Saints and long-dead Solovetsky monks from time to time appear to people on Solovki and in the surrounding area as visions. Analyzing the stories of happy eyewitnesses, we can identify four signs that you must have in order for a vision of a saint to appear to you: (1) you should not have a higher education or academic degree; (2) you must be far from people, somewhere in the taiga, in the sea, in the forest, in a swamp... (3) you must be very physically exhausted and close to losing consciousness from hunger, cold, illness or beatings; and finally (4) you should not have any gadgets with you. The saints, pardon the pun, cannot stand photo-video cameras and other mobile phones.

Apparitions of the Virgin Mary, angels and saints ordinary people Solovetsky archipelago

The appearance of the Holy Mother of God and the prophecy of the Solovetsky Golgotha

In 1712, the Mother of God appeared to the monk Jesus under this mountain during a night prayer vigil in heavenly glory and said: “This mountain will henceforth be called Golgotha, and a church and the Crucifixion Skete will be built on it. And it will be whitened with innumerable suffering.”

In these cases, the deceased is usually greeted by two angels. This is how the author of “Incredible for Many...” describes them: “And as soon as she (the old nurse) uttered these words (“Heavenly kingdom, eternal rest...”), two angels appeared next to me, in one of the whom for some reason I recognized as my Guardian Angel, but the other was unknown to me." Later, one pious wanderer explained to him that it was a “counter angel.” St. Theodore, whose path after death through the airy “ordeals” is described in the life of St. Basil the New (10th century, March 26), says: “When I was completely exhausted, I saw two Angels of God approaching me in the form of beautiful young men; their faces were bright, their eyes looked with love, the hair on their heads was white as snow and shiny like gold; the clothes were like the light of lightning, and on the chest they were girded crosswise with golden belts." 6th century Gallic bishop St. Salvius describes his experience of death as follows: “When my cell was shaken four days ago and you saw me lying dead, I was raised by two angels and carried to the very top of heaven” (St. Gregory of Tours, “History of the Franks” VII, 1).

The duty of these angels is to accompany the soul of the deceased on his way to afterlife. There is nothing uncertain either in their appearance or in their actions - having human form, they firmly grasp the “subtle body” of the soul and take it away. “The bright angels took her (soul) into their arms” (St. Theodore). “Taking me under the arms, the angels carried me straight out of the chamber through the wall...” (“Incredible for many...”). St. Salvius was "raised up by two angels." Similar examples we could go on.

Therefore, it cannot be argued that the “luminous being” from modern cases, which has no visible form, does not accompany the soul anywhere, which draws the soul into conversation and shows it “reverse frames” of its past life, there is an angel accompanying you to the afterlife. Not every being that APPEARS as an angel is really an angel, “for Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. II, 14). And therefore, about creatures that don’t have ANY KIND of angels, we can say with confidence that they are not angels. For a reason that we will try to explain below, in modern "post-mortem" experiences there seem to never be certain encounters with angels.

Then could it not be that in reality the "luminous being" was a demon masquerading as an "angel of light" to tempt the dying person as his soul left the body? Dr. Moody ("Life After Life," "Reflections") and other investigators do raise this question, but only to reject this possibility in connection with the "good" effect that this phenomenon produces on the dying person. Of course, the views of these researchers on “evil” are naive to the extreme. Dr. Moody believes that "Satan seems to command his servants to follow the path of hatred and destruction" ("Life After Life") and appears to be completely unfamiliar with Christian literature, which describes the real nature of demonic temptations, which invariably appear to their victims as something “good.”

What is the Orthodox teaching about demonic temptations at the hour of death? St. Basil the Great, in his interpretation of the words of the psalm “save me from all those who persecute us and deliver me: lest a lion snatch away my soul” (Ps. 7: 2-3) gives the following explanation: “I think that about the courageous God's ascetics, who throughout their entire lives have fought with invisible enemies, when they have escaped all their persecutions, being at the end of their lives, the prince of this age seeks out in order to keep them with him if there are wounds on them received during the struggle, or some kind of wounds. some stains and imprints of sin. And if they are found unwounded and undefiled, then as invincible, as free, they will be laid to rest by Christ. Therefore, the Prophet prays for the future and real life. Here he says: SAVE ME FROM THEY PERSECUTE, and there during the test: DELIVER ME, LET A LION STOOD MY SOUL. And you can learn this from the Lord himself, who before suffering says: NOW THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD is coming, and in Me there is no evil (John 14:30) (vol. 1, p. 104).

Indeed, not only Christian ascetics have to face the demonic test at the hour of death. St. John Chrysostom in his “Conversations on the Evangelist Matthew” figuratively describes what happens to ordinary sinners during death: “Therefore you will hear many stories about horrors at the last end and terrible phenomena, the very sight of which is unbearable for the dying, so that those lying on the bed with with great power they shake it and look fearfully at those approaching, while the soul tries to stay in the body and does not want to be separated from it, horrified by the vision of the approaching angels. For if we tremble, looking at terrible people, then what will be our torment, how will we see the approaching angels of menacing and inexorable forces, when they will drag our soul and tear it away from the body, when it will cry a lot, but to no avail" (Conversation 53 , vol. 3, pp. 414-415).

Orthodox Lives Saints are full of stories about similar demonic spectacles at the moment of death, the purpose of which is usually to frighten the dying person and make him despair of his own salvation. For example, St. Gregory in his “Interviews” talks about one rich man, former slave many passions: “Shortly before his death, he saw vile spirits standing in front of him, fiercely threatening to carry him into the depths of hell... The whole family gathered around him, crying and groaning. Although they could not, according to the patient himself, due to the pallor of his face and by the trembling of his body one could understand that there were evil spirits there. In mortal fear of these terrible visions, he tossed on the bed from side to side... And now almost exhausted and despairing of any relief, he shouted: “Give me time until morning! Just be patient until the morning!" And with this his life was interrupted" (IV, 40). St. Gregory talks about other similar cases, as does Bede in his History of the English Church and People (Book V, ch. 13, 15). Even in 19th-century America, such cases were not uncommon; a recently published anthology contains numerous dying visions of unrepentant sinners from the last century, with titles like: "I'm on fire, pull me out!", "Oh, save me! They're dragging me away!", "I'm going to hell!" and “The Devil is Coming to Drag My Soul to Hell” (John Myers, Voices on the Edge of Forever, New York, 1973).

However, Dr. Moody reports no such thing: in fact, in his book, all the experiences of dying people (with the noteworthy exception of suicide) are pleasant - whether they are Christians or non-Christians, religious people or not. On the other hand, Drs. Osis and Haraldson found something not so far from this experience in their research.

These scientists found in their studies of American cases the same thing as Dr. Moody: the appearance of otherworldly visitors is perceived as something positive, the patient accepts death, the experience is pleasant, causes peace and elation and often the cessation of pain before death. In studies of Indian cases, at least one third of the patients who saw the phenomena experienced fear, oppression and anxiety as a result of the appearance of "yamduts" ("death harbingers", Hindi) or other creatures; these Indians resist or try to avoid otherworldly messengers. Thus, in one case, a dying Indian office worker said: “Someone is standing here! He has a cart, it must be a yamdut. He must be taking someone with him. He is teasing me that he wants to take me! .. Please hold me, I don’t want to!” His pain increased and he died. One dying Indian suddenly said: “Here comes Yamdut to take me away. Take me out of bed so that Yamdut does not find me.” He pointed out and up: “There he is.” The hospital room was on the first floor. Outside, against the wall of the building, there was a large tree with many crows sitting on its branches. As soon as the patient had this vision, all the crows suddenly left the tree with great noise, as if someone had fired a gun. We were surprised by this and rushed out through the open door of the room, but did not see anything that could disturb the crows. Usually they were very calm, so all of us present were very fond of the fact that the crows flew away with great noise just when the patient had a vision. It was as if they, too, felt something terrible. When this happened, the patient lost consciousness and died a few minutes later. Some "yamduts" have a terrible appearance and cause even greater fear in the dying person.

This is the biggest difference between the American and Indian dying experiences in the studies of Drs Osis and Haraldson, but the authors do not find an explanation for it. Naturally, the question arises: why is there one element almost completely absent from the modern American experience - fear caused by terrible otherworldly phenomena, so common as for Christian experience past as well as present Indian experience?

We do not need to define precisely the nature of the phenomena to the dying person to understand that, as we have seen, they depend to some extent on what the dying person EXPECTS or is READY to see. Therefore, Christians of past centuries, who had a living belief in hell and whose conscience at the end of their lives accused them, often saw demons before their death. Modern Hindus, who are of course more "primitive" than Americans in their beliefs and their understanding, often see creatures that correspond to their still very real fears about the afterlife. And modern "enlightened" Americans see video phenomena consistent with their "comfortable" lives and beliefs, which generally do not include a real fear of hell or belief in the existence of demons.

In fact, the demons themselves offer temptations that are consistent with the spiritual consciousness or expectations of those being tempted. For those who fear hell, demons can appear in a terrible form so that a person dies in a state of despair. But for those who do not believe in hell (or Protestants who believe that they are "safely" saved and therefore do not fear hell), demons would naturally offer some other temptations that would not reveal their evil intentions so clearly. In the same way, to a Christian ascetic who has already suffered enough, demons can appear in such a form in order to SEDUCE him, and not to intimidate him.

A good example This kind of temptation occurs by demons at the hour of death of the martyr Maura (III century). After she was crucified on the cross for nine days with her husband, the martyr Timothy, the devil tempted her. The lives of these saints tell how the martyr Mavra herself told about her temptations to her husband and partner in suffering. “Cheer up, my brother, and drive away sleep from you; stay awake and understand what I saw: it seemed to me that before me, as if in admiration, there was a man who had in his hand a cup filled with milk and honey. This man said to me: “Take this, drink it.” “But I said to him: “Who are you?” “He answered: “I am an angel of God.” “Then I said to him: “Let us pray to the Lord.” “Then he said to me: “I came to you for this.” " to ease your suffering. I saw that you were very hungry and thirsty, since until now you had not eaten any food. - Again I said to him: Who prompted you to show me this mercy? And what do you care about my patience and polishing? Don't you know that God is able to create even what is impossible for people? When I prayed, I saw that the man was turning his face to the west. From this I understood that this was a satanic deception: Satan wanted to tempt us to cross. Then soon the vision disappeared. Then another man came up, and it seemed to me that he led me to a river flowing with milk and honey, and said to me: Drink. - But I answered: I already told you that I will not drink water or any other earthly drink until I drink the cup of death for Christ my Lord, which He Himself will dissolve for me with salvation and immortality of eternal life. When I said this, that man was drinking from the river, and suddenly disappeared - both he and the river with him" ("The Life of the Holy Martyrs Timothy and Maura", May 3). About the third appearance to the martyr Maura - the appearance of a real angel in this study will be will be discussed below, but it is already clear here what caution a Christian should exercise when receiving “revelations” at the time of death.

So, the hour of death is truly the time of demonic temptations, and those “spiritual experiences” that people receive at this time (even if it seems that this happens “after death,” which will be discussed below) must be compared with by the same Christian standards as any other “spiritual experience.” Likewise, the “spirits” that may be encountered at this time must be subjected to a thorough examination, which the Apostle John expresses as follows: “...test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4, 1).

Some of the critics of modern “posthumous” experiences have already pointed out the similarity of the “luminous being” with the “spirit guides” and “spirit friends” of mediumistic spiritualism. Therefore, let us take a brief look at the spiritualistic teaching in that part where it speaks of “luminous beings” and their messages. One classic work on spiritualism (J. Arthur Hill, "Spiritism. Its History, Phenomena and Teachings." New York, 1919), indicates that spiritualistic "teaching is always, or almost always, in agreement with the highest moral standards; in relation to faith it is always theistic, always respectful, but not very interested in such intellectual subtleties as interested the fathers of the church councils. receive "glorious knowledge" which obliges them to carry out missionary work to spread "the knowledge that there really is life after death" and that "perfect" spirits lose the "limitations" of personality and become more "influences" than personalities, more and more more filled with “light.” Indeed, in their hymns the spiritualists literally invoke “luminous beings”:

"Blessed servants of light,
Hidden from mortal eyes..."

"The messengers of light went in the middle of the night,
To open the eyes of our hearts..."

All this is enough to doubt the “luminous being” that is now appearing to people who know nothing about the nature and insidiousness of demonic tricks. Our suspicion only increases when we hear from Dr. Moody that some describe this creature as an "amusing personality" with a "sense of humor" that "entertains" and "amuses" the dying person ("Life After Life"). SUCH a being with his “love and understanding” is in fact remarkably similar to the trivial and often “good-natured” “spirits” in seances, which, without any doubt, are demons (if the seances themselves are not scams).

This fact has led some to deny as demonic deception all reports of “posthumous” experiences. One book written by evangelical Protestants argues that “there are new and unknown dangers in all this life-and-death deception. Even vague belief in reported clinical experiences, we believe, can have serious consequences for those who believe in the Bible. More than one sincere Christian has fully believed that the luminous being is none other than Jesus Christ and, unfortunately, these people can be fooled very easily" (John Weldon and Zola Levitt. "Is There Life After Death", 1977). In addition to pointing out the undoubted fact that a number of post-mortem experience researchers are also interested in the occult and even have contact with mediums, the authors of the book cite a number of remarkable parallels between modern post-mortem experiences and the experiences of mediums and occultists of the recent past in support of this assertion.

There is, of course, a lot of truth in these observations. Unfortunately, without FULL Christian teaching Even the most well-intentioned “Bible believers” are mistaken about the afterlife, rejecting, along with the experience that may turn out to be a demonic deception, the true posthumous experience of the soul. And, as we will see, these people themselves are capable of believing the deceptive “posthumous” experience.

Drs. Osis and Haraldson, who both had "direct experience with mediums", note some similarities between the phenomena of the dying and the experience of spiritualism. However, they note a significant "conspicuous discrepancy" between them: "Instead of continuing the mundane life (as described by mediums), death survivors choose to begin an entirely new way of life and activity" ("At the Hour of Death"). In fact, the realm of "after death" experience does not seem completely different from the realm of ordinary mediumship and spiritualism, but it is still a realm where demonic deceptions and suggestions are not only possible, but positively to be expected, especially in those times of death. last days, in which we live, when we witness more and more subtle spiritual temptations, even “great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).

Therefore, we should at least be very careful with the “light beings” that seem to appear at the moment of death.

They are very similar to demons who introduce themselves as “angels of light” in order to seduce not only the dying person himself, but also those to whom he will subsequently tell his story if he is brought back to life (of which possibility, of course, the demons are well aware).

Ultimately, however, our judgment of this and other "post-mortem" phenomena must be based on the TEACHING that follows from them - whether it is either given by some "spiritual being" seen at the moment of death, or is simply implied or inferred from these phenomena.

Some of those who "died" and were brought back to life - usually those who were or became very "religious" - identified the "luminous being" they encountered not with an angel, but with the invisible presence of Christ himself. For these people, this experience is often associated with another phenomenon, which for Orthodox Christians is perhaps the most mysterious at first glance phenomenon encountered in modern after-death experiences - the vision of "paradise."

Modern scientific thought is searching for intelligent beings in distant galaxies, while another world is much closer to man. The phenomena of spiritual beings in our material world have been known for a long time, but, as a rule, a person far from the Church either completely rejects the possibility of the influence of the spiritual world on our lives, or represents this influence in a distorted form.
However, parallel to the physical world, there is a spiritual world, which includes not only our spiritual life: love, hatred, thoughts, passions, but also spiritual non-material beings with independent will, intelligence and capabilities that are not comparable to human capabilities. Unlike the physical world, the spiritual world is not neutral - if physical fire can be used for both good and evil purposes, then the creatures of the spiritual world have their own good or evil will. The first ones are called Angels.
For many people, angels have long passed into the world of myths and fantasies. Today, images of naked angels with chubby childish faces and small wings decorate store windows during the Christmas holidays, exclusively for commercial purposes - in the minds of people, inspired by paganism, an image of an angel - “Cupid” - that does not correspond to reality has been formed. However, Angels are not a mythical image, but real heavenly beings who play an important role both in our lives and in world history.
Even before creation visible world and man, God created innumerable angelic armies. From the point of view of human perception, Angels are invisible, incorporeal beings, but in fact they have a “fire-like” body - more subtle than the matter we know. Angels are immortal and, without changing, have the same form in which they were originally created by God (they did not have a period of infancy). Angels have no gender; their nature is spiritual and does not need material food and rest. Angels move with enormous speed, and although they are not omnipresent, but limited by space (being in heaven, they cannot simultaneously be on earth) - their limitations have nothing to do with earthly human limitations: walls, doors, locks cannot serve them obstacle. The abilities and strength of Angels are very great and significantly exceed human ones - they are much more people know about God, about His will, about His creatures, about spiritual world, about people themselves and other earthly creatures.
The Fathers of the Church speak of Angels as co-workers, cohabitants and neighbors of people. In the history and centuries-old experience of the Holy Church, the apparitions of Angels occupy a very important place. People perceive the appearance of Angels in three ways: with their senses in real life - when Angels appear in the form of people; with the eyes of the soul - in dreams and visions, and with the power of a consciousness purified from passions - in “true contemplation.” Usually Angels appear to people in human form- they talk, eat, walk like ordinary people. Sometimes their appearance becomes “dazzling like lightning,” causing fear in people.
The number of Angels is innumerable, but all their multitude is organized and divided into ranks. Each rank carries out a special service and has its own name. Despite the fact that the word "Angels" (which means "messengers") designates only one of the ranks, it came to be applied to all nine angelic ranks, which are divided into three hierarchies, containing three ranks. Those closest to the Holy Trinity are the Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim - their characteristic feature are fiery wisdom and knowledge of heavenly secrets. Behind them are Powers, Dominances and Forces - their purpose is to bring about great events and miracles. Next are the Principalities, Archangels and Angels - they are called to Divine service.
God gave names to all angels. The rank of Archangels is most famous for people. Translated from Greek, “archangel” means chief angel. Total archangels, according to teaching Orthodox Church- seven, but the most revered in Russia are Archangel Michael (“archangel”) and Archangel Gabriel (“man of God, fortress of God”). Different paths of life are possible for a person on earth: there is the monastic path, the path of marriage, there is different kinds service. What to choose, what to decide on, what to stop at? This is where the Archangels come to the aid of man - God reveals to them His will about man. They know what awaits a person on this or that path, what adversities, temptations, temptations. Therefore, they deviate a person from one path, and direct him to another, teach him to seek Right way. Anyone who is lost in life or hesitates in choosing a path must ask the Archangels for help - they will definitely help.
Each Christian also has his own Guardian Angel, with whom he unites during the sacrament of Holy Baptism - this is our most faithful friend who loves us as no one on earth can love us. The Guardian Angel leads a person along the path given to him by God, guides, protects the walker so that he does not deviate to the side, strengthens the tired, and raises the falling. He is always nearby, except for those moments when we ourselves drive him out of our lives through unworthy actions. Angels are so close to us that they surround us everywhere, watching our every step.
Is it possible to feel the presence of a Guardian Angel? It is possible according to the inner mood of the soul: when the soul is light and the heart is light and peaceful -
it means he's nearby. When there is a storm in your soul, and passions are boiling in your heart, it means that you are doing something wrong, and your Guardian Angel has left you.
There are also Guardian Angels of nations - for example, the Guardian Angel of the Jews used to be Archangel Michael, who, after their condemnation and dispersion, became the protector of the Church of Christ. There are also Guardian Angels of countries, cities, Local Churches, monasteries. Angels help save people. They care for, protect, comfort, teach and strengthen the people of God, reveal the future to the righteous and prophets, punish sinners in order to admonish them, and resist evil spirits. For their constant help, the believing people reverently honor their heavenly protectors.
IN Holy Scripture many cases of the appearance of Angels into the world are shown, starting from ancient centuries. One can recall the rescue of pious Lot by the Angels at the time of the destruction of Sodom, a city mired in sins,
salvation of the prophet Daniel, thrown into the den of lions. Archangel Gabriel brought good news to the elderly barren - Joachim and Anna that a daughter, the Most Holy Theotokos, would be born to them. And he appeared to the Most Holy Theotokos with the good news of the birth of the Savior of the world - Jesus Christ.
Currently, there are also many confirmations of the ambulance of the Heavenly Protectors to people - we will give here just a few of them.
“In the fifties of the twentieth century, Gerasim Menagy carried out his monastic feat on Holy Mount Athos. One day, his confessor sent him on urgent business to the Lavra, which was four hours away from the monastery. It was a harsh winter. Halfway through the journey, a terrible blizzard began - the forest road was covered with snow, and the monk realized that he had lost his way. Already freezing, Gerasim began to fervently pray to the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos for salvation. Out of nowhere, a ten-year-old boy suddenly appeared in front of him. “Bless, elder!” - he turned to the one praying. “The Lord will bless,” answered the monk. “Where are you going in this weather?” - asked the boy. To which Gerasim told him about the instructions of the confessor. Then the boy led the monk to the road leading to the Lavra, and suddenly disappeared. When Gerasim looked around, looking for his companion, on the road along which they walked together, he saw only his own footprints in the snow, as if the boy had not walked next to him. And then he realized that it was the Angel of the Lord.”
And this incident occurred at the end of the twentieth century. “The boy Vasily K. fell while playing and seriously injured his head. In the hospital he was given a disappointing diagnosis - blindness and complete paralysis of the limbs. Only an urgent operation could give a small chance of saving the child, but the doctors understood that the hope of success was no more than one or two percent - which is what the boy’s parents were warned about. Since there was no other way to save their son, the parents agreed to the operation.
When the boy was being prepared for the operation, as he later said, the darkness that had clouded his eyes dissipated, and he saw a temple with high arches and a red stone facade. From open door a blinding light emanated from the temple. The boy approached the door and saw inside the temple a beautiful young man, illuminated by a bright light, stretching out his hands to him. He said: “Come here, Vasily! Don't be afraid, you will recover, I will rule with the doctor's hand - the operation will take place successfully. The boy approached the young man who was calling and, falling to his knees, leaned his aching head against his left leg. The young man extended his hand and stroked the boy affectionately. Before the vision disappeared, the boy managed to notice a dark icon with silver wings in the depths of the temple... The operation ended successfully: the boy’s vision and mobility of his limbs were restored. Doctors considered the success of the operation a miracle. This happened on the eighth of November - the Feast of the Saints Heavenly Powers ethereal.
Years have passed. All this time, Vasily conducted a fruitless search for someone who restored his health, until one day in one of the television programs he recognized the temple from his vision. It turned out that this temple is located in the city of Mandamados and bears the name of St. Archangel Michael. As a pilgrim, Vasily visited this temple, where he offered sincere gratitude to Archangel Michael for his saved life.”
On icons, Angels are depicted as beautiful young men - as a sign of their spiritual beauty, with hair tied with a ribbon, the ends of which flutter in the wind. Angels usually have wings, which means they are quick to carry out God's will. Angels in right hand they hold a scepter, and in the left - a ball or monogram of Jesus Christ as evidence that they are bearers of Divine power. The robes of the Angels are either white, symbolizing their purity and holiness, or multi-colored, depending on the rank to which they belong. The Seraphim are depicted with six wings, and the Cherubim and Thrones are depicted as fiery wheels with many eyes on the rims.

priest Shane Carlo Pezzutti FSSPX

Second appearance of the Angel at Fatima

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Amen.

Dear believers!

Last time we reflected on the first appearance of the Angel to the three shepherdesses A m in F A time. Let me remind you that Almighty God sent this Angel in 1916 to prepare children for the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima. Last time we saw how the Angel of Fatima taught us three very important lessons: firstly, modern man MUST renew and deepen reverence for one’s Creator and worship of Him. Secondly, modern man MUST perform acts of faith, worship, hope and love, for these are the fundamental acts of religion that keep us in this modern godless world. Third, we must pray for sinners. The Angel of Fatima taught us these things, giving us a humble example, bowing before Holy Trinity and teaching the children the prayer of Fatima: “Great God! I believe in You, I worship You...”

The first appearance of the Angel had a strong influence on the children. Several months later, during another very hot spring in Portugal, three children were relaxing in the shade of the trees near Lucia's house. Suddenly, the Angel of Fatima appeared to them for the second time. He told the children: "What are you doing? LikeAndhurry up! LikeAndwork hard! The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful thoughts for you. Continuously bringingAnd

- asked Lucia.

"Bring everything you canAndthose to God as a sacrifice in reparation for sins that offend Him, with a prayer for the conversion of sinners. This way you will ensure peace for your homeland. I am her Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. In particular, accept and humbly the transferenceAnd.

Dear believers! Do not forget that during the apparitions of the Angel of Fatima in Portugal, the First World War destroyed everything in Europe. Thousands of people suffered and died. The war was terrible, and people prayed for peace. This is exactly what the Angel of Fatima promised...peace. But how to achieve it? The Angel's answer was: PRAYER and SACRIFICE. The angel said: “LikeAndhurry up! LikeAndwork hard!<…>Continuously bringingAndthose are prayers and sacrifices to the Almighty.” These are the three sources of peace in the whole world, for, as you know, war is punishment for sin. These are sources of peace in our lives.

Also of interest is that the Angel mentioned that he is the Guardian Angel of Portugal. This means that not only People, but also peoples have Guardian Angels. Guardian Angels keep us from evil and lead us to God, but they also fight, protecting countries from evil and leading them to Christ the King. Therefore, dear believers, do not forget to pray to the Guardian Angel of Russia. Moreover, this Angel of Portugal did not tell the children his name. But if we look at the Liturgy and Book of Hours, under the twenty-ninth of September, which is the feast of St. Archangel Michael, we read the following interesting words: "Mikhail, Angel of Peace." The Portuguese have always had a special veneration for St. Michael the Archangel, and they even claimed that he was their heavenly patron and intercessor. Portugal even has a special holiday called “Saint Michael the Archangel, Guardian Angel of Portugal.” Therefore, it is possible that he is the same Angel of Fatima.

But what was the first thing the Angel said to the children during this second appearance? He said: "What are you doing?" The children were resting or playing, but the Angel said to them: "What are you doing?" This is a small reproach to the children that they do not pray more. If the Angel said this to the three holy shepherd boys A m, then what would he tell us? What would your Guardian Angel tell you? What are you doing? Our Guardian Angel is always with us and always asks us: “What are you doing right now? You comply whether will God's directly Now? Not you spend whether time in vain? You are fulfilling whether their responsibilities? Are you doing whether good? Do you love your Savior Jesus Christ?

The Angel of Fatima said: "What are you doing? LikeAndhurry up! LikeAndwork hard!<…>Continuously bringingAndthose are prayers and sacrifices to the Almighty.”

But Lucia did not understand him. “How should we donate?”- asked Lucia. Maybe she thought: “We are not priests, how can we sacrifice?” The angel explained very simply: « Everything you can, bringingAnd.

This is very important for us, dear believers. « Everything you can, bringingAndthose to God as a sacrifice...” What does it mean? Late e Sister Lucia spoke about this second phenomenon. She said: “These words of the Angel were imprinted on our hearts, like a light that revealed God to us and viagra pas cher how He loves us and wants to be loved, made us understand the meaning of sacrifice, and how pleasing it is to Him, and how to achieve the conversion of sinners from Him. This was the reason why we began, from that moment, to offer to the Lord everything that mortified our flesh, without, however, seeking other forms of mortification and repentance, except that we prostrated ourselves for hours, repeating the prayer that he taught us Angel".

So God gave them special grace to understand these things. The children better understood the value of sacrifice and how it pleases God, and how God gives the grace of converting sinners for the sake of these small sacrifices.

We can say that this is the fourth lesson of Fatima: « Everything you can, bringingAndthose to God as a sacrifice in reparation for sins that offend Him, with a prayer for the conversion of sinners". Look at your crucifix. What do you see? Love. Yes, I will e new love. But it is difficult to see that this is love and understand. We must go deeper than what we see. We see a man nailed to a cross. He's dirty. He's bloody. We see pain. We see suffering. But we see the victim. This suffering and this pain is love. This is love for us. This is the perfect manifestation God's love to us. If we love someone, truly love them, then we are willing to endure pain for them. We want to suffer humiliation for their sake. This is the highest form of love.

So, when we feel any pain in our daily life, we can offer it as a small sacrifice to God. When we feel any suffering in our daily life, we can offer it as a small sacrifice to God. When we don't like something, we can accept it and offer it to God as a small sacrifice. Yes, it is difficult, but love is difficult. This is what the Passion and the Cross of Christ teach us about true love and sacrifice, and this is what the Angel of Fatima teaches us. « Everything you can, bringingAndthose to God as a sacrifice in reparation for sins that offend Him.” This is love for God. But the Angel wants from us love for our neighbor, he also said this: "...with prayer for the conversion of sinners". So, when we feel some pain or encounter some difficulty, don't be selfish and don't complain... NO! Offer this to God for the conversion of your friends, family, etc. This is precisely the second purpose of our Rosary crusade. 50 thousand small daily victims.

What did the Angel of Fatima say to the children in conclusion? Yes, he wants them to make small sacrifices to God, but... Andthose sufferings that the Lord will send you". This is the greatest sacrifice and this is what pleases God most: “in particular accept and with humility the transferenceAndthose sufferings that the Lord will send you". The Lord sends us small sufferings, pain, crosses. We don't need to grumble! We don't need to be angry! Don't be discouraged! Look at the cross! May we be true children of our Lord Jesus Christ and may we bring this pain to God for the conversion of sinners going to hell. How many souls will die and go to hell today? We must help them. This is the fourth lesson of Fatima.

St. Thomas Aquinas taught that one act of love for God is worth more than the entire universe. And it is precisely because of this that Jacinta and Francisco became such saints in just two years. Our everyday life, everyday sorrows, everyday suffering, boring everyday routine can become a sacrifice for the conversion of sinners. Amen.

Most mythologies and religious philosophies are familiar with the concept of "angel" (the name comes from the Greek word meaning "messenger"). It is believed that angels are creatures that inhabit the other world and enjoy certain “privileges”: they are allowed to visit earth and take on a visible form. According to the Christian religion, there are nine orders of angels, forming a hierarchy. It includes, in particular, cherubim, who were depicted as child-like, and seraphim. Contrary to the common understanding of the essence of angels, according to which they were once human, there is a hypothesis that angels are a different, more developed form of life from humans. It is traditionally believed that angels are similar in appearance to people, that is, anthropomorphic, although they can take any other form. Renaissance artists gave angels wings to emphasize their divine nature. The mission of angels is to help man. In contrast to them, there are demons - angels of evil. This kind of dualism is found in many religions.

Angels are the most well-known supernatural beings other than ghosts. They are among the paranormal phenomena recognized even Christian Church. The story of the birth of Jesus begins with a visit to Mary by an angel, who brought her news of the future birth of a son. Similar ations associated with prophecies can be traced in other religious cults. The image of a genie who fulfills human desires, an oriental hero fairy tales, firmly entrenched in Western culture, moving into Walt Disney cartoons and children's comics.

Paranormal researchers say there may be a basis for widespread belief in angels. But this phenomenon is more psychological than real. Belief in angels is an unconscious need of the human psyche to affirm its connection with a mind of a higher order, which finds its creative outlet in culture and philosophy.

Due to the fact that in the 90s of the twentieth century the number of evidence of meetings with angels sharply increased, an opinion arose that they are real entities independent of the human psyche. Angels appeared to some people in their usual appearance: as, for example, this happened in 1917 in the city of Fatima in Portugal - now one of the most famous Catholic sacred places in the world. The Virgin Mary appeared to eyewitnesses of the apparitions in Fatima, small children, warning the world against sins and threatening fatal events in the future. Several similar phenomena are known. The latest example is the case in Medjugorje (former Yugoslavia), where, from the mid-80s, war prophecies and omens began to appear that promised humanity new era. These prophecies continued even during the last civil war in Yugoslavia.

When in the early 1990s countries of Eastern Europe liberated from communist oppression, the number of reports of visions of angels, which were not accompanied by global prophecies, sharply increased. The most paradoxical case was reported in Russia, when the crew of an orbiting space station was forced to land early because the cosmonauts claimed to have seen an angelic creature through the window!

Adherents of spiritualism believe that they can come into contact with other world through mediums. According to their concept, wise souls can return to earth at their call or be among the living constantly. There are cases that can be considered apparitions of angels that occur during spiritualistic seances. Spiritualists perceive an angel as a human spirit that has come to them from the afterlife.

However, the greatest number of contacts with angels occurs, apparently, in stressful situations when a person especially needs help. Theologians consider angels to be a reality and admit that they appear to people in extreme situations, regardless of what faith a person adheres to.

There are many such testimonies, and many people believe that each of us has our own “guardian angel”. But it is very interesting that there are cases where some people believe that in critical situations Alien creatures come to their aid. Many space abduction victims believe their lives were saved in early age some space aliens, whom others traditionally consider angels.

At present, the idea that supernatural help can directly manifest itself in a person's life has become more widespread than it was during the previous several centuries. It spawned a number of best-selling books and influenced the hugely successful film Ghost, in which Patrick Swayze's character tried to make a difference in the lives of his loved ones even after his death.

The increasing frequency with which such stories occur suggests that further objective research into the visions of angels is now required.

Cases of angel apparitions are extremely rare. Few people managed to see him more than once. Although many may say that someone from above is showing them the way, direct intervention usually occurs only in moments of extreme crisis - and such moments do not arise often.

In addition, apparitions of angels do not usually evoke feelings of horror. Most often they cause surprise. Meeting an angel strengthens a person’s faith in God and the afterlife. I do not want to question the beneficial influence of such a meeting on a person and dispute the circumstances of this communication. But I still think that in such cases it is necessary to exercise some caution.

When an angel appears to a person at a critical moment in his life, such a phenomenon can be considered as heavenly protection. It seems that a heavenly intercessor has come to help avoid misfortune. Therefore, researchers should not downplay the significance that such experiences have for a person. The psyche of an individual after such a meeting is very vulnerable, and therefore caution is necessary. It is extremely tempting to accept the vision as reality, but we must remember that reality is comprehended by the human mind and that illusory experiences are as powerful as real ones. And if a person has no one to share his experiences with, this can have consequences no less harmful for him than if they were caused by real events.

Skeptical people believe that seeing angels is a protective ability of the psyche in a moment of crisis. A similar phenomenon can help a person dramatically change the situation in better side. The case cited here involves the famous entertainer Tommy Steele, who ran away from home as a young man and became a sailor on a ship. He soon fell ill with meningitis and was rushed to hospital in London. Being on the verge of death, in a semi-paralyzed state, Tommy still survived. He believes that he was saved by the laughter of the boy behind the screen and the brightly colored ball that he threw into his bed. Tommy reached out to throw the ball back to the invisible child, and this game continued for an hour or two until the doctors returned. They were amazed at Tommy's unexpected recovery. Of course, when the screen was removed, there was no boy behind it. Was it angelic intervention that saved Tommy from death, or simply a vision caused by his sedated brain that spurred him into action and helped him overcome his illness?

We can't be sure whether the skeptics are right about angelic visions, but if what you read next is credible, the human brain does have incredible powers and is quite capable of extrasensory perception. Thus, prophetic messages conveyed through angels do not necessarily have to come from a divine source. They may be a consequence of the work of our subconscious, which at a critical moment can help resolve an acute problem. This is perceived as fantasy and is therefore attributed to a higher mind. After all, if you don't hear a freight train approaching and your inner voice tells you to get off the tracks, you will do so without thinking and thus avoid certain death (this happened recently in Chicago). Therefore, it is easy to understand that we would rather accept that at such moments someone from the other world comes into contact with us than admit that this voice comes from our subconscious.

I would advise you to consider both options, as one does not exclude the other. In reality, no one can know what awaits us in the future.

At present, the issue of angelic visions is still very poorly studied, except for the study of this problem by theologians and spiritualists. I cannot say that their work is not objective enough, but due to their beliefs they cannot doubt the real existence of angels, which allows skeptics to constantly question their evidence. The objectivity of a real researcher is to not put forward any preliminary hypotheses when studying all the facts.

However, to confirm his theory, the researcher needs a large number of data. When Hope Price, the wife of an English clergyman, placed an advertisement in a local newspaper asking for descriptions of contemporary visions of angels, she was inundated with letters from more than 1,500 witnesses. If you are ready to deal with so many messages, you need to decide how you will classify the evidence. I think you can't do without a computer.

Don't forget the rules mentioned in previous section. Each case must be investigated as thoroughly as possible. It is necessary not only to write down everything that witnesses tell you, but also to find out their philosophical views and religious beliefs. You should, as fully as possible, find out what emotional and physical state the person was in during the period when he had the vision. Any message that seems insignificant to you may be useful for research.

We still know so little about this problem that we cannot say with certainty what evidence will be important. Time and experience will determine this. It is necessary to pay attention to any cases that are supported big amount facts. You cannot rely on the testimony of one person. If you want to establish that angels exist outside of human consciousness, then you need confirmation from other witnesses. This should be the basic rule for the objective researcher, no matter how difficult it may be for him.

One of the most remarkable recent cases was reported by Kate Bridger. It was one day in 1991 when she was traveling to work in Chentham-Kent by bus. The bus was moving down the hill. Suddenly, Kate heard the driver scream that the brakes had failed. The bus was heading straight for a brick wall.

Catastrophe seemed inevitable. Suddenly Kate saw several figures floating outside the window. They were beautiful fair-haired creatures in long robes. She immediately decided that they were angels.

Kate noticed that they positioned themselves between the wall and the bus, and as the bus screeched to a stop a few inches from the wall, the creatures disappeared. Thanks to this supernatural intervention, all passengers escaped serious injury and none of them died. Kate was the only witness to the miraculous rescue. Later, when the bus was taken to the garage, the mechanics were puzzled. The brakes completely failed, and no one could explain how the bus managed to stop on this hill.

Deliverance from death thanks to smiling, fair-haired, white-skinned creatures is very similar to reports of contacts with “Nordic” type aliens. There are many cases where salvation occurs in a much more incomprehensible manner and is always attributed to angelic power.

A similar incident was reported to me by Jessica Bellman of Los Angeles, who was driving with her mother on a multilane expressway outside Hollywood. It was rush hour, the highway was congested, cars were literally moving bumper to bumper at high speed.

Suddenly, a huge van driving in front of them lost control, turned around and stood across the road. If this had happened in the last lane, then they would have had a chance to turn off the highway and avoid a disaster. But Jessica was out of luck. She only had a split second to brake and turn to the side. Her car flew through three rows of fast moving traffic. A collision was inevitable.

But a miracle happened. Time seemed to slow down, and there was a strange silence. It seemed to Jessica as if the car, along with her and her mother, were inside a deep well. Contact with outside world was completely lost. This is indeed a very typical feature of many paranormal phenomena. It's called "Oz Factor".

Jessica remembers making a passionate plea for help, the kind of prayer only uttered in the face of imminent death. She remembers her mother's eyes, frozen in horror. Then she saw a close-up of two men in a car, laughing and completely oblivious to the fact that Jessica's car was passing through them, as if through fog. There was a thud and Jessica's car stopped.

Jessica looked around and saw rows of vehicles passing by. She and her mother were in in perfect order, and there wasn’t a single scratch on the car. In some incomprehensible way they were saved from inevitable death.

Evidence such as this serves as a starting point for research today to understand the phenomenon of angelic apparitions.

There are still no organizations that would specifically investigate angelic visions. However, there are researchers who compare individual cases. Research publications ASSAP in the UK and Strange in the US will be happy to assist you.

ASSAP 31 Goodhew Road, Groydon, Surrey, GRO 6QZ, UK. "Strange" PO Box 2246, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.

There are two journals that publish similar data. The American magazine is devoted exclusively to this topic. The British edition, edited by Kevin McClure, covers a wider range of these phenomena. McClure is engaged in the study of angelic visions, and his authority in this field is undoubted. He has written two books on this topic (see below).

ANGELS AND FAIRIES PO Box 762, Ashland, OR 97520, USA.

PROMISES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS 42 Victoria Road, Mount Charles, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL25 4QD, UK.

Here is a list of books that give the clearest idea of ​​the subject. The works of Kevin McClure contain objective data about religious visions in general and about the incident that occurred during the First World War with archers from Mons in particular. Hilary Evans offers brilliant general review and a look at the existing phenomenon with psychological point vision. Sophie Burnham's first book deals with issues that are of wide interest, and the second, like Hole Price's book, is a collection of new stories obtained from readers' letters. Keith Thompson offers a much more avant-garde view of extraterrestrial intelligence, including UFOs.

"The Evidence for Visions of the Virgin" by Kevin McClure. (Aquarian Press, 1984).

"Gods; Spirits; Cosmic Guardians" by Hilary Evans. (Aquarian Press, 1987).

"A Book of Angels" by Sophy Busnham (Sophie Burnham, "Book of Angels"). (Ballantine, New York, 1990).

"Visions of Bowmen and Angels: Mons 1914" by Kevin McClure. (Via Promises and Disappointments magazine, mentioned above, 1993).

"Angels and Aliens" by Keith Thompson. (Random House, New York, 1993).

"Angels: True Stories of How They Touch Our Lives" by Hope Price. (Psychic Press, 1993).