About God and life by faith
True faith is manifested in all our behavior. It's like the sap of a living tree that reaches the farthest branches.
We know that when He denies us our request, then fulfilling it would be to our harm; when He does not lead us along the path we have planned, He is right; when He punishes or corrects us, He does it with love. We know that He does everything for our highest good.
Let others see from the example of your life that faith is more than doctrine or observance of rituals.
The remembrance of past mercies will support faith in God in the trials to come.
Do not lose heart, but calmly trust in the will of God, and, no matter what befalls you, endure everything for the glory of the Lord, since after winter comes summer, after night comes day, and after storm comes silence.
The Messiah is called the Servant of God many times in the Old Testament. Service is not something base, it is Divine.
If our love is true and sincere, we always trust in heaven.
What is prayer? This is when we are close to Christ.
Religion makes some people stern and gloomy. But this is not Christian. The religion inspired by the word of Christ is sunny and joyful.
Joy is the hallmark of a Christian. A Christian should never become discouraged; he should never doubt that good will triumph over evil.
If the word of Christ lives in us, it will compel us to help others.
Temple destruction
Divine services in the church in the name of St. Alexandra took place until 1940, until a proposal was made to turn this holy place into an entertainment club. But the war did not allow the plans to be implemented. The temple was repeatedly shelled, and bomb attacks caused significant damage to the church.
After the war, the temple was transferred to the state farm workshop, and the basement was adapted for a vegetable storage. Only in 1991 the building was returned to the diocese. At the beginning of the restoration, the Church of the Holy Martyr Alexandra was a sad sight: the five-domed completion was lost, the head of the large dome and small domes was missing, the bell tower tent with the dome was demolished, the picturesque decoration of the temple and the carved iconostasis disappeared, the spiral staircase was destroyed, there were no windows or doors .
About man and virtues
We must become real people.
To be great is to be happy - this is one of the erroneous opinions that most of humanity has held at almost all times. To be kind means to be happy - this is a secret accessible to those few wise and virtuous who are an adornment not only to themselves, but also an adornment to their neighbors and the Fatherland.
The soul writes its history on the body.
The more humble a person is, the more peace there is in his soul.
Humility is not about talking about your shortcomings, but about enduring others talking about them; in listening to them patiently and even gratefully; in correcting the shortcomings that we are told about; is not to feel hostility towards those who tell us about them.
When doing charity, it is important not to drown in self-esteem.
The basis of a noble character is absolute sincerity.
Purity of thoughts and purity of soul are what truly ennobles.
Encouragement inspires us; if it is not there, many noble opportunities are extinguished.
True wisdom does not consist in the assimilation of knowledge, but in the correct application of it for good.
The first lesson to learn and execute is patience.
If everything is good inside, then nothing will harm the outside.
If you are aware of what you are, you will not pay attention to what people say about you.
Be courageous - that's the main thing.
True virtue is to act without witnesses as one usually acts before the eyes of the world.
Trust your heart, especially when this trust is good, listen to it.
Anyone who has done good should not talk about it, but if they boast about it, goodness loses its nobility...
Give without looking for anything in return, without calculating benefits in the future; give to children, the elderly, the dying, those who cannot repay, and those whom you will never see again, otherwise it will not be a benefit, but a bargain; try to help even your enemies. Do not trust the distribution of your alms to dubious intermediaries, otherwise the very act, which the Apostle called “labor of love” (1 Sol. 1:3), will be in doubt. With your own hand, do what your heart tells you. In this way you will become acquainted with the life and needs of the poor - the creatures of Christ.
The longer I live, the more clearly I understand that the main difference between people strong and weak, great and insignificant is energy, invincible determination, a firm goal, in which even death is victory.
A person is never so beautiful as when he prays for his own forgiveness or the forgiveness of another.
Morality is what determines the meaning of any action - vain or otherworldly meaning.
The most difficult thing a person must overcome is himself.
Spiritual feat of the Roman queen
At the beginning of the 4th century, the emperor of the Roman Empire was Diocletian, a persecutor and tormentor of Christians. He was the main tormentor of St. George the Victorious. From his life, the name of the emperor’s wife, who secretly professed Christianity, became known.
Holy Martyr Queen Alexandra
Queen Alexandra witnessed many miracles that were revealed in response to the prayers of the Great Martyr George. Seeing the fortitude, courage and fortitude of the holy warrior, accepting suffering for his Faith, the emperor’s wife made her way through the crowd of onlookers to the place of torture of the former Roman soldier, fell at his feet and publicly confessed her commitment to the Christian Church.
Relationships between people. Love, family
The life of humanity is a large common life of individual human creatures. It must be understood that the existence of one person separately from all other people is the same as if a person existed separately from the cells of his own body.
Each person has a sacred responsibility for the happiness and highest good of the other until the end of his life.
We must try to ensure that everything we do, our whole life, is for the benefit of other people. We must live in such a way that we do not harm anyone, so that our life serves as an example for others.
Trying to make your neighbors happy is the path to your own happiness.
Most arguments between people are pointless. They are caused either by the intervention of strangers, or by frivolous words, or by the action of unrepentant sins.
What people around us need most is just kindness.
Kind words always connect.
No one deserves a greater reward than peacemakers.
The possibilities of helping people simply by talking to them are almost endless. One who knows how to speak with conviction, knows how to speak the language of love, can inspire others to good and wonderful deeds, console their grief, cheer up those who are discouraged, enlighten those who are inexperienced - can help others in a thousand ways.
Adversity is a time when you need to support your neighbor.
There are many people in the world who have fallen into despair, and we must be able to tell them a word of hope or do a good deed that will lead them out of hopelessness and give them strength to return to a joyful, full life.
He who stops helping others becomes a burden to himself.
Every new friend who comes into our lives trusts us. The most correct concept of friendship is that it gives us the opportunity to serve, help, protect another. The moment we make a new friend is a sacred moment. This is another life entrusted to us so that we can be a blessing to it, bring beauty to it, be its refuge and protection.
Fill your days with love. Forget yourself and remember others. If someone needs your kindness, then show this kindness immediately, now... If your heart longs for words of encouragement, gratitude, support, say these words today.
One word covers everything - the word “love”. The word “love” contains a whole volume of thoughts about life and duty, and when we study it closely and carefully, each of them appears clearly and distinctly.
How sweet are the words of Truth, carried by the breath of love.
Only that life is worthy in which there is sacrificial love.
Jesus demands love not only as a wonderful feeling, but as a love that permeates all daily life, affecting relationships with all people.
There cannot be deep and sincere love where selfishness rules. Perfect love is perfect self-denial.
Life is too short to waste it fighting and arguing, especially within the sacred circle of family.
As long as you love, you forgive.
Marriage is a Divine rite. He was part of God's plan when He created man. This is the closest and most sacred connection on earth.
Love does not grow, does not become great and perfect suddenly and on its own, but requires time and constant care.
Love requires special delicacy. You can be sincere and devoted, and yet your speeches and actions may lack that tenderness that so captivates hearts... The closer the relationship, the more painful the heart is from a look, tone, gesture or word that speaks of irritability or is simply thoughtless.
Without purity it is impossible to imagine true femininity. Even in the midst of this world, mired in sins and vices, it is possible to maintain this holy purity.
You can tell what a woman is like by the home she creates.
A woman is endowed with the gift of sympathy, delicacy, and the ability to inspire. This makes her seem like a messenger of Christ with a mission to alleviate human suffering and sorrow.
How you treat women is the best way to test a man's nobility.
Parents should be what they want their children to be - not in words, but in deeds. They must teach their children by the example of their lives.
Childhood songs are never forgotten. Memories of them lie under the burden of years filled with worries, like delicate flowers under the snow in winter.
The importance of the environment is vital. We do not yet fully understand how much the atmosphere in the home where children grow up means for the development of their character. The very first place for us where we learn truth, honesty, love is our home - the most dear place for us in the world.
Restoration of the temple
In 1998, for the first time after such a long break, a Divine service was performed in the Church of the Holy Martyr Alexandra. This significant event took place on the patronal holiday. And a year later, from April 1999, services in the temple began to be held regularly. Work is still underway to restore its original appearance.
Life. Pacification
Every day is life in miniature.
We often lose what is dear to us, chasing the unattainable.
How many opportunities we miss to do good without even realizing the value of what we missed!
Due to constant troubles and worries, we do not reveal even half of the good that is in us.
The meaning of life is not to do what you like, but to do what you should do with love.
Go forward, make mistakes, fall and get up again, just keep going.
Often more heavenly grace is required for ordinary things than for great ones.
No person is so poor that he can consider himself like that. Wisdom is for a person to allow the Lord to decide everything for him.
Everyone has their place, and everyone is important in their place. The smallest and most insignificant also have their places, and it is necessary that these small places be filled as well as the places occupied by the most important and significant individuals.
Never lose heart and never let others lose heart.
We are creators. Human lives are everywhere, like unfinished buildings, and everyone who passes by places a brick on the wall or adds some decoration. Everyone with whom we come into contact, who speaks even a word to us, who even influences us from afar, leaves in our character a touch of beauty or a sign of something bad.
We must remain in our place, do our duty, bear our burden, do God's will. This is the path to peace of mind.
The peace that the Lord gives us is peace of the soul - not external peace, not idleness. One can enjoy it to the fullest, and at the same time continuously work and endure suffering and pain. Some of the best Christians the world has ever known were the greatest sufferers, but at the same time, nothing could disturb their peace of mind.
Only those who have peace in their souls can do their jobs well. A restless mind is not suitable for good work.
Worry makes us weak.
An irritated mind cannot think clearly.
Peace is a Divine gift, but at the same time, we must learn it. Learn by taking upon yourself the yoke of Christ.
The kindest thing a teacher can do for his students is to teach them to lead a life of faith and courage - a life of winners.
Temple in honor of the Great Martyr in Peterhof
In 1854, construction began on the Church of St. Alexandra on Babi Gon. At the ceremonial laying on August 11, with the participation of Emperor Nicholas I, a stone was laid from the holy banks of the Jordan. In the future, this temple will become a favorite place for prayer for the imperial family. The five-domed stone church was distinguished by its unique beauty. In the architecture of the temple, one of the most beautiful elements of ancient Russian architecture was used - “kokoshniks”.
The carved wooden iconostasis - a gift from Emperor Nicholas I - was a real decoration of the church. A lot of money was spent on the construction of the temple. Transporting materials up the mountain required significant costs. Nicholas I and members of the royal family were present at the solemn consecration of the Church of the Holy Martyr Alexandra. In his speech at the end of the Divine Service, the emperor thanked everyone who participated in the construction.
The Church of St. Alexandra on the Babigon Heights was designed for approximately 500 people praying. The church had a tabernacle made of red Siberian jasper, utensils made of precious stones, gold and silver.
