website of the Gorlovka and Slavic diocese
The first steps on the path to becoming a church member can be difficult, because to new Christians much in the Church seems incomprehensible, alien, and even scary. Who should I contact with questions? How can I get the opportunity to communicate with a priest? How and how much to pray? Archpriest Andrei Baykov, clergyman of the Epiphany Cathedral in Gorlovka, tells what needs to be done so that churching leads to a deep and conscious life in the Church.
What questions should you ask yourself?
A person who wants to become a church member must first of all turn to the roots, to his past. It is important to know whether he is baptized and who his godparents are. Each of us bears the name of an Orthodox saint - our heavenly patron. He has his own story, a biography - we call his life. This life is a must read. As one becomes familiar with it, many spiritual and practical questions will certainly arise: is it possible to achieve such holiness? Isn't this a fairy tale? How are we connected to the invisible world of God and the saints? All these questions need to be asked to the clergyman during live communication with him.
Churching yourself using some textbook or book is difficult and sometimes even dangerous. The fact is that now there are many false religious movements that one way or another offer their teachings under the guise of ideas of goodness, peace and universal happiness. Before coming to the Church, a person usually has only the same idea of spiritual values. But often behind these beautiful words lie things that can cause serious spiritual harm. To avoid such mistakes, you need live communication with the priest.
For beginners in church life
After Baptism, a person becomes a member of the Church, and membership in any society or organization implies rights, duties and responsibilities. The Church is more important than any earthly organization, since it has an unearthly origin and its Head is our Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism opens the door to the Kingdom of Heaven...
What to do after Baptism?
— First of all, realize that after Baptism a person becomes a member of the Church, and membership in any society or organization implies rights, duties and responsibilities. The Church is more important than any earthly organization, since it has an unearthly origin and its Head is our Lord Jesus Christ. By baptism, the door to the Kingdom of Heaven is opened and a person is given the right to enter this door and, subject to the fulfillment of duties, which are the commandments of God, to inherit eternal life. Responsibility means an answer or report on the work done to fulfill duties, which each person will give to God at a private trial, that is, at the end of earthly life and at the general Last Judgment, which will be after the Second Coming of Christ the Savior to earth. The path is indicated, the door is open, all that remains is to make an effort to follow this path, that is, to begin churching.
What should you do if you feel unsure when visiting a temple, afraid of doing something wrong?
- There is no need to be embarrassed by this. Uncertainty will quickly pass if you start going to church regularly. To learn more about the rules of behavior in the church, you can purchase the relevant literature at the church store.
You should not be offended if someone in the church made a remark that was not entirely correct, for example that a candle was placed with the wrong hand or in the wrong way, or something else was done incorrectly. We must try not to judge such people, but to tell them: “Forgive for Christ’s sake.” Or walk away silently, praying: “Lord! Forgive me my sins, just as I forgive this man!”
What does the word “churched” mean?
— A church-going Christian is one who clearly understands the goal of Christian life—salvation. He balances his thoughts and actions with the Gospel and Sacred Tradition preserved by the Church. For such a Christian person - the norm of life, fasting for him is not just a restriction in food and drink, but also a time of repentance for his sins, church holidays - a time of celebration of events that are directly related to the Providence of God for the salvation of man, and most importantly - to him yourself.
A person’s churching directly affects his professional and personal relationships. They become brighter, deeper and more responsible. By violating church regulations, he understands that he is not only doing the wrong thing, but that he is impoverishing and thereby ruining his life. And at the first opportunity, he resorts to the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, seeing in them the only possible medicine for healing his soul. Finally, a churchgoer is one who feels like a son of the Church, for whom any distance from it is painful and tragic. An unchurched person only has to find such a filial feeling in himself and understand that there is no salvation outside the Church.
Where to start churching?
— Prayer, visiting church, regular participation in the Sacraments of Confession and Communion are the beginning and basis of the church life of an Orthodox Christian.
What obstacles might there be on the path to churching?
— Obstacles on the path to churching can be those temptations and disturbances that sometimes occur in church life. These temptations and vices are real, real, but there are also apparent, far-fetched ones. But in any case, for a correct attitude towards them, it is necessary to always remember that the Church, by its nature, is both heavenly and earthly. The heavenly in the Church is the Lord acting in it, His grace, His saints and incorporeal angelic forces. And earthly things are people. Therefore, in the church you can encounter human shortcomings, completely “earthly” interests, and the weaknesses of people. In this case, it is very easy to be tempted and disappointed. But we must try to understand this correctly. People come to church to be saved, but they do not automatically become saints. They bring here their illnesses, passions, their sinful habits. Many, with God's help, overcome themselves and their bad inclinations, but this sometimes takes years.
It is necessary to know yourself, your own weakness, so as not to judge anyone. It is important not to judge the Church as if from the outside, you need to live in it, feel like an integral part of it, consider its shortcomings as your shortcomings.
It is also necessary to know that the enemy of salvation always seeks to quarrel, divide people, and pit them against each other. And here his main weapon is lies. He shows what really doesn’t exist, and presents minor mistakes as terrible crimes.
We must always remember that a lot depends on with what thoughts, with what internal structure a person evaluates the reality around him. Elder Paisios of Athos talks wonderfully about how much the assessment of this reality depends on “thought”: “When some told me that they were tempted, seeing a lot of inappropriate things in the Church, I answered them like this: “If you ask a fly, is there anything in the vicinity?” flowers, then she will answer: “I don’t know about flowers. But that ditch over there is full of cans, manure, and sewage.” And the fly will begin to list to you in order all the garbage dumps it has visited. And if you ask a bee: “Have you seen any uncleanness here in the vicinity?”, then it will answer: “Employment? No, I haven't seen it anywhere. There are so many fragrant flowers here!” And the bee will begin to list to you many different flowers - garden and field. You see: the fly only knows about garbage dumps, and the bee knows that a lily grows nearby, and a hyacinth is blooming a little further away.
As I understand it, some people are like a bee, while others are like a fly. Those who are like a fly look for something bad in every situation and do only that. They don't see an iota of good in anything. Those who are like a bee find goodness in everything.” “If you want to help the Church, correct yourself, and one part of the Church will immediately correct itself. If this were all, naturally the Church would correct itself.”
A person who condemns the shortcomings and sins of others, over time, himself becomes completely spiritually upset and cannot help anyone in this way, but can only harm.
And, on the contrary, a Christian who leads an attentive life, works on himself, struggles with his passions, becomes a good example and helper for those who are next to him. And in this (in doing what everyone is called to do in their own place, trying to do it according to God) lies the most real benefit that a believer can bring to the entire Church.
How and where to start a spiritual life? - “Turn to the Lord and leave your sins; pray before Him and reduce your stumbling blocks. Return to the Most High, and turn away from unrighteousness, and greatly hate abomination” (Sir. 17:21-23).
Spiritual life is an inner life. We must pay more attention to the inner state of the soul, the state of conscience, strive to live according to God’s commandments, constantly monitor thoughts and feelings, not judge anyone, not be irritated with anyone, and forgive everyone.
For those who want to start a spiritual life, it is necessary:
1) Turn to God in prayer, asking Him to grant pure, deep faith, without which there is no salvation for the soul.
2) Purchase the Holy Scriptures and read the New Testament. Moreover, having read it completely for the first time, open it again from the beginning and read one or two chapters every day, slowly, carefully, reflecting on what you read, trying to understand the meaning of the Divine Revelation contained in the text. It is good and useful to read the Commentaries on the New Testament (for example, Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria).
You can begin your acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures by reading the Children's Bible, which sets out in simple, accessible language the entire history of the relationship between God and man, briefly and clearly describing the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and His teaching about the Kingdom of God.
It is also advisable to purchase and read “The Law of God,” compiled by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky, a book that explains the basics of the doctrine, the commandments of God, basic prayers, and rules of conduct in church.
3) Start reading patristic books, which constitute a treasury of spiritual knowledge.
The selection of patristic literature for reading is a purely individual matter, done with the blessing of a spiritual mentor, but there are authors whose works are understandable and useful to everyone. This is Bishop Theophan the Recluse, Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Among modern authors - books by Archimandrite John (Krestyankin). And, of course, it is spiritually beneficial for everyone to read the lives of the saints.
4) In order to begin learning prayer, you need to purchase the “Orthodox Prayer Book” - a collection of prayers compiled by the holy fathers, people who dedicated their entire lives to serving God and purified their souls so much that the Lord created them as vessels of Grace, conductors of Divine Revelation. We can say that the Spirit of God Himself dictated to the holy fathers the texts of prayers, which the Church subsequently included in a collection for general use.
5) Observe fast days established by the Church and all multi-day fasts.
6) Regularly participate in the sacraments of Confession and Communion. The most common frequency of Communion is once every three weeks. It is possible to do this more often by asking for a blessing from the priest.
7) It is necessary to pray to God for the gift of a spiritual leader - a priest to whom one could entrust one’s soul for spiritual guidance.
What should you be careful of so as not to damage your soul? - You should not enter into debates and listen to sectarians who convince you that their faith is the most correct.
Before entering an unfamiliar church, you need to find out whether schismatics “serve” there.
You should not go to pray to “non-Orthodox” (i.e., non-Orthodox Christians).
You cannot communicate with representatives of the occult, the “White Brotherhood,” the “Virgin Center,” Mormons, Eastern and pseudo-Eastern Hare Krishnas, Roerichists, psychics, sorcerers and “grandmothers,” and numerous “Orthodox healers.” Communication with them causes great harm not only to spiritual, but also to physical health.
There is no need to listen to people spreading various superstitions. You should not take homemade, handwritten or typewritten prayers and spells from anyone, even though the giver will convince: “This is a very powerful prayer!” If something similar has already been taken, you need to go to the priest and show him, the priest will tell you what to do with it.
Any problems should be addressed to your confessor or the priest serving in the church. There is no need to be offended by the priest if it seems that he did not pay enough attention; it is important to remember that there are other people who also need a shepherd. We must try to listen carefully to the sermons of priests, read Orthodox spiritual literature, in which one can find answers to all questions related to spiritual life.
One should not get carried away by political passions - the people have such rulers as they deserve based on their spiritual state; You need to change, first of all, your own sinful life; if everyone improves themselves, the world around them will improve.
It is important to remember that a person has nothing more valuable than his own soul; one should not get carried away in the unbridled pursuit of worldly values, which take away energy and time, empty and kill the soul.
We must thank God for everything sent: joys and sorrows, health and illness, wealth and need, since everything that comes from Him is good; and even through sorrows, like bitter medicine, the Lord heals the sinful ulcers of human souls.
Having embarked on the path of Christian life, one must not be faint-hearted, not fuss, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) - the Lord will give everything you need in due time.
In all your actions and words you must be guided by the main commandment of love for God and your neighbors.
Can a Christian drink wine? - “Wine is good for a person’s life if you drink it in moderation. What is life without wine? It was created for the joy of people. Wine, consumed in moderation at the right time, is a joy to the heart and a consolation to the soul; Wine is a sorrow for the soul when one drinks a lot of it, during irritation and quarrel. Excessive consumption of wine increases the rage of the foolish to the point of stumbling, diminishing his strength and causing wounds. At a wine feast, do not reproach your neighbor and do not humiliate him during his fun: do not speak insulting words to him and do not burden him with demands” (Sir. 31:31-37). “And do not get drunk with wine, which causes debauchery” (Eph. 5:18).
Why is smoking a sin? — Smoking is recognized as a sin because this habit, called harmful even in secular society, enslaves a person’s will, forces him to seek his satisfaction again and again, in general, has all the signs of sinful passion. And passion, as we know, only brings new torments to the human soul and deprives it of freedom. Sometimes smokers say that a cigarette helps them calm down and concentrate internally. However, it is known that nicotine has a destructive effect on the brain and nervous system. And the illusion of calm arises because nicotine also has an inhibitory effect on brain receptors. Anything that harms one’s health is sinful. Health is a gift from God.
Why is obscene language dangerous? — The word plays a big role in the life of man, who, unlike all other living beings, is called a verbal being. The word is the embodied thought and expression of human feelings. Each human word has its own spirit, hidden content, which affects the soul of a person depending on what kind of word it is. The words of prayers ennoble and bring the soul closer to God, while dirty and unclean words bring the soul closer to those invisible beings who themselves are unclean. It is known that possession by unclean spirits sometimes manifests itself in the form of terrible foul language. And therefore, one who accustoms himself to utter bad words unwittingly inclines himself to obsession. Indeed, is it not an obsession when swearers simply cannot speak without using bad words, and if they are forced to restrain themselves for a long time under certain conditions, they feel an internal urge to swear, as if someone inside is demanding to utter an evil word. So you can destroy your immortal soul with the simple habit of uttering unclean words. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).
Will God punish those who watch TV? — The Church does not prohibit watching TV, it warns how dangerous it is to be addicted to TV. Not even to mention the programs that destroy the consciousness and souls of children and adults. One must be able to choose what is useful and what is harmful and destructive to the soul. There are a lot of good programs, including Orthodox ones, but there are a lot of outright corruption, violence, and hatred of people in other programs. You have to be able to press the button at the right time. “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial; “Everything is permissible for me, but nothing should possess me” (1 Cor. 6:12).
Can Orthodox Christians keep a dog in their consecrated home? — The opinion that it is inadmissible to have dogs in apartments and other premises where there are icons and other shrines is a superstition. A dog, as well as other animals that are not dangerous to people, can live in the home of Christians. In this case, it is necessary to take precautions so that pets do not have access to shrines (icons, holy books, antidor, holy water, etc.).
What is the difference between religion and science? — Religion and science are two different and equally legitimate areas of human life. They can come into contact, but they cannot contradict each other. Religion drives science in the sense that it awakens and encourages the spirit of inquiry. The Bible itself teaches: “The heart of a wise man seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly” (Prov. 15:14). “A wise man will listen and increase his knowledge, and a man of understanding will find wise counsel” (Prov. 1:5).
Both - religion and natural science - require faith in God for their justification, only for religion God stands at the beginning, and for science - at the end of all thinking. For religion He is the foundation, for science - the crown of development of the worldview. Man needs natural sciences for knowledge, and religion for action (behavior).
Why does man live on earth? — Earthly life is given to man to prepare for eternal life. The true meaning of life can only lie in what does not disappear with the death of a person, therefore this meaning must be sought not in the good for the body, but for the immortal soul - in its virtuous qualities, with which it will go to God. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). The soul is immortal, and can enjoy the acquired gift of grace forever. “By grace you have been saved, through faith; and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in” (Eph. 2:8–10). However, in order for the soul to be able to enjoy not only here on earth, it is necessary to enlighten, educate, teach it in order to grow and improve spiritually, so that it can accommodate the joy that the Lord has prepared for all who love Him.
It is in the search for good and the creation of it, the gradual but steady cultivation in the soul of the fullness of love of which it is by nature capable, in the progressive advancement of the soul on the path to God - in this the only true, lasting meaning of human life is found. The purpose of life is to imitate Christ, acquire the Holy Spirit, constant communion with God, knowledge and fulfillment of the will of God, that is, in becoming like God. The goal of life is achievable provided that its main meaning is embodied, which lies in continuous growth in love for God and people: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God... and thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:30–31). The Savior Himself gave an example of all-perfect sacrificial love, by suffering on the cross for the salvation of all people (see John 13:15). “Be like me, as I am Christ” (1 Cor. 4:16).
If there is no desire for this, then life, from a Christian point of view, is aimless, meaningless and empty. But in order to acquire the Holy Spirit, you must cleanse your heart from passions and, above all, from pride - the mother of all vices and sins.
A person must devote his entire earthly life to caring for his immortal soul, which will live forever, and not about the body and not about acquiring earthly temporary goods. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Source: Orthodox newspaper, Yekaterinburg.
How to “catch” a priest?
Now all the priests at the end of each service give announcements about what services will be performed in the church during the week. This ad is like a road map and you need to navigate it. In a church, you can ask any candle holder or person in vestments what time the Divine Liturgy (in the morning) or the evening service ends. If you approach the priest after the end of the service, it will be easier for him to find time to talk with you. It is especially convenient for conversation after evening service.
There is no need to be afraid of anything! Answering the questions of newcomers is the direct task of any clergyman. I can’t imagine anyone among them who would refuse attention to a person going to church.
How to start a spiritual life
Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov
The very initial stage, the first thing we must learn, is to be in church every Sunday. If we don't learn this, we will never learn anything. If a person does not visit church at least once a week, then there can be no talk of any spiritual life at all, except for special circumstances: a person serves in the army, is in a hospital, and so on. But is going to church every Sunday spiritual life? No, of course not. You can go to church every Sunday all your life and still not understand anything; but even without this it is impossible.
In mathematics, the following concept is used: a necessary and sufficient condition. So this condition is necessary, but not sufficient. What else? You need to learn to read morning and evening prayers, prayers before and after meals. If we have not yet accustomed ourselves to this, it is impossible to take any next step. But even if we already regularly, without ever omitting, read prayers in the morning, evening, before meals, after meals, for every task, after every task, can this be called prayer? Of course not, God forbid, anyone who thinks so is not a prayer, it’s just reading the rules, more or less attentively. But without this necessary step, we will not be able to approach the Kingdom of Heaven.
Next, you need to correct your life according to the Old Testament commandments, which were given one and a half thousand years before Christ. If we don’t do this, strictly speaking, we generally cannot even go to church. What are these commandments? Know the one God, do not worship other gods, honor Him. What does it mean? This means that God must come first in our lives. Neither the cottage, nor the job, nor the friends are nothing, but only God. As long as this does not exist, there can be no talk of any spiritual life. “You shall not make for yourself an idol” is a similar commandment, that is, nothing should obscure God from us: neither a person, nor an object, nor any activity. “Remember the Sabbath day” - this refers specifically to visiting the temple on Sunday. Don’t kill, don’t fornicate, don’t lie, don’t envy, don’t steal - if we violate any of these ancient, pre-Christian commandments, then how can we become Christians? If we lie, envy, God forbid, even fornicate, we are outside the Church. Therefore, we must learn these commandments.
And if a person learns the Old Testament commandments, no longer kills, steals, fornicates, lies, makes himself an idol, and goes to church every Sunday - will this be spiritual life? No, God forbid to think so, it will only be a step towards her. A rich young man came to Jesus and said: I have had all this since childhood. But still, he did not become a disciple of Christ, that is, fulfilling the old law is not enough for a Christian. But we still don’t even know how to make much out of it - and we already dream of having pure prayer and so on. This is completely impossible. In spiritual life you can only go by steps, from simpler to more complex, as in any business, take figure skating or architecture.
Previously, about three hundred years ago, if a person did not fast on Wednesday and Friday, not to mention, for example, not observing the Dormition Fast, he was not considered a member of the Church. One of the questions in confession was: how do you observe fasting? But for many of us this is still difficult; we sometimes forget that we are fasting. Is it a big sin if a person does not remember to fast? No, there is no sin in this, it simply testifies to the fact that the life of the Church is alien to man; he is busy with some of his own affairs and is so far from the Church that he forgets about it. His own life is so fascinating that the life of the Church is of secondary interest to him. This is evidence of the imperfection of this person. Therefore, if we strive for the perfection that the Lord prescribes to us, then, of course, this malfunction must be eliminated.
But observing fasting according to all the rules, according to all the regulations, is not yet spiritual life. What is spiritual life? Spiritual life does not depend on a person; it is given by God if a person complies with certain conditions. These conditions are the commandments of Christ. Let’s imagine that we have already learned to fulfill the Old Testament commandments, we keep the law, we maintain order, order, that is, we have become pious Jews in every way. Then we need to take the next step - learn to fulfill the commandments of Christ. We need to study the Sermon on the Mount, see what the Lord requires of us. And He demands from us a new morality. He says: “I did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it” - that is, to fill it up, to pour new content into it, even more. Pour new, new wine of the commandments of Christ into the bottles. There are completely different requirements here: about love for enemies, for example, about forgiveness of insults. And if a person fulfills these requirements, corrects his actions, words, thoughts and feelings, if, according to the structure of his soul, he becomes akin to Christ, then the Lord, by His mercy, instills in him the grace of God. This infusion of God's grace into a person is spiritual life.
When a person tries to do something on his own, with his own efforts, then, naturally, nothing works out. Therefore, many of us are very surprised: what is it, here I am reading and reading the rules, but my attention is all scattered, some evil thoughts keep coming to me, some unclean thoughts are besieging me. And man does not understand that he can get rid of this only by the grace of God, without it this is impossible. And that is why the grace of God is called grace, because it is a good gift from God. How can a gift be admired? Impossible, because it exceeds any conceivable, possibly achievable purity of man. A gift is always a gift. And the whole point is whether the Lord as a person wants to give us this gift or not. What must we become for this? This is the task of a Christian’s life: to become such that the Lord gives him this gift.
The Holy Fathers noted that if a person is zealous in piety, tries with all his might to fulfill the commandments of Christ, tries to forgive, not condemn anyone, show love to everyone, tries to be what the Lord would like to see him, then the Lord, seeing his zeal, begins to helps in this and helps until a person is freed from his past, the old man. And then a new life in Christ begins for him. This is how, gradually, starting from the small and ending with the great, everyone achieves to their own measure, no matter how much they work. For each of us there is an abode in the Kingdom of Heaven; everyone can achieve this, you just need to make a choice: what is sweeter for you? The Kingdom of Heaven, which you don’t know what it is, but you choose simply by trusting the word of God, or sin, all the sweetness and bitterness of which you have already tasted and experienced? Here are two paths, two ways of life.
What to read?
Many are afraid to directly address the clergy with their questions. To get rid of this fear, you can prepare a little theoretically. Take the books “The Basics of Orthodoxy”, “Spiritual Sowings” or “The Law of God” presented for family and school and read the initial theses about our faith. Who is Jesus Christ? Why did He come into the world? How does He distribute Himself in the form of Body and Blood during communion? These are fundamental questions. When a person is puzzled by them, he still has to turn to the priest and talk to him. It is necessary to find time for this. When a person comes with a book in which incomprehensible places are marked with a pencil, any priest will devote time to him and help him understand the most important thing: that the Head of the Church is Christ, He came to save humanity. That Confession, Communion and other sacraments that are performed in the Church are not scary. All of them are for us, and even he, a person who is not yet churched, can come, confess his sins and receive communion - if he is baptized, of course.
Another way to become a church member is to visit holy places, that is, places of special manifestation of God’s grace. However, I am more inclined to the first method, because worldly people do not always realize what the relics, icons and other shrines of the temples and monasteries they come to are.
Where to start churching. 1 part
Good afternoon, our dear visitors!
We have already written about how to churchize your life. Now we would like to take a closer look at some aspects of the churching of our lives. For example, in order to churchize our lives, we must have a strong desire. The Lord said: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:57).
If we want to live according to the Commandments of the Lord, but at the same time we want to live according to the laws of this world, then nothing will come of it, for “no one can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one and neglectful of the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
The temple should become your second home. The Temple is the place where we can come into contact with God, where we can serve God, for the Temple is the House of God, the place of God’s permanent residence. Therefore, we must go to the Temple - as if it were a holiday, as a place where we can be with God.
There was such a case. There was a service going on. The priest served, people prayed. So a woman came, approached the Crucifixion, hugged Him and began to cry bitterly. Cry as if she suddenly felt all human sorrow in her heart. Nobody disturbed her. The service continued. And so the woman stood at the Crucifixion for a long time even after the end of the service. Then she stood up, her face was enlightened and peaceful, as if the Lord Himself had consoled her, breathed life into her, and given her strength and patience.
Why is it said? Moreover, the Temple was the only place where this poor woman could find solace. So you and I, crippled by a life spent without God, can only find consolation and joy for ourselves in the Temple - nowhere else.
And so, when we fully realize, admit to ourselves that only in God and only for God does our life have meaning, then we can, without looking back at our past life, boldly go to God.
One day a woman wrote to us. She said that she really wants to church her life, but at the same time, she wants to live in the world, and “not bury herself within the walls of the Church.” A person perceives churching as his funeral for earthly life. No matter how sad it is to hear this, there really is a considerable amount of truth in these words! After all, we Christians die for worldly life, and through repentance we are resurrected for Eternal life!
The Holy Fathers teach to eradicate sinful passions in oneself, to cleanse one’s soul from sinful defilements through fasting and prayer. Only by dying to life in the world can we be resurrected and live the church life. “My life in Christ” - this is the title of the book of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, and this is how our life should flow - in Christ and for Christ. When we feel the desire to live with God and for God, then our first step will be taken on the path to our churching.
But we must be prepared for the fact that the world will not accept us. The Lord said: “And you will be hated by all because of My name; but he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 10:22). Be prepared for people to turn away from you, laugh at you, and talk badly about you. Among your former friends and acquaintances, you who have entered the path of salvation will become outcasts and lepers. They will shun you as if they were terminally ill, they will convince you not to “bother themselves with the ravings of stupid old women,” they will pull you and seduce you with the vain pleasures of this world, wanting to turn you away from the path of salvation.
When you show God your persistent desire to live according to the Commandments of the Lord, when the Lord sees your perseverance and firm desire not to return back to the world, then the Lord will open the gates of another, spiritual world for you, give you fellow believers, and make your life spiritually rich and fulfilling.
We bring to your attention an instructive word from Archpriest Alexander Torik, dedicated to the issues of churching our lives:
Archpriest Alexander Torik
“ Question: “Where should a modern person, who has believed in God and is aware of his belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, begin his “churching”?
Answer: First of all, every Orthodox Christian must have faith, know and understand the fundamentals of the doctrine of the Christian Church and try with all his might to live by faith. In order to have faith , it is not enough to put on a cross on your body, go into a church and light a candle there, being confident that you are already “Orthodox”.
Our Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly denounced even His disciples, witnesses of His numerous miracles, of lack of faith, who themselves performed many miraculous deeds with the Power of the Holy Spirit received from Him. “Truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed and say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
True Faith is a Gift from God. And this Gift is given to those who sincerely, “from the bottom of their hearts,” long to receive It. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” But in order for a thirst to gain Faith to settle in a person’s soul, that person must force himself to realize that the question of God, of Faith is not just a question of “life and death,” but of Eternal Life and Death.
Obviously, any person, at least once in his life, has wondered: who am I, why do I live, is there anything after death? Unfortunately, most people are not looking for an answer to these questions, but, absorbed in worries about their “daily bread,” and some about a new Mercedes or other luxury items or necessities, they try to erase them from their consciousness or put them off for “someday.” Then".
The scary thing is that this “later” may not come. The soul of a person who lives only with the worries of “This age”, under the burden of sins accumulated throughout life, suffocates and dies, becomes incapable of perceiving spiritual phenomena, incapable of even wanting to know God. As sad as it may be, the number of such “dead souls” is increasing catastrophically in our time.
Those who do not drown out the meek voice of the soul, yearning for separation from its Creator, sooner or later face questions about God: does He exist; if there is, then what is He; which church has the correct doctrine about Him? And if a person sincerely wants to receive answers to them, without being embarrassed by his surroundings, national or any other prejudices, then God, seeing the pure desire of his heart, certainly reveals Himself to him, giving him the opportunity to know the Truth and join Christ, who is: "The Way and the Truth and the Life."
It is also necessary to take into account that, following the path of the mind, through analysis and reflection, especially given the modern amount of information available to everyone, you can quite quickly come to the understanding that God exists. But remain with this rational, fruitless knowledge.
The main instrument for knowing God is the human heart, a heart that suffers, seeks, and languishes in the absence of Grace. And, if it is not filled “over the edge” with base passions, envy, malice, lust, there will always be a tiny “living” piece in it, capable of feeling God, containing His Love, becoming the beginning of the Salvation of the soul.
An example of this is the thief crucified on the cross “on the right side” of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how the Gospel tells about this: “They led two evildoers with Him to death. And when they came to a place called Lobnoye, they crucified Him and the villains there, one on the right and the other on the left. Jesus said: Father! Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they divided His garments by casting lots. And the people stood and watched. The leaders also mocked them, saying: He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the chosen Christ of God.”
“One of the hanged villains slandered Him and said: if You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. The other, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: Or are you not afraid of God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing? And we are condemned justly, because we accepted what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad. And he said to Jesus: “Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom! And Jesus said to him: “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” This is the power of God’s Love for His creation! In the last minutes of his life, the robber’s conscience awoke: he pitied the Crucified One innocently, and the Crucified God forgave him all his sins and was the first to admit him into Paradise!
The Merciful Lord will forgive us all our sins if we repent. If we want. If we have time. If we do not kill our souls with sins, making them incapable of repentance. So, in order to have Faith, you need to want to receive It. And having awakened this desire in yourself, you need to ask God for Faith, like the man who came to the Lord Jesus Christ and asked for the healing of his son, to whom Christ said: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. And immediately the boy’s father exclaimed with tears: I believe, Lord! Help my unbelief." Christ, seeing the sincere desire of this man, helped “his unbelief” and gave him Faith, and with it the healing of his son.
Likewise, we, who want to receive Faith, need to ask It from the Lord, and not rationally, with a “cold heart,” but warmly, “with tears,” as children sometimes ask their parents for what they want. And, if our desire is sincere and our request is persistent, the Lord will give us both Faith and countless confirmations of its truth.
The second condition necessary for “churching” is knowledge of the basics of religious doctrine, that is: Who is God? What does He want from us? What does He promise us? Who is Jesus Christ? Why did He come? What did He teach? What is the Church? Why is it needed? How can we live as Christians? All these questions are answered by “Holy Scripture” and “Holy Tradition” - the two pillars on which the Holy Catholic Apostolic Orthodox Church stands.
Question : What is “Holy Scripture”?
Answer: The Holy Scriptures are a collection of books in which God Himself, by His Spirit, through the Holy Prophets and Apostles, gave us a revelation about Himself, about the history of the relationship between God and man, about the Kingdom of Heaven and about the ways to achieve It. This collection of sacred books, combined into one Book, is called the “Bible”.
Question: What is “Sacred Tradition”?
Answer: Sacred Tradition is a collection of all knowledge about God, about spiritual life, which is given to us by God, in addition to the Holy Scriptures, through the works of the Holy Fathers, the Decrees of the Holy Ecumenical Councils, the entire centuries-old experience of the life of the Church, Her liturgical texts. Sacred Tradition complements and reveals the meaning and significance of the texts of Holy Scripture and introduces us directly to the practice of the spiritual life of a Christian.
So, in order to know the fundamentals of Christian doctrine and for further improvement in spiritual life, it is necessary to have and study the Bible - the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, which: “... are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Moreover, first and foremost, you need to read and study the New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ, because it is according to the New Testament that the Church of Christ has lived for two thousand years.
And, of course, it is impossible for a beginning Christian to develop correctly and improve in Spirit and Truth without resorting to the spiritual treasury of the Holy Tradition, the works of the Holy Fathers, and the leadership of the shepherds of the Church. The road leading to Christ inevitably leads to the Temple.”
where to start churching. Introduction
where to start churching. part 2
Why do we need to go to the Temple?
How and how much to pray?
Sometimes unchurched people decide that they can determine a prayer rule for themselves, but there is a danger, on the one hand, of not praying at all, and on the other hand, of imposing unbearable burdens on themselves. To determine the size of the rule, you must first contact the clergy. He will recommend prayers that are not only filled with meaning, but also inspired by God - the morning and evening rules begin with these. They provide not so much information as spiritual strength.
Just as we offer milk first to an infant and then solid food, so to a newborn—a spiritual infant—we need to offer prayers that are unconditionally assimilated by the soul. Only after a while can one move on to the long canons and following Communion: when he already understands that prayer is direct communication with God, the Mother of God and the saints.
Should I participate in the sacraments?
We must try to encourage ourselves to confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, because this miraculously gives spiritual strength. Then the person will really begin to become a church member, and this will be visible to both himself and the priest. It’s no longer scary to go to confession, venerate icons, ask for help from the Mother of God, and take a blessing. He will begin to live not only by physical concepts and standards, the world will expand for him. A churched person becomes necessary not only at work and in the family, but also to members of the Orthodox family, the Head of which is Christ.
Internal churching must always be continued. We must strive all the time to consider ourselves insufficiently enlightened, not sufficiently understanding God. If a person finds time in his life and shows a sincere desire to understand what the Church is and who Christ is, then the Lord will always reveal Himself to him.
Recorded by Ekaterina Shcherbakova
Where to start on the path to God?
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.
Reader question:
Good afternoon The church is like a closed world for me, it’s as if I live in another world, and the believers are in another, and I still can’t break into this world. I don’t understand how to study this world, there is so much information, unless you master any science, go to an educational institution and try to study the subject according to the program from simple to complex in order to create an initial base from which you can further develop.
I can’t figure out how to structure it, how to study it. Should I look for a teacher (spiritual mentor) who would guide or guide? It doesn’t work out on its own, no fateful meetings happen, but I feel like I have no ground under my feet, I’m dangling and I don’t know where, to whom, or how.
Listening to churched people - their churching is basically a meeting with people who have essentially become Teachers. I strive to ensure that my churching becomes sincere and deeply accepted and understood, but for now there is only a feeling that the metaphysical can be interpreted in different ways and is adaptable. I understand that compliance with church rules is necessary for external formatting, but these are only means.
Where is that starting point and how to approach it?
Elena
Archpriest Andrei Efanov answers:
Archpriest Andrey EFANOV
Dear Elena, hello!
I am very glad of your kind and good desire to come to Church, I would even say, to return home - to God. After all, this is what Christians often called the path to God—returning home.
You place your accents very correctly - you correctly understand what is important and set the vector correctly. And now I will tell you a little more about the Church.
In fact, in the Church everything is very, very simple. But if you try to comprehend everything through the prism of a scientific approach, it will be very, very difficult. And it can result in grief from the mind. So theological education is, of course, good and correct, if there is such an opportunity. But the most important thing is personal spiritual experience and experience of church life. And this is what you need to start acquiring.
We must start from the beginning, with the main and fundamental thing - with confession and Communion. The most important thing is to bring your sins, your blackness of soul, your spiritual dirt to the Lord. Bring it and leave it for confession, without returning to these impurities. And burn all this darkness with the power of the Blood and Body of Christ, sanctify yourself with Communion.
Confession is an amazing Sacrament in which sins are blotted out from a person’s soul and a person receives the strength, the grace of God, to heal those spiritual wounds that have accumulated over the years of a previous life. From confession to confession, a person learns to see and understand himself more and more soberly, more objectively, and more deeply. And cleanses and cleanses your soul and heart.
At the same time, I advise you to arrange a conversation with the priest. You cannot do without spiritual guidance - here you are also right - you cannot manage in spiritual life, because someone should tell you what and how to do with yourself and your soul, and somewhere literally lead you by the hand along the right path. It is very good if you met an experienced priest, or your parents, or your godparents were spiritually experienced people and were able to pass on their knowledge and become a kind of example of how to deal with yourself. Not everyone is so lucky, and that’s okay. Now, today, it will be enough for you to talk with the priest to whom you will later come for confession and who, thus, will become your confessor. Go to church, take a closer look at the priests. Or you can pray, ask God from the bottom of your heart that everything will work out, and just come to the temple and ask behind the eternal box (where they sell candles) how you can agree on a conversation. If it doesn’t work out right away, come again and again. You are starting a good path, and then temptations may arise. And then you will discuss your path and questions with the priest personally.
To understand a little dogma, buy the simplest “Law of God” and read it. Mark unclear places and sort them out. For the first time this will be enough, and then later you will acquire some knowledge, and the priest will give you some advice.
Of course, it is good to find a spiritual father who will guide and help. But not everyone manages to find someone like him right away, so I would advise you to find a priest who is close in spirit, without neglecting his education and knowledge. And ask for spiritual guidance for the newbie. If everything goes right, you yourself will grow in faith, find information and change. But first we need to turn all our attention inward, into this endless abyss of our sinful soul.
Also start reading the Gospel. Don’t try to understand immediately with your mind, but try to comprehend with your soul. Pray according to the prayer book, trying to understand the words with your soul. You can read the translation to make the language of the prayer more understandable. It is also very good to read the holy fathers, but not a lot and voraciously, but little by little, trying to comprehend the meaning and depth.
God help you!
On the screensaver: Bernd Thaller
