Vows, prohibitions and oaths: how they affect your life and energy

Table of contents

• I. Biblical Examples of Vows Made to God
• II. Types of Vows
• III. Orders of the Old Testament Law on Vows
• IV. Vows to God and today

The explanatory dictionary gives the following definition of the word “vow”: A vow is a promise, a voluntary commitment to do something.

A vow to God is a promise made to God to do something for Him in return for His mercy, favor and blessings.

The first mention of a vow is in the book of Genesis. This is Jacob's vow to God at Bethel: “And Jacob made a vow, saying, If God will be with me and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, then I will return home in peace. my father, and the Lord will be my God, then this stone, which I have set up as a monument, will be the house of God; and of all that You, O God, give me, I will give You a tenth” (Gen. 28:20-22).

No vow!

When you go on a pilgrimage to a monastery, you mention that you took a vow of sobriety, and you often encounter rebuff: they say, this is not a worldly matter, but a purely monastic one. Hegumen Seraphim (Nikolin) disagrees: “This is a biblical tradition - to make vows before the Lord! Let’s say, the Nazirite vows were taken not only by members of the tribe of Aaron who became priests, but by everyone who was spiritually mature for this.” There are many opponents of the vow among the white clergy. Father Igor Bachinin and Valery Doronkin explain this by ignorance of history, loss of tradition and the fact that people simply did not understand the essence of the issue. “There are no theological grounds to reject the vow,” says Father Igor, “and people are people, they can argue and make mistakes.”

What and why?

A hundred years ago, at the end of August 1912, the First All-Russian Congress of Practical Workers to Combat Drunkenness took place. It spoke about the establishment of a day of sobriety - on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist. Today this holiday, which then did not have time - due to historical reasons - to take root, is being born again. According to a new tradition, vows of sobriety are taken in many churches on September 11th.

What is this - a vow of sobriety? It's simple: a promise. A person promises God that he will not drink anything that contains alcohol. Promises after a special prayer service, in front of the Cross and the Gospel, an icon or the relics of saints. But why can’t you do this alone with God - at home, near the icons? “Why, it’s possible,” says Archpriest Ilya Shugaev, chairman of the temperance society at the Archangel Michael Church in the city of Taldom. — It happens, of course, that such a promise is given out of emotion, so that afterwards it must be confirmed in church, at a special ceremony. After all, we confess to God through a priest, each time promising not to repeat our sins. A vow is not a sacrament

But when you pronounce the words of a vow prayer, and even in front of witnesses, this is also psychologically important, it holds.”

But how does a vow differ from an oath, which we Christians are forbidden to take? Priest Igor Bachinin, chairman of the John the Baptist Brotherhood “Sobriety,” explains this: “When a person swears, he tries to prove that he is right and calls God as a witness. And by taking a vow, he admits his weakness and asks God for help. By the way, I always warn you: you yourself will not be able to fulfill your word given to God without His help. You just don’t have the strength for it.”

Oath Recipe

The astute reader will understand that we are, of course, talking about the words of the vow of fidelity. Why did we suddenly decide not to give examples of specific words, but to give the reader a way with which he himself could make a vow for every taste? The main reason is that the vows that lay people take do not work. Don't believe me? Well, let's look at the statistics: the divorce rate in the country is still catastrophically high (about 83%). This means that 8 out of 10 couples who swear loyalty to each other until death in the registry office are shamelessly lying.

True, there is another option: the text of the oath itself has turned into a set of words devoid of meaning. It’s not that we want to break the tradition, but we want to talk about how to reduce the percentage of oath violations to a minimum. And, unlike words of fidelity, you will not read this anywhere except here. The algorithm is like this:

• You must make a vow with full awareness that it is serious.
• The rate for non-compliance must be high.
• A vow is an internal promise, not a tribute to an external tradition.
• Words do not matter, the main thing is the determination to keep the promise.

Therefore, it turns out paradoxically: the main thing in words of fidelity is not the words. They really can be anything, and if it makes you feel better, you can say “I swear” before each new promise. As for specific words of fidelity, anyone who has been to the registry office at least once for a wedding ceremony knows them. But you can swear allegiance not only to your wife or husband, so a lot depends on the situation.

Lunch or vow

Of course, the question of what a vow is should no longer pose any difficulties. The two words in the title sound very similar. Of course, a sophisticated and experienced person will not make an annoying mistake and will not write “vow” with a “d” when it comes to a promise. But to minimize this possibility, we want to offer a fun association.

We remember what the word “vow” means. It is, one way or another, connected with limitation. In general, when we make a promise (or vow), we voluntarily limit ourselves. Despite its simplicity, this is a rather severe test, which contains categoricalness. Make a promise to yourself to never eat ice cream again and you will feel how, about two seconds after the vow, you will crave it unbearably. The difficulty of keeping promises is that a person’s freedom is taken away, and he cannot bear this. But enough about the vow.

Lunch, on the contrary, is when a person gives himself freedom. Remember the magnificent royal dinners and, in general, any gastronomic events that take place at the expense of people who are not constrained by money. This is just a riot of flesh! No wonder gluttony is one of the seven most terrible sins.

So, the reader now knows what a “vow” is and how to make sure that he never misspelt this word. You can, for example, imagine a monk at a sumptuously laid table; isn’t that absurd? Same thing.

Vows, prohibitions and oaths: how they affect your life and energy

Obligations imposed on yourself can cause a lot of trouble, and before you make a vow, swear or forbid yourself something, it is important to understand how these actions will affect your life and energy.

Unchangeable vows, called oaths, obligate us to perform certain actions, and failure to do so inevitably leads to problems. Experts from the site dailyhoro.ru recommend becoming familiar with the effect of oaths and vows, so as not to act rashly and not incur undesirable consequences.

How oaths, vows and prohibitions work

Any vow given by a person begins to take effect instantly, and if this obligation is not observed, unpleasant things begin to happen in life: happiness disappears, luck turns away, relationships end and a dark streak sets in. Every time we take an oath, we sign an agreement with the Universe, pledging to perform certain actions, which is why it is so important to clearly understand in advance whether it is possible to fulfill the promise that is ready to burst from our lips.

An oath is a kind of sacrifice that a person is ready to make in exchange for something important. Any oath imposes a ban on certain things, which means a person can doom himself to serious trouble. So, having vowed your health, well-being or other benefits, it is important not to break the vow, otherwise everything that is at stake will pass away.

Any vow taken voluntarily, made out of strong emotions, destroys happiness unless the sacrifice was made consciously and the person is not ready to bear the burden of renunciation in the name of a higher goal. In the event that a vow or oath was said accidentally, during a quarrel, conflict, or for the sake of a selfish desire to appear better, failures in the future are inevitable. These promises cannot be broken, but many become victims of their own words, forgetting about the obligations they have imposed on themselves and violating the words given earlier.

If serious problems arise in life, it is important to free yourself from these vows and vows as soon as possible. Thanks to a simple method, you can get rid of the black streak in life, stop the outflow of energy and feel the approach of changes for the better.

How to get rid of oaths, vows and prohibitions

Oaths, vows and pledges haunt many people, blocking their path to happiness and prosperity. You can get rid of them if you renounce your promises wisely. To do this, you need to stay alone and calm down, and then say loudly and clearly:

“I renounce these obligations. I renounce the vows of poverty in all past incarnations and now. I ask for deliverance from the consequences of the vows I have made, liberation from my shackles. I confirm my rejection of rash words and hasty actions. I wish you to be happy (happy)."

Before uttering the words of liberation, it is important to remember your main vows and oaths, mentally release them, saying to yourself or out loud the previously given obligations.

The power of words is strong, and involuntary phrases spoken in a fit of emotion can either bring you closer to success or cause problems. Experts in the field of bioenergy recommend carefully monitoring what and how you say so as not to bring trouble to yourself.

What types of vows are there?

Most references to vows made to God exist in the Old Testament. But in Christianity there are different vows. Jesus did not forbid vows that were given to God freely, out of the fullness of the heart:

• A vow of celibacy is a renunciation of marriage. It can be received not only by monastics. By his own free will, a person can renounce marriage and devote himself to other works of mercy and service to God;
• Marriage vow - a marriage vow, on the contrary, says that the spouses will strive for the Lord together. Husband and wife become one flesh. One of the purposes of marriage is to grow in faith together. Husband and wife must be faithful to each other, protect and care for each other.
• Monastic vows are vows of voluntary agreement to renounce the world.
• Vow of silence and other ascetic vows often taken by saints as a sacrifice in gratitude to God.
• Baptismal vow is a vow to follow Christ, which is given during the Sacrament of Baptism.

The priest asks the person being baptized: “Do you renounce Satan, and all his works, and all his angels (or: servants), and all his worship, and all his splendor?”

Announced: I renounce!

Priest: “Are you united with Christ?”

Announced: “I match!”

I. Biblical Examples of Vows Made to God

• Jephthah’s vow: “And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou wilt deliver the Ammonites into my hand, when I return in peace from the Ammonites, whatever comes out of the gate of my house to meet me shall be unto the Lord, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (Judg. 11:30–31).
• Hannah's vow: “And Hannah arose after they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh. Elijah the priest was then sitting on a seat at the entrance to the temple of the Lord. And she was in sorrow of soul, and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly, and made a vow, saying: Lord of hosts! If You will consider the affliction of Your handmaid and remember me, and will not forget Your handmaid, and will give Your handmaid a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor will touch his head” (1 Samuel 1:9– eleven).
• Absalom’s vow: “After forty years of David’s reign, Absalom said to the king: I will go and fulfill my vow that I made to the Lord in Hebron; for I, your servant, while living in Geshur in Syria, made a vow: if the Lord brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will sacrifice to the Lord. And the king said to him: Go in peace. And he arose and went to Hebron” (2 Samuel 15:7-8).
• The vow of the pagans: “And these people feared the Lord with great fear, and offered sacrifice to the Lord, and made vows” (John 1:16).
• The vow of the Apostle Paul: “Paul, having stayed quite a few days, took leave of the brethren and sailed to Syria, and with him Aquila and Priscilla, having shaved his head at Cenchrea, according to a vow” (Acts 18:1.

Synonyms

As always, we try to take into account not only many tastes, but also different ways of remembering information. Some remember new knowledge well when everything is analyzed in detail, others - when they give a clear and precise list of synonyms, and people, looking at what they already know, understand the meaning of the new word. This method has one drawback: details slip away. But the client’s desire is the law, so the list follows. A vow is:

• vow;
• Promise;
• oath;
• obligation.

There are few substitutions because the word is specific. Therefore everything is logical. There remains one more question, which we will try to answer in a non-trivial way.

Meaning

The word smells like incense, not without reason. Because the phrases “vow of celibacy” and “vow of silence” are associated associatively and in meaning with religion. That’s why many people are unconsciously frightened by high style. But one of our tasks for today is precisely to remove this block, without depriving some of the charm of the word itself.

So, the meaning of the word “vow” in the explanatory dictionary looks like this: “a solemn promise, obligation.”

This is what came to mind completely unexpectedly. If an ordinary person is unconsciously afraid of the word “vow”, considering it too strong, then maybe it’s worth making vows rather than promises? And then the latter will immediately begin to be executed:

• I make a vow to myself on Monday to start a new life and go in for sports.
• I vow to never deceive my parents again.
• I make a vow to myself not to waste money on nonsense.

A great variety of such “spells” can be invented. I wonder if they will work? The astute reader might say that it is more likely that people will stop giving them. But, reader, this is also a matter! How many destinies can be saved in this way? Already from the above we can extract the answer to the question of what a “vow” is. But this is not enough for us, so we move on and continue to develop the topic.

IV. Vows to God and today

The law did not require people to make vows to God. However, the Holy Scripture calls us to turn to the Lord in prayer for help and make vows to Him, and after answering the prayer, to render to the Lord what was promised by vow: “Make and pay vows to the Lord your God; let all who are around Him bring gifts to the Terrible One” (Ps. 75:12).

Question: Why does the psalmist call for making vows to God?

Answer:

• Because the Lord wants us to test our faith and the power of prayer and through this grow spiritually: “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows” (Job 22:27);
• So that we experience the faithfulness of the Lord and glorify Him for answered prayers and benefits shown to us: “Sacrifice praise to God and render your vows to the Most High, and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me” (Ps. 49:14-15);
• So that we can testify to those around us about a God who answers our prayers: “I will enter Your house with burnt offerings, I will pay You my vows that my mouth uttered and my tongue spoke in my tribulation. I will offer you fat burnt offerings with the incense of the fat of rams, I will sacrifice oxen and goats. Come, listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for my soul” (Ps. 65:13-16).

An example of a vow that people make to the Lord God these days is baptismal vows. By being baptized, a person makes a vow to the Lord to live and serve God in a good conscience. This is how it is said about this in 1 Peter 3:21 “So now baptism, like this image, does not wash away the uncleanness of the flesh, but the promise to God of a good conscience, saves us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

What about the holiday?

But still, returning to the beginning, why does it become so noisy when you say two words “vow of sobriety”? Without fail, someone, the most modest one, with a floor-length skirt, will gasp: “How?!” At all? Even champagne for New Year? And someone with a full beard will be horrified: “And the bishop’s receptions?” How is he really doing at those meals now?

Sobriety has not just ceased to be considered a virtue. Even in the most well-behaved society it is stylistically discredited. The words “Sobriety is the norm of life”, which have become a meme, do not cause anything but a grin and cheekbones. V. Doronkin says: “When it comes to a vow, people are subconsciously afraid: the holiday will be taken away from them, regulations will be introduced - and it will be taken away! In my opinion, these are echoes of Gorbachev’s “prohibition law,” when a good idea was brought down from above. But the people were not prepared, they were not explained why this was necessary, how they could be happy without alcohol. They didn’t say: you’re becoming an alcoholic, you’re dying, you’re deteriorating.”

Perhaps the reason for the mixed reaction to the words “sobriety vow” lies in the lack of information about it?

The meaning of the word Vow according to the Brockhaus and Efron dictionary:

A vow - in the language of Christian moral teaching, is a deliberate promise

any good deed
depending on the free will
of a Christian.
O. is usually distinguished in the broad
and
narrow
sense of the word.
The first include O., given at baptism to be faithful to I. Christ and his teaching, O. conscientious service to society in any position, etc. O. in the narrow sense includes promises to do some special deed, for example, upon the completely successful completion of any enterprise, allocate one or another part of the benefits received to the construction of a rural temple, school or other charitable institution. They also divide O. into personal (for example, O. of fasting, abstinence, etc.) and material (O. of material donation for a good cause), into lifelong (O. monastic), temporary, etc. People object to O. (Protestants) that a Christian is obliged to do good even without O., as much as he has the strength, that the fulfillment of O. has the character of a kind of payment to God for a good deed, etc. To this they answer that good deeds done according to O. serve free a sacrifice of pleasing God, arising not only from the consciousness of duty, but also from a feeling for God stronger than duty. at the same time, they are a moral, disciplinary and pedagogical measure useful for acquiring skills in goodness. In this sense, the doctrine of vows is based on the advice of Holy Scripture (1 Cor., 7, 8, 38. Ex., XIX, 21. Psal., 75, 12, etc.) and on the examples contained therein. O. is essentially the same as “good intentions”, firmly and openly expressed before society, for example, the intention to maintain sobriety, etc. O. must be morally and physically possible
and should not be contrary to any duties of the giver. O. should and can be everything related to the field of Christian virtue in a broad sense.
The person making the vow must have the right to dispose of himself and his property. Failure to fulfill a freely given O. constitutes a grave sin before God (Deut., XXIII, 21-22. Lev., XXVII. Eccl., V, 3-4, etc.). A vow can be terminated or suspended from fulfillment when, due to circumstances, its fulfillment becomes impossible, or when it ceases to be a means to the implementation of virtue, when the purpose of O. no longer exists, when the one who gave O. is permitted from him, in accordance with the established procedure, by church authority , in the interests of the personal spiritual good of the one who gave O. or in the interests of the church and morality in general. See archim. Sergius, “On Vows” (“Addition to the works of the Holy Fathers”, 1858, vol. XVII). N. B-v.

Notes[ | ]

1. Vow / O. V. Belova // Slavic antiquities: Ethnolinguistic dictionary: in 5 volumes / under general. ed. N. I. Tolstoy; Institute of Slavic Studies RAS. — M.: Intl. relations, 2004. - T. 3: K (Circle) - P (Quail). — pp. 446–448. — ISBN 5-7133-1207-0.
2. ↑ 1 2 A.G.
   Safronov. Psychopractices in mystical traditions from archaic to modern times. - Kharkov: Rhythm Plus, 2008. - P. 132. - ISBN 978-966-2079-18-0.

If you did fall.

But breakdowns, of course, happen, no matter what. And often. According to pre-revolutionary statistics, 56 percent of votives kept their word to God not to drink. It is impossible to say how things stand today in Russia as a whole. I can only testify to what I know for certain myself. Of the 45 people who took vows over seven years in the temperance community at the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Romashkovo, 16 people broke them. Did something terrible happen to any of them? Life turned out differently. Someone returned to “their own vomit” - the endings were the saddest. Seryozha, everyone’s favorite musician and joker, died in intensive care. Vasily ended his life with a shameful death. Given the lifestyle they led after the breakdowns, it was difficult to imagine a different ending. But more often the person got up and, even if he stumbled, continued to walk again. “Everything is the same as in other situations when a sin is committed,” says Priest Igor Bachinin. - There is nothing extraordinary here. A person repents, confesses, and penance is imposed on him.” There are a lot of reasons for disruptions, and the reason, according to our priest interlocutors, is “a violation of internal religious life.” When, during group classes in Romashkovo, we examined in detail the breakdown of one of the community members, trying to figure out what led to it, it certainly eventually turned out that the person began to skimp on the morning and evening rules, skip services in the temple, and group meetings.

In Buddhism[ | ]

Similarly, the word "vow" is used in relation to non-Abrahamic religions.

The essence of a vow in ancient Indian traditions is to limit some manifestation of one’s nature. In this way, certain internal energies can be accumulated and strengthened, which allows them to be actualized and then brought under conscious control[2].

As soon as the impulse comes to do something, stop.

— Vijnana Bhairava Tantra

Vows that positively determine the form of human behavior contribute to the accumulation of energy, the actualization of internal problems and their solution. The longer the vow lasts, the deeper internal problems are revealed[2].

Be ready!

The latter may seem alien in this high series, but it is no less important. In order to become different, an alcoholic needs a new social circle, a new “reference group”

“If a person makes a vow, and then again plunges into the old environment where he acquired his illness, it will not be easy for him there. He will again be left alone with his problems,” says Archpriest Ilya Shugaev. “It is important that he communicates with people who have already walked his path, who live soberly, so that he becomes infected with their way of life, their way of thinking.”

Can a person who is not a church member, or even an unbeliever, take a vow of sobriety? Father Igor Bachinin says this: “If you want to start living soberly, live. You can make a promise for a certain period of time - to me, or even... to yourself. And one must prepare for a vow to God—first of all, by living a church life.” Preparation for the vow varies from temperance society to another. In the Sobriety fraternity, for example, the vow is made by people who have completed a two-week cycle of classes. “There are different opinions regarding preparation for the vow,” says Father Elijah. “Some people think that it should be given as soon as the solution appears, for a short period of time - so as not to miss the moment. And then consciously prolong it. Others say that you need to prepare for the vow. It is difficult to reduce everything to one formula. Everyone’s destinies are different, and everyone’s shepherds are different.”

The head of the Coordination Center for Combating Alcoholism and Promoting Sobriety of the Synodal Department for Charity, Valery Doronkin, talks about a case when someone “crawled to the priest on his knees. Father prayed, thought, and accepted his vow. He still doesn’t drink!” Anything can happen.

Often people who already don’t drink take a vow of sobriety. One of the inspirers of the sober movement in Russia at the end of the 19th century, S. A. Rachinsky, believed that a vow made by a non-drinker has enormous moral force. “The drunkard is forced to give it,” explains Archpriest Ilya Shugaev. - And he - out of love for the weak. His example is much more contagious, because he decided not to drink without having a vital need for it.” When talking about this, we always remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “It is better not to eat meat, not to drink wine, and not to do anything that causes your brother to stumble, or to be offended, or to faint” (Rom. 14:21).

What is a vow, and in what cases is it given?

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

What is a vow to God? Is it possible to make a vow to God? In what cases and how is this done? What are the types of vows? How to make a promise to God? And what should you do before making a vow to God?

Archpriest Sergiy Nikolaev answers:

“The pious practice of vows has been known for a long time. For the most part, vows are taken in difficult circumstances or some kind of need. There are different vows. Ivan Bunin's mother, when one of her sons, the brother of the famous writer, was arrested, took a vow not to eat meat, and did not eat it all her life.

The most common vows are to go or, now, to go to the relics of some saint, to visit a monastery. They make vows to work, for the glory of God, in their favorite monastery or in the parish Church, in a hospital, or a nursing home. Vows of material assistance.

So, one of my acquaintances, a sick person, every time, in a life-threatening situation, promises financial assistance to several Temples at once, which he subsequently fulfills. And the one who sees in such a vow a simple trade deal will be wrong: You give me - I give you. An acquaintance helps the Church even in days of health and prosperity, but in this case the vow is given as a sign that the person remembers, he has not forgotten, in Whose hands his life and death, blessings and health lie, and he believes in the good Providence of God.

One day after the service two women approached me. The husband of one of them had to have a complicated operation. They had already ordered a prayer service for the healer Panteleimon and wanted to find out if they could do anything else to help the patient - they really wanted to do something for him. We remembered the custom of making vows. “What vow would you recommend to us?” - they asked. It was noticeable that friends were rare guests in the Church, and they came only because trouble had happened. However, it was also noticeable that at that moment they were ready for much. This often happens, in misfortune we think we would give everything, but after...

“When we are anxious, we turn to God, but when we are anxious, we forget about God.” Therefore, one must make a vow within one’s strength, so as not to regret later that one promised too much. My proposal was: bows, prayer. But those who asked wanted more. Well: “It would be nice to be in the Temple every Sunday for worship, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to do it.” The women looked at each other, mentally assessed their possibilities in one second and confidently said: “It suits us, we will come to Church on Sundays.”

I admit that I treated their promise with great distrust. And in vain. For many years they became our constant parishioners, and then benefactors. Experts in their profession, friends provided significant assistance to the parish in construction and repair work. They lived in another area of ​​the Moscow region, and later began going to the Temple closer to home. What can you do, traffic jams and eternal lack of time...

Promises are made not only in difficult circumstances. Sometimes, on the contrary, as a way to express gratitude to the Lord for His constant blessings. There is one woman who works in our parish, she is an elderly person and is by no means in good health, but every now and then you hear from her: “Father, bless us to sew new lecterns,” or “Bless the children (altar boys) to wash their surplices.” “But there was no one younger, or something,” you ask, “or do you have other things to do?” And she said: “You bless me, otherwise I’m doomed,” that is, she promised God. And she is constantly doomed to make new curtains, then update old ones, then one thing, then another. All you hear is: “Bless me, I’m already doomed.” She seems to have this as an additional line of communication with the Lord - to voluntarily condemn herself to pious deeds.

I remember an incident of a vow from my biography. Once upon a time, I had two antique things. Expensive and beautiful, but too large for our two-room apartment. And there was a friend who could accommodate them. It was to him that I gave my rarities, in the hope of getting a lot of money and freeing up some space needed for life.

Time passed, and still no buyer was found. I was embarrassed to call and rush my friend. Well, I think if they sell, I’ll give a quarter of the money to the Church.

As time went. The anticipation was no longer so intense. I’ll give half of it, I decided. When a few more months had passed, the place of antiques had already been firmly taken by more necessary items in the household. I mentally promised that everything I received for the “antiques” would be donated to the reconstructed monastery. The next day they called me and the deal was done.

I couldn’t get to a certain monastery quickly, and the money was lying at my house. One Sunday, I needed a certain amount, but my funds were in my savings book, and the cash register was not working on the weekend.

Without hesitation, I took part of the money promised for the monastery, deciding that on Monday I would receive it from the cash register and return what I had borrowed. At night I had a dream. It’s like I’m on the subway, next to me is a friend, the one who helped me get rid of unnecessary things.

Suddenly two people came in, as they said then, “in civilian clothes.” They come up to my friend and say: “You are under arrest,” and they also handcuff him. The situation seemed so cinematic and ridiculous to me that I laughed out loud. At the same time, two “in civilian clothes” looked back at me and one of them said: “Why are you laughing, you are also a criminal. You took other people's money."

These words struck me like a bolt from the blue, and I immediately woke up. I immediately remembered the monastery money. The feeling of crime, guilt, sin was so strong that I could not calm down, and I went to the Church to talk with some priest.

Father listened to my story and said: “You really made a mistake. You promised this money for God’s Church, which means it was no longer yours. You took them. What if something happened to you: a car accident or an unexpected fatal illness, and you could not make up for them. Then you would appear before God as a person who stole church money. We need to be more scrupulous in such cases.”

With regard to vows to the Lord, the saying is especially appropriate: “If you haven’t given a word, be strong, and if you have given, hold on.” The Wise One speaks about the same thing: “When you make a vow to God, do not hesitate to fulfill it, because He does not favor fools: what you promised, fulfill it. It is better for you not to promise, than to promise and not keep” (Eccl. 5:3-5).

And further. Before taking a vow, it is better to consult a priest and receive a blessing.”

Monastic vows

St. Anthony the Great, having heard the words of Christ in the Gospel: “Leave everything and follow Me,” really left everything and retired into the desert. He found many followers who wanted to keep his vows.

• Vow of non-covetousness;
• Vow of chastity;
• Vow of obedience.

People were ready to completely renounce everything worldly or what appeared to them to be worldly. Thus, the clergy was divided into two halves, one of which became those who took monastic vows.

Christian life made its own adjustments to the life of monasteries, and monastic vows also acquired new meanings over time. For example, in the modern succession of monastic tonsure, vows regarding the prohibition of owning personal property have disappeared from the Great Book of Breviaries, since from a practical point of view, some personal property is still required. But the essence remains the same - the vow of non-covetousness means that personal enrichment cannot be the priority of those who have left the world.

Monastic vows

There was an urgent need to reinforce this involvement with new vows given in the cultural forms of the “Greco-Roman synthesis,” which included the culture of Palestine, and in the most rigid forms. And now not all Christians made these vows, but only those who, like the Egyptian youth Anthony (the future St. Anthony the Great), having heard the words of Christ in the Gospel: “Leave everything and follow Me,” literally turned them to themselves. Even too literally, since he practically identified “this world” with the world of God. And therefore he went into the desert, a place “empty” not only of culture, but also of people, thus becoming one of the first “monks” (from the Greek “monos” - one).

Soon the desert was filled with those seeking the same life, and therefore making such very radical - monastic - vows of service to Christ. The vows were specified like the "'esar" - "n'eder", "no" - "yes" of the Old Testament. These were vows of “non-covetousness”, i.e. complete absence of personal property; "chastity", i.e. first of all - celibacy; and, finally, “obedience,” understood, first of all, as the submission of one’s sinful will to an older, more spiritually experienced person. Let us recall, however, that in the gospel only those who were too attached to it were called to renounce personal property, i.e. he made an idol out of her (see the parable of the rich young man - Matt. 19:16-26). Celibacy, which was not assumed in any vows of the Old Testament, incl. Nazirites - only abstinence from marital relations for a while and in exceptional cases (see, for example, the question about this to King David and his companions before eating temple bread - 1 Samuel 21: 4-5), in the New Testament was considered a better state than marriage (1 Cor. 7:38), but not necessarily for salvation. The vow of obedience appeared largely in connection with the mechanical extension of the expression of the apostle to everyone who wants monasticism. Paul “imitate me” (the synodal translation added “as I am to Christ”), although it was addressed only to those whom he himself personally “…begat in Christ Jesus… through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15–16).

As a result, the church was divided not only into the clergy and the “world” (the world around us except the altar - “this world”), but also into “monks” and “laity” (the world except the “desert” - “this world”). This division finally took shape almost simultaneously with the formation of the famous “symphony” of church and state in the 6th–7th centuries.

Let us give a more complete list of monastic vows. These are the questions that have been asked to everyone who accepts monasticism for many centuries: “...does he come to the Lord of his own free will? Do you agree to renounce the world according to the commandment of the Lord? Will he remain in the monastery and fasting even until his last breath? Will he preserve himself in virginity, chastity and reverence even until death? Will obedience to the superior and to all brothers in Christ remain until death? Will Christ remain in poverty and freely until death for the sake of poverty? Will he endure all the sorrow and hardship of the monastic life of the Kingdom for the sake of the Heavenly Kingdom? To all these questions, the tonsured person answers: “I cooperate with God, honest father,” and thus makes monastic vows” (Archbishop Averky (Taushev)).

Only in the twentieth century did some reassessment of values ​​take place in this area. The vows of “non-covetousness” and “obedience” by the best representatives of monasticism - for example, Archimandrite (later - Archbishop and Holy Martyr) Hilarion (Troitsky) - were attributed to the general Christian foundations of life, which, therefore, did not imply taking them in the form of a special vow. “Monastic vows,” he wrote in 1915, “being universal Christian vows in their moral content, have a, so to speak, subjective meaning. They represent the conscious repetition of the baptismal vows given. The monastic vow upon tonsure is a solemnly declared determination to take seriously one’s calling as a Christian.”

However, the question remains: why can’t this title be taken seriously already at baptism? After all, this indirectly affirms the impossibility of fulfilling the vows of baptism except in monasticism! The answer to this question is Archimandrite. Hilarion doesn't give it. Moreover, in his approach one can see his attitude towards monastic vows is still not entirely in the New Testament spirit. Firstly, he perceives them not as a joyful sacrifice from the fullness of faith and love, but as a severe necessity. “...Someone is better than us without repeating vows, without tonsure. After all, a healthy person can be stronger even without medication than a sick person. But the patient needs medicine. Vows are medicine” (Ibid.). Secondly, he calls the main difference between these vows and general Christian ones only the existence of a special discipline and strictly defined rules of behavior among monks. “When tonsured, a monk accepts and lovingly kisses all the statutes and rules of monastic life drawn up by the holy fathers” (Ibid.).

However, Christian life made its own adjustments to these statutes and rules. Thus, the vows of knightly orders became an interesting variant of monastic vows. Initially purely monastic (poverty-obedience-celibacy), they served to prepare for personal military exploits. The feat was intended for the knight not so much to “show himself” as to ensure a common victory over the Gentiles (for example, to liberate Jerusalem). But in the XIV century. in the Order of the Passion of the Lord by Philippe de Maizières, mandatory celibacy was replaced by the requirement of a chaste life for spouses. Then, in the same order, the vow “summa perfectio”, previously unknown in knighthood, was introduced, i.e. the highest perfection, which had, first of all, a spiritual character. Exotic and eccentric private vows, such as the obligation to drink three cups of wine stew before entering into battle in honor of the Holy Trinity, etc., or the well-known custom of challenging anyone to battle for the sake of the lady of his heart (justly ridiculed, for example, in Don Quixote) ), were common in knighthood, but still not the main ones.

The modern practice of taking monastic vows is being enriched with more and more new forms. Thus, one of the LiveJournals recently contained a description of parish tonsure (in fact, monasticism in the world, which is, in a sense, a contradiction in terms), and along the way interesting thoughts were presented about its rite and content. Here they are: “The monastic vows that are supposed to be pronounced according to the current Great Book of Breviaries have been heavily edited compared to pre-revolutionary practice. So, for example, in the modern succession of monastic tonsure from the Great Book of Breviaries, there are absolutely no vows regarding the prohibition of owning personal property. This is quite reasonable, because... all modern monks, one way or another, own their own property, and the times of strict communal rules, according to which it was forbidden to own even the slightest property, are long gone. We went further along the same path (the author of the text belongs to the ROCOR - A.K.) and removed from the following of monasticism those vows that relate exclusively to monastic life (the vow to never leave the monastery and the vow to obey the abbot). Since we do not have a monastery or abbot, it is completely pointless to make such vows” (Dmitry Shabanov - logothet).

Since there are many such cases - from mass secret tonsures in the world as a means of preserving the faith and the church in the era of the dominance of militant atheism in the USSR to “parish monasticism” as an everyday phenomenon (meaning not only the clergy, but also altar girls), we can confidently say that The line between monks and zealous laymen is becoming increasingly thin, and the formula “even a bad monk is better than a good layman”, one hopes, will soon finally become a thing of the past.

So, something unusual appears: monasticism without the vows of non-covetousness and obedience? Yes! Archim. It is no coincidence that Hilarion calls celibacy the only actual monastic vow. And although he himself is an inspired apologist for monasticism, for him celibacy, in accordance with the position of St. Paul (see above, 1 Cor. 7:38), there is only a better opportunity to serve God: “... with an equal desire to please God, a single person has more favorable conditions for fulfilling his good desire than a married person. But to look for in the words of the Apostle a teaching about the moral superiority of celibacy compared to marriage, in my opinion (not mine, however, only), would be a mistake” (Ibid.).

But there is no reason to limit celibacy only to monasticism. Christ Himself, before Him - John the Baptist, and after Him - the apostle. Paul, showing (the latter, of course, their own measure) examples of chaste service to God and people, were not “monks”, because they did not seek unity with God through a life of solitude, prayer and fasting according to a detailed charter. Their “vows of celibacy” were hardly verbalized in any way, since they naturally flowed from love for God and zeal for His house (Ps. 68:10; John 2:17). And this means - out of a desire to fulfill as best as possible the ministry to which they (again, it is clear that the prophet and apostle are relative, and Christ is absolutely) were called.