Meaning in Orthodoxy
Jesus called us to be merciful like Him. Everything is so simple, it turns out, in order to get closer to the Creator, it is not necessary to perform the feat of prayer and fasting through force, if you do not have the strength for this, it is enough to become like Christ in mercy.
The Mercy of Jesus Christ Was Shown in His Works
How is Orthodoxy consistent with charity? Having done a good deed, we definitely expect rewards, praise for our glory, and the Bible teaches us to do good so that the left hand does not know what the right hand is giving.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:7) Jesus said that the merciful will receive mercy, which means all their sins will be forgiven. Doing merciful deeds is a gift from God. Only with a heart filled with true love can one do good without expecting reward or thanks.
The one who gives good thanks the Almighty for the given opportunity to become the hands of the Creator on earth, for by how merciful we are, people can see the manifestation of God in Christians. Orthodox charity is good deeds done according to the sincere desire of the heart, for the glory of the Lord.
According to St. John Chrysostom, it is mercy that makes a person human. Time spent without merciful deeds cannot be considered life.
Jesus said that he would give life in abundance, meaning joy and pleasure from days lived to His glory, and true happiness comes from mercy and goodness.
In John 15:16, Jesus emphasized that He chose people to bear fruit that would distinguish Christians from unbelievers. Many do deeds in the name of the Lord, but Jesus does not recognize all of them as His own, for they do merciful deeds for their own benefit or glory.
Orthodox charity - good deeds done according to the sincere desire of the heart
The fruit of the Holy Spirit includes mercy based on love, when what is human is transformed into God's. This is not an external manifestation, but an internal transformation, the acquisition of new values in life.
Dangerous Passenger
A child may encounter an offender not only at school, but also, for example, on the way to the park. Here is an eyewitness story that happened this summer with Evgenia Korytina at a tram stop. The tram stopped, and a group of teenagers got out of it - two inconspicuously dressed guys who looked under 18 years old and a girl. Probably one of them was tipsy, and they had already had a confrontation on the tram. As they were getting out, a car was passing nearby, and the driver, not having time to slow down, ran over the guy’s leg. The guy screamed, cursed first the driver, then the one who came up from the stop to help Evgeniy, and then took out pepper spray and sprayed it in the eyes of his companion, who only asked the assistant: “don’t touch him, he’s just drunk.”
The injured boy was lucky - he was wearing glasses, which eased the burn that could have caused him to lose his sight. Evgenia called an ambulance and the police. The drunk guy fled, and the victim was taken to the hospital.
According to child psychologist-educator Daria Dugentsova, when faced with children's hooliganism on the street, one cannot stand aside. Of course, the case of a drunk teenager is rather an exception, when appealing to conscience is useless. One can only try to minimize the consequences for himself and other participants in the incident.
But in other cases, it is quite possible to follow the teacher’s advice:
- If parents are not around and you see a child acting out, you need to approach the child and calmly explain what exactly he is doing wrong and why. In order for him to perceive your words correctly, you need to explain the situation in as much detail as possible, while descending to his eye level.
- If the child's parents are standing nearby, start a conversation with them. Explain that their child is violating the boundaries of socio-cultural norms or your personal boundaries. Daria advises, when starting a conversation, to restrain your emotions and speak without unnecessary gestures, so that your interlocutors can listen to you and not “go on the defensive.”
If you encounter a bully and he frequently interacts with you or your child
Stop . Abruptly stop the child’s attempt to harm someone or something. This must be done calmly, firmly and confidently. Set clear boundaries of what is permitted. Understand. When the child comes to his senses and is able to perceive information, you need to find out what happened. The dialogue must be built without threats, in a confidential manner, with the intention of giving the child the tools to resolve the conflict. Questions can be asked like this: “You just hit Masha in the stomach with your fist. Why did you want to do this? How do you think Masha felt? How could you have done it differently? Be near. Stabilize the situation. Make sure that an adult with a stable psyche is next to the child as often as possible. If his parents themselves are prone to traumatic behavior, they need to work on restoring harmony in the family. If this does not work out, find a significant adult who will guide the child in the right direction.
Corporal and spiritual works of mercy
Holy teachers, including John Chrysostom, paid considerable attention to issues of Christian virtues. Spiritual manifestations of human attention and donations are certainly more pleasing to God, in contrast to physical manifestations of human kindness, which include:
- feed the hungry;
- give drink to the thirsty;
- clothe the homeless;
- visit the sick and prisoners;
- listen; listen
- console.
However, if there is no spiritual empathy in the heart, then it is difficult for a person to realize spiritual mercy, the essence of which is intercessory prayer for others, forgiveness, the ability to teach God’s truth and set an example of Christianity through one’s own deeds.
Important! For a true Christian, merciful deeds are a litmus test for testing his faith and love. Only when the soul thirsts to do good and receives pleasure from helping others can we talk about the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
How to accept alms?
- A person should accept help with modesty and modesty.
- With gratitude and long memory of what they did to us. A person quickly forgets that he received help. And this is important - to be grateful, to remember for a very long time, to pray for this person.
- With prayerful remembrance. When a person helps us, we must pray for him; this is our first duty. In the memorial prayer of the evening rule, we say: “Do good to those who do good, grant remission of sins to those who have mercy on us.” We pray for those who have mercy on us, nourish us, and warm us, because the Lord accepts the prayers of those who have been blessed.
Paradoxical mercy
This may sound paradoxical, but helping a homeless person out of pity, seeing him as a degraded person, we ourselves return to paganism. How is our attitude towards a beggar better than our attitude towards a hungry dog?
Saint John of Kronstadt often left the house in luxurious clothes and shoes, and returned undressed and barefoot, for in every beggar he saw the image of God, so he tried to clothe and put shoes on everyone in need. The saint’s heart was filled with sincere love, seeing in a person in need the chosen one of the Creator. Internally feeling the weight of the cross of a fallen man, we, as best we can, must share his grief with him and help to the best of our ability.
The New Testament Calls Man to Mercy and Compassion
Among the Slavs, as a rule, all Christians, albeit of different denominations, are people who were baptized in the image of the Savior. Then, how can we understand the presence of malice and cruelty in the Orthodox world? God in the Bible said 365 times: “Rejoice,” then why is there irritation, discontent, jealousy, envy at every step? Cursing his neighbor, everyone wants and seeks love for his beloved.
Interesting! Mercy is a boomerang, as you throw it, it will return. Dreaming of God's mercy towards every Christian, few believers are ready to give in even a little to their neighbor, to enter into his difficult situation, to forgive, to understand, to help.
Showing mercy in the modern world has been replaced by charity and sponsorship, they are trumpeted about on all corners, and because of this they have benefits when paying taxes.
LIFE OF SAINT FAUSTINA
Saint Faustina (Helena Kowalska) was born on August 25, 1905 in Poland. Of ten children in a poor peasant family, she was the third child - a quick-witted girl, gifted with an extraordinary memory, and very diligent in her studies. Helena completed only three years of primary school, since the First World War began, and the girl had to help her mother in the house. She received her religious education from her devout parents, at school and church, in preparation for her first Holy Communion, which she received at age nine. From then on, Helena often cleansed her soul in the sacrament of repentance and received Christ in the Eucharist every Sunday. Constant prayer connected her with God. On August 1, 1925, Helena entered the monastery of the Sisters of the Merciful Mother of God. In 1928, she took her first temporary vows and received her monastic name in the monastery - Sister Maria Faustina. In 1933, Sister Faustina made her perpetual vows, sacrificing herself to God completely and forever. In 1931, the Lord asked her to paint the image of Him in which He Himself appeared to her. Her health was already very weak. She not only patiently endured the suffering, but also thanked God for sending it down. On an autumn day in 1938, with her gaze fixed on the cross, she calmly, without sorrow, surrendered her soul to the Mercy of God. Her remains rest in Krakow, in the monastery chapel. On the second Sunday of Easter, the Solemnity of Divine Mercy, Pope John Paul II declared Sister Faustina Kowalska a saint.
Angelina blossomed
...Two-year-old Angelina lives in a specialized orphanage in Nizhny Tagil. When she needed treatment in Yekaterinburg, for a whole month, volunteers participating in the unique “Mom for an Hour” project were with her around the clock.
— I’m not married yet, I don’t have children. I imagined what it would be like for a girl to be left alone, immobilized, for several hours in a hospital room - and I took the plunge! — says Elena Blaginina. — Angelina is very friendly, sociable, affectionate. Everyone noticed that she began to speak better and literally blossomed from the attention.
Father Evgeniy calls volunteers a “gold mine.” This is more than 800 people of all ages and professions; last year alone more than a hundred newcomers joined. The work is endless. The Mercy Bus has been operating for 13 years. A driver, a nurse and a volunteer drive around the city three days a week to feed the homeless, distribute clothes, provide first aid or call an ambulance, and buy tickets home.
Another direction is called the fashionable term pro bono (from the Latin pro bono publico - for the public good) - professional assistance free of charge. The center employs lawyers, designers, editors, journalists, and psychologists. The Ladin family is a real creative dynasty. Mom Svetlana Lvovna is the head of media projects for the service. The eldest daughter Alena is a lawyer, the middle and youngest, Marina and Valya, are photographers, and son Ivan has repeatedly participated in charity events.
“I remember how difficult it was to film in a children’s cancer center, I even cried after filming,” admits Valya Ladina. - But then you pick yourself up, the camera - and go!
How should you not take it?
- When they give to us, how should we not accept alms? Very often this happens to us: when a person wants to help us, we begin to make excuses: “This is not necessary, why don’t you, I myself, under no circumstances.” Such excuses are wrong. There is such a good Russian proverb: “If they give, take, if they hit, run.” St. John of Kronstadt says that if they give money (for example, to clergy for services), we must take it, because if people want to help, there is no need to pretend to be independent, strong, and brave. Yes, you are like that, but you are temporarily in need, and if someone wants to help you, you should accept it with joy and gratitude, and not be smart. It’s so bad when sometimes two people stand in the corridor: one gives, the other does not accept. And they give this gift to each other. We must accept it with gratitude, with humility, and not talk over each other.
- We also need to be afraid of the feeling that we have not been given enough when we are given sacrifices or favors. If someone doesn’t give you anything at all, you should under no circumstances be offended.
The influence of alms on human nature
The Holy Fathers say the following:
- Mercy heals passions and vices, displaces them, drives them out (first of all, the passion of love of money dies from mercy).
- Mercy drives out the passion of the love of money, because these are two antipodes. Two opposite points that can never be together. Either love of money is in our hearts, or mercy. One drives out the other.
- Almsgiving cleanses sin, says Proverbs. And the prophet Daniel says that alms cleanses human iniquities. Remember the covenants of our Fathers, when a person turns from sin to virtue, the first thing they say to him is “do alms, so that the Lord will forgive you your sins.” Those. bow the Mercy of God to yourself by doing alms and good deeds.
