Life of the Prophet Malachi
Information about the life of the prophet Malachi is rather scarce. Even his real name is not known. The saint had extraordinary beauty, angelic purity, and was famous for his pious life. Therefore, the people called him an angel or messenger of the Lord - Malachi.
According to the Holy Scriptures, the homeland of the righteous man was the village of Sofa (Sufa), he belonged to the tribe of Zebulun. The saint was born 400 years before the birth of Christ, during the time of the liberation of the Jews from Babylonian captivity.
The Jews who returned to their native lands rebuilt the temple destroyed during the capture of Jerusalem, reviving the performance of divine services by priests and the making of sacrifices.
At first, the impoverished people attended services with sincere faith in their souls, sacrificing the last thing they had. But gradually people became disillusioned. Bad harvests, locust attacks, and political submission to the Persians all robbed people of hope for the “great promise” promised to the people of Israel. People began to lose faith in God, increasingly retreating from the rules of the Mosaic Law of offering sacrifices and tithes. The clergy did nothing to bring people to reason, being careless about the growing lack of spirituality and decline in morality.
Among the Jews, the opinion began to spread more and more that it was useless to serve the Lord and adhere to God’s commandments. People insisted that the Almighty still does not punish the atheists; they live happily, without experiencing difficulties.
Pious and faithful to his faith, Malachi was outraged by this attitude of the people towards God and faith. He began to make accusatory speeches, accusing the people of the following vices:
- lack of reverence, blasphemy, violation of ancestral covenants;
- spreading lies, slander, sorcery, adultery;
- bringing evil sacrifices to the Lord;
- evasion of tithing;
- dissolution of legal marriages with wives and marriage to foreign women;
- taking false oaths;
- delay in payment of remuneration for labor of mercenaries;
- rejection of people who came from other lands;
- oppression of widows and orphans.
Malachi denounced not only the people, but also the clergy. The saint spoke out against the unfair conduct of worship, threatening the priests with God's judgment. He accused the priests of indifference, hypocrisy, and evasion of their duties. The Prophet said that their wrong activities dishonor the Lord, causing people to deviate from God's path by succumbing to temptations.
The holy righteous man attached great importance to the newly erected temple. He was confident that the well-being of the Jews depended on conducting the service in accordance with the spirit of the Covenant. That is why the saint was so demanding of the clergy.
In his sermons, Malachi convinced people of the need to respect the Almighty, who loves every person. The main idea of his sermons was the assertion that the Lord is a judge and a savior at the same time. By observing God's laws, humanity will receive His blessing and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The most important tasks of the prophet’s ministry were: reviving faith in people who were weakened in spirit, strengthening the determination of those who conscientiously fulfill their duty, adhering to the covenants of their fathers.
The earthly life of the last Old Testament prophet ended when he was still quite young. The saint's body was buried next to his ancestors in his native village of Sufa.
Meaning and veneration in Orthodoxy
The honoring of the prophet Malachi takes place on January 16 according to the new style (January 3 according to the Julian calendar). The saint played a significant role in the development of Christianity. With the help of the prophets, a two-way communication between the Lord and man was carried out. Malachi, in his prophecies, conveyed God's revelations intended for the Jews.
In the teachings of the last Old Testament prophet, special attention was paid to faith in one God, moral behavior, and the expectation of salvation.
What is asked of the holy prophet Malachi?
The main goal of all biblical prophets was the salvation of souls. Therefore, they pray to Saint Malachy to strengthen faith. The last prophet is also approached with requests for the healing of bodily ailments.
There is a belief among believers that Malachi helps get rid of corruption. The clergy believe that a true believer will be able to resist any magical conspiracies. But people who are weak in spirit are susceptible to the influence of dark forces. Therefore, every Orthodox Christian should know prayers to Saint Malachi.
book author
There are several opinions regarding who is hiding under the name “Malachi”: one of the prominent figures after the Babylonian captivity - Ezra, Jesus the high priest, or even an angel (but most likely Malachi was the proper name of the last prophet-writer.).
According to the apocrypha “On the Life and Death of the Prophets,” Malachi was born in Sopha, in the tribe of Zebulun. He received his name from the people for his extraordinary beauty and purity, and also because he talked with angels many times. Some of the interpreters believe that Malachi came from a kohanim, since he is very interested in the contemporary situation of kohanim and worship - a rather conditional assumption. Malachi died early.
Iconography
Despite the fact that Malachi died young, on the icons he is represented as a gray-haired old man. Most of the icons are full-length, but there are also half-length images of the saint.
Characteristic features of the image of the prophet:
- gray hair reaching down to the shoulders;
- a wedge-shaped beard, on some icons forking downwards;
- red or blue chiton;
- himation brown or cherry color;
- on the feet - sandals;
- a halo is depicted around the uncovered head, symbolizing holiness and the Lord’s special chosenness.
Although quite rare, there are icons in which the prophet is depicted as younger, with black hair and the same black beard. The icon of Malachi is located in the fourth row of the iconostasis, among the images of the other Old Testament prophets.
On all icons, the saint blesses those praying with his right hand, and in his left he holds an unrolled scroll. On the scroll you can read lines from his prophecy, which are a paremia that is read during the celebration of the Beheading of John the Baptist.
Orthodox texts
Many prayer texts are dedicated to the Prophet Malachi, like other Orthodox saints. To cleanse the soul and receive consolation, read the troparion, tone 2, as well as kontakion, tone 4 and 8.
Troparion
The memory of Your prophet Malachi, O Lord, those who celebrate, we pray to You: save our souls.
Kontakion
Rich in prophecy, prophetically, you foretold the coming of Christ and the salvation of the world, whose radiance would enlighten the world.
In kontakion
For you have served as an Angel, most blessed, and have been vouchsafed to speak in the future, for you have made clear to everyone the Lord’s incarnation, so we cry to you: Rejoice, prophet of God Malachi, of everlasting memory.
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Day of Remembrance:
January 03 (old style)
January 16 (new style)
“And I will come to you for judgment and will be a swift accuser of sorcerers and adulterers and those who swear falsely and withhold wages from a hireling, and oppress the widow and the orphan, and repel the stranger, and do not fear Me, says the Lord of hosts.” Small III. 5-7. Every year on January 3 (16), the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church remembers the memory of the Holy Prophet of God Malachi. Such a pious tradition has deep roots and is associated with the time of the long-awaited Great celebration and miracle in the world - the Epiphany of the Most Holy Trinity, which, as we know, happened on the Bright Day of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save humanity fallen in sins. On the eve of this truly greatest event, so long awaited by the Holy Patriarchs and Prophets of the Old World, we remember the last of them - Malachi - the Prophet of the Old World and Testament going into eternity, who predicted through the Holy Spirit a great number of already accomplished and only future events in world history. All these circumstances cannot but awaken in the heart of a Christian a keen interest in such a significant personality of the Old World, about which, by the will of God, we even now know not so much. The tradition of the Jewish Church says that the name Malachi in translation means “messenger or messenger of God,” while this name is not a common noun, but a proper one. He received his name “Angel” from the people for his extraordinary beauty, angelic purity and because he talked with the Angel many times. Holy Blessed Jerome of Stridon (June 15) testifies that the translations of Aquila, Theodotion and Symmachus included the proper name of the Prophet Malachi. The interpreters of the Orthodox Church, ancient and modern, recognize that the book was actually written by the Prophet, who bore this name as a proper name. The Russian Orthodox Church, together with the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, celebrates the memory of the Holy Prophet Malachi once a year - January 3 (16). Basic information about the life of the Prophet was gleaned by theologians from an essay entitled “On the Life and Death of the Prophets,” written in Hebrew. From here Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (Comm. (12) May 25) drew his information about the Prophet Malachi, and from him the compiler of the lives of the Saints, Saint Demetrius of Rostov (Comm. (September 21) October 4 and (October 28) November 10). According to these legends, the Holy Prophet Malachi lived 400 years before the birth of Christ and died a young man. The prophet Malachi was born in Sofra (Sofa, Sufra) in the tribe of Zebulun, descended from the sixth and last son of the Holy righteous Jacob from Leah. This tribe owned the best part of Palestine (north), which is of especially high importance for Orthodox Christians, since the main events of the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ took place on this land. Nazareth, Canna, Tiberias, Tabor and other places consecrated by the Divine feet of the Son of God lay in the region of the tribe of Zebulun. Some interpreters believe that the Prophet Malachi came from a priestly family, since in his book much attention is paid to the contemporary position of the priesthood and worship. Moreover, many of the accusatory words spoken by the Prophet can still be quoted today to expose most of the vices that unfortunately exist in the Church of Christ today. And the closer the end of the world and the coming of the Antichrist to the world, the more clearly the words of the Prophet Malachi, exposing the vices of a world perishing in sins, are perceived by contemporaries. The Talmud calls the Prophet a member of the great synagogue. And yet there are not many sufficient reasons to consider the Prophet from a line of priests, since at that time every good and God-fearing Israeli could be interested in the position of the priesthood and worship. However, we must admit that not everyone could write about it like that. The Prophet Malachi lived after the captivity of Babylon and some time after the Prophets Haggai (Comm. (16) December 29 and Zechariah (Comm. (8) February 21). At that time, the Temple of Solomon had already been built, sacrifices were made in large numbers, but the initial jealousy for such the great and holy cause of piety has already noticeably cooled among the Jewish people, which becomes known from the Prophet Malachi in his book (Mal. I, 6, II, 1 and III, 1, 10).The moral shortcomings of the Jewish people were no longer the same , which were the subject of the denunciation of the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah, but rather approached those that existed during the time of the Prophet Ezra and the pious ruler Nehemiah, appointed governor of Judah by order of the king of Persia, Zerubbabel. All this happened in 433 BC, about which we Nehemiah himself reports (German XIII, 6). The Prophet Malachi carried out his denunciations, led by the Holy Spirit, in Judea during the absence of Nehemiah in Jerusalem. The activity of the Prophet of God falls on the era of the Prophet Ezra and his contemporaries, i.e. in the fifth century BC long-awaited Christmas. The prophet Malachi denounces the Jewish people and priests for not having proper reverence for God and bringing bad sacrifices to Him (Mal. I). The priests, because by their untruths, deviation from the right path, non-observance of the commandments and hypocrisy in the works of the law, they dishonor God, causing offense among the people (Mal. II, 1-9). The Prophet angrily denounced the people for treachery and violation of the covenant of their fathers, protested against negligence in the matter of worship, as well as against the violation of theocratic customs among the Jewish people. The Prophet especially strongly condemns the priests and those Jews who frivolously dissolved their marriages with their legal spouses for their lack of fear of God. The Holy Prophet threatened them with the judgment of God for other vices: for their sorcery and adultery, for false oaths, for withholding wages from mercenaries, for oppressing widows and orphans, for rejecting strangers and failure to comply with the law regarding tithes and offerings to the temple of God: “And I will come I will come to you for judgment and will be a swift accuser of sorcerers and adulterers and those who swear falsely and withhold wages from a hireling, oppress the widow and the orphan, and repel the stranger, and they will not fear Me, says the Lord of hosts.” “...Is it possible for a person to rob God? And you are robbing Me. You will say: “How are we robbing You?” Tithes and offerings”, “...Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, so that into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house” (Mal. III, 5-12). Finally, the Prophet denounced the Jews for their blasphemy, for their impudent and blasphemous words, that it was in vain to serve God, it was useless to observe His decrees, that the wicked and those who practice iniquity live happier, manage their affairs better and remain safe (Mal. III, 5-12) . Exposing these vices, now well known to everyone, the Prophet Malachi, at the same time, foresaw the glory of the second temple of Solomon and most clearly predicted the coming of the Messiah. But with his accusatory sermon, the Prophet Malachi wants not only to contribute to the restoration of morality among the people and the customs of the true theocracy of Judea. The main goal of his ministry was to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord into the world. Many impatient Jews have already begun to doubt whether the Messiah promised by the previous Prophets will come as the Judge of sinners and the Benefactor of the righteous. The prophet Malachi proclaims that the Lord will come soon, that He will act as a Judge for all people in general, including the Jews. However, the most important thing in the prophecy of Malachi is that he prepares the Jews for the coming of the Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord - the new Elijah, who should turn the Israelites to the path of salvation. His coming, according to the Prophet Malachi, is due to the fact that neither priests nor ordinary Jews could withstand the fiery test that the Lord would subject everyone to at His coming. And therefore, out of condescension to the chosen people, He sends them a new Prophet, who became John the Baptist - the Forerunner of the Savior. That is why the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Prophet Malachi three days before the celebration of the Council of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, who Baptized the Savior of the world in the waters of the Jordan, honoring the Prophet Malachi who foreshadowed it. The Prophet Malachi, by the will of God, became the last Old Testament Prophet, and therefore, first among the high priests of Israel, and after the Holy Fathers of the Church of Christ, he was called the “Seal of the Prophets.” Before the appearance in the world of the Baptist he predicted, whose Council the Ecumenical Church will celebrate on January 7 (20), there were no prophets in the world for four centuries, which also speaks of the significance of the ministry of the Prophet Malachi and those prophetic words that he uttered and captured in his book. The main difference between the book of the Prophet is that the Prophet Malachi looks at the pagans completely differently than before him both the Holy Prophets Haggai and Zechariah, who came out of captivity in Babylon. The Prophet hates only the Edomites, these inveterate enemies of the Jewish people, and foreshadows the acceptance of other pagan peoples into the Kingdom of God (Mal. I, 11). If the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied the Day of the Lord as the destruction of all pagan power (Hag. II, 5 and the words of Zech. I, 14), then the Prophet Malachi says about this Judgment only that it will affect the Jewish people (Mal. III, 13 ). The prophet Malachi is distinguished by his special favor towards all the weak and offended, especially towards rejected wives. He is an ardent enemy of divorce (Mal. II, 16). But the most important prophecy of Malachi foreshadows - the Lord will come to His temple suddenly and here He will carry out His judgment on the Jews, and He will be preceded by a Forerunner or Angel (Mal. III, I). And after the judgment, the Prophet foretells the spread of the glory of God before all nations (Mal. I, 5, 11; II. 1-5; III. 16-18, IV). The Holy Prophet Malachi died at a young age and was buried in his father's village of Sufa. The book of the Prophet Malachi is the last among the books of the “minor Prophets”. The entire book of the Prophet Malachi fits into three chapters in the Hebrew Bible, but in the Orthodox Bible the book of the Prophet Malachi is divided into 4 chapters according to the meaning of each chapter. It is replete with messianic prophecies, and in accordance with the messianic nature of the content (Mal. III, 1-3), 6-7, 12, 17-18; IV, 4-6) all prophecies about the coming of the Forerunner of the Lord are read as parimia on all holidays in honor of the Holy Prophet and Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. At the end of the activity of the ruler Nehemiah, the book of the Prophet Malachi was, without hesitation, included in the canon of the Holy Books. This is why by the third century BC there was already a collection of 12 Prophets. In the New Testament, the book of the Prophet is quoted repeatedly as a prophetic and inspired book, known to everyone and recognized as canonical (Matt. XI, 10; Mark I, 2; Luke II, 17; Rom. IX, 13). The most famous interpretations of the book of the Prophet Malachi belong to the Holy Venerable Ephraim the Syrian (January 28), February 10), Blessed Jerome, Saint Cyril of Alexandria (January 18 and June 22) and the Hieromartyr Theodoret of Antioch (January 8). ) 21 March). All these works were translated into Russian even before the 1917 coup and were known to Russian theologians and thinkers. Thus, Russian interpretations belong to Bishop Palladius, E.K. Sirnov. (Bishop John), A. Gretsov and the famous professor P. Tikhomirov (Prophet Malachi, Study. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1903, p. 596).
Troparion to the Prophet Malachi, voice of the 2nd Thy Prophet Malachi, in memory, O Lord, who celebrates, we pray to You: save our souls. Kontakion to the Prophet Malachi, the voice of the 4th Prophecy, with the gift of the rich, the prophet, you foreshadowed the coming of Java and the salvation of the world, whose radiance will enlighten the world. Magnification to the Prophet Malachi We magnify you, prophet of God Malachi, and honor your Holy memory, for you pray for us to Christ our God.
Sermon by Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov About sin They say: like the priest, so is the parish. This is very correct. Like parents, like children; The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – it’s all about the same thing. One parishioner just asked me a question, and I realized that I am a very bad priest, because for eight years I cannot explain simple things, I have to say the same thing. When children study poorly, it is not their fault that they are so stupid, but the fault of the teacher who cannot teach. Let me try again to explain what sin is – maybe for the hundredth time. Apparently, I don’t find the words precise enough to explain this. Sin is not a crime, sin is a state of the human soul. The sinful state of a person’s soul is expressed in his bad deeds, but may not be expressed in them. That is, a person’s state of mind may be like that of a thief, but he may not steal; the state of the soul may be like that of a fornicator, but he may not be fornicating; the state of mind may be like that of a drunkard, but he may not drink. If a person struggles with sin, then he can overcome it with the help of God’s grace. If a person does not fight sin and follows its lead, then he commits sinful acts. But we won’t understand this at all. For example, is it a sin to eat meat during Lent or not? Most people think it's a sin. But what has pork and lamb done wrong to us, what is its sin? The sin is not in the meat, not in the fact that we eat it, not in the fact that we have become dishonest, because there is nothing unclean in meat. If the meat were unclean, then we would not eat it on Easter. So, the sin lies not in the fact that a person eats meat during fasting, but in the fact that he does not obey the Church: the whole Church fasts, but he does not. Well, if doctors prescribed fresh meat to a person - he has diabetes, and he can’t eat anything else - will it be a sin or not? Many people suffer from such questions. But the sin is not in meat, but in intemperance. If eating meat and milk is a sin during fasting, why then does a mother feed her infant milk? Let him scream for forty days: if he survives, he will survive, I’ll feed him at Easter. It cannot be like this: what is a sin for one person is not a sin for another. So it's not about the food. And that’s right, not in food. This is how the Apostle Paul writes: The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but joy in the Holy Spirit. Or, for example, bowing to the ground on Easter - is it a sin or not? Ninety-nine percent will say: sin. But the sin is not in bowing. If a person feels like a sinner, repents before God, falls on his knees before Him and sheds tears, what is there to be sinful about? What is the sin? The fact that he seduces others, leads them into temptation. Because ninety-nine percent of people watch him on his knees and suffer, and each of them wants to pull him: don’t do this, it’s a sin. Go home, shut yourself up and bow: a thousand, two thousand, three, as much as you like. No one sees you except your God, and with God there is always Easter. Therefore, if you want, get on your knees, if you want, don’t get up. But the fact that you seduce others... It’s not their fault that their priest is so bad, he can’t explain to them what sin is and what is not sin, and therefore they are tempted. But on the other hand, if a person really wants to get on his knees, then let him get up. Should you kneel on Kherubimskaya or not? There is nothing special in the Cherubim song compared to “Quiet Light” or “Glory to God in the highest.” But someone wants to get down on their knees - well, let him get up, why kill him now for this? What's wrong with a person kneeling? It is not clear who he offended or offended by this, at least not God, because the church is exactly the place where people kneel before God. What's special here? But since a person is different from others, he attracts attention to himself and distracts others from prayer. We all pray to God, but we pray mostly silently or participate with our minds in the words of the prayer. And if everyone got carried away and began to express their requests out loud, he would interfere with the service, and they would definitely stop him. But this does not mean that the sin is that he prayed, but the sin is that he disturbed others. It’s the same in everything. A small child was brought to church. This is very good. And if he prevents others from praying, you are already leading them into temptation. Therefore, you need to get up in such a way and engage with your child in such a way that he does not distract others or, if possible, distracts as little as possible. That is, you need to think about your neighbors all the time. When we violate love for God and love for neighbor, then this is a sin, because sin is resistance to the will of God. God wants every person to be saved, and what does he use for this: whether he stands on his knees, or prays, or tries to read spiritual books, or helps his neighbor - all means are good. It doesn't matter at all. Many people, for example, go to church every day. It's good? Fine. And if a person goes to church and prays at the same time, that’s even better. Because you can just stand in the temple: you stand and suffer - when will it all end? Praying is good, and fasting is also good. But if a person, for example, betrays, or slander, or slander, this is no longer good. The question is, what is better: breaking the fast on Good Friday or selling your neighbor wholesale and retail? It is clear that it is better to break the fast. Therefore, we need to think about the fact that we often sin terrible sins, terrible, Judaic ones, and do evil to our neighbors. So one said something to the other, and she passed it on: and she said about you... And what did the person achieve? He quarreled between them, a quarrel began - and then there would be no meat or milk. There is a saying: you better eat meat and not people. Because it happens that people do not eat lamb, beef, pork during fasting, but eat their own wives, children, mothers-in-law, fathers-in-law, and mothers-in-law. What's the use of this faith? What is the use of faith when life is made unbearable and painful for others, so that they are already afraid to come home? What's the point of this post? What is the use of reading Scripture? It would be better if he didn’t go to church, it would be better if he didn’t pray to God, if he were an unbeliever, he would be a calm, decent person. What good is faith when a person does the opposite of that faith? He creates hell for his neighbors, at home he curses all the time, reproaches all the time, an irritable tone, anger - some kind of devilry. Yes, you’d better eat meat, go to bed, calm down. That's much better. But we don’t have such an understanding. We do not understand the most important thing that the Lord brought to earth, and some Pharisaic attitudes play a role for us. Why does the post exist? So that a person becomes more meek, more humble, more calm, more loving. And if you’re going crazy from fasting, then it’s better to boil a bucket of potatoes, fill it with lamb and eat everything - just become calmer, for God’s sake. This will be much better, this will be the best post. We must think, first of all, about what spiritual things we acquired through fasting. The meaning of fasting is not in diet, but precisely in becoming more meek, more humble, more loving - this is the meaning of Christian life, and this is what we should strive for. The Lord wants us to get rid of our passions in our souls, from sins, and not for us to become people who live according to some external rules. What matters to God is who we are on the inside, essentially. There are people who go to church, and wear a scarf to pray, and their apartment is blessed, and they have a lamp, and icons, and books, and the Bible, and a prayer book - well, they have everything that their heart desires, but their eyes are envious, heart of stone, tongue of evil. Well, what's the use of these treasures that you bought at home? There are icons - good, lamps - good, you have the Bible - thank God, you read it - even better. But what is the use of this reading if a person remains envious, evil, a traitor, a Judas, grumpy, a gossip, and passes on all sorts of evil about others? There is only one sense in this: because of this, you will be much lower in hell than the most terrible atheist who neither went to church nor prayed to God. Because you had icons, you had lamps, you kept fast, you went to church, you read the Bible - and nothing came into you. This is what an opponent of God you are, nothing has penetrated you: neither worship, nor fasting, nor the word of God. Another person does not believe in God and lives better than another believer, and the Lord will show him mercy. Because what is the demand from him? He had never been to church, no one taught him - neither a good priest nor a bad one said a word to him. He doesn’t know anything, he’s never read the Bible in his life, he doesn’t know good books where morality is talked about, where evil is ridiculed - “Eugene Onegin” or Dostoevsky, Chekhov; I only read newspapers and watched the Vremya program. Sometimes he acted according to his conscience, sometimes against his conscience. What to take from him? There is less demand from him. Therefore, what kind of Christian are you if you go to church, do everything externally, but inside you remain the most terrible villain - you are angry, irritable, power-hungry, you shout all the time, make noise, you just point out everything to everyone, you force everyone to do everything, you crush everyone under you and want so that everyone can be like you. You alone are right, and everyone around you is a fool and is to blame for everything. It’s also impossible, it’s contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. It would be better if you didn’t go to church, sat at home, quietly watched TV, read the newspaper, drank tea and didn’t offend anyone - you would be closer to God. That is, we must always try to distinguish what is sin in its essence and what is not sin. I repeat again: sin is not some kind of offense, but a state of a person’s soul. That is why the Lord came to save souls. And why do we also come to church? Not to remember health and peace, not to sprinkle with water, but to save the soul. Save from what? It is from this most vile state, which is sin. And because our soul is in this vile state, in sin, this is why we have all sorts of bad actions, this is why we have quarrels, and quarrels, and some kind of grievances against each other, and what not. But this is already a consequence. And it is not the symptoms that need to be treated, but the disease itself. And if we understand what sin is, then we will get rid of it more easily. I don’t know if I’m explaining it well or not, but I just can’t do it any better.
Amen.
Sermon by Archpriest Viktor Guryev On preparation for death How we should live in the world is something we are constantly taught and, of course, done well; for there is nothing better for life than to be able to live well. All this is true, but here’s what’s a pity: why are we either not taught at all, or taught very little, how to prepare for death, how to die? And this last teaching, in our opinion, is more important than the first. “Every mistake in life,” says one of the preachers, can be corrected, but one dies only once; We all have to die one day, then the judgment. And as someone dies, so he will appear at this court.” Therefore, the doctrine of death is perhaps more useful than the doctrine of life. There were two brothers who had many children. They taught their children to be especially hard-working and through this they became rich. One day the following happened in this family: one of the brothers called his brother’s children to him and said to them: “My brother, and your father, knows a day on which, having worked, you can become rich forever and then live without labor; I experienced this myself, but now I have forgotten what day it was; therefore go to your father, he will tell you about this day.” The children joyfully went to their father and began earnestly asking him to show them the day after which they could live without difficulty. The father answered: “I myself, children, have forgotten this day, but go and work for a year; at this time, perhaps you yourself will learn about the day that gives you a carefree life.” The children worked for a whole year, but did not find such a day and told their father about it. The father gave them credit for their work and said: “This is what you do: now divide the year into four seasons: spring, autumn, winter and summer, work, and you will find that day.” The children worked, but again they did not find a day on which they could become rich forever and not work anymore. At the end of the year, the father again gave them the reward for their work and at the same time said: “for the future, do this: divide the year into twelve months and work again and find this day.” The children fulfilled this command of their father, but again they did not find a day on which they could get rich and after which they would not have to work. Then the children said to their father: “And again we did not find the day you indicated, and since we were tired, and at the same time we acquired the means to live for ourselves, we will not work anymore.” The father answered: “The day that I showed you is the day of death, and that is why you did not find it, for it befalls us very often even when we did not think about it at all. Therefore, one must work day and night to save the soul and prepare for death.” What does this tributary narrative teach us? It is clear that the day of death, if we prepare for it with good deeds, will truly be for us a day on which we will consider ourselves forever enriched and after which we will no longer need to suffer and work. For through death we will move from darkness to light, from prison to freedom, from a foreign country to our native land... We will move to that city in which we will renounce all earthly burdens, from sorrow, illness and death. There God will take away every tear from our eyes and there will be no death for anyone: as the first one passed by (Apoc. 21:4). Amen. Prophecy of Malachi
Famous prophecies
Malachi was engaged not only in preaching activities, but also predicted many things. His prophetic messages are contained in the last book of the Old Testament.
The saint's theological book has four chapters. The first two chapters are devoted to the denunciation of priests and blasphemers. The second two contain prophetic predictions of the righteous man:
- about the coming of the Savior;
- about the coming of the new Elijah - the Forerunner, who will appear before the coming of the Messiah to convert the Jews to the path of salvation;
- about the coming Lord's judgment on the wicked;
- about glorifying the righteous and spreading God's glory among all nations.
Malachi not only contributed to the revival of morality among the Jews, but also prepared the people for the coming of Jesus Christ. The prophet also announced the sudden coming of the Lord, his judgment over all nations, including the Jews.
After Malachi there were no more prophets until the appearance of John the Baptist; the Old Testament ends with the book of the saint. That is why Malachi is called the “seal of the prophets.”
Characteristics of the Book of Malachi
The book of Malachi is written in prose, in almost pure Hebrew with rare Aramisms. The latter can be explained by the fact that the Jews after the captivity submitted, in terms of language, to the influence of the Palestinian (Western) Arameans, who lived in the vicinity of the rather small Jerusalem colony. Moreover, this Western Aramaic language was the official language of the western half of the Persian kingdom.
Malachi's style is characterized by dialecticism: the author usually presupposes a general position, and then puts forward an opposing thought, which gives him a reason to thoroughly explain and justify the first position (see 1.2 et seq., 6 et seq.; 3.8 et seq. , 13 et seq.).
Malachi views the Gentiles very differently than other “post-exilic” prophets. He hates only the Edomites, these inveterate enemies of the Jews, while Haggai and Zechariah depicted the day of the Lord as the destruction of all pagan power (Hagg 2:5 et seq.; Zech 1:15). Malachi says only about this judgment that it will affect the Jews (3.13 et seq.). Also noteworthy is the sympathy that Malachi feels for all the weak and offended, especially for rejected wives. He is an ardent enemy of divorce (2:16).
Finally, Malachi foreshadows that God will come suddenly to His Temple and here will carry out His judgment on the Jews, and He will be preceded by a forerunner or angel (3:1).
The book of Malachi was included in the canon of sacred books upon its completion, that is, at the end of Nehemiah's activity. For example, by the 3rd century BC. e. there was already a collection of 12 prophets (see Sir 49:12). Sirach obviously quotes the book of Malachi when he speaks of the prophet Elijah (48.10 cf. Mal 4.6).
