Every Christian believer knows that one of the 10 commandments is: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” But the person who is just coming to faith still does not know at all what this means. What does remember the Sabbath day mean? Why is Saturday considered a holy day?
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days thou shalt work and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: on it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy livestock, nor thy stranger. who is in your dwellings; For in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.”
Exodus 20:8-11
One of the most important commandments is to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
The fourth commandment is one of the most important, where a person glorifies God
This commandment is considered the most important for every person, in which he must glorify God. On this day it was commanded to remember for His illumination. What does this mean?
This means that this day should be spent in prayer, reading holy books, visiting temple and so on. This gives every person the opportunity to step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and devote at least part of their time to God. This is how a person comes into contact with God and receives from Him illumination and blessing for all everyday affairs.
Every believer should dedicate the Sabbath day to God. On this day, it is advisable to go to church and pray, and read spiritual literature at home
If we turn to reading the holy books, we will see that the 4th commandment says “remember the Sabbath day.” According to the Bible, this is considered the seventh day of the week. The seventh day here means Saturday. It is the Sabbath that dates back to the very creation of our Earth.
After 6 days, the Lord gave the person a separate day to rest. In Holy Scripture we see the following line:
“...God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His works, which God created and created...”
Genesis 2:3
That is, this suggests that the Lord knew that the Sabbath is necessary for man so that he can rest from all his work, but at the same time he must reflect on the works of the Lord, about his strength, about his kindness.
The Sabbath for a person should have meant that he should remember the Creator. He must awaken in his heart a feeling of gratitude for everything the Lord has done. Even the Lord wants every person to turn his gaze away from material things on the Sabbath day and towards spiritual values. And then take on work with renewed vigor in the next 6 days.
Conversations with the priest. Commandment “Remember the Sabbath Day”
Audio |
In the St. Petersburg studio of our TV channel, Abbot Philaret (Pryashnikov), a resident of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, answers questions from viewers. – The topic of today’s conversation is honoring the Sabbath.
“Honor the Sabbath day” - you all know this commandment. We will talk about honoring holidays today. The topic is important, interesting, and very complex. It would seem that we all love holidays very much and believe that we know them. Although if you seriously think about it, then, probably, we would rather honor them simply as an excuse than know about them. In this case, we will talk not only about Christmas, but also about those holidays that generally exist in the life of the Church. First question: why do you think we know little about the holidays? And for whom are these holidays: for the Church or for people?
– It is very important to understand: when a person is baptized and becomes a member of the Church, from that moment on he must not just show outward religiosity, but live according to certain rules. In church theology, this is called “moral law,” that is, the law that determines human behavior, including the veneration of church dates, any events from the life of the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos or saints, or in general from the life of the Church. Therefore, it is no coincidence that when denoting our topic, you mentioned one of the commandments of the Decalogue, that is, the moral law that God gave to people: honor the Sabbath day.
Once again I want to say: we treat with special trepidation not only some of the life events of the Savior, but also remember certain important milestones in the history of the Church of Christ... It is important to come to church, light a candle, and prepare to participate in the sacrament of Confession or Communion. It is very important to think internally about what kind of day this is. There is no past tense in the Church, including on church holidays. Everyone can see and recognize this when, during the polyeleos, “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ” is sung. We did not witness those long-ago events of the great, glorious Resurrection of Christ from the dead, but we still sing about it, we see it. And every church event is experienced again and again.
Therefore, of course, it is very important that we read the Gospel passage at home in advance, which reveals the essence of the holiday, or, perhaps, open the patristic interpretation of what we will hear, see at the service, and in which we will take part. Therefore, holidays, of course, are very important and necessary for believers; Life is unthinkable without them. But a holiday didn’t just mean celebrating and sitting at the table. A holiday is also when you take away a certain meaning from it. It is clear that time passes, a person forgets something, life smoothes out what needs to be remembered. But these events of Gospel history, church history, the lives of the saints, of course, help us a lot, as if they bring to mind everything that we should always remember as Christians.
– Here again I have a question. We know (and, in principle, priests tell us all the time) that we must try to learn more and more. But many came to the Church at a time when just the very appearance of a person in the temple was a feat. And since then, we have probably gotten used to the fact that going to church is some kind of favor of mine to the Church: “I came to church, what a great fellow I am!” And my participation in the life of the Church is this: I bought a candle - that’s already good. I stood in prayer at the service for some time, then left - well, okay, the Lord will forgive. And so on. That is, we are not zealous in our zeal to pray. We often see that not everyone is suitable for communion, that is, someone comes to church not to take part in the liturgy and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, but simply as a kind of pastime. I specifically say this so that you can explain to me where the line between zealous service and blasphemy is.
– You know, I would begin to answer this question with the thought of the Apostle Paul, who says: “If you are doing something good, good, do not think that you are doing something beyond what you should do.” This is your responsibility, it is not just part of life, it is your whole life. Therefore, when we immerse ourselves in the history of our Christian Church, when we remember certain events again and again, this is not just something extraneous, but still a part of our life.
– Question from a TV viewer from Voronezh: “I recently managed to visit Egypt at the Old Testament Mount Sinai, where the commandments were given to the prophet Moses. This is the Old Testament. What does the Lord, the apostles, and patristic literature say about how to glorify the Sabbath day, how to spend it? What is said in the Gospel, in the New Testament about the Sabbath day?”
– The first thing you need to pay attention to is: why is the Sabbath day? Because the Jews still have a calendar consistent with how they lived before. That is, Saturday is our Sunday in today's understanding, in today's calendar.
From the first times, Christians began to gather on Sundays; this is written in the Acts of the Apostles. And the semantic load of the new time, the New Testament, is, of course, not a day of rest, when the Creator created the world and rested from creative deeds. The New Testament time is, after all, the time of a completely different era, when the Son of God became Man, when the Son of God died on the cross for the sake of our salvation. He always said: “I came for this.” Interesting words! What did He come for? For a new time to begin. Therefore, the meaning of Sunday is sanctified by the Resurrection of the Savior from the dead. And in the Gospel, where these events are described, it is written: “He rose on the first day of the week” (it is clear that this is Monday for us now; then they had Sunday).
Therefore, the veneration of Sunday is an ancient apostolic institution. I want to say again: in the Acts of the Apostles we read that the apostles gathered on Sundays for the supper of love, for the breaking of bread. Therefore, this has become our tradition.
Why is Saturday celebrated in our church life? Let's say, look at the apostolic rules: you cannot fast on Saturday. Look how Saturday is marked. This is the day of the Most Holy Theotokos, if I’m not mistaken, and a funeral day. In my opinion, you cannot even bow on Saturday at a certain time. That is, the Sabbath as part of the Old Testament teaching is preserved among us even in liturgical practice. What about parents' Saturdays? Also a certain sublimity of this day. We consecrate this day. But still, for us Christians, Sunday is the highest point of our faith.
– By the way, you can’t prostrate on Sundays either.
- This is the church charter already.
– Let’s return to the topic of honoring holidays. I pay special attention to Little Easter, that is, to any Sunday, because on this day we come to church with a special feeling, with a special zeal to participate in a common cause. And here the difficulty is this: for many decades, people have become accustomed to the fact that Sunday is the only day off, they seem to need to sleep, they need to spend it at home, because they need to socialize. So church doesn't fit into my (or anyone else's) schedule. We will answer this question immediately after the phone call.
Question from a TV viewer: “Please tell me how to be faithful in small things, regarding attending worship services? I mean, it's impossible to attend every service. How to choose that golden mean to do it right?”
– This is a pressing question, because there are a lot of people, unfortunately, whose work schedule does not coincide with our calendar schedule, that is, Sunday can also be a working day. Especially for people who work shifts. Therefore, it should be like this: if you cannot be in church on Sunday, of course, mentally in your heart glorify the Risen Lord on this day. But when you have a day off and the opportunity, then move Sunday to another day and on this day take part in the sacraments of the Church. Because attendance at divine services, including Sundays, is unthinkable for the faithful in Christ without union with His Body and Blood.
Therefore, if it doesn’t work out on Sunday, choose another day when you have a day off. In our churches, the liturgy is served twice, so please choose the option and come to the service. Let’s say you don’t have the opportunity to attend the twelfth holiday tomorrow, but today you can go to the temple on your way to work, light a candle or write a note, pray and glorify the Lord, the Mother of God or the saints. This is what is faithful in small things - when you live it, when it is part of your life. When you are not just a parishioner, or, as they say, a weekend parishioner, but when worship becomes an integral part of your faith.
– When Lent begins, it is very difficult to persuade yourself to come to church, because it seems that the joy of worship is drowning - parishioners wear black, with gloomy faces. The priests in attire are also sad, as they say. Nevertheless, during Lent there are significantly more people in churches. Explain this phenomenon to me.
– The Lord in the Gospel often compares Himself and the Church: Head and Body. The body has members, an external side, and a soul. Probably, for people who live on the outside, and often behind the fence of the Church, all this seems dull. Especially on forums they often write: “everything is so sad with you.” If people are accidentally photographed at services, then everyone is focused. But, you know, there is a share of internal misunderstanding of what is happening. Because any worship service is a meeting with God. Any word spoken in the temple is so responsible and so important for you!
Look: sometimes there is sun outside the window, but sometimes it’s cloudy, raining, snowing. The same is true in liturgical life. There are events before which we kneel, sometimes even cry. And there are events when the heart rejoices and you don’t want to think about anything other than immersing yourself in those Gospel words or in the thoughts of what you saw, felt, experienced today with all the fullness of the Church of Christ. Therefore, external manifestation without internal manifestation has no meaning. Then it will really be like a screensaver unless you live it and understand what is happening in the service.
– Question from a TV viewer from Samara: “You prepare for communion, read prayers, and very often it is repeated: “for the forgiveness of sins,” “for eternal life,” “burning away my sinful guilt.” This is in almost every prayer. We confess before communion. I don’t understand how the sacrament itself acts on sins; what does “burning sins” mean? Are these the sins that will happen? Or did I somehow not confess them enough in confession? I can’t understand why the sacrament prayer devotes so much space to sins that we have already confessed?”
- Deep question. Let me begin with the fact that the sin that a person commits, violating the moral law, God’s institution, God’s rule, inflicts a wound on his soul first of all. Take a knife and run it over your hand - there will be a small wound that will heal over time. And if you slash too much, there will be a mark on the body that may not heal for a very long time. This is what happens to the soul when a person wounds it with his sins.
Every sacrament has meaning. In the sacrament of Repentance, the Lord forgives the guilt for the evil that you do. When you hate and offend, you multiply evil in this world. And the sacrament burns my inner world, it is, one might say, both a spiritual medicine and a kind of cleansing effect. Most importantly, communion is a physical connection with the Lord, with Christ. But it has a certain effect, and in these prayers this is what is said: the inner world is healed from sinful wounds; there occurs, I would say, a certain liberation from internal tension as a consequence of a person’s sinful life. This is how I would answer this question briefly.
– I also really like the words of the prayer that we read before the Chalice: I will not kiss You like Judas...
– The most important thing is to be not indifferent to what is happening.
– Question from a TV viewer from the Voronezh region: “You just said that you can’t bow to the ground on Sundays. And when they bring out the Chalice with the Body and Blood of Christ and when “We sing to You...”, shouldn’t we bow to the ground?”
– This is also a liturgical tradition. I will say unequivocally that on the twelve feasts (and there are still periods) the clergy who stand at the altar and are the first to approach the sacrament of Communion do not bow. But on Sunday before Communion, before the Chalice, you can bow because of a special reverent feeling: in this case, we bow not because we are sinners. The meaning of bowing when we kneel means the fall of man. And it is very touching to see when a priest helps a repentant sinner (by the elbow) to rise in front of the Cross and the Gospel after confession - this also has some symbolism: the restoration of a person to the former dignity that he lost during the sin... And bowing before the Chalice - please , do it, no one will stop you.
Regarding “We sing to you...” - here there is also a connection with the liturgical part of what happens at the altar. Because after the Transubstantiation of the Gifts, the priests bow and kneel, as a sign of the great mystery that is now taking place on the throne in the altar. Therefore, I think this is interconnected here... As for other bows (for example, at litany or whenever you want), then on Sunday you should refrain from doing this.
And before the Chalice, during “We sing to You,” please bow, as the clergy do.
– If a person has an inner desire to do this...
- Yes. And understanding.
– And if this is done simply for the sake of some kind of ritual, then what’s the point?..
– That is, you must understand why you bowed now, what happened at the altar. Now I am meeting with God, and I fall to Him and say: “I will not kiss You like Judas, but like a thief I confess You... Please come and heal my soul, strengthen me.”
– You said very well that if we bow to the ground, then we must immediately get up, because this is the meaning: in our fall and uprising...
– Of course, there are some liturgical moments. Let's remember the Canon of Andrei Kritsky: it is read on your knees, it is read on your feet. “My soul, arise, what are you writing off?” - We are on our knees throughout this kontakion. This is also a liturgical tradition, this must be understood.
– But in this case we are talking about liturgy. And if we have already started talking about this, then I would like to remember again: “Catechumens, go forth.” After the deacon says: “Doors, doors, let us smell of wisdom,” we read the Creed. Before this, the Liturgy of the Catechumens ends, and - “Catechumens, depart.” Before this there is another exclamation: “O catechumens, bow your heads to the Lord.” Many people sometimes bow their heads, that is, they consider themselves to be catechumens, but after that they do not leave the temple. In this case, does this ignorance somehow influence the structure of the worship service?..
– I think this is ignorance or misunderstanding of the moment that is happening. The interpretation of the Divine Liturgy very clearly states what the proskomedia, the entrance with the Gospel, the Great Entrance are, and what it symbolizes. It's the same here. The institution of catechumens is an ancient institution, and the period of catechumens lasted about three years. And many people even delayed baptism, but they were part of the Church and could attend the service until a certain moment. When the liturgy of the faithful began, they had to leave the temple. Now no one leaves the temple. There are some moments we don't understand. This is not entirely correct. After all, this is our tradition, it takes place. This is probably another reminder for us that our Church has come a long way historically and that nothing is accidental, nothing is thrown out, nothing is crossed out. Therefore, read, watch, listen carefully. I think if a person accustoms himself to this, he will do everything correctly.
– And now there are so many opportunities to learn about the structure of the liturgy! Moreover, for this you do not need to study liturgics, you can just read something. Including in the large prayer book there are rules about bowing, which are very clearly stated.
Question from a TV viewer from St. Petersburg: “After Sunday liturgy, returning home from church, how can a Christian maintain a prayerful mood? And what are the best things to do on Sunday after visiting the temple of God?”
– First of all, we always wish the people who not only prayed in church on Sunday, but also received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, to retain the grace they received for as long as possible. How to save it? Try to be kinder, not pay attention to the temptations of the dark side, which will definitely be there; to temptations from your loved ones that may arise in a family environment. What can be done? You can read something from the Holy Scriptures. You can just relax and be in this state with the Lord. Read the Jesus Prayer. Or watch something edifying (without fanaticism).
Communion is an important moment, and it is a human duty to preserve grace for as long as possible and not lose it through irritability and impatience. People are often so irritable! Especially in the temple. If you have left Communion, someone has offended you - no need to answer, please. And try to ensure that love reigns in the house, there is peace and tranquility, then you will retain the gift that you accepted longer.
There was also the question of what to do. If a person came to church, prayed, took communion, then, I believe, he can do household chores after the Divine Liturgy. Why? We are very busy with this worldly life: work, some official duties, and Sunday is the only day when the family can be together. It is clear that now some things are already automated: you don’t need to wash your clothes by hand... But please, do your household chores, there is no sin in this, I think.
- Moreover, it still means that this day should be given to prayer.
– And you started it with prayer - you came to the temple and prayed.
– Exactly... I also have a question about one of the difficult moments of the service. After the exclamation “Holy to Holies,” walking and talking begin in the temple, there is no reverent silence. How should a person behave after this exclamation?
– There are different clergymen and priests in the Church: there are strict ones, when you walk on a rope, there are others who take you with their kindness and condescension in some moments. Purely technically: people stand all over the church, and communion will begin in one place, so people need to quietly move to the place of communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Of course, at this time the clergy are receiving communion in the altar, and we must try not to disturb them at this very important moment. If a person is a little tired, let him sit on a bench. If he really needs to go to another place - please, but carefully, without pushing anyone, without noise... When conversations begin, we must remember that for conversations the Lord sends sorrow to a person. Therefore, we should try to chat less in church.
– I like how the Athonite monks, after the “Holy of Holies,” sit on the benches, sit silently and wait for communion. At this time, nothing is sung, nothing is said, no prayers are read. They sit silently and wait. Maybe it makes sense for us too to remember this as an example of behavior in the temple...
Question from a TV viewer from Nizhny Novgorod: “My dad died 35 years ago; he hanged himself. And every year in January I dream about him, just before his memorial day. I can't remember him at all. What is the best way for me to do so that I don’t dream about him and remember him?”
“First of all, we ask that people do not take dreams so seriously, because they are just a dream. We must learn to live real life. Why does he come in a dream? I think before this day we always think about the person. Especially about loved ones who suffered such an unpleasant and terrible death. We are, of course, thinking about this. As for how to pray, I think one should help the soul of such a person with good deeds. On this day, come to the temple and bring some food. Buy some things and give them to the children. That is, do some good. Of course, with the blessing of the priest. If you visit a church, you have a priest to whom you confess. First take his blessing and do some good so that the Lord sees your good deed. How long does it take to do this? All life.
As for candles and church commemoration, they are not performed: be that as it may, the sin of suicide is the sin of disbelief in God, it is the sin of disbelief in the afterlife. I always say that there are no hopeless situations; Often a person drives himself into a hopeless situation, and there are a huge number of such cases in our church practice and in the practice of any clergyman. Therefore, I wish you God's help. Most importantly, try to do everything possible to save your immortal soul while the Lord gives you time to repent.
– Question from a TV viewer from Karelia: “Are we doing the right thing when, while attending the Divine Liturgy, we do not participate in the sacrament of Communion for some reason? For example, they did not have time to prepare for the sacrament of Confession and did not confess the day before. Or they didn’t have time to read the sequence for Holy Communion. Either for other reasons, or even for no good reason at all. We just go to Sunday services and do not participate in this sacrament. Is this an insult to God on our part? This question torments me."
– You know, it’s better to come to church and pray without receiving communion than not to come at all, justifying yourself by saying that you are not ready for the sacrament of Holy Communion. Let's remember the apostolic times: the apostles celebrated the love supper every day and received communion every day. Why? I think they had a completely different spiritual level. For us, living in this world today, often having certain life baggage, perhaps not very positive, at some points it can be difficult to follow all the rules. Plus family, plus some responsibilities. Therefore, you can even take communion every day, and in some holy fathers you come across the idea that you need to take communion as often as possible. In principle, I think so too, because a person cannot live without Communion; it is a physical connection with the Savior. Another question: why are all these fasts and prayers needed? This is an internal attitude. I don’t know what rules our grandmothers and great-grandmothers read, who couldn’t even read or write...
“And there were no prayer books.”
“And there weren’t really any prayer books.” But they were pious. I had a grandmother who knew by heart all the troparia of the twelve feasts, and when was which feast. She knew how to calculate Easter and the holidays from Easter. I, a priest who graduated from an educational institution, don’t really know some points, because we have literature - I opened it, looked at it... So don’t be embarrassed. There is no way to prepare - please, on Sunday, honor the temple with your presence and pray. We always advise this: one Sunday we take communion, the next we rest. How do we relax? From intense preparation, because you have to read everything, pray, prepare for confession, and so on. And there are some external aspects: a trip, a person gets sick, a person has a quarrel, a scandal in the family (after all, you cannot go to Communion in a quarrel). In addition to Sunday, we also have twelve holidays and birthdays when we can approach Communion. The main thing is that it is part of life, that it is a system. When you don’t just justify yourself: “I’m not ready, I won’t go today, I’ll lie down or do something.” Force yourself a little, come to the temple, this will only be beneficial.
- The Kingdom of God is in need.
- Yes, it’s difficult.
– There are sick people who need to take medicine every morning. In this case, how to receive communion?
– Take your medications and go to communion. This is not a violation. If this needs to be done, then it is better to take a blood pressure pill than for the person to fall unconscious in the temple because his blood pressure has dropped or risen. There is an official document of the Russian Orthodox Church “On the Communion of the Faithful”, where this is stated, read it. One might say, a modern view of what happens within the walls of the temple. It says there is no sin in this. That is, take your medications and go to communion. You can tell the priest in confession that you took the medicine. No priest will say that you shouldn't have done that.
- Children in the temple. Complex topic. Often mothers bring babies to church at the very beginning of the service. This is, of course, difficult for kids. For us, two hours is nothing, but for them a huge life span, they cry, it’s difficult for them; Moreover, in the end a complex attitude towards the church is developed. In this case, what to do: bring the child to the “Our Father”?..
– I would begin to answer your question from a slightly different angle. People often ask why photography is not allowed in church (even in our Trinity Cathedral). They often get offended and say: “Why is that? So we went to such and such a temple, which is called a temple-museum, they didn’t even say a word to us.” But you didn’t come to a museum, you came to a place where a person wants to be alone with God. Imagine, you will now begin to interfere with outbursts in this personal communication between man and God.
It’s the same here: when you come to church, you need to understand that we should not disturb people. The child is acting up - we must try to calm him down; if the weather is good, go out onto the porch and calm down. Children are different. Sometimes they are brought in, they sleep and, in principle, do not bother anyone. But if the baby is restless and you are a little late, you come with him half an hour later, then there will be nothing wrong with that. The most important thing is that you must understand that you should not disturb other people, you must try to make everyone feel comfortable. Indeed, a crying child can be a nuisance. What if it’s a sermon?.. That is, we must take care of each other in this matter too.
– Question about the all-night vigil. For example, my confessor told me many years ago that you need to repent if you come to the liturgy without attending the all-night vigil. For me this is a clear thing. But now, I know, only those people come to the all-night vigil who are well aware that tomorrow they will come to the liturgy, and the all-night vigil, by the way, is also used to confess, and not to do it tomorrow. Nevertheless, the all-night vigil has many symbols, including the entrance with a censer; a lot of things. All this is often a closed book for us, so to speak. What is the special meaning of the all-night vigil?
– I don’t think it’s so difficult: to spend the evening before communion not at home, but in church. Participation in the all-night vigil is also a kind of preparation for accepting Christ, for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Let’s say, when I was a rector and served in a rural area, I did a little trick: in order to accustom people to the all-night vigil, I canceled confession in the morning at the liturgy and performed it at the all-night vigil. For those who didn't come, I'm sorry. It is clear that I was still lenient about this and came out with the cross and the Gospel during Sunday services (sometimes a person is sick or was on the road). But basically I said: “We’re coming to the all-night vigil.” While some moment of the service was going on, I had the opportunity to go out to the church to confess to several people (the parish was small). Through this, I tried to accustom people to the fact that the all-night vigil and evening worship are also a very important aspect of preparation for the sacrament of Holy Communion. There, too, the whole life, one might say, of the universe can be traced. It begins with the glorification: “Bless the Lord, my soul.” We praise God for creation. The entrance with the censer is an Old Testament sermon, these are the Old Testament prophets who predicted the Coming of the Savior into the world. That is, everything is interconnected.
Therefore, we must try to make sure that there is evening worship in our lives. If you missed it for some good reason, then, of course, you can tell the priest about it. But you still have to force yourself. Today you reduced one thing, tomorrow you will reduce something else. One clergyman, my spiritual father, said this: “It is always very easy to reduce, but it is very difficult to restore.” Therefore, it is better not to cut anything that is useful in your life.
- This is a good answer to my question. Now we understand that honoring the Sabbath is of great importance to us in every sense. Including the all-night vigil on Saturday - for us this is part of the liturgy, part of one day. The surprising thing is that our day begins at six in the evening. We are indeed already in Sunday, although there are still many hours until midnight. I like what one father once said: no one can defeat our Church, because our day begins in the evening.
I also wanted to ask about the upcoming holidays - what literally awaits us these days?
– During the Christmas season, we rejoice at the Coming of the Savior into the world. Circumcision of the Lord: the main meaning is that we must be obedient to the Divine institution, and Christ shows that He was the God-man, had two natures.
And, of course, the biggest holiday that we will soon celebrate is the Epiphany, or Epiphany. We will see how the Father blesses His Son, how the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove - and everyone will hear the encouraging words of the Creator: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Here we see that Christ is already appearing to people, going to public preaching. Therefore, I would like to congratulate everyone on these holidays and wish everyone to participate in them.
– Moreover, we heard your words about reading the Gospel before visiting the temple in order to understand what will happen. In addition, read about the liturgy and the feasts of the Circumcision of the Lord and Epiphany. Of course, we will talk about the Feast of Epiphany many times in our programs. On January 17, Bishop Ignatius of Vyborg will be our guest; We invite all our viewers to take part in this program. And for every person, honoring the Sabbath and holidays is a very important component of our spiritual life.
Dear Father Filaret, I am very grateful to you for coming. Bless our viewers.
– Dear brothers and sisters! In these bright days I wish everyone joy, peace and God's blessing! Guard yourself and be strong in your faith.
Presenter Gleb Ilinsky
Recorded by Nina Kirsanova
On the Sabbath day no one should engage in everyday affairs
When our Lord created the earth, he sanctified the Sabbath day, among others, for a special purpose. Later he confirmed the peculiarity of this day when he gave the law at Sinai. Later, the holiness of this day was confirmed by both the apostles and even the Christians themselves.
For a long time now, many people have been interested in how our world came to be. Scientists have very different opinions on this matter, they come up with all sorts of theories. But it is the Sabbath that protects us from such misinterpretations and misconceptions.
Even the very first Christians knew that the Sabbath should be honored as a day to be dedicated only to God
Currently, Saturday and Sunday are recognized as days off for most Russians. People who accept the Sabbath as a special day that the Lord established, thereby confirm their faith and what was written in the Bible itself. And in the Bible we know that it is indicated that our world was created by God within 6 days, and we are also his creations.
Many people believe that to go to church you need to devote the seventh day, that is, Sunday. But as we see, we should still give more preference to the Sabbath.
"And security at night"
Night exists under the sign of passivity and refusal to act, when the world withdraws into itself; the creatures cease their affairs and return their souls to the Creator. The night stores in itself all the influences of the day for the cultivation of fruits: “Until midnight, the earth receives into itself and puts into itself what it received during the day” ( Vilna Gaon
). The whole night stands under the sign of expectation and longing for tomorrow, when the sun will shine, when it will present its fruits. Like a womb that holds a seed in itself to nurture it so that it will be born tomorrow. Think about the quality of “keep”, which was explained above in three meanings.
The spiritual root of the night is in hiding the face of the Almighty ( Ramkhal, The Path of the Creator, part 4, chapter 6
). The basis of this concealment is in the attribute of the Court; it is the quality of fear. That is why the exile of the Jewish people refers to the darkness of the night. The people of Israel in their evening prayer pray that the Almighty will protect them: “He who protects His people Israel forever.” But on the Sabbath, as we will explain in the next chapter, security is at its maximum, and the tent of peace is spread over the world. In the evening prayer of the Sabbath they say: “He spreads the tent of peace over us, and over all His people Israel, and over Jerusalem.”
For Russians, Saturday is also a break from everyday work.
Saturday is also a time of rest from all everyday work days. Especially nowadays, this day is very necessary for a person, since our society, which constantly suffers from stress and fatigue, needs rest. It is the Sabbath that offers a way out of these constant problems of modern life, and it also reminds us that the time has come to finally close the doors of our minds and take a break from the hustle and bustle of this world.
Saturday
rest from all everyday work for all Orthodox Christians
Those who have the opportunity to rest at home on holidays can devote both Saturday and Sunday to God. The main purpose of the Sabbath is to communicate with the Lord during worship in order to strengthen one’s faith.
Even in the book of the prophet Isaiah we see the following lines:
“Then from month to month and from Sabbath to Sabbath all flesh will come before Me to worship, says the Lord.”
Isaiah 66:23
Also in the book of Ezekiel we see the following lines:
“I have also given them My Sabbaths, that they may be a sign between Me and them, that they may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them...And sanctify My Sabbaths, that they may be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord God your".
Ezekiel 20:12, 20
The fourth commandment is an everlasting decree for all people
The fourth commandment was written not for one time, but for a permanent one. Many believe that the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ gives the right to transfer the blessing of the 7th day of Saturday to the first day of the week, that is, Sunday, but this is only human thinking.
After the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, he remained on earth for another 40 days and met with his disciples. But nowhere is it said that the holiness and blessing of the seventh day was carried over to the first day. Even reading the history of the acts of the Holy Apostles, we see that while preaching in different places, they still kept the sanctity of the Sabbath day.
The Apostles also kept the Sabbath holy
In 321, Emperor Constantine the Great decided to consolidate Christianity as the state religion. But he decided to do this under certain conditions. He issued a decree that on the sacred day of the sun, all people should rest. There is not a single word here that mentions the Resurrection of Jesus. It only said that everyone should rest on the day of the sun.
When Constantine the Great decided to consolidate Christianity, he issued a decree that no one should work on the day of the sun. Nothing worked that day. One day a week they devoted to rest
From history we know that the pagans worshiped the sun during the day. Emperor Constantine forced all Christians to worship on this day, along with the pagans. Therefore, the law on celebrating Sunday as a day of rest from all work was established only by the state, and not by Christ, and not by the holy apostles. Subsequently, the Orthodox Church agreed with such changes in the fourth commandment.
God-fearing
“Reish Lakish said: What is the meaning of what is written ( Yeshaya 33:6
): “And your times will be established with the treasure of salvation, wisdom and knowledge.
Piety is his treasure.” Strengthened is the order of Zraim
from the Mishnah, times are the order
of Moed
, treasure is the order
of Ours
, salvation is the order
of Nezikin
, Wisdom is the order
of Kodashim
, and knowledge is the order of
Toarot
.
And at the same time, fear of God is his treasure
” (
Shabbat 31
). Piety is a treasury, a vessel that receives the abundance of the Torah and all the spiritual influences coming from the Most High. This is inherent in the very essence of this quality.
Fear affects a person in the following way. A person withdraws into himself and locks himself within his boundaries, fearing to cross the fence or break the law, and therefore fear of God is the root of the prohibitive commandments. Its essence: self-perception of man as created by the First Cause. In other words: a person’s perception of his entire being as not existing and not standing on its own; it is only a consequence of the constant will of the Almighty. The existence of man is annulled in relation to the existence of the Creator. This is the correct perception of a created being. “Fear is the essence of the perception of the divine” ( Maaral
). This fear uproots all personal desires and aspirations from a person, completely nullifies his Ego.
The more a person fears God, the more he turns his reality into a vessel directed and striving to be filled with Him. A vessel that has nothing of itself, but only that influence from above: “The category of fear has nothing of itself. She comes pure, she is only a container for receiving the highest grace from the category of Torah" ( Nefesh HaChaim 4:5
).
Now we understand why the quality of “keep” refers to fear of God.
But this, as we explained in the previous chapter, is the essence of the quality of Malchut
, who has nothing of himself: “The fear of the Most High is
the Shekinah
, the holy Kingdom” (
Tikunei Zohar
).
Fear is the gateway to accepting the yoke of the Creator’s kingdom: “If I am the master, where is the fear of Me?” ( Malachi 1:6
).
Every believer must fulfill not only the 4th commandment, but also all the others
Each person must fulfill not only the 4th commandment, but also all the others. You need to fulfill them in order to deserve salvation, and it is in the love of God that you can earn it.
But the Lord emphasized only one of the ten commandments: Remember! But, unfortunately, at present, most people simply forget what the Lord asks us to remember. This is very sad, because when a person has problems, he immediately begins to turn to God. If we fulfill his will and his commandments, then the Lord Himself will give everything.
How can an ordinary person give at least his Sabbath days to God? What needs to be done at this time? How to put aside all worries and matters?
First you need to give yourself a spiritual break. You need to understand why you need this, for what purpose you are going to give up worldly affairs, and devote them, for example, to reading holy books. This is the most important thing to do in the beginning. You don’t need to do this because your neighbor does it, or your sister does it. You need to come to this yourself.
On Saturday you can read spiritual literature, for example, the lives of saints, holy scripture, the act of the holy apostles
As we know, holiday time is a time of special service to God. And since God dwells in the temple invisibly for us, on holidays it is necessary to visit the temple of God.
Also, after going to church, you need to return home and maintain this prayerful mood within yourself until the end of the day. At first it will seem quite difficult, but over time you can try to do it.
This day can be devoted to reading spiritual literature. Since on weekdays a person is busy with everyday worries and labors, he cannot always devote his time to prayer, which is also necessary for his soul. It is on such holidays that he must devote most of the day to this pious activity, and then God will always be with us, in our soul and heart, and this is exactly what every Orthodox Christian needs.
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Saturday night - category "keep"
This is the category of the Sabbath of Creation, the reflection of which is revealed on every Saturday night, as the Ramban explains at length: “In a general sense, the commandment to “remember” the Sabbath refers to the day, and “to keep” to the night. And therefore the Sages said that in the evening they say: “Come, bride, come, bride, let’s go out to meet Saturday, the queen, the bride”... The commandment to “remember” refers to the commandments “do”, and it is a consequence of love... after all, the one who fulfills order of his master, we love him. And the commandment “keep” refers to the commandments “do not do” and is associated with the quality of Judgment and comes from fear of the Almighty, because he who is afraid to do evil in the eyes of his master fears him” ( Shemot 20:8
).
One should analyze these words of Ramban and understand how piety is the root of the quality of “preserve.” One must also understand why night belongs to the category of “keep.” Thus we will understand the depth of the simple meaning of the verse: “Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it.”
