it is blessed.

When we experience such states, he said, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is and is working in us. We begin to walk the path of knowing God. This is the first stage. If perfect contemplation of the Uncreated Light is a light that captivates the soul, then repentance and a sense of one's sinfulness is a fire that kindles it. Therefore, repentance and the desire to purify the soul from passions is the time for visiting grace. Only when it descends on us can we see our desolation, grieve for God and strive to unite with Him. We would never have such thoughts and desires if it were not for the grace of God.

A wise leader, an experienced confessor, a truly blessed person! A knowledgeable physician, he knows how to alleviate pain, pacify, give medicine not for the repose of our vanity, but for the possibility of surgical intervention and healing.

Having understood this, - he continued, - some ways should be indicated, or, better, one, the simplest. Don't expect me to put hard work on you. Only the Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”) purifies the soul, i.e. an unceasing cry to God our Savior. In calling and union with Jesus lies all our salvation. Let us cry out that He will come and heal us. Being sick, let us groan, and He, like a doctor, full of love, will hasten to help. We, like one who fell into the hands of thieves, will weep, and the Good Samaritan will come, cleanse our wounds, lead us to an inn, that is, to the contemplation of the Light that kindles our whole being. When God is in our heart, then the devil is defeated and the impurity created by him is cleansed. Therefore, the victory over the devil is the victory of Christ through us. We will do the human (let us call on Christ), and He will do the divine (he will defeat the devil and cleanse us). Therefore, we should not strive to do the work of God ourselves, and leave the work of man to God. It is necessary to understand well that the human (prayer) depends on us, and the divine (salvation) depends on God. Everything that happens in the Church is a work of the God-man.

Why witchcraft, corruption or the evil eye can affect a person? Should we ignore them as some kind of superstition, or try to understand what the essence of the phenomenon is? How to deal with false views of witchcraft, and how is it necessary to live in order to be protected from witchcraft?

These topical questions are answered by Elder Paisios Svyatogorets in his book Spiritual Struggle, excerpts from which we offer to our readers.

When is witchcraft valid?

Once witchcraft worked, it means that the person gave the devil rights over himself. That is, he gave the devil some serious reason and then did not put himself in order with the help of repentance and confession. If a person confesses, then damage - even if it is raked under him with a shovel - does not harm him. This is because when a person confesses and has pure heart, sorcerers cannot "work together" with the devil in order to harm this person.

One day a middle-aged man came to my kaliva. He came with an impudent and unceremonious air. Seeing him from afar, I realized that he was under demonic influence. “I came for you to help me,” he told me. “Pray for me, because I have been suffering from terrible headaches for a long time and the doctors find nothing.” “You have a demon,” I answered him. “He entered you because you gave the devil rights over you.” “No, I didn’t do anything like that,” he began to assure me.

“Didn’t you do anything like that? - I say. - And about how you deceived that girl that you forgot? Well, she went to the sorcerer and brought damage to you. Now go, ask the deceived girl for forgiveness, then confess. In addition, conjurational prayers must be read over you so that you become healthy. But if you don’t understand, don’t realize your sin and don’t repent of it, then even if all confessors from all over the world gather and pray for you, the demon will still not come out of you.” When people come to me with such shamelessness, I speak to them, calling a spade a spade.

Another person told me that his wife is possessed by an unclean spirit, she makes terrible scandals at home, jumps up at night, wakes up the whole family and turns everything upside down. "Are you confessing?" I asked him. "No," he answered me. “It must be,” I told him, “you gave the devil rights over you. These things don't happen out of the blue." This man began to tell me about himself, and finally we found the reason for what was happening to his wife.

It turns out that he visited one Khoja, who "for luck" gave him some water to sprinkle his house. This man did not attach any importance to this demonic sprinkling. And then the devil went wild in his house in earnest.

How to get rid of witchcraft, damage and similar influences?

You can get rid of witchcraft with the help of repentance and confession. Because first of all, the reason why witchcraft affected a person must be found. He must admit his sin, repent and confess. How many people, tormented by the damage brought on them, come to me in Kaliva and ask: “Pray for me so that I can be freed from this torment!” They ask for my help, but at the same time they do not look into themselves, they do not try to understand how the evil that is happening to them began, in order to eliminate this cause.

That is, these people must understand what was their fault, and why witchcraft had power over them. They must repent and confess in order for their torment to end.

What if a person is in a serious condition and cannot go to repentance himself?

His relatives can invite a priest to the house to perform the Sacrament of Unction over the unfortunate or serve prayer service for water. A person who is in such a state should be given holy water to drink so that evil recedes at least a little and Christ enters at least a little. One woman whose child was in distress did so, and from this the child received help. She told me that her son suffered greatly because he was corrupted.

“He needs to go confess,” I advised her. “Father,” she exclaimed, “but how can he go to confession in that condition?” “Then,” I said to her, “ask your confessor to come to your house to perform a prayer service for the blessing of water, and let your son drink this holy water. But will he drink it? “It will,” she replied. “Well,” I say, “start with a prayer service for the blessing of water, and then try to get your child to talk to the priest.

If he confesses, he will be able to cast the devil far away from him.” And indeed: this woman obeyed me and her son benefited. A little time passed, and he was able to confess and became healthy.

Is it possible to help the sorcerer or psychic himself?

Here you tell a person who has a little fear of God to be attentive, because living like this, he goes on the wrong path - and such a person, even having the fear of God, still continues to blow his own pipe. And what can we say about a sorcerer who cooperates with the devil!

How can you help such a person? You will begin to tell him spiritual things, but he will still remain with the devil. Nothing can help the wizard. Only if you do the Jesus Prayer when he is in front of you - then the demon can mix and the sorcerer will not be able to do his job.

One person was unwell. And so the sorcerer - such a charlatan to look for - came to his house to "help". And the patient did the Jesus Prayer. He was a very simple man and did not know that the one who came to him was a sorcerer. So God intervened. And look what God has allowed so that the unfortunate person understands who he is dealing with! The sick man said the Jesus Prayer, and the demons began to beat the sorcerer, so that the sorcerer himself began to ask for help from the person to whose house he came to “heal” him!

The sorcerer shouted: "Help!" - somersaulted on the floor, fell, covered himself with his hands from the blows of invisible enemies. So do not think that sorcerers have a sweet life and demons do everything for them every time you ask. It is enough for demons that the sorcerers once renounced Christ. At first, the sorcerers enter into an agreement with the demons so that they help them, and for several years the demons obey their orders. However, a little time passes, and the demons say to the sorcerers: “Why should we stand on ceremony with you?” And if sorcerers do not cope with the tasks of demons, then you know how they get it then?

The black forces of darkness are powerless. People themselves, moving away from God, make them strong, because, moving away from God, people give the devil power over them.

Elder Paisius Svyatogorets. The words. T. III. "Spiritual Warfare" Monastery of St. Ap. John the Evangelist. Suroti, Thessaloniki. Publishing house house. "Holy Mountain" M. 2003, pp. 206-213.