The Catalog of Good Deeds

In 2009, the well-known Russian Protestant pastor Igor Zyryanov converted to Orthodoxy along with his entire community of neo-Pentecostals. Today Fr. Igor is the rector of the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Ust-Ordynsky in Irkutsk Province, dean of the Ust-Ordynsky region, director of the St. John Chrysostom “The Way Home" diocesan center. We spoke with Fr. Igor about his discoveries in Orthodoxy, as well as about the best way to speak with Protestants about the true faith.

—Father, it’s been four years since you were ordained a priest, and six since you became Orthodox. Tell us in a few words, what has changed for you from the time you were a Protestant?

—The main thing is that the exalted dreams and hopes I had in the past as a Protestant are now coming true. I hoped to become a missionary, I wanted to preach the Gospel to the multitudes. Now I have an enormous opportunity for this. I can labor for God full strength, from morning to evening, as much as my strength allows.

—What obstacles were there to this in your Protestant past?

—First of all, the absence of the fullness of the faith and God’s grace. Protestants have good intentions, but no strength for real action, which is something the Lord gives us through His Sacraments. For example, the Protestants have the “act” of repentance but not the Sacrament of confession, thanks to which human sin is healed, and the believer is freed from sin’s power. But most importantly the Protestants do not have the Sacrament of Communion, without which any inner transformation is basically impossible.

The second obstacle that hindered us from preaching to the masses is the cultural barrier [in Russia]. Our country is historically Orthodox and Protestant preaching is perceived by it people as something foreign, like an attempt at recruitment to some foreign cause. In talking about Jesus Christ as Protestants, we literally ran after people. We spent a huge amount of time and strength on one person, thought up various projects and programs. Nevertheless, we were always perceived inadequately.

Now it is the opposite. People are thirsting to talk with an Orthodox priest. No matter where a batiushka goes, there are always people around who want to talk with him, to ask him questions and make requests. Therefore it is easy for us to talk about faith in God, to bring them into the church, and help them in a real way. That is what we do, with God’s help.

—Fr. Igor, is there anything in Orthodoxy that turned out to be not what you expected?

—I did not experience any disappointments. It all turned out to be exactly as I imagined it to be at the beginning of my journey. Even more—I now see many aspects of Orthodoxy more deeply and seriously than I once thought, especially those of prayer, fasting, and personal human piety. I well remember the time when I had just begun to read morning and evening prayers. I prayed with great pleasure; the rich content and spiritual fullness of the prayers amazed me. I still immerse myself in that process like in an ocean. Now I read what the holy fathers wrote about the Jesus prayer. It is extremely interesting.

—When you became Orthodox, were you sure that the priesthood was prepared for you?

—I admit that I thought about this. But that was not crucial. Having understood that truth is in Orthodoxy, I was inwardly ready to become an ordinary parishioner. To me it was important to be in Christ’s Church. The capacity was not important. It seemed that everything pointed to me being a simple believer. But then I and two other of our brothers, former Protestants, were invited to receive the priesthood.

I suspect that this is an important moment that every Protestant who is thinking about converting to Orthodoxy should know. Active ministers who are used to preaching, to taking care of people, will definitely find their way of service in the Orthodox Church; this is possible. The harvest is great… But at the same time, a former Protestant should be inwardly ready to become an ordinary church-going layman. It is all in God’s hands.

—Fr. Igor, what did you unexpectedly discover in yourself when you became Orthodox?

—When I was a Protestant, I was sure that I was holy. I simply confessed the sins I had committed and went on—leading the so-called “life in triumph”. When I became Orthodox, I saw my true face. I understood that I am hypocritical, proud, deceitful, ambitious, and so on… This made me disappointed in both myself and in Protestantism in general as a teaching. In Orthodoxy I obtained a serious support, help from God in being freed from my sins—through the Sacrament of confession and Communion. The longer I am Orthodox, the more I see the corruption of my own nature. But this knowledge gives me a reason to humble myself even more before God, to seek His face, and to try to change.

—Father, an article in Orthodox media about the conversion of your community to the Russian Orthodox Church evoked broad discussion. Even the secular media published this news about you. What was the aim of publishing this?

—I by no means made the story of our parish known out of thirst for glory. The thing is that before I became Orthodox I headed the international mission called, “Every Nation”, which preached the Gospel to the native peoples of Siberia and the Far East. I had many helpers in this mission from Protestant communities in Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. I had to explain to everyone who knew me personally and distantly the reasons for my decision and the reasons why I could not continue serving as I did.

That is how the story of our conversion arose. By the way, this story is still relevant; many Protestants still read it, and they later write and call me. The majority of those who ask questions about Orthodoxy are citizens of Russia and Ukraine, but there are also Protestants who want to become Orthodox among them from Europe, Israel, and the U.S. I receive many letters, and I can’t even answer them all.

—At the blessing of Metropolitan Vadim of Irkutsk and Angarsk, a consultation center called “The Way Home” has been organized in your diocese in honor of St. John Chrysostom. Thanks to this center, 200 Protestants have already become Orthodox…

—I can’t say that these 200 people are entirely the fruit of our center’s work. In order for a person to find the true faith many conditions are needed, which are first and foremost created by the Lord Himself. A small part of this work, by God’s grace, is ours. Many Protestants come to me, mainly ministers. There are those to want to meet and talk secretly. We go to meet with them, answer their questions, and tell them about our own experience.

By the way, we now have two former pastors from a charismatic movement who serve in the altar of our church. And in Irkutsk province today there are six priests serving (including myself) who are former Protestants.

It must be said that the flood of people converting to Orthodoxy could be even larger. We are seeing how in other countries whole communities are converting to Orthodoxy, while in Russia we are not seeing such mass conversions from Protestantism.

—Why is that?

—There are several reasons. Often priests who bring Protestants into Orthodoxy are in a hurry. They relate to Protestantism as to an enemy movement, and try to yank a person out of it abruptly. This is not always beneficial. For example, if a pastor starts thinking about Orthodoxy, the whole community may become Orthodox. But the priest to whom the leader has turned tries to convince him to receive Orthodoxy quickly. The pastor follows his advice, becomes Orthodox, and… looses his authority among his parishioners who have not had the chance to understand anything yet. The leader is kicked out of the congregations, and the parish receives a vaccination against Orthodoxy.

In our case, thank God, this did not happen. Fr. Viacheslav Pushkarev, the head of the missionary department of the Irkutsk diocese, was in no rush when he began to meet with us. He came to our meetings with lectures, allowed the whole community to understand Orthodoxy, to literally be permeated with it. Therefore we were all able to come into the Russian Orthodox Church, and we didn’t lose anyone.

Clergy who are involved in missionary activities in a Protestant milieu should make contact with pastors who are open to having contact. It is helpful to tell them about the faith, to suggest some patristic reading. In this case the whole community will have the opportunity to understand the beauty of Orthodoxy, to know what the Church is. I think that after this the majority of the members of the congregation will receive Orthodoxy. There simply can be no other outcome for a Protestant who sincerely seeks God. Having learned the facts about the Orthodox Church, about the Sacraments, about apostolic succession, a person simply cannot remain a Protestant.

—And what about debates with Protestants, which were popular at one time?

—I think that this format is untenable. Let’s say we have a public debate and we win, while the Protestant leader loses. He is humiliated and insulted, and it’s highly unlikely that he’ll become Orthodox. If the Orthodox side didn’t have sufficient knowledge or good enough arguments and lost the debate, he has brought shame upon Orthodoxy. In both cases we have a fiasco.

In our work we strive to be guided by the words of St. Gregory the Theologian: “We are trying to achieve not victories, but the return of our brothers, as our separation from them torments us.”

As long as the hearts of Orthodox people are not in fact tormented by their separation from Protestants, any service to them will be unsuccessful.

If we are talking about our own personal relationships with Protestants, the Orthodox should refuse to participate in any aggressive polemics. We should gently talk about our own spiritual experience, share our experiences. We should simply sincerely show that there is something in Orthodoxy that can help our brother: the grace of God, which is almost entirely absent in Protestant congregations.

—What questions do Protestants ask when they come to you?

—First of all the ones that lie on the surface. We all know this set of questions: about icons, the veneration of relics and saints. But in fact it’s not important what questions they bring to us. We have to answer the questions, but the main thing is to bring the understanding to the Protestants about what the true Church is. We observe with regret that there are people who have become Orthodox but have become only nominal Christians. This has happened because they have not decided for themselves just what the Church is.

It is no secret that in church we can run into problems, temptations and difficulties, and the negative behavior of parishioners. But if a person has a foundation—the awareness that the Church is the ship of salvation, and its captain is Jesus Christ Himself—he will not leave when he encounters these problems in the churches. Glory be to God that I ended up on this ship, that our Lord Jesus Christ pulled me into it. And that I no longer have to try and traverse the sea on the flimsy little boat of Protestantism. I don’t care if a small board on the ship has rotted, or that there is a slight tear on the fringe of the sail, because most important is the ship’s Captain. If you understand this you are protected from temptations and problems. But if you don’t have this understanding, then all the rest—neither the beauty of Orthodoxy, nor the asceticism, nor freedom from the passions, nor prayer, the grandeur of the services and the power of Communion can keep a person in the church.

There are also examples of the opposite, when a person understands the value of the Orthodox faith and does not pay any attention to the problems.

One woman, a third generation Baptist, started thinking about Orthodoxy, came to a church and asked the grandma at the candle desk if she could speak with a priest. The grandma said, “Are you even baptized?” The woman answered that she wasn’t. The old lady told the woman off, saying that batiushka would not even talk to her in that case. The woman did not give up after one try, and wrote to our center. Finally she met with a priest in another church. And this is not an isolated incident, unfortunately. There have been cases where Protestants were ready to receive Orthodoxy, came to a priest and asked for help. In one case the priest insulted the person, in another case the priest sent him to the bishop. Happily these Protestants did not give up and became Orthodox nonetheless. Possibly this treatment was a test of their resolve. But it doesn’t at all mean that the actions of those representatives of Orthodoxy whom I just mentioned were right.

—You have already partially answered my next question about what the Orthodox Church should do so that the Protestants would come to it.

—Actually, we do not have to change anything; essentially we have everything. There are meaningful, clear, and profound answers in the Orthodox Church to the questions that Protestants have. It is only a matter of good relationships to Protestants and the knowledge of those who receive Protestants, to see the problems with which a Protestant has come.

Perhaps the very least would be to organize more centers like ours. We have already shared our experience with the Tomsk diocese, and are ready to visit other regions if we are invited.

Source: http://orthochristian.com/112612.html

Archpriest Andrew Lemeshonok, the spiritual father of St. Elisabeth Convent, answers various questions of the parishioners.

What should an ideal woman be like?

The Most Holy Mother of God must be the ideal for every Orthodox woman. Apostle Paul once uttered bold and daring words, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Cf.: Gal. 3: 28). That is, when a person is filled with the Spirit, he has all the beauty. God cannot be ugly, it’s a human being who can be imperfect—whose body, face, voice or something else can be imperfect. When he has God, everything changes, of course. That is why, in my opinion, an ideal woman or an ideal man is when you can see God in them and the light of the love of Christ in their eyes. The rest—the shapes, the curves, the eyes, and the hair—is temporary and ephemeral. When you see a person filled with love, you don’t just rejoice but also see how love acts, or to be precise, how Christ acts through that person and saves the world.

Can you name the best and the worst qualities of a woman’s nature?

Women and men are different by nature. Of course, none of us are Angels. The best women’s qualities are humility and modesty. The worst qualities are hypocrisy, insincerity, falsehood. A person may choose to imitate something in front of the others and in front of herself. As she keeps playing that role, she cannot tell whether it is fake or real any longer. Sure, I could name many other negative traits but falsehood is the worst. Other drawbacks may be overcome but when a person pretends to be not the person that she truly is, it causes aversion. I pity those who do so.

Why are there so few female saints in the Orthodox calendar?

There may be many more holy women who haven’t been canonised — women who carried out their obediences in families, hospitals, or convents but who did not demonstrate exceptional feats of faith due to lack of physical strength.

Each person has their own place, and their own level of ascetic effort and ministry. It just happened when males who were more physically robust and mentally adroit turned to God, they could do something that impressed other people and taught them a lesson. With that said, the majority of those who remained in the Church during persecutions were elderly women. The Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women were the first to come to the Lord’s Tomb, and they weren’t afraid.

Anyway, Adam, not Eve, was the first human. That is why women can’t be priests or deacons, and they cannot enter the sanctuary. Nevertheless, the Mother of God is titled more honourable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim. A woman’s heart is more responsive and faithful.

However, all are one in Christ, women and men.

April 26, 2018

St. Elisabeth Convent

The holy New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz was born on February 20, 1874 in Tertyn, in the Hrubieszow region of southeastern Poland. His father Alexander was a judge in Molczyce near Pinsk. After his retirement, he was ordained a priest and became rector of a local parish.

Education

In 1884, at the age of ten, Vasily made a brief trip to New York with his father. His beautiful singing during a church service attracted the attention of Bishop Vladimir. The hierarch prophesied that young Vasily would become a priest, and promised that he would invite him to his diocese in America once he was ordained. After returning to his country, he remembered the bishop’s words, and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a priest. He began his theological education at the seminary in Chelm, where the rector was Bishop Tikhon (Belavin), the future Patriarch of Moscow.

Immediately after graduating in July 1899, Vasily married Olga Nowik, and was ordained a deacon. On December 10, 1900 he was ordained a priest. That same month he left Breman for America. The young couple expected to be assigned to a parish in New York, but instead he was appointed to a parish in Alaska. Together with the newly-appointed Bishop Tikhon, he began his missionary service in the land of Saint Herman.

America

Orthodoxy had arrived in Alaska with the coming of the monastic mission from Valaam in 1794. At the start of the twentieth century, climatic and social conditions in this vast territory remained difficult. In his pastoral work, Father Vasily met Russian settlers and indigenous inhabitants of the region, Eskimos and Aleuts. He also encountered gold rush pioneers quite often..

Father Vasily’s first parish was extensive. He was headquartered on Afognak, but he was also responsible for the people on Spruce and Woody Islands near Kodiak. There were several small wooden chapels scattered on these islands. In 1901, as a result of his efforts, the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Virgin was built at Afognak (Although the village was completely destroyed in the earthquake and tidal wave of 1964, the church building survives to this day).

Because of the long distances and severe climate, Father Vasily’s priestly work was extremely difficult and required many sacrifices. Often he would leave home for several weeks, in order to celebrate the services, to confess, baptize, marry the living, and to bury the dead, while traveling in a specially constructed kayak.

Even when he was at home, Father Vasily had very little time to devote to his dear family. Besides celebrating the services in church and serving the needs of his parishioners, he taught in the parish school and worked in two church homes for the poor. His family bore the arduous conditions, especially the climate, with difficulty. His wife Olga, who had given birth to two daughters, stayed home. The older daughter, Vera, was born at Afognak in 1902. Their second daughter was born two years later, after they had moved to Kodiak.

During his missionary service in Alaska, Father Vasily kept a diary. It has survived to this day as one of the few records of his personal life. Fragments have been translated from Russian and published in Polish.

Because of the severe Alaskan climate, which especially affected Matushka Olga, and out of concern for the education of their children, the Martysz family transferred to the continental United States in 1906. As a farewell statement from Alaska that year, Father Vasily wrote an article for the Russian Orthodox American Messenger, “The Voice from Alaska,” in which he appealed to Orthodox faithful across the USA to support the building of Orthodox churches in Alaska.

The family settled in Osceola Mills in central Pennsylvania. Their first son, Vasily, was born that same year, and their youngest child Helen was born in 1908, soon after they moved to Old Forge, PA. Father Vasily’s work took him to Waterbury, CT, to West Troy, NY, and finally to Canada. He was assigned to Edmonton and then to Vostok, where he became Dean of the provinces of Alberta and Manitoba. In 1910, he celebrated his tenth anniversary in the priesthood. His prolific and loving pastoral activity endeared him to his flock. Church authorities considered him a very effective, devoted and talented priest, while the faithful loved him sincerely, valuing his modesty and kindness.

Despite their comfortable lifestyle and the relatively large Orthodox community they served in western Canada, the couple longed for their homeland. They feared the loss of their ancestral identity and requested permission to return to Poland. After serving nearly twelve years in America, Father Martysz left the New World and returned to Europe in 1912.

Return

Initially, Father Vasily and his family lived with relatives in Sosnowiec, where he eventually became rector of the parish and instructor in Religious Education at the local girls’ high school. The peaceful life they enjoyed there lasted barely one year, since the outbreak of the First World war disrupted the lives of thousands. Clergy were considered civil servants who were ordered to evacuate their homes, and move to safety inside Russia. At this critical time, Bishop Vladimir, their Archpastor and friend from Alaska, offered the Martysz family refuge in a small apartment within the Saint Andronicus Monastery in Moscow. From here, Father Vasily commuted daily to the distant parish at Valdai, where he taught religious education classes. When the Bolsheviks seized power, he lost this job and was forced to earn a living unloading railroad cars. His own life was endangered because Red Army soldiers often treated clergy with distinct brutality.

In 1919, at the end of the war, Polish refugees were granted permission to return to their former residences. Father Vasily and his family took this opportunity to return to Sosnowiec. They moved back into their former apartment, which had survived the devastation of the war. They did not remain long, however, for that September Father Vasily was assigned to a position in the newly organized Polish Army, in charge of Orthodox Affairs in the Religious Ministry of the War Department. The whole family relocated to Warsaw. Father Vasily started the wearisome but important work of forming an Orthodox military chaplaincy. In 1921, he was promoted to the rank of colonel, and assumed responsibility as the head of the Orthodox military chaplaincy. At this time, the church elevated him to the rank of Archpriest. Father Vasily served as chief of Orthodox chaplains for the next twenty-five years. Within the Ministry of the Interior, he had his own cabinet, and was directly responsible to the Minister himself.

Autocephaly

Father Vasily was also a chief advisor and close colleague of Metropolitan George (Jaroszewski) of Warsaw and all Poland. He participated in preparing all the meetings of the Holy Synod, and assisted Metropolitan George in his effort to obtain autocephaly for the Polish Orthodox Church. He accompanied the Metropolitan on the tragic day of February 8, 1923, when he was assassinated. The assassin had also planned to kill Father Vasily as well, but he was captured before he could succeed. Father Vasily remained under police protection for some time, but attended to all the details of the Metropolitan’s funeral, in which the First Regiment of the Szwolezers Regiment participated under orders from Marshal Jozef Pilsudski.

Father Vasily zealously participated in the subsequent process of obtaining autocephaly for the Orthodox Church in Poland, which was granted during the tenure of Metropolitan Dionysius (Walednski) in 1925. Father Vasily became the Metropolitan’s closest advisor and confidant. He often accompanied the Metropolitan and acted as liaison with the Polish Head of State, Marshal Pilsudski. He was often invited to attend cabinet meetings at Belvedere, the Royal Castle, where he regularly signed the guest book on holidays.

In addition to his work as chief military chaplain, Father Vasily devoted much time to organizing pastoral ministry in the Ukrainian internment camps. In February 1921, Father Vasily appointed Father Peter Biton as chaplain for the camp in Aleksandrow Kujawski. He visited the Ukrainian internees himself and helped arrange camp churches. On July 8, 1921, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Ukrainian language for over 5,000 prisoners, while visiting this camp. His sermon, delivered in Ukrainian, greatly improved their morale. He also assisted in organizing chaplains’ training courses in other Ukrainian army camps.

The Polish Secretary of the Army, Lucjan Zeligowski sent a congratulatory letter to Father Vasily on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination, December 7, 1925, stating “The virtues of this remarkably talented, conscientious and diligent servant, completely devoted to the Polish nation, expressed in his receiving a high distinction, the Order of Polonia Restituta, which is conferred upon him for his efforts in securing the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Poland.”

Father Vasily retired from his government position in 1936. The couple decided to leave Warsaw and return to their home region, Hrubieszowszczna. They built two houses in Teratyn, one for themselves and another for their widowed mothers. They did not enjoy this peaceful life for very long, because in 1939 the German Army invaded Poland. The village gradually declined. Both of their mothers died. Matushka herself did not live to see the end of the war, but died in 1943. Then Father Vasily’s youngest daughter, Helen, moved into his house with her husband and daughter in order to support him.

Father Martysz spent the difficult war years in Teratyn. On May 4, 1945 (Great and Holy Friday), a few days before the surrender of Nazi Germany, his house was attacked. A female acquaintance warned him of the danger, but he replied, “I have done no harm to anyone and I will not run away from anyone. Christ did not run away.” Father Vasily did not fear and did not flee from his tormentors. He faced them bravely, in a Christ-like way, accepting the crown of martyrdom. The villains, seeking gold and money, had no respect for his uniform as a colonel in the Polish Army, nor for his priestly vestments.

Martyrdom

The bandits broke into the house by breaking a window. With callous cruelty they tortured Father Vasily though his only crime was that he was an Orthodox priest. They beat his pregnant daughter Helen, causing her to miscarry. They beat Father Vasily for four hours, reviving him by throwing water on him when he lost consciousness. Horribly tortured, he was finally murdered by a gun shot. The criminals threatened to shoot Helen as well, When she knelt before the icon of Christ and began to pray, the executioner’s aim and resolve weakened. They left, threatening to return and kill her as well.

On Great and Holy Saturday, Father John Lewczuk celebrated the burial rites for Father Vasily in Chelm. He was buried at the local cemetery in Teratyn.

In October 1963, the earthly remains of Father Vasily Martysz were brought to Warsaw and solemnly reinterred in the Orthodox cemetery in the Wola district, next to his wife and mother-in-law. At the beginning of 2003, his holy relics were uncovered and placed in the church of Saint John Climacus in Warsaw. The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Poland promulgated the official Act of Canonization on March 20, 2003, and the rites glorifying Saint Vasily Martysz were celebrated in Chelm on June 7-8.

Orthodox Christians in the Polish Army have taken Saint Vasily Martysz as their heavenly patron. They martyrdom of Saint Vasily was the crowning accomplishment of his pious and dedicated life, a testimony to his amazing courage. He carried his cross to the end without complaint, accepting the crown of martyrdom as he had dedicated his life to Christ and the Holy Orthodox Faith.

By Jaroslaw Charkiewicz

Source: https://oca.org/saints/lives/2018/05/04/148978-new-martyr-archpriest-vasily-martysz

A natural desire of a normal person is to become better and, consequently, to live better. We are not always satisfied with ourselves and with our behavior. And this is a good sign. Enjoying yourself is the sign of degradation and the unwillingness to grow and develop yourself.

However, people will never manage to change their life through hate, spite and conviction. We change for the better only though love and forgiveness. Hatred damages our heart not only spiritually, but on the physical level, too. Spite destroys our identity, our organism. All the necessary forces can be given by peaceful spirit only, by a loving and kind heart.

These are the changes we should reach to, cutting off everything bad and planting good. It is just like weeding and cleaning flowerbeds: we pull all the weeds with their roots, clean the place from the last year leaves, then plant some beautiful flowers and sow the seeds. And of course, any flowerbed needs a regular care.

If only we devoted at least a small portion of our time to caring for our soul and pulling weeds from it – bad thoughts, hatred, revenge – just imagine how we would transfigure and how the world around would change then.

A person wants to live among the beautiful and primeval nature, but they are constantly destroying it; a person wants to swim in pure watersheds and drink clean water, but they intentionally pollute it. People want to breath with the fresh air, but they pollute it with wastes, too.

We want to become better and live better, but we do nothing for this. We only shake the air with our dissatisfaction and protests. It is in our power not to turn into dumps, filled with the rubbish of offenses, greed, hypocrisy and spite. For this we need only one thing – obedience. Trust the Lord, listen to His advice – and then your life will become better indeed.

By Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich)

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

Source: http://pravlife.org/ru/content/pochemu-nenavidet-i-zlitsya-opasno

Question: Why do we pray for the dead on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th day of a person's repose, and what is the basis for the practice?

St. John Chrysostom states that the practice of praying for the dead comes from the Apostles themselves: "Not in vain did the Apostles order that remembrance should be made of the dead in the dreadful Mysteries. They know that great gain resulteth to them, great benefit; for when the whole people stands with uplifted hands, a priestly assembly, and that awful Sacrifice lies displayed, how shall we not prevail with God by our entreaties for them?" (Homily 3 on Philippians).

The Church commemorates the dead at every liturgy, and in every liturgy (that of St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, St. James, etc.). But there are special days of commemorating the dead, and these commemorations also go back to the Apostles.

The Apostolic Constitutions state: "Let the third day of the departed be celebrated with psalms, and lessons, and prayers, on account of Him that arose in the space of three days; and let the ninth day be celebrated in remembrance of the living, and of the departed; and the fortieth day according to the ancient pattern: for so did the people lament Moses, and the anniversary day in memorial of him. And let alms be given to the poor out of his goods for a memorial of him" (Apostolic Constitutions 8:42).

St. Symeon of Thessaloniki says that the memorial on the 3rd day is in honor of the Trinity, the 9th day memorial is in honor of the nine ranks of angels, the 40th day memorial is in honor of Christ's Ascension on the 40th day, and the annual memorial signifies that the departed lives and ins immortal in the soul (Nikolaos P. Vassiliadis, The Mystery of Death, trans. Fr. Peter A. Chamberas (Athens, Greece: The Orthodox Brotherhood of Theologians, 1997), p. 422f).

An old article from Orthodox Life (The Church's Prayer for the Dead, Orthodox Life, 1978, no. 1, p.16f), summarizes the Church's teaching on this question:

"We commemorate the dead on the third day firstly, because those who have departed had been baptized in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the One God in three Persons, and had kept the Orthodox faith they received at holy baptism; secondly, because they preserved the three virtues which form the foundation of our salvation, namely: faith, hope and love; thirdly, because man's being possesses three internal powers—reason, emotion and desire—by which we all have transgressed. And since man's actions manifest themselves in three ways—by deed, word, and thought—by our commemoration on the third day we entreat the Holy Trinity to forgive the departed all transgressions committed by the three above-mentioned powers and actions. When St. Macarius of Alexandria besought the angel who accompanied him in the desert to explain to him the meaning of the Church's commemoration on the third day, the angel replied to him: "When an offering is made in church on the third day, the soul of the departed receives from its guardian angel relief from the sorrow it feels as a result of the separation from the body. This it receives because glorification and offering is made in the Church of God which gives rise in it to blessed hope, for in the course of the two days the soul is permitted to roam the earth, wherever it wills, in the company of the angels that are with it. Therefore, the soul, loving the body, sometimes wanders about the house in which his body had been laid out, and thus spends two days like a bird seeking its nest. But the virtuous soul goes about those places in which it was wont to do good deeds. On the third day, He Who Himself rose from the dead on the third day commands the Christian soul, in imitation of His resurrection, to ascend to the Heavens to worship the God of all."

On the ninth day, the Holy Church offers prayers and the Bloodless Sacrifice for the departed, that his soul be accounted worthy to be numbered among the choirs of the saints through the prayers and intercession of the nine ranks of angels. St. Macarius of Alexandria, in accordance with the angel's revelation, says that after worshipping God on the third day, it is commanded to show the soul the various pleasant habitations of the saints and the beauty of Paradise. The soul considers all of this for six days, lost in wonder and glorifying the Creator of all. Contemplating all of this, it is transformed and forgets the sorrow it felt in the body. But if it is guilty of sins, at the sight of the delights of the saints it begins to grieve and reproach itself, saying: "Woe is me! How much I busied myself in vanity in that world! Enamored of the gratification of lust, I spent the greater portion of my life in carelessness and did not serve God as I should, that I too might be accounted worthy of this grace and glory. Woe is me! Poor me!" After considering all the joys of the righteous in the course of six days, it again is borne aloft by the angels to worship God.

From earliest antiquity the Holy Church has correctly and devoutly made it a rule to commemorate the departed in the course of forty days, and on the fortieth day in particular. As Christ was victorious over the devil, having spent forty days in fasting and prayer, so the Holy Church likewise, offering for the departed prayers, acts of charity and the Bloodless Sacrifice throughout the forty days, asks the Lord's grace for him to conquer the enemy, the dark prince of the air, and that he receive the Heavenly Kingdom as his inheritance. St. Macarius of Alexandria, discussing the state of man's soul after the death of the body, says: "After the second adoration, the Master of all commands that the soul be led to hell and that it be shown the places of torment there, the various parts of hell, and the diverse tortures of the wicked, in which the souls of sinners ceaselessly wail and gnash their teeth. The soul is borne about these various places of torment for thirty days, trembling lest it itself be imprisoned therein. On the fortieth day it is once again borne aloft to adore the Lord God, and it is at this time that the Judge determines the place of confinement proper to it in accordance with its deeds. This is a great day for the deceased, for it determines his portion until the Dread judgment of God, and therefore, the Holy Church correctly commands that fervent prayer be made for the dead on this day."

In additions to these days, there are days appointed throughout the Church year on which the dead are specially commemorated. That Christians have always prayed for the dead is one of the most well attested Traditions of the Church, and is found in the earliest writings of the Church, throughout the fathers, and is a practice that is also found in Judaism and Islam. Only with the advent of Protestantism do you find Christians that do not pray for the dead, but not even all Protestants reject prayers for the dead.

By Fr. John Whiteford

Source: http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com.by/2014/04/stump-priest-prayers-for-dead-on-3rd.html

By Nun Juliania (Denisova)

A mother-in-law is the chief. She thinks so a priori. It was she who gave birth to the son, and it was she who raised him. She was his head for quite a long time, but now she is deprived of this role. And the daughter-in-law knows nothing about how her beloved husband was brought up or what he liked when he was 3 years old… It means nothing to her! So, it largely depends on the mother whether her son will be happy or not. It depends on how much she interferes with his life, how altruistic she is in this issue and how much she tries to impose her viewpoint on the other family under the guise of “I just want to help”.

For a faithful mother-in-law it is important not to terrorize the newly-weds with her Orthodoxy. It will be enough just to be a decent person! Let me tell you how it was with my own son. My son Klim got married when he was 18. He grew up in church at an early age, while my daughter-in-law, Marina, was baptized in Orthodoxy, but that’s all. They were married in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, and it was their last day in the church. A usual life of young and loving spouses began, with its parties and other everyday worries… They came to church only on Pascha and the Nativity of Christ. But I personally was in the midst of my churching! Thank God, I was clever enough not to push them. There were some moments, for example, when I had to humble myself before my daughter-in-law in some household issues, and that was even more effective for me than any missionary preaching. By what right do you say what to do to someone who you do not know well, even if this person is 25 years younger than you? Who knows what is better at all?! Maybe she cannot iron his skirts perfectly well – she does not iron the sleeves on the inner side as they are supposed to be ironed – so what?! Your son is satisfied with what she does, so do not interfere. In Japan, people do not iron clothes at all!

However, the time came when Klim and Marina experienced a difficult moment in their life. They needed God… And I was already in the convent. Then they come to me for advice. To me and to Fr. Andrew, our spiritual father. It was their conscious step and their conscious coming to the Church.

So, you simply have to try to be friends with your daughter-in-law and to become closer to each other…

April 24, 2018

St. Elisabeth Convent

The love of the Elder Paisios for the whole world is well known. The Elder has helped a whole host of people before and after his physical death.

But the question is from where did he receive his ability to help people and to perform miracles?

He received this heavenly power through his fervent prayers to God.

The following prayer of his was given to a convent which had asked the Elder for a prayer rule that could be used by the nuns in their evening vigils.

This directive was given to the nuns during the final years of his life.

The main emphasis of this prayer is his profound love for all of humanity.

This prayer can be used by every Christian believer since it takes in all the issues of life that need our prayers. Even the children can understand it easily since it is expressed in simple words. It can be used by families during their evening prayers.

Our Lord Jesus Christ:

Do not abandon your servants who live far away from the Church. May your love convict them and bring them back to you.

Lord have mercy on your servants who are suffering from cancer.

On your servants who suffer either from small or serious ailments.

On your servants who suffer from physical infirmities.

On your servants who suffer from spiritual infirmities.

Lord have mercy on our leaders and inspire them to govern with Christian love.

Lord have mercy on children who come from troubled homes.

On troubled families and those who have been divorced.

Lord have mercy on all the orphans of the world, on all those who are suffering pain and injustices since losing their spouses.

Lord have mercy on all those in jail, on all anarchists, on all drug abusers, on all murderers, on all abusers of people, and on all thieves. Enlighten these people and help them to straighten out their lives.

Lord have mercy on all those who have been forced to emigrate.

On all those who travel on the seas, on land, in the air, and protect them.

Lord have mercy on our Church, the bishops, the priests and the faithful of the Church.

Lord have mercy on all the monastic communities, male and female, the elders and eldresses and all the brotherhoods of Mt. Athos.

Lord have mercy on your servants who find themselves in the midst of war.

On your servants who are being pursued in the mountains and on the plains.

On your servants who are being hunted like birds of prey.

Lord have mercy on your servants who were forced to abandon their homes and their jobs and feel afflicted.

Lord have mercy on the poor, the homeless and the exiled.

Lord have mercy on the nations of the world. Keep them in your embrace and envelope them with your holy protection. Keep them safe from every evil and war. Keep our beloved Greece (we can add here the USA) in your protective embrace day and night. Embrace her with your holy protection defending her from all evil and war.

Lord have mercy on those who have been abandoned and have suffered injustice. Have mercy on families that are going through trying times. Pour your abundant love upon them.

Lord have mercy on your servants who suffer from spiritual and bodily problems of all kinds.

Lord have mercy on those who are despairing. Help them and grant them peace.

Lord have mercy on those that have requested that we pray for them.

Lord grant eternal rest to all those who have passed on to eternal life throughout the ages.

Source: http://stillwaterorthodox.org/2017/06/say-prayer-every-day-god-will-always-side-elder-paisios/

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