The Catalog of Good Deeds

March 13, 1876

Greetings, sister in Christ, dear Mother T.! I congratulate you on accepting the holy and angelic image. Do you know that this image is the symbol of betrothal with Jesus, the Heavenly Bridegroom? For it is sung in the troparion to a martyr, “I love You, my Bridegroom”, and for every nun is a martyr, remember, to Whom you are betrothed!

You ask me for guidance and advice on what you should do in order not to deviate from your path? Start with humility. Then do with humility and finish with humility. Thus you will reach holiness. This path, the path of humility, is the safest one. Holy Fathers say, this path just “prevent you from falling down. Where can a humble one fall, when he considers himself worse than anyone?” So, how can we not be humble, when Christ, the God of gods and the Lord of lords, humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8)? The astonishment of angels, the most beautiful of all sons of the humankind, died a shameful death for us; how dare we, weak and sinful, reject to admit our sins and weaknesses?

What concerns high thoughts: avoid them like the plague. “What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). “And the heavens are not pure in His sight” (Job 15:15). And Prophet Isaiah said long ago what any our truth is: “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

You ask how can one follow his way? Listen not to me, a filthy man, but to the Eternal Truth Itself: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

It means that anyone who is going to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, must not recall their high virtues – and especially their high thoughts – but must look at the feats and glory of saints. Let us stick to them! But you should look at your own weaknesses and sins and remember about the possible future torments of a soul – then you will not sin.

Peace to you, mother T.

– Sinful Hieromonk Anatoliy

On February 25 – March 4, the festival “Great Lents Concerts” will take place in Minsk. It will be organized by St. Elisabeth Convent in cooperation with Belarusian State Academy of Music with the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl.

This year, Great Lent Concerts will be held under the theme “The Restoration of Ancient Traditions” and will combine spiritual and classical music concerts. Church and secular choirs, orchestras and soloists will perform in various concert halls of the city.

About Great Lent Concerts

The festival will be held in Minsk for the second time, while the idea itself of giving spiritual concerts during Great Lent has deep roots. Great Lent Concerts appeared in St. Petersburg in the end of the 19^th century – the beginning of the 20^th century. That unique for Russian musical culture event was born again in the beginning of the 21th century. During the restoration of the tradition, the organizers of the concerts invited to the cultural capital of Russia the best musical collectives from all over the world. The Festive Choir of St. Elisabeth Convent was among them.

By the initiative of Nun Juliania (Denisova), the chorister of the Festive Choir of St. Elisabeth Convent and a church composer, last year Great Lent Concerts were organized in Minsk for the first time. Spiritual music was sounding in various concert halls of Minsk during the whole week, while the sold-out concerts became the evidence that people really need spiritual food today.

Nun Juliania noted that, too: “Great Lent Concerts” are held not only for Orthodox people, but also for people who do not go to church and people of other confessions. Music is the very genre that eliminates distinctions between us and makes them insensible. At the same time, the organizers of the festival and its participants are faithful people. Their life itself and everything they do become their preaching… Great Lent Concerts is a form of contingence and cooperation: thanks to the festival, our convent comes out of the church walls and goes to city halls, to people”.

The active support of Ekaterina Dulova, the director of Belarusian State Academy of Music, allowed to extend the format of the festival. This year, Minsk citizens will hear not only choir singing, but also instrumental music performed by young and talented musicians. High level of spirituality is typical not only for Divine service chants – it penetrates the national art and the works of great composers.

January 31, 2018

St. Elisabeth Convent

The didactic imitation of the fast of Christ during the time preceding the days in which the sufferings, the death and the glorious resurrection of Christ are remembered, gives to the Holy Forty Day Fast a special meaning and value for us. The suffering of the Savior and His Resurrection grant to all of us hope even for our resurrection to eternal life. But to realize this hope of receiving an eternal blessed life, we need to imitate Christ in purity and holiness of life. We need to go through the same path of life, as also did the Savior: the way of self-renunciation and self-denial and besides this, the way of struggle against the sensuality and sinfulness of our nature.

The Holy Forty Day Fast serves as the most convenient way to follow this way. "If we shall carefully observe them", teaches the Blessed Augustine, "the Forty Days signify the life of the present age, as the days of Pascha also signify the life of eternal blessedness". In the Forty Day Fast we have contrition, and in Pascha we have joy. And in the present life we should be repentant so that in the future life we could reach eternal blessings. So, everyone, during his terrestrial life, should sigh about his sins, pour out his tears, and do works of mercy. But if the obstacles of the world often confuse us in this, then in a larger measure we shall fulfill in our heart the sweetness of the law of God during the Holy Forty Days.

During the harvest season food for the body is gathered, so that during the season of the spiritual harvest we should gather food for the soul, which could be eaten for eternal life. If we are negligent and have not prepared anything during its season, the whole year endures famine. So the one who neglects fasting, reading the Sacred Scriptures, and prayers during this period fails to gather spiritual wheat and heavenly food for the soul, and will reap eternal thirst and heavy distress. Even the Holy Church expresses a similar idea when she prays to God for us that He guide us "in these most honorable days" of the Holy Forty Days, "for the cleansing of souls and bodies, for the abstention from passions, for the hope of resurrection", and gave to us the power "through ascetical effort to strive for the good, to complete the course of the fast, to observe the undivided faith, to destroy the heads of the invisible serpents, and to be revealed the conqueror of sin". In such a way the Holy Forty Days, according to the sense and meaning for us, is a paradigm of our life as it should be, i.e. life not for the flesh and this world, but for heaven and eternity.

By Sergei V. Bulgakov

Source: www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2013/03/great-lent-imitates-fast-of-christ.html

Since late winter / early spring, I have been teaching the high school Sunday School class at the parish to which I am assigned. I have enjoyed it. At the same time, I have chosen to take a non-standard approach. So, we have discussed movies like: Divergent, Hunger Games, Twilight, The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings. Why have I done that? In order to gain the opening to be heard. It has been an opportunity to discuss what it means to be an adult. Whether you realize it or not, every one of those movies deals with the subject of what it means to be a responsible adult in the world in which one lives. Of course, movies are filmed to make money. However, these are movies based on books that do use the subject of “becoming mature” as the backbone of their plot.

In every one of these movies, the young adult involved is living an unconcerned life when something happens that forces them to lift their view from themselves to the wider world. Sometimes the young adult is still in high school. Sometimes the young adult is already a legal adult, but has let life pass them by and are simply living a non-self-reflecting life. That is, they never reflect about what they are doing, whether they have a broader duty in the world, and whether they have a responsibility to their friends and acquaintances.

Teenagers want to be regarded as adults. But, we adults in USA culture do a terrible job of letting youngsters know when they have become adults. We have a multiplicity of both legal and cultural practices that seem to be almost designed to make it seriously unclear about when the transition from youth to adult happens. You can drive at one age, vote at another age, buy liquor at a third age, be able to rent a car and buy a house at another age. Is it any surprise that we have adults who behave like children until their late 20’s? We are responsible for that, not them!

But, discussing what it means to be an adult has proven to be fruitful. Attendance has stabilized, and so far I have had two parents compliment me that their son/daughter is more willing to go to class. At the same time, I find myself constantly questioning myself, since Scripture does not necessarily come up in each class. Scriptural allusions are made, but not necessarily direct Scriptural quotations. But, I have found out that in this confusing world, our young folk want to know when we will consider them to be an adult. But, am I taking the right approach? I trust so.

The situations found in the various movies are all extreme situations. But, they teach us something. They teach us that one of the main questions that our young folk have is precisely that of becoming an adult. When have they reached adulthood? How will they know? When will be start treating them as adults? The movies would not be popular if the themes they touch upon were not themes that are forefront in the minds of our young adults. How do we fit in?

So, the discussions have been fruitful. What does it mean to make difficult choices? Is being considered an adult merely a matter of age or also a matter of behavior? Does one have to rebel in order to be considered an adult, or is there a different path one can take? Those are all questions that we have discussed.

Now, saying “discussed” is misleading. Frankly, most of the time there is little talk from the teenagers, at least in class. But, as long as they are going home and telling their parents that they are learning something important, I am satisfied. And, if they think that there is a priest who understands them, then I am more than satisfied. The process of transitioning from youth to adult is difficult. But, perhaps I can have a small piece in helping that process to be successful.

I am beginning to believe that the discussions that we have in senior high school classes need to concentrate more on the transitions that are difficult for them to handle without some help. Would you believe that I am thinking of tackling dating next?

Source: https://www.orthocuban.com/2015/06/teens-sunday-school-and-maturity/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+Orthocuban+%2528OrthoCuban%2529

Years ago, I encountered Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s great novel Love in the Time of Cholera, which (among other things) explores the nature of harmonious relationships.

In the story, a couple has been married for almost fifty years. In the routine they have evolved, the wife is responsible of restocking the bathroom with soap. One morning, however, her husband says: “For three days now I have been washing without soap.” The wife knows that she had neglected her responsibility, but rather than admit her fault, she snaps, “Well, I use the bathroom every day, and there has always been soap!”

The dispute erupts, threatening to tear the couple’s marriage apart. The husband is banished to the living room sofa. The conflict continues for months, becoming almost a routine for them. One night, however, the husband forgets to retire to his new living room quarters, and climbs into bed with his wife. She taps him on the shoulder to remind him to leave. “Let me stay,” he replies, “There was soap.”

It’s rarely the important things that divide us. In a free society, our relationships with others usually rest on a common vision and common beliefs. God, the universe and everything—these are not the problems most of the time. Rather, it’s the little differences that threaten to wreak havoc. Different forms of Garcia Marquez’s soap dispute can often tear apart marriages, friendships, and even entire communities.

In his Epistle to the Romans, Saint Paul exhorts his gentile audience to welcome converts from Judaism, “but not for disputes over opinions.” (Romans 14:1) What opinions are these? Nothing less than the Jewish Christians’ desire to observe the Sabbath and the distinction between clean and unclean foods! Although Saint Paul disagrees—“I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.” (Romans 14:14)—he recognizes that the Jewish practices do not strike at the heart of the Christian proclamation, and so counsels acceptance, urging his audience to “pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:19)

One is tempted to wonder how the same Jewish converts might fare under today’s Christian leaders, but we won’t go there… For Saint Paul, the matter is clear: “The kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17-18) He then offers a way by which his flock can live in harmony: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him … that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:1-2, 6)

In matters of opinion, Saint Paul tells us that we must bear with the failings of the weak. Even if the other person is wrong, our challenge is to give up our right to be right. In Garcia Marquez’s story, the husband relinquished his obvious rightness for the sake of marital harmony. One might argue that he compromised, but compromise is something one does when a cherished principle—not soap—is at stake. The facts concerning soap (or any other point of dispute) may be important, but is it essential to the heart of the relationship?

That’s a question we need to ask about anything that threatens to divide our marriages, friendships and spiritual associations. “Is this the hill I am willing to die on?” Is it essential—a matter of profound principles? If the answer is no (which it usually is), are we willing to hold onto a right opinion at the expense of a relationship? Saint Paul wasn’t. And if the most influential Christian apostle could relinquish his right to be right, then the rest of us could probably do the same, for the sake of a little more harmony.

By Fr. Richard Rene

Source: http://www.pravmir.com/right-right/

An Eagle and a Rooster

An eagle was soaring in the sky and enjoying the beauty of the world. The eagle was thinking, “I cover long distances and see valleys and mountains, seas and rivers, meadows and forests. I see many animals and birds, cities and villages where people live. A rooster does not know anything except his own yard, a few people and cattle. I'll fly and tell him about the greater world.”

The eagle landed on the roof of a village hut and saw the rooster walking amidst his hens bravely and happily. The eagle thought, “He must be satisfied with his fate, but I think I should tell him about the things that I know anyway.”

The eagle started informing the rooster about the beauty and the richness of this world. The rooster listened to him attentively at first but he could not understand anything. The eagle was disappointed that the rooster did not understand anything. The rooster, on the other hand, was bored and tired of listening to the eagle because he could not understand anything. However, each one of them was satisfied with their own fate.

This is what happens when an educated person talks with an uneducated person; even more so when a spiritual person talks with a non-spiritual person. A spiritual person is like an eagle, while a non-spiritual person is like a rooster. The spiritual person studies God’s Law day and night and lifts up his soul to God. The non-spiritual person’s mind is bound to earth or busy thinking his idle thoughts. The spiritual person’s soul enjoys peace, while the non-spiritual person’s soul remains empty and unfocused. The spiritual person is like an eagle soaring in the sky, feeling God and seeing the entire world even if he prays in the darkness of the night. The non-spiritual person enjoys vainglory, hoards up wealth or seeks pleasures for his flesh. When a spiritual person meets a non-spiritual one, both of them are bored and tired.

Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938) (Elder Silouan, Part 2, Chapter XXII: A Story of a Young Monk. pp. 432-433).

I'll Show You the Way

There was a traveler who stopped at the gate of a house by the road. There was a meeting of workers going on inside the house at that time. Suddenly, all was quiet: the workers knelt in prayer. One of the workers, however, went out of the house and started walking around in circles. The traveler asked him:

– What's going on in the house?

– They are praying to God. I was ashamed, so I left.

The traveler fell silent in anticipation.

– Who are you waiting for? – the worker asked.

– I'm waiting for someone to ask for directions.

– Why don't you ask me? I'll show you the way.

The traveler shook his head and replied:

– How can a man who is ashamed of God and his brothers show the right way?

St Nikolaj of Serbia. Missionary Letters. Letter 2: To a Man Who Believes in God but Does Not Pray to Him

How to Become Happy

You keep asking me what you should do to live a better life. I won’t answer; instead, I will let a holy man to respond to your question…

It is said that there was a time of seething dissent among people in the Ancient Egypt, like today. Two brave friends from Alexandria decided to travel around the world to find at least one wise and happy man. They spent a long time searching in vain until they finally met a holy elder who lived alone in the woods. He greeted them with a prostration and welcomed them to his hut. The two travelers talked with him for a long time to make sure that he truly was a man who combined wisdom and happiness. Finally, they exclaimed, “O man of God, we cannot live like you do! How can we be happy?” The man of God started crying. He lifted his eyes to the sky and said through tears, “You don’t need to live like I do. However, if you want to be happy, follow these rules:

Think about God at least as much as you think about people;

Fear God at least as much as you fear people;

Venerate God at least as much as you respect people;

Pray to God at least as often as you ask people;

Rely on God at least as much as you rely on people;

Ask God for help at least as much as you ask people for help;

Follow the Law of God at least to the same extent as you follow human laws;

Thank God at least as much as you thank people;

Praise God at least as much as you praise people.”

The friends heard this life lesson and returned home happily. This is the answer to your question, Brother Stepan. Shout it into your neighbor’s ears. I can only add that no one can start a high school textbook without studying this ABC first.

St Nikolaj of Serbia. Missionary Letters. Letter 108. To Stepan D., dealing with his question, “What Should I Do to Live Better?”

A Sinner’s Life

There was a man who inherited a lot of money but he used it only to build and decorate his house. He lived in that house alone. He never visited anyone and never welcomed anyone into his own house. He denied himself everything and invested all his wealth into the construction of his mansion. Unshaven and uncut, hungry and in threadbare clothes, the miser poured his wealth only on the mansion where he lived. His neighbors never saw him in all those years but his house was so lavishly decorated that passers-by could not but exclaim in admiration, “Who lives in that mansion? Who is the owner of such a nice house?” However, no one ever saw the house owner’s face. Finally, he wasted all his possessions and was devastated.

One day, a thunderbolt hit the house. The house burned down, and the owner barely survived. People were afraid when they saw him. He looked like a scarecrow: he was scruffy, dirty, and disheveled. Everyone who saw the man ran away because they thought they had seen a monster. He had to get out of the city and wander in an unknown direction. He met some gang members on the road. “We can use him!” they said. The gangsters caught the man, crippled him, poked out his eyes and broke his legs and arms. They forced him into begging for them.

The house owner symbolizes a sinner’s soul. The great heritage is God’s gifts. Building, fortifying, and decorating one’s house serves as a symbol of caring for one’s flesh and the worldly life. The shabby and hungry man is one’s neglected and malnourished soul. The thunderbolt is the sudden death. The neighbors who fear and despise the house owner are God’s Angels that turn their faces away from the despicable soul of a sinner. The gang members are demons who entrap those who resemble them.

St Nikolaj of Serbia. Missionary Letters. Letter 165, to Joseph T., a locksmith

Alms and a Slap in the Face

I knew a monk who was begging for alms to support orphans. He asked a rich gentleman to “help the orphans for Christ’s sake”. The gentleman slapped him in his face but the monk was not embarrassed. He replied, “That’s for me, thanks. And now give some money to the orphans for Christ’s sake!” The gentleman was ashamed and gave him alms.

St Nikolaj of Serbia. Missionary Letters. Letter 241, to Savvatius N., a pilgrim, on the new and the old zealots

This is what happened in the late 19^th century. A girl was going back to school after the Easter vacations and carried some money and a basket with Easter cakes and dyed eggs. A robber killed her on the road but the police quickly caught him. They did not retrieve anything but the eggs. The investigator asked the murderer, “Why didn’t you eat the eggs?” The murderer replied, “How could I? It was a fasting day!”

Sergey Fudel. Memoirs

Broken Pot

If you break a pot at the market, the potter will be furious and demand a compensation. Frankly speaking, we humans are made of cheap stuff just like a clay pot but we contain the precious soul and the Holy Spirit that enlightens it.

If we break a pot at the market, it is the potter and not the pot that feels pain. Similarly, if one kills another person, it will be the Lord God who created that person, raised him, and breathed his Holy Spirit into him, who will be hurt and offended.

If a person who breaks a pot must pay a compensation to the potter, then a murderer must make up for the life that he took, too. Even if people don’t demand it, God will. Don’t fool yourself, murderer: even if people forget about your crime, God won’t. See, there are things that even the Lord cannot do. For instance, He cannot forget your crime. Remember it always, especially when you are angry and about to grab a knife or a gun.

On the other hand, we cannot kill life. Killing life completely would mean killing God because life belongs to God. Who can kill God? You can break a pot but you cannot destroy the clay it is made of. Similarly, you can break a human body but you cannot break or burn or scatter his soul and his spirit.

St Nikolaj of Serbia. Explanation of the Ten Commandments. The Sixth Commandment

Translated from: https://azbyka.ru/days/

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