“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything.” Conversations with the priest

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything.” Conversations with the priest

Hello , dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!

Oh, one day, when writing his letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul wrote the following words that bring a gracious smile to every reader:

“ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything” (1 Thess. 5:16–18)

This brief instruction from the great teacher of the Church has great meaning, which can only be revealed by talking with a knowledgeable priest.

In the next program “Conversations with Father” on the Soyuz TV channel, the guest of which was the rector of the temple of the holy righteous warrior Theodore Ushakov in South Butovo, Abbot Damian (Zaletov), ​​detailed explanations are given of how one should always rejoice, pray and thank God.

In driving Denis Beresnev

by Margarita Popova (Transcribed with minimal editing of spoken language)

– The theme of our program today is the words of the Apostle Paul “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything.” What joy is the Apostle Paul talking about when he says “rejoice always”?

– Indeed, these are very good, deep, and capacious words of the Apostle Paul, which describe the constant state of a believer in Christ, a Christian. At the same time this is both a description and deep advice. Here I would not lose the connection between these three aspects, concepts - thanksgiving, prayer, joy. Joy as a state can precede prayer and gratitude; at the same time, she is undoubtedly the result of this. What a joy? The joy that we are with God, that, in spite of everything (there is a lot we can talk about, problems, nuances), we are with God, we have hope, there is a clear path to salvation. This joy cannot be overcome by anything; no sorrows or problems can deprive us of it. Our joy is Christ.

I think that this is one of the names of God - Joy. Christ is our joy. Therefore, in this sense, what joy is the Apostle Paul talking about? - He talks about Christ. Therefore, as a consequence (if we talk about joy as about Christ), with this joy, as the apostle says in another place, nothing can separate us - neither sorrow, nor distress, nor persecution, nor famine, nor height, nor depth, and so on. . Nothing can separate us from Christ except ourselves if we turn away from Him and forget Him. And if Christ is our joy, then what is the consequence of such joy? Prayer and thanksgiving. And if we pray, give thanks and meet Christ with joy, we enter into communication with Him, unite with Him, our joy is only filled, overflowing and overflowing.

– How is this joy combined with severity? For example, we never see smiling or even laughing saints on icons.

– If our joy is Christ, then it is realized not only by some human manifestations, but precisely by an internal connection, an internal union with Christ. This, of course, does not mean that smiling or laughing is sinful and unacceptable - no, since we have this feeling in us. In general, there is nothing so sinful in our actions; what matters is how we use it all. Strictly speaking, sin is evil, there is no evil, evil is a distortion of good. Therefore, the same joy can be a manifestation of our uplifting spirit; a smile is a wonderful emotion that conveys our state in a human way. If our state is spiritualized by God, this is not something wrong. But on the other hand, of course, we often use these external capabilities of ours for completely different purposes, we are not happy about it, and so on.

As for the saints on the icons, their joy is no longer of this world, a joy that can no longer be expressed by some human means. But this does not mean that joy is not reflected or expressed in any way on the icon. It can be expressed not in a smile, not in a cheerful squint of the eyes. What is the joy in the icon? In the halo, in that divine radiance that emanates from the saint. This is a genuine smile and the transfer of this joy. We look at holiness, at symbols of holiness, the holy, and we rejoice. In this sense, it is simply higher and deeper than human means. And an icon is already a spiritual, heavenly height. She expresses joy, only through different means. Since we are still living, we are only striving for results, then we are still people, we can express it, probably, in a smile and in everything else, but with certain goals and meanings, of course. And God forbid we abuse these resources of ours for evil, for passion. This is how I would answer.

– How is joy combined with compassion? Let's say some person nearby is feeling bad. Is it possible to maintain joy and always rejoice in such conditions?

– Well, I think that when someone needs our help, then, undoubtedly, along with everything else (which means, with a feeling of compassion, a desire to help, with empathy), we can have joy about the opportunity to accomplish this. And in this regard, I would highlight, for example, the idea that doing good is a very difficult sacred act, I would say so. You must be worthy to do good, you must also have the opportunity to do this good. As the great Doctor Haass said, hurry to do good (also a famous phrase). You still have to have time, be able to do good, you have to be worthy of doing good.

Many people think that you can do it or not do it, we’ll do it, a lot or a little... No, you have to try to do such things as good, you have to want to do it, you have to be worthy to do it. It's not so easy to do good. And the Lord may not even always send such an opportunity. It seems like, go and do it, and we begin to believe that this is some kind of wrong person, some suspicious one, this one... We begin to abuse this and forget that doing good is a great value . Often, when we perhaps refuse, we are simply unworthy to do it ourselves. That's why I say this - we should rejoice that we can do good. These are God’s capabilities, a gift, our efforts, and, of course, the implementation of divine truth in the world. So with all the other feelings (sympathy, empathy) there is a place for joy. But there is another joy - joy that I can do this, that we are working together with God.

And by the way, probably, without this feeling of joy (and joy is optimism, hope), perhaps the goodness will be some kind of hysterical. I said that doing good is a complex process, so that it is so “saturated” with good, with great, so to speak, efficiency. Among other things, there must be this joy, which through the helper will convey not only a helping hand, material assistance or some other kind - it will also convey this impulse of hope and optimism. How often do people who need goodness not just need blood or money, or to be transferred across the road - they need sympathy, so that optimism can be shared with them. Only with joy can a person do this.

– That is, without God, without real joy, we cannot really do good?

– Yes, in principle we cannot, this is a very important aspect of good.

– How are joy and sadness about one’s sins combined?

- About the same thing. Sadness about your sins is helping yourself. A necessary condition of Christian life, mandatory, is repentance, “blessed are the poor in spirit,” as God’s commandment says. This is where we need to start. Repentance is the foundation. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Let us pay attention: these are the first words of the sermon of Christ, John the Baptist. “Repent” - and this is contrition, this is, so to speak, self-criticism, struggle. And at the same time, suddenly, you understand, the Kingdom of Heaven. Here we immediately feel it is joy. It is inseparable; true joy is inseparable from genuine, right things. Yes, repent, yes, lament - but at the same time rejoice, trust in God, know that you are heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, some kind of Christian sadness is not despondency or some kind of “hopelessness.” No, Christian sadness, as the holy Apostle writes about this, “works out salvation.” This is our joy. Therefore, we rejoice that we can be saved, that with God’s help we are participants in salvation. Repent - for the Kingdom of Heaven is approaching.

I remember the words of St. Silouan of Athos: “Keep yourself in hell.” How scary! This is what repentance should be like - no ego, no, as they say... But don’t despair. Worry, but don't despair. Why don’t you despair, how can you not despair? And because we deserve this, but the Lord does not leave us, he has mercy on us. This is joy, genuine joy, which does not stop, does not become scarce, and leads a person to Christ, Who, as we understand, is joy.

– How to maintain joy in unfavorable conditions and sorrows?

- Well, that's where we started. If our joy is Christ, nothing can separate us from it. In life, everything can get lost. Some important, fundamental things for us, but not higher than Christ. Health, material well-being, even our neighbors - and this is not surprising. Often we feel more sorry for ourselves than there is actually a problem. We are making it worse. And why? Because there is no main thing in our life. There is a core, if the core remains, nothing changes. This is the first one.

The second is a correct understanding of sorrows. This does not mean that a Christian has no sorrows. Perhaps many people view Christianity in such a way that Christians are those who beg God to live, have fun, be happy and have no problems. I need to light candles - and “Lord, deliver me from all my problems!” But this has absolutely nothing to do with Christianity. Everyone has earthly sorrows and joys and consolations. In this case, both believers and non-believers. Another thing (if in this case we focus on sorrows) is that Christians also have sorrows, and undoubtedly should have them.

Another thing is what meaning we put into it. If a person does not believe in God, his whole life is a meaningless moment. Of course, this moment is still somehow different, gloomy, unsuccessful, and the consequences, conclusions from this, as they say, are very bad. And a Christian who has the perspective of eternity in his thinking, in his life, understands absolutely everything from this perspective. And what is life, and what meaning does joy and sorrow have in connection with this? They are needed. And the answer is simple: it is a bitter medicine. We accept it, sometimes we close our eyes, but we know that it is necessary, it is beneficial, it is necessary. Maybe we, as they say, are not specialists, have not noticed what the reason is. Let's look for it within ourselves! In yourself, by the way, and not outside, this is also one of the options for non-believers. What to do? Someone is to blame.

– What to do and who is to blame...

- Yes, yes, someone is to blame. And if we search within ourselves and at the same time accept it as from the Lord - Lord, let it be from You - then it is for the good. Enlighten me to understand what's the matter. I think that a person will understand sooner or later. And if he trusts God, he will simply receive the desired effect that he needs, because in the prospects of life and eternity we are not so spiritually sighted that we notice some details. But people who are attentive, so to speak, scrupulous in their spiritual life, undoubtedly, generally see the benefit, generally trust God and even understand, sometimes, what happens.

Therefore it is a bitter medicine. And if this medicine is from God, from the Doctor who loves us and seeks to help us, then it is for the good. The Lord wants us to recover, to move on, forward. Then all these sorrows and sorrows are just a process. In general, it’s a good, healing, spiritual process, if we talk about this slightly medical topic. This means that the Lord loves us. Of course, it would be good to be treated only with sweets, fruits, cakes, compotes, and fruit drinks. Eat all this and heal. But we understand that this is our earthly humor that we need. Unfortunately, real treatment is painful, sorrowful, but ultimately useful.

– And in the end it’s joyful.

– It’s joyful, because this is a consequence of meeting Christ. This is authentic. If someone has such a task, everything else is aligned in this direction. If we feel that somewhere we are not getting enough, somewhere we are despondent, somewhere we are grieving excessively, we cannot calm down, then the first conclusion for ourselves, honest - look in the mirror and say: yes, something is not very good with Christianity for me . And by the way, the problems of the era, as we say - stress, all diseases from nerves and so on - these are the consequences of the fact that we have not matured, we do not take it as medicine, we try to shake it off or we do not accept it internally. And an insoluble contradiction arises, it tears us apart from the inside.

This is the mood, the character, and the state of health as well. Internal contradiction is resolved only by Christ. If we want this to be so, then we need to tell ourselves internally: stop. I am a Christian, which means I have moved away. This is me in this state. If, so to speak, you don’t notice this in time (or, unfortunately, people who don’t know about it), you can slide into depression, psychosis, and so on. There are such examples, and it is already difficult to help people, they have already drowned in this state.

– How can a person gather himself and remember this if he has a deep tragedy in his life, say, the loss of loved ones?

– And our main loved one is the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have not lost Him. Coming back to this. If this is not an abstraction for us, then we must always remember this, it must always be relevant to us. As King David writes in the psalms: “My father and mother forsook me, but the Lord took me.” It is not for nothing that our Lord is called the Heavenly Father. This is probably the highest name for God. Not the Creator, not the Judge, not any other possible big names, but the Father. This is the highest name of God, and we always have Him. If this is an empty phrase for us... Why, I’m alone. And if this is not an empty phrase, it means - yes, it’s sad, mournful, but I am with the Heavenly Father. This is the first one.

And secondly, if we talk specifically about the loss of neighbors, then, excuse me, what does the loss of neighbors mean? Like this? We believe, confess, and expect “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century,” we believe in the immortality of the soul and universal restoration. How often here, especially in such acute moments, strange as it may sound, our main problem is most clearly manifested - selfishness. I would formulate it this way – a good, understandable word. We feel sorry for the person who is not deceased, we feel sorry for ourselves. How so? This can be clearly heard in the lamentations: “How am I now, how are we without you...” Let’s be honest. And who said: “How are you there? Are you well, deceased, what do you need? He is waiting for our prayers, our good deeds and our joy, by the way. This joy is in the hope of God.

The Apostle Paul speaks precisely about this issue: do not lose heart when the question is death, and so on. This is also known, everything is read on the relevant services. Let's not be discouraged. How can we be discouraged when we believe in Christ? The man went to Christ, to the Heavenly Father. Yes, he needs our help and support, so this does not cancel our communication and cooperation. And even more depends on us. In Christianity, during life we ​​cannot do as much as a person after death. And if we just become discouraged, sob and give up, then we will be consumed by selfishness. How is it that I am the unhappy one here. And who died, excuse me? It's not yourself you need to feel sorry for. To have pity - in the sense of helping, supporting. And here again, if words don’t work, “rejoice, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything.” This also applies to this issue. We must pray and thank God. Everything continues, only in a slightly different area. A Christian, on the contrary, is inspired by hope and joy, so to speak. Albeit a little differently, but we have a place to apply ourselves, even for the deceased.

– Why does it happen that people live a spiritual life, but nevertheless feel not joy, but depression, where does it come from?

– Since we are still people and our human nature, our still imperfect state cannot already be at some ideal level. True joy and inspiration are sent to us only from the Holy Spirit. If we acquire it, as Seraphim of Sarov taught and inspired (not only he, of course): acquire the spirit is peaceful. We pray: “To the Heavenly King, the Comforter...” Consolation, that is, joy, “To the True Soul,” that is, genuine joy, comes from there. Therefore, if somewhere, so to speak, we get tired, stumble, become despondent, rely on ourselves, go a little astray, forget that everything that is genuine is from God (often we slip into our own, “I”, selfishness) ), this is not just some admonition from God, but a consequence. We lean on a weak reed - and it breaks. Not on the pillar of truth, but on the reed of one’s self, and it breaks and crunches.

Therefore, first of all, you need (this is always a call), so to speak, to shake yourself up and say: I need to get a little closer to the Lord. Or stagnant. We still need to take a step forward. But in any case, these moments help us to more responsively, loudly exclaim: “Sons of the Lord.” Lord, help, Lord, save! This is what the Lord is waiting for. And this develops our true state of sonship, striving for God, and fidelity to God. The Lord always lends us a helping hand. So let’s not forget that all good things come from the Lord, and let’s turn to Him more often, be with Him. Not “give me good things,” but “give me Yourself, I want You, Lord!”

– What is unceasing prayer and is it possible in the world?

– Yes, spiritual joy in these, so to speak, three terms stands next to the call to unceasing prayer. This is both a consequence of joy, that is, a desire for Christ, for true joy, and a state of joy. What is aspiration? This is not an abstraction, this is communion with God, the joy of communion with God. Communion with God is most expressed for us through prayer. As a matter of fact, the word “prayer” can be understood more specifically – reading a rule, repeating a prayer. But prayer can also be understood more broadly – ​​as a state. The state of communion with God, a conversation with God, a meeting with Him, a silent conversation with Him. We have in the experience of human relations: yeah, man is the image of God, and this experience tells us something, it’s like just an image, but it helps us look at the likeness from which all this was taken. Become like God.

Accordingly, there is an expression: “people understood without words,” “the look suggested.” Even our earthly words are only an echo of the heavenly. The Apostle Paul (we constantly remember him today) somehow very modestly, but very clearly said about himself, about his spiritual experience, that he was a participant in contact with heavenly life. And he couldn't put it into words. That is, what kind of heavenly prayer is genuine? She is wordless, she is a state. Can't be expressed in words. But we understand what we're talking about.

Therefore, unceasing prayer ultimately does not mean that a person should read some kind of prayer constantly. Although it is clear that this is some kind of first experience, it begins with this, with something simple. It's simple. For many, the rule is difficult to read. Strange for a Christian! And behind “difficult” lies the word “I don’t want to.” Strange for a Christian, right? But a Christian wants to pray. It’s like his first baby steps – a prayer book, a rule, repeating a prayer. These are human baby steps. If he learns to walk, he will learn to walk firmly and decisively. A more serious walk is the Jesus Prayer. And even this is not the last state. We say that this state goes to heaven, and even when the holy fathers wrote about the Jesus Prayer, they ended up saying that this is a state. I sleep, but my spirit prays. It is not necessary that this person still prays in a dream, repeats some prayer every thousand and one thousand two times. No. This is the state of a person’s spirit, he ignites from this and already blazes from this. This is already a higher state, I repeat, but the apostle writes to have it as a guide. Always be in communion with God, never forget about God. Meet Him always.

The famous Valaam elder John (many, probably, have already read his letters), for example, advised Christians to pray this prayer connected with life: if you wash your hands, you have a thought, and the thought is a prayer: “Lord, cleanse me from my sins.” You light the stove - “Lord, deliver me from eternal fire.” And so on, in life you can always find such associations. But this does not cancel the prayer rule. It simply speaks of constant communion with God, contemplation of God.

Even the great ancient, antediluvian and other patriarchs, our forefathers, were distinguished by this dignity, noted in the Holy Scriptures: they constantly remained before God. We will say: how does it feel to be before God? This does not mean that they are in some geographical, geometric position - they always stood spiritually before God. These are the virtues that are at the core of human existence. That is, this is what is mentioned in the Bible immediately after the creation of man, as they say, from the first pages of the Bible. Constant presence before God. But let us notice in life: we live, but do we often even remember about God? Do we even constantly feel (let’s say, not like we remember dogmas or prayers) that God sees us?

- We forget.

– For a believer, these are the right questions. And we cannot say: from three to four we remember, then somehow we ourselves live, from five to six we remember... This is wrong. I am talking about this, of course, as a guideline for us. You still have to work it out in yourself, you have to want it and work it out. And may God grant that we all receive this virtue. How can a believer forget about this? And this means that all his deeds and actions are constantly before the face of the Lord and the person performs them in this understanding. What then can a person’s life and actions be like if he is in such a state? This is a correct, authentic life, so to speak. Therefore, it was not in vain that Enoch was later caught up to God as one, probably, of those who most acquired this virtue. Therefore, this is a reference point for us. This is unceasing prayer - that is, constant remembrance of God, which begins, of course, with such reflections as Elder John advised us, as our prayer books advise, and so on. And it turns into constant thoughts of God.

– How can a person remember God when he is constantly busy with mental work, his head is constantly busy with work?

– These are some of the moments of our natural imperfection. For example, Adam’s stay in paradise before the Fall was a state when a person, regardless of his activities, was constantly in contact with God, in communion with God. We have lost this, we have become fussy, we have artificially separated ourselves from God, and therefore we simply need to overcome this with the precise understanding that this is possible, that communion with God is not two different things. We will say: how can you do two things at the same time? Calculate formulas or carefully turn out a part on a machine and think about God and religion. If we equate these two things, then, of course, the two things may not be possible to do. But when the matter of communion with God, including prayer, is something completely different, this is a state, then this is a completely different question, it cannot in any way be compared, put on an equal footing.

This is the wrong way to pose the question. This is a state, and in this state one can calculate formulas, work on a machine, and drive – any activity is possible in a state of communication with God, prayer in this sense. But before that, of course, we need to grow, we need to want, at least we will try to simply remember God more often. Taking a break from earthly affairs, let us not go into some kind of idleness or into something of our own. Let us remember God more often and find opportunities. Even some kind of everyday life helps us do this very well - there is an icon nearby, the Bible lies somewhere nearby, so that this also prompts and reminds us, a cross hangs on us. Another problem: not everyone has it, not everyone needs it, it can be a burden. How can we talk about remembering God?

– How does a person’s life and the person himself change with unceasing prayer?

– I think it changes like that, perhaps, when a person meets God. He is sanctified, enlightened, and acquires his true state - the one that was intended by the Lord. To be a child of God, filled with meaning and joy of life. Also, as far as we understand, being is being with God. This will probably be incomprehensible to a stranger who is not looking for it. On the other hand, what is the meaning of existence? Eat, drink, be merry? By the way, there is also an interesting opposite triad - eat, drink, be merry, and “have fun” is also present.

– So, rejoice is the opposite?

- No, here is “rejoice, pray unceasingly, give thanks for everything” - and the human triad: “eat, drink, be merry.” There is also something to think about. Opposite triad. And sometimes a person tends to “eat, drink, be merry,” unfortunately. “Have fun” too. Here, perhaps, is the difference between the terms “rejoice” and “have fun.” Words, of course, can be interchangeable, but if we consider them in this context, then (I repeat, although the words are not to blame) – we will rejoice, but we will not have fun, for example.

In this regard, I always remember the parable of the prodigal son. The eldest son seemed to be good, except for everything else that he said to his father when he got angry at this whole story with this terrible prodigal son. He said: “You don’t even give me a little goat to have fun with my friends.” Here a person strives to have fun, relax, as they would say now. What to relax from? So, from something heavy and uninteresting? By the way, this is also one of the evidences that earthly life without God is depressing, difficult, meaningless, and we need to do something, relax. We need to dive somewhere, get away from reality. By the way, this is about saying that we need to get away from this reality more often, maybe not dive into fun, but more often remember about God, about true joy.

– That is, joy is a clear state when a person is open before God, and fun is as if a person, on the contrary, is hiding...

– Into himself, into his problems, he wants to forget himself and drown in them. Not to emerge, but to drown in them.

- Cloudy state.

- Drown in them. From here it is clear that these are images, maybe some kind of reasoning, but the practice is sad - alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. But these are gross manifestations of what a person can drown in. Although to renounce... Even these vices are evidence that our life without God is depressing. In general, life without God is depressing. And you cannot do without vices if you continue without God. Therefore, it is impossible to solve these problems in any other way than to find the true meaning of existence, life, joy, optimism, happiness, hope. And not just with some semi-medical swill and other means, try to somehow detach yourself, forget yourself, forbid yourself, find yourself some other passion. It will never solve the problem anyway. This is also evidence of life, evidence. Many people ask where the evidence is. Here's the proof.

– Is it possible for a person to be grateful for literally everything? And for insult, resentment, maybe even for betrayal?

– You know, there are several levels here. One level is the level of, say, some of our momentary decisions. Another level is a certain context of eternity and perspective. If we live with this perspective, then all these moments against this background mean nothing. Our sorrows, problems, grievances mean nothing. Moreover, if we have courage and strength, they can be bitter medicine, admonitions, maybe even some harsh ones, but they will correct us. It’s hard to admit, it’s painful, but in our everyday life, of course, we cannot do without sadness, even some kind of resentment. If we focus on this, then we are losing perspective.

Of course, this is not approved, nothing bad is approved, and first of all, let us not offend ourselves, betray us, and so on; but when this happens to us, we do not approve of it, we do not thank it for being good. But we use it to make good out of it. The devil, some stumbled, dishonest person did something bad, but I helped or organized it. Well, we don’t give up. Yes, it’s bad, we understand that all this is bad, but let’s laugh at the devil, let’s rise above evil and turn any situation for good. And let’s thank God, ask for help, not be like that, overcome something in ourselves, and through patience we will atone for our sins, because we may have sinned in something else, but we didn’t notice it or don’t even appreciate it. And through this we, so to speak, redeem, and this means we change, we become better. Through some other tests.

So, as I already said, for a Christian there is also joyful, bitter, and sad in life, but everything is for the good. And you even need to be able to accept joy, this is a separate topic. Joyful things in earthly life - success, honor, glory, this can be an even more difficult test for us, and not everyone passes it, this is the test of copper pipes. This is the most difficult test, even more difficult than grief. Sorrows still have a certain character, they humble us. And through fame, praise, and so on, you can get carried away by this.

– How to perceive fame and praise sensibly?

- Very simple. As King David told us in the Holy Scriptures, “Not to us, not to us, but to Your name you will give glory, O Lord.” And whatever happens, you have to carry it past yourself: it flew past your nose - that’s all. This all belongs to the Lord in the end. It would be good, of course, if we stuck this out less in our lives. Some kind of celebrations, venerations - this is also a cult, sometimes created in life. We see this, unfortunately - a cult. And the higher the cult of human veneration, the more difficult it is for the person himself to endure and overcome it. Or maybe no one is overcoming it, but, on the contrary, developing it. Therefore, some measure is always addressed to the Lord. Yes, there is something successful, it’s all for the glory of God. So there is no way to escape the beautiful word “modesty.”

– The time of our transmission is coming to an end. Another question: how are constant joy, unceasing prayer and gratitude related to each other?

– I think that these three concepts describe Christian life, according to the Apostle Paul. This is our Christian life. If something is missing from these parts (just as earthly life is “eat, drink, be merry,” godless, earthly, material, and Christian), then it will be incomplete and will not work out. Without any one concept, the rest will not work. If we are despondent, have weak faith, and have little faith, then prayer will not work. If there is no joy, we ourselves do not feel the strength, then what should we be grateful for? We are darkened and do not see anything good. That is, it’s all about one thing, only from different sides. Let's call this the authentic Christian life. And the Christian life has Christ at the center. So let's say, the central axis of Christian life is Christ.

– Thank you very much for the conversation!

Spiritual joy is the most important thing that the Church gives

Conversations with the priest. Personality transformation

Introduction

The apostle’s call to “always joy” often causes some bewilderment and confusion: how is it possible for a humble Christian, constantly in a state of heartfelt contrition and “crying over his sins,” to nevertheless “always rejoice”? A lack of understanding of how to combine these two seemingly incompatible states of the soul often leads to a complete denial of the very possibility of the presence of any joy in the life of an Orthodox Christian. Sometimes the very mention of a joyful feeling in the church environment is considered unacceptable (for example, in the Greek text of the famous chant “Quiet Light...” it is not about “quiet” light, but about “joyful” light (ilaron - cheerful, joyful [1, p. 627 ])).

To “justify” such a “joyless” worldview, numerous passages of the Holy Scripture are often cited. Scriptures and works of St. Fathers, on the one hand, condemning joy and fun, and on the other, praising lamentation about sins: “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of fools in the house of joy” (Eccl. 7:4), “Woe to you who laugh now! for you will weep and lament” (Luke 6:25), “Blessed are those who weep now, for you will laugh” (Luke 6:21). Based on a similar eclectic exegesis of St. From the Scriptures one can come to the conclusion that any manifestations of joy are in principle unacceptable, and mental sorrow is an undoubted virtue.

The joy of forgiveness as a motive for good deeds

But the joy of God cannot only be declared through the lips of a Christian; it must be actively manifested. This is its important, one might say, psychological feature and advantage over simply “sadness,” which is often unproductive and leads to passivity and spiritual stagnation. As in the case of Judas Iscariot, such sadness can even lead to suicide. On the contrary, a person who has experienced the joy of forgiveness in his heart is spiritually inspired (“do not be sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10)) and actively seeks to share it with others. A good illustration of this is the following parable of Christ: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44 ). In the same way, Zacchaeus, having learned that the Lord wanted to visit his house, “received Him with joy” (Luke 19:6). And, as a consequence of this meeting of man with the God-man, he himself demonstrates his repentance, promising to repay those whom he offended fourfold - even beyond the requirements of the Law of Moses.

The phenomenality of Christian joy. The source of true joy is in God

This Divine joy is not conditioned by any everyday factors; on the contrary, it helps to endure all everyday trials: according to the words of the prophet Habakkuk, “though the fig tree should not blossom, and there should be no fruit on the vines, and the olive tree should change, and the field would not yield food, even though there are no more sheep in the fold and cattle in the stalls, but even then I will rejoice in the Lord and be glad in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17-18). Ap. James advises that when you fall into various temptations, accept them “with great joy” (James 1:2). “Rejoice and be glad,” says Christ the Savior to the martyrs for His Name (Matthew 5:11–12) - this is the phenomenal nature of Christianity: Christians “in all sorrow... abound with joy” (2 Cor. 7:4), and “ joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). St. Ignatius the God-Bearer in his Epistle to the Ephesians called it “immaculate joy in Jesus Christ” [6, p. 269].

Thus, it is the grace of God that is the source of “joy in the Lord,” that Easter joy that fills a loving heart and “pouring out” to everyone around. A person becomes, as it were, a conductor of God’s grace. According to the testimony of Ap. Paul, such joy is the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22 in the translation by Bishop Cassian), and it is “joy in the Holy Spirit” that is one of the signs of the reign of God in the human heart (Rom. 14:17). “When the Spirit of God descends upon a person and overshadows him with the fullness of His influx, then the human soul is filled with inexpressible joy, for the Spirit of God gives joy to everything that He touches,” says the Rev. Seraphim of Sarov 7, who throughout his life showed the possibility of “compatibility” of the bitterness of repentance and self-abasement with deep joy “in the Lord.” The fact that such joy has its origin in God is also confirmed by the fact that joy in His people is attributed to God Himself: “The Lord God will rejoice in you with joy, He will be merciful in His love, He will triumph over you with jubilation” (Zeph. 3:17 ).

Life's joys

It should be noted that in everyday life, not all joy can be identified with sin. If a person perceives the world around him as a wonderful creation of God, and his neighbors as His children, then in ordinary “every little things” he will joyfully notice the manifestation of God’s goodness. So such joy again has the source of God’s goodness: “when the grace of God is with a person, then every phenomenon in the world amazes the soul with its incomprehensible wonder, and the soul, from the contemplation of visible beauty, comes to a state of feeling God, living and wondrous in everything” [10 , c. 89].

Conclusion

Thus, consideration of the problem of combining repentant feelings in the spiritual (and everyday) life of a Christian with unceasing joy shows that these two states do not contradict, but organically complement each other, because ultimately repentance means that forgiveness makes it possible to live, that it is possible again to become a child of God, therefore repentance is joy. This “joy in the Lord” is of a spiritual nature, for it is bestowed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. But a person should not keep this gift to himself. Having known the Easter joy, he should give it to others, “rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). After all, only in the new eon will all those faithful to Christ enter “into the joy of their Master” (Matthew 25:21), and “sorrow and sighing will be removed” (Isaiah 35:10).

"Missionary of the Don"

References:

1. Weisman A.D. Greek-Russian dictionary. Reprint of the 5th ed. 1899 – M.: GLK Yu.A. Shichalina, 1991.
2. Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov). Time for repentance. – M.: Moscow Compound of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2000. Internet edition of the site www.wco.ru
3. Invisible abuse. To the blessed memory of Elder Nicodemus of the Svyatogorets. – M: Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate. 1979
4. Brianchaninov Ignatius, bishop. Otechnik. – M.: Publishing house “Rule of Faith”, 1996.
5. Chistyakov G.P. Above the lines of the New Testament. – M.: Truth and Life, 1999. – 340 p.
6. Scriptures of the Apostolic Men. Kyiv: Publishing house named after. St. Leo, Pope, 2001. – 327 p.
7. Seraphim of Sarov, Rev. About the purpose of Christian life. Internet edition of the site www.orc.ru
8. St. Theophan the Recluse. What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it? – M.: Sisterhood in the name of the Venerable Martyr. Grand Duchess Elizabeth, 2001. Internet edition of the site www.wco.ru/biblio
9. Bocharov A.S., Chernyshev A.V. Essays on modern church psychology. Ivanovo: Light of Orthodoxy, 2003. – 298 p.
10. Sophrony, hieromonk. Elder Silouan of Athos. – M.: Compound of the Russian Monastery on Mount Athos, 1996. – 463.

The theme of the change from crying to joy in St. Scripture

It can be noted that the theme of changing crying into joy is one of the key ones in the Holy Scripture. Scripture. The messianic prophecies of the Old Testament are especially replete with such promises. And so, the fulfillment of the promises comes and the Archangel Gabriel calls to the Virgin Mary: “Rejoice, full of grace!” (Luke 1:28). In the Greek text, the word χαρά (the root of the word “joy”) appears twice: in the word “rejoice” (χαῖρε) and in the word “Graceful” (κεχαριτωμένη). It turns out something reminiscent of the Russian “Rejoice, overjoyed” or “Rejoice, full of joy” [5, p. 30] - after all, with the coming of Christ, the world was truly given the fullness of joy and “everlasting joy” (Is. 35:10). The angel brought the same joyful news to the Bethlehem shepherds: “Do not be afraid; I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people: for today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

Easter of Christ, without any doubt, is the most joyful, brightest “feast of feasts and the triumph of all celebrations” for all Orthodox Christians. On this bright day, everyone partakes of heavenly joy according to the promise of Christ: “My joy will remain in you, and... no one will take your joy from you” (John 15:11; 16:22).