1. When you wake up in bed, first of all remember God and place the sign of the Cross on yourself.

2. Don’t start your day without a prayer rule.

3. Throughout the day, everywhere, with every task, pray short prayers.

4. Prayer is the wings of the soul, it makes the soul the throne of God, all the power spiritual person in his prayer.

5. For God to hear a prayer, you need to pray not with the tip of your tongue, but with your heart.

6. Let none of those around you be left without your sincere greetings.

7. Don’t give up prayer when the enemy makes you feel insensitive. He who forces himself to pray with a dry soul is superior to him who prays with tears.

8. New Testament You need to know it with your mind and heart, learn from it constantly. Don’t interpret anything you don’t understand yourself, but ask the Holy Fathers.

9. Take holy water with thirst for the sanctification of soul and body. Don't forget to drink.

10. Greetings of gratitude to the Queen of Heaven Virgin Mary, rejoice... say more often, at least every hour. IN free time read the writings of the Holy Fathers and teachers of spiritual life.

11. In temptations and adversities, repeat the Psalter and read prayer canon Holy Mother of God We keep many in misfortune... She is our Intercessor.

12. When demons throw their arrows at you, sin approaches you, then sing chants Holy Week and Holy Easter, read the canon with an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus.

14.V Lenten time fast, but know that God is pleased with fasting not only of the body, that is, abstinence from sin, but even more so by abstinence of the ears, eyes, tongue, as well as abstinence of the heart from serving the passions.

15. A person embarking on spiritual life must remember that he is sick, his mind is in error, his will is more inclined towards evil than good, and his heart is towards impurity from the passions bubbling in him, therefore the beginning of spiritual life is in acquiring spiritual health.

16. Spiritual life is a constant, unceasing war with the enemy of the salvation of the soul: never sleep spiritually, your spirit must always be vigorous. Always call on your Savior for help.

17. Be afraid to unite with sinful thoughts that come to you; he who agrees with such thoughts has already committed the sin he thought about.

18. Remember, in order not to perish, you must have sincere repentance before God: “Lord, forgive and help, do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.”

19. Constantly ask: “Thy fear, Lord, instill in my heart.” How blessed is he who has constant awe of God!

20. Give all your heart to God without a trace and you will feel heaven on earth.

21. Never be idle, in idleness, church and holidays honor the commandments of God.

22. Your faith should be strengthened by frequent resort to repentance and prayer, as well as by communicating with people of deep faith.

23. Get yourself a memorial, write down all the living and the dead, all those who hate and offend you, and remember them daily.

24. Seek without fail deeds of mercy and compassionate love; without deeds it is impossible to please God. Be the sunshine for everyone. Mercy is above all sacrifices.

25. Don’t go anywhere unless absolutely necessary, talk as little as possible, don’t laugh, don’t be curious with idle curiosity.

26. Love holy solitude.

27. First endure all insults in silence, then by reproaching yourself, then by praying for those who offend you.

28. The most important thing for us is to learn patience and humility: with humility we will defeat all enemies, demons, and with patience we will defeat the passions that war on soul and body.

29. During prayer, do not show anyone but God your tears of tenderness and zeal for salvation.

30. Orthodox priest honor as an Angel, a messenger of good news, sent to rejoice you and bring you deliverance.

31. Treat people as carefully as you would the messengers of a great kingdom, and as carefully as you treat fire.

32. Forgive everyone everything and sympathize with everyone in their suffering.

33. Don’t just rush around with yourself, like a chicken with an egg, forgetting your neighbors.

34. Whoever seeks peace here cannot have the Spirit of God abide in him.

35. Melancholy and confusion attack from lack of prayer.

36. Always and everywhere call on your Angel for help.

37. Always keep your heart crying for your sins, and when you confess them in order to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then quietly rejoice over your liberation.

38. Know only your own indecencies and shortcomings, and be careful about the sins of others and think and reason, do not destroy yourself by condemning others.

39. Don’t trust anyone, even good wishes to your own, before your confessor approves of them.

40. Every evening, confess to God all your sinful deeds and thoughts during the day.

41. Before going to bed, make peace with all prostrations or bows.

42. We are brought closer to God by sorrow, cramped conditions, illness, and labor: do not complain about them and do not be afraid of them.

43. No one enters heaven living well.

44. As often as possible, with tenderness of heart, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, you live only by them.

45. Never forget that He - our Lord Jesus Christ - is nearby, at the door, do not forget that judgment and reward are coming soon, no one knows on what day and hour.

46. ​​Remember also what the Lord has prepared for those who love Him and for those who do His commandments.

47. Read this alphabet, Christian, at least once a week. This will strengthen you on the spiritual path. Amen. And to the Lord be glory forever and ever.

Staying with you in prayer spiritual father schema-abbot Savva

In the current corrupt and charming time, overwhelmed by the basest passions, man is left alone with God. There is no true priesthood guiding the human race into the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the tradition of our mother Church without change. Holy, Catholic, Immaculate and Apostolic Church again persecuted and again hiding in the “desert” from the devilish serpent.

The ancient written Apocalypse calls the Church the Immaculate Woman, soaring on eagle wings into the desert. Populated world becomes a desert for the Church. There is less and less grace in the world, truth and truth are almost completely absent. The Church flies away on the wings of the Old and New Law and moves away from heretical teachings that distort Christ’s Truth. The Church is established in the “wilderness” among unskilled and unlearned people, about whom the Lord spoke: “For you hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed these things as a child” (Luke 52). Christian life itself becomes a desert, removed from all the vanities of the world, but standing in the constant fulfillment of the apostolic and patristic traditions. The fleeing and hiding Church-wife or the true Christian faith becomes vilified and persecuted from all ideology and other faiths.

Currently, the concept of “Orthodox Christian” has become frequently used. Many people define themselves by this concept, investing in it various opposite meanings, infinitely far from the direct, original meaning. The Old Orthodox Church teaches that a true Christian is not one who only calls himself the word “Christian,” but one who in every possible way avoids the evil temptations of the world and seeks the salvation of his soul.

Those who call themselves a Christian often have no idea about the beginning and fulfillment of a Christian life, which helps a person to keep his life in the Lord’s commandments. A Christian must know that it is impossible to be saved not only without faith in Christ, but also without fulfilling the Divine commandments, pure living and patristic law.

In everyday life, we often act as false Christians, rather than as genuine Christians. We do not know, and those who know often do not observe and fulfill the Christian law. Below we would like to present excerpts from a book called “Teachings on Christian Life,” published in Moscow, in the Transfiguration Monastery. The book was written by the Old Pomeranian mentor Trofim Ivanovich, “a resident of the Kineshma countries,” who was the spiritual son of the famous Old Pomeranian mentor Ilya Ivanovich.

The Instruction harshly and impartially defines everyday Christian life. For many it may seem too difficult and impossible, but who said that Christian living is an easy visit to the “theater” of life. The Christian life is hard spiritual feat, overcoming passions and vices, and on this path the patristic law is an unfastened thread hanging over the abyss. But only this thread leads to salvation in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord Himself teaches us, saying: “Get your soul through your patience, and do not be faint-hearted, and again, if you endure, you will be saved to the end.”

The sinful law of the flesh encourages man to pursue pleasure and avoid pain. Genuine Christianity believes that the free performance of spiritual labors is abstinence and patient enduring of involuntary suffering. Spiritual overcoming of life's labors, mortification of the flesh constitutes main meaning Christian life. Deserved and undeserved suffering destroys the passions and pleasures that seethe in our sinful soul. Suffering always serves for the forgiveness of sins.

All the holy fathers considered bodily happiness to be indifferent to true Christian life and the salvation of one’s soul. Sensual pleasures and attractions to food, women, money and insults excite the basest and most passionate parts of the soul - lust and irritability, gluttony and fornication, love of money and glory. Nothing enslaves a sinful person more than passions and pleasures.

Christian living is the curbing of the passionate forces of the soul, their subordination to reason. To combat the sinful lust for pleasure, a person needs to resort to difficult feats of mortification of the flesh. Against gluttony one must acquire abstinence, against fornication - chastity, against the love of money - non-covetousness, against vanity and pride - humility.

“Teachings on Christian Life” is a book that very clearly shows that the salvation of the soul depends on a person, or rather on the sphere of his will and desire. The more a Christian limits his sensual lusts, the closer he comes to redemption and salvation, the closer he is to Christ.

The book “Teaching on Christian Life” was considered and approved at the Council, which took place in 1805, in the Transfiguration Staropomorsky Monastery.

“This Scripture was written by former fathers and we will follow it. Those who do not want to follow, we leave to the Judgment of God.

• Ilya Alekseevich Kovylin
• Sergii Yakovlevich I will subscribe
• Semyon Mikhailov
• Luka Terentyev
• Ilia Alekseev
• Ivan Ipatov
• Fedor Sergeev
• Nikita Grigoriev Vereisky
• resident of Kineshma countries
• Andrey Mikhailov I will subscribe
• This signing took place in the summer of 7313 (1805)
• Maya on day 9"

About untimely eating

Christian living is constant abstinence and patience, including in food. A Christian can, if there is no fasting (where special rules are observed), eat a maximum of two times a day. Usually this is lunch and dinner. The one who eats more often is weaned from church service for two weeks, while creating 1500 prostrations. Scripture calls those who are intemperate in food “secret eaters” and gluttons who exchanged the salvation of the soul for “guttural sweetness.” If someone takes food before lunch or dinner, then he prays for this sin 300 prostrations to the ground or prays 16 prostrations for 6 months. The Monk Abba Dorotheos said that “if a person has ten good deeds and one evil one, then often the evil deed covers up the ten good ones. Just as a person eats intemperately, so the Devil secretly eats his soul.”

That Christians should endure sorrows and illnesses with gratitude.

In these last, lamentable times, Orthodox Christians must endure sorrows and illnesses with diligence and heartfelt love. In adversity, trouble and persecution, we must stand firmly in the true Orthodox faith and endure all adversity for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, accept all torment with gratitude. Whoever manages to preserve Christ’s Truth intact in all the evil and anti-Christ existence will receive reward on a par with the martyrs and passion-bearers for Christ.

A Christian faithful to the Truth, who listens to the Divine Laws, cannot be influenced by either human or demonic temptations. As the holy martyr Abba Dorotheos wrote: “Whoever accepts everyday sorrow and need for the sake of the Lord, such a person will be crowned together with the martyrs by God. If someone dies a physical feat for Christ, then the Lord gives him the honor of martyrdom.”

If someone has neither illness, nor misfortune, nor sadness, then it is appropriate for such a person to remember his corruptible life with tears every day and think about the salvation of his soul. If a person cries for his soul, then his sins can be forgiven and he will deserve eternal life.

About how it is not proper to have a grudge against each other

Everyone who is in Orthodoxy must fear and be afraid of great and small resentments. Every day you need to look inside yourself and not be angry. A Christian cannot be angry with anyone and must constantly pray to the Lord. You need to say goodbye to the offender or forgive him for his sins against himself personally and only then begin to pray.

And if someone does not forgive the sins of another, he prays not to God, but to the Devil. And if someone says “Our Father,” then he is not calling and glorifying the Heavenly Father, but the Devil Father. The book of Nomocanon says: “Whoever has enmity against someone does not enter the Church, his offerings are not accepted until he humbles himself and is forgiven, because the prayer of an evil person is counted as sin.” The punishment for vindictiveness The Sacred Rules establish the following: how many days a person has spent in vindictiveness, then for each such day he prays 50 prostrations to the ground.

The Divine John Chrysostom says in the Great Synod: “An angry person is a temple of demons, and one who remembers evil includes the whole house of Satan, therefore it is appropriate to be dangerously guarded and guarded from all hatred, anger and memory of malice, because terrible and formidable torments await such a person.” Let us also fear terrible punishment, O beloved brethren in Christ, for the sake of a bitter, cruel and terrible death beating and terrible eternal torment.

On prayer over defiled vessels

It is fitting for a Christian to keep food vessels in sacred purity. The abandoned vessel should be covered with the words of the Jesus Prayer. If a certain reptile has fallen into the vessel, it is removed, and the vessel is prayed for with three ladders (300 bows from the waist).

If something bad has just begun to rot in a vessel, then the contents of the vessel are poured into another clean vessel. The vessels are placed together in front of the icons and five lestovki pray for them.

If the fallen reptile has completely rotted in the vessel, then the contents of the vessel are poured onto the ground and given to cattle and dogs, and the vessel itself is broken. The very act of eating and drinking must be done with a blessing, with clean and washed hands, and always with the Jesus Prayer.

Christian vessels should be kept from the touch of filthy and heretical hands

All Christians should be wary of the touching of Christian vessels and food by worldly hands. Matthew of Jerusalem writes in canon 50: “If someone unclean defiles wine or oil with his hand, it is not worthy for Christians to eat.” Venerable Theodosius told Prince Izyaslav that the desecrated vessel from heretical hands must be given prayer. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem says: “If an Armenian and a Christian are on a journey together, and they have the same cup, then if the Armenian drinks from it first, then the Christian should not drink from it, and do not give prayer to the vessel.”

Christian saints tell us not to mingle with heretics and pagans, but to separate the faithful from the unfaithful in life, in food, and in drink. A Christian must abhor heretics and not take anything from heretical hands. If anyone drinks and eats with infidels, he himself becomes like heretics and destroys his soul, and as a result falls into heretical delusion. A Christian cannot go to filthy taverns and restaurants, where carnal lust and uncleanness are present. The Divine John Chrysostom writes in Margarita: “... If anyone eats with heretics, then he is called an enemy of Christ. Anyone who eats with heretics is not allowed into the Church, and Christians turn away from the violator as an idolater.”

It is necessary to keep holy icons clean and clean them often

Holy icons must be kept in honor. They must be kept clean. The place where the icons stand must be cleansed of all uncleanness and dust, because Christian houses are called Churches.

About the fact that it is not proper to give icons to worldly people, pagans, heretics, Jews

Holy images made by Christian hands must not be given to worldly people involved in various heresies. False priests enter the houses of heretics, sprinkle and pray according to the terms of their vile heresy. It is impossible for Christ to be in the same place with Belial. The Lesser Collector says on this matter: “Heretics serve their Father the Devil and resist God in everything. If the wicked hold a place, let you avoid it.” It is impossible to give sacred things to dogs.

It is possible to transfer icons to heretics who promise to convert to Christian law. Holy Scripture testifies on this matter: To Tsar Constantine, who was still unfaithful, the Lord Almighty showed the Cross in Heaven and ordered the image of this Cross to be carried before the troops. Miraculous Image The Lord sent to King Abgar, who was then filthy. The Great Martyr Barbara, still unfaithful and unbaptized, received an image from the holy elder Holy Mother of God. But holy images can only be transmitted to those who are ready to accept pious faith.

About how it is not proper to accept into the Law of God without a promise

Anyone who accepts God's Law and prepares to receive Baptism must have a firm understanding of the Christian faith and Christian life. The first thing that will be proclaimed is leading a chaste life. A Christian cannot live together with married children and married daughters in the same house.

Secondly, it is necessary to limit communication with the worldly, not to visit them on various holidays, despite the fact that there are relatives among the worldly. You cannot wash in worldly baths, especially from common vessels. Do not drink intoxicating drinks, do not eat meat. All these restrictions are imposed on Christians due to the deprivation of the Most Pure Mysteries of God. For everything purchased from worldly markets, you must pray to the Lord God.

If a Christian goes to the bathhouse with worldly people and takes a steam bath with them, then such a one is excommunicated from the church and makes 1000 prostrations to the ground. If anyone did not know about this prohibition, pray - 300 prostrations to the ground. If someone washes himself from worldly vessels, he will make 100 prostrations to the ground.

Everything needs to be explained to a new person. prayer rules: about observing the daily prayer circle, the cell rule for every day. A Christian should know the times of fasting and try not to wear worldly clothes. Before lunch and after dinner, do not eat anything - neither vegetables nor wild berries. There is also a restriction on drinking - do not drink often, once or twice.

It is appropriate for a Christian to celebrate Feasts of the Lord and Sundays. Before the Holiday and Resurrection it is too late not to work. You can’t go to all sorts of wizards and magicians. Dead worldly people should not be escorted to their church. Don't swear not only swear words, but also other nasty expressions. Do not sing or listen to demonic songs.

Do not go to various theatrical performances with galloping demons, do not dance or jump. Don't go to weddings. Do not advise young people to get married or get married, but teach pure and chaste living. As Basil the Great says: “He who has renounced the world will be asked whether he can live without a wife?... And if they turn to voluptuous fornication, they will be rejected by the faithful and will accept prohibition.”

Our sad times do not agree with the former pious times when there were true bishops, priests and churches of God. Due to the absence of a sacred rank, there is no one to officiate the marriage.

You cannot pray with heretics and non-believers in the same church and in the same house.

The ancient Christian fathers not only did not allow one to pray with heretics, but also forbade even crossing oneself with them. What can unite the faithful with the infidel? Christians should not allow people of other faiths to live and pray among themselves: neither a Greek, nor a Jew, nor a heretic. If worldly people want to learn about the true faith and want to listen to Christian reading and singing, then their desire must be supported. Non-believers should not be deprived of the opportunity to see true faith. The prologue describes the incident of a certain Saracen who entered God's temple on horseback. The Saracen saw the priest slaying a lamb in Divine Liturgy, and from that he repented and accepted true faith and salvation. Grand Duke Vladimir tested many faiths, but was amazed by Christian worship.

On the impossibility of eating on the same table with non-believers

It is not appropriate to eat at the same table with infidels. You should be wary of this in every possible way, since the table, like the vessel, represents unity. Any Christian meal is like a sacred meal. A heretical meal has no sacred meaning - it is a lawless meal. Orthodox Christian cannot begin such a meal, but he cannot allow heretics and infidels to join his own. In the infidels there is no Christian faith and there is no God in them.

During the meal you are supposed to sit in silence, say the Jesus Prayer and remember the fear of death. It is a great sin to sit at a meal and make idle and ridiculous conversations. Such a person, according to Holy Scripture, has retreated from God and God has retreated from him, his prayer is not accepted and all his labors are in vain.

About the fact that it is not appropriate to live together with heretics in the same house, and not to justify this in any way

It is proper to distance oneself from infidels and heretics in every form, word and thought. A Christian should not justify a wicked person in word or deed, because then evil is justified under the guise of good. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria speaks of the inadmissibility of accepting heretics into one’s home, so that the faithful are not defiled by the infidels. It is impossible for a Christian to live with those so-called Christians who, instead of modesty and humility, adorn themselves different clothes and go to heretical holidays and shameful cemeteries.

Such Christians are only called such, but in reality they are worse than filthy pagans. The saints taught that it is better to live with animals in caves and abysses than to live with lawless people. The Divine Chrysostom writes in Margarita: “A Christian who lived his life as an angel, but communicated with heretics in friendship and love, will be alien to the Lord Christ.” If a Christian sees heresy or sin, he should not remain silent; he who is silent is an indulger in heresy or sin. Every Christian is sanctified by his profession of faith. We must abhor and run away from heretics as from poisonous snakes and fierce lions.

Saint John, Metropolitan of Nicaea, and Athanasius of Alexandria and Dositheus, a disciple of Saint Zosimas, teach: “Do not allow heretics into the house, so that the faithful are not defiled by the evil believers.” The grace of God runs away from these places where heretics are; it is not the Lord who is present there, but demons.

About how it is not proper to emit natural phlegm to the East

Natural need or the phlegm of nature should not be emitted to the East, but try to do it to the West or North. All natural bowel movements must be performed with the Jesus Prayer (in this case, silently). Although natural functions look nasty and unclean, they are by their nature created by God from the beginning.

You cannot touch your body and private parts with your hands unless necessary, except for ordinary natural needs. If someone looks at his body and genitals with lust, then such observation is equated to fornication. The Sacred Rules say: “If a monk is shameful, he looks at him as if he has committed fornication.” The Book of Eldership in Chapter 34 defines the punishment for sending natural needs to the East in the amount of 300 bows over six days.

About drunkenness, how one should be afraid of it

Christians are not supposed to drink intoxicated drinks or go to bad taverns. Such Christians are rejected from Christian fellowship. Drunkenness is the charm of the world, and if a Christian accepts the filthy abomination and uncleanness of drunkenness, then he accepts a deadly poison that leads to the abomination of sin. The Holy Fathers liken drunkards to fornicators, predators and idolaters, drinking the demonic cup. The Holy Spirit cannot enter a soul defiled by drunkenness. Nothing pleases the demon more than pleasure and drunkenness. The Divine Chrysostom teaches: “Do not pour out treasures, do not introduce drunkenness as the beginning of sorrow.” Drunkenness is a joy to the Devil, giving rise to evil oblivion, an evil dream. A drunken dream is likened to death, as an image of deadness.

If anyone has intoxicating drink in his house and secretly gets drunk, let him fast for this sin for 40 days, 100 prostrations per day. If a Christian goes to worldly taverns and drinks from bad vessels, then he must fast for 40 days and pray 100 prostrations per day.

About how it is not proper for a Christian to seek danger

A Christian is prohibited from looking for danger or any misfortune on his own. The Lord Himself says: “If you are persecuted in one city, flee to another city.” Many saints who escaped persecution in deserts, mountains and caves wrote about the same thing. Only very strong and firm Christians, capable of enduring torment to the end, can surrender themselves to voluntary adversity.

Saint Athanasius says: “If someone crosses a river and people are walking in front of him, and he, following them, drowns, he will suffer martyrdom. But if, taking a senseless risk, he crosses the river and drowns, then his death will be regarded as suicidal. Also, if someone, out of unknown need, climbed a tree, then falls from there and breaks himself, he will be considered a suicide.”

A person persecuted for the sake of the faith of Christ can put himself to death or perish at the hands of tormentors, but not refuse Church of Christ. If Divine Providence puts a Christian before torment and he is afraid of it, he will be condemned as an infidel or as having killed himself.

The Revelation of John the Theologian shows that “For those who are fearful and of little faith, their fate in the lake of fire with the Devil will be inexorable.” In the face of torment and persecution, a Christian must stand to the end, including death. For the sake of Christ's love, the holy martyr Domnika and her daughters, so as not to fall into the hands of the wicked, drowned themselves in the river. “It is better to drown yourself with water than to surrender into the hands of lawless tormentors” (Minea Chetiya October 15). Saint Pelageya, fleeing desecration, jumped out of the window onto the ground, from her tormentors. Princess Olga, named Elena in Holy Baptism, said (July 11): “It is better to drown yourself in water than to fall into fornication.”

If a Christian hears about possible persecution, then he should run according to the Lord’s Word. But if it is impossible to avoid torment due to the complete situation of the wicked, then it is necessary to fast, pray and surrender oneself to the Fates of the Lord, and ask the Lord for deliverance from the hands of the wicked. But if necessary, then it is worth accepting all the torment to the end, including death. “Be ready at all times and still watch and pray so that you do not fall into misfortune.”

About how it is not proper to offend anyone in any way

In real last times It is fitting for all Orthodox Christians who are under persecution to be careful in spiritual and physical matters. You can’t offend anyone and hide someone else’s things from yourself. According to the Holy Scriptures, a richly acquired property causes heavenly fire to fall on the entire house and person. “Having admired and accepted a stranger with untruth, he will remain in repentance for 5 years, and bow down 100 times a day.” According to Scripture, the offender is condemned as a thief and robber. As the saints said, “It is better to be offended than to offend someone.”

About how one should fear the condemnation of one's neighbor

Every person who remains in Orthodoxy should beware of condemnation and slander with great caution, so as not to become like demons and the Antichrist. A Christian must maintain silence and avoid verbosity, because verbosity results in slander and condemnation.

The book Prologue for September tells how the Lord, addressing the angels standing before Him, ordered the soul of one man, who condemned his brother before the Lord's Judgment, to be cast into Hell.

About how it is never appropriate to scold

An Orthodox Christian must be careful not to utter any swear words. You cannot utter obscene or black words of condemnation, for example, the word “freak”.

If a person curses foully and uncleanly, then God turns away from the foul-mouthed one. Saint Basil the Great says: “If someone slanderes a person, he thereby creates slander and condemns God, His Judgment is much more terrible than human judgment.” Abuse and ridiculous mockery of a person are sins that are subject to confession and repentance. If someone swears obscenely, he will do repentance for this sin in the form of 1000 prostrations to the ground. If anyone calls a person a “demon,” let him bow to the ground 300 times.

Basil the Great establishes a rule for punishing a scolding Christian: “If a brother scolds and dishonors his brethren, then he is required to make 100 prostrations to the ground. He who slanderes his brother and he who listens to him who slanderes them are both worthy of excommunication from the Church.”

About washing your naked body

If anyone wants to wash himself in a river or in a house, he thereby touches and washes his naked body and its secret members with his hands. To cleanse this sin, the conciliar decree of the ancient fathers establishes one lestovka (One Hundred Bows) to pray.

Many Christian saints never exposed their bodies, as various lives tell us. Saint Basil the Great, speaking about the fasting of Isaac the Syrian, said the following: “It is not appropriate to expose anything from your bodily members, not to touch your own or someone else’s naked body unless absolutely necessary.”

About how one must guard against all sorts of games and disorderly actions

All Orthodox Christians need to maintain themselves in spiritual purity. Young people should be afraid of demonic games, dancing, all disorder and filth, old people should be afraid of mockery, laughter and inappropriate conversations.

Christians should not look at nasty, unclean, God-hating and cursed games. The devil's games are various jumping, dancing, all kinds of demonic music, demonic songs and other empty goat-talking.

If any of Christ’s Orthodox servants wants to be saved, then it is appropriate to avoid demonic disgraces in every possible way, like a fierce serpent. A Christian who participates in any song or theatrical mockery is condemned as an idolater. All gamblers and fool-makers are called the grandchildren of the Devil and advisers of Satan.

About Christian children playing and their parents condoning it

Christians who have young children are responsible for them before God. A grave and great church penalty is imposed on parents for neglecting their children. Parents must teach their children the Fear of God and guide them along the true Christian path. Children must be protected from all filth, uncleanness, theft, robbery and swear words.

Parents will be subjected to the Last Judgment and eternal flame, if they allow their children to live according to their own will, and create all sorts of lawless games and dances. The stern book defines these parents as follows: “If anyone does not punish his child to live according to the Teachings of Christ, let him be damned.” Hear this, parents, and fear the patristic punishment, because you may be condemned more than the robbers.

On honoring mentors and teachers

It is fitting for all Christians to obey and obey their mentors and teachers in everything, not to get into trouble with them, and not to slander them. If you have to endure any annoyance from them, then endure it with gratitude and without anger. Do not slander teachers and do not listen to those who slander. The Lord Himself says about them: “He who listens to you listens to Me; he who rejects you rejects Me.” In the words of the Apostle: “Remember those who teach you, because they speak the Word of God.” Therefore, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are watching over our souls.

In the absence of the priesthood, Christians can have worldly people as mentors, as the Helmsman writes: “A teacher, even if he is a worldly person who knows the Divine teaching, let such a one teach.”

You cannot be angry not only with spiritual teachers, but also with your brother. The Sacred Rules establish that “he who hates a person must repent for two years and pray 40 prostrations a day.”

It is necessary to endure any kind of insult from people, but not the corruption of the Christian faith. In the case of heresy, even if an angel proclaims before a Christian, then do not submit, and firmly adhere to the Teachings of Christ.

A Christian must fear and be afraid of pride and arrogance, but in every possible way humble himself and consider himself the worst of people.

For the absence of the priesthood and the Holy Liturgy, one is required to pray two hundred bows

There is a tradition coming from the ancient Christian fathers that on the feasts of Christ and the Mother of God, the feasts of great saints and Sundays, it is necessary to pray for the deprivation of the Divine Liturgy. The book of Nomocanon in chapter 8 says: “If a monk is deprived of the Holy Liturgy, let him bow 200 times, confessing this sin as if it were mortal.”

It is fitting for us, brothers, to pray fervently and ask in prayer for the gift of the Most Pure Body of Christ and His Life-giving Blood. In our times we cannot receive Communion visibly, but we receive it invisibly, spiritually. “Ask in faith and it will be yours.”

About praying for food created by filthy hands. Because many saints preferred to die of hunger than to eat unholy food.

Food created from filthy hands cannot be simply accepted; it must be given a prayer from the Lord God and cleansed of filth. Christians should not accept food from the hands of heretics and wicked people. You cannot drink wine or visit nasty and lawless taverns and restaurants. Food should be sanctified by prayer for the reason that heretics serve the Devil and oppose God in everything. “If there is no idol, the demons still live.” “As the venerable saints sanctify, so the heretics desecrate.” Just as heretical baptism is bad, so every heretical action represents every kind of defilement sacrificed to idols. A heretical meal is a meal of enemies, therefore it is impossible to take food from enemies.

In worldly houses, Christians are not allowed to eat from the hands of wicked people. You cannot transfer food from unclean worldly vessels to your clean vessel. It is not the food itself that is defileable, but it is desecrated only by the touch of heretical hands.

Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow, wrote in 1417 (6925 from the creation of the world) about unclean food: “... what comes from the German land: wine, bread or vegetables. My children, cleanse yourself first with prayer, and then eat and drink.” If something needs to be bought at the marketplace, then the purchased food is placed in front of the holy image and 100 bows are prayed for it (one staircase).

If we eat and drink with heretics, it means that the sweetness and charm of the world destroys us and brings us down to the abysses of hell.

It is not appropriate for a Christian to go on a journey without a holy image

On the road, it is not appropriate for a Christian to travel without the Holy Image. Because in worldly houses there are no Christian images, but there are images of the Unknown God. These heretical images cannot be prayed upon. A Christian should pray only to his Christian images and icons.

It is not appropriate for one who reads the Holy Scripture and teaches the Divine Law to take any payment for this work.

We offer good and soul-saving advice to all fathers and brothers in Christ who teach and read the Holy and Divine Scripture. Let no one sell the Word of God or set a price for it. All the saints, with joy and love about Christ, taught and led the unbelievers to Christ's faith from the darkness of error, and did not take money for it. A person who teaches God's Law to the faithful and the unfaithful receives much reward. If a person knows the Teachings of Christ and does not teach them, then it is better for him to lose his tongue than not to help the true faith.

About one who has trade and unjust measures.

Christians have no right to deceive or act unrighteously in any matter. Especially in trade, it is not appropriate to weigh or have incorrect scales. Such a person is separated from God a day Last Judgment, will be cursed by the Righteous Judge and sent into unquenchable fire. Those who have committed such evil go to repentance for four years with dry eating and bowing.

Those who lend money on interest are condemned as murderers. Christians should not lend money at interest - this is the greatest sin, as a result of which Christians are expelled from the society of the faithful and after repentance they are punished with 4 years of dry eating and 300 prostrations every day. Saint John the Faster says: “That it is not proper to give blessings to those who take interest or to eat in their houses.” Saint John Chrysostom defines usurers as the most vile and wicked people, and their entire house and their entire meal looks as if they were anointed with feces.

Any offering to the Holy Church should not come from unjustly acquired wealth. A person who helps the Church and people from wealth acquired by wicked and criminal means angers God.

All Orthodox Christians are required to preserve and maintain the Christian faith. Stand firmly in it and observe the patristic law. The Great Catechism writes: “If any soul receives baptism or repentance, or prayers, or any other spiritual or bodily food from a heretic... then the demons consider such as their own.”

The faithful have no fellowship with the infidels; Christians should avoid places where the wicked pray, because demons live there. That is why Christians run away from heretical gatherings, so that the faithful are separated from the evil-believers, like the children of the evil Devil.

The book of the Lesser Sobornik says: “A lying satanic spirit lives in heretics and all the evil unclean spirits dwell... Everything from heretics is depraved and nasty.” The book of Limonar in chapter 78 indicates: “Let us not listen to the singing of Latin, Nikonian, Armenian or other other heretics.” Whatever faith we stand in, let us remain in such a Church, otherwise we will be condemned with the wicked heretics.

It is forbidden to go to any heretical holidays

It is appropriate for us to avoid various wicked gatherings in every way, like a fierce serpent or fire. At these holidays all sorts of defiled people gather, who, out of their malice, commit many abominable and indecent acts, eating and drinking like pigs, jumping and dancing like demons.

According to Divine Scripture (Reading the Gospel for the Feast of the Dormition) we say: “Worldly celebrations and holidays exist for the sake of bodily lust and carnal lust. These holidays are demonic celebrations that cause damage to souls, and their advice is a delight. The food of heretics is envy and malice, wickedness and bickering, murder and death.”

Nowadays, many Christians gather at all these nasty gatherings. The result of such an action is the desecration of Christ by dishonest people and blasphemy of the Christian faith. The Nomocanon states: “If anyone goes to barbaric or heretical holidays and eats something there for their soul, he will be excommunicated from the Church for two years.” “If anyone eats his food with the filthy, he will die for two years,” says the seventh rule of the Agkir Cathedral.

As the Divine Chrysostom says: “If anyone knows the Lord Christ and has an unclean life, he will suffer greater torment than the unbelievers.” We should avoid drunken heretical gatherings in every possible way. Christians, do not be slaves of people, but be slaves of Christ!

About idle talk and conversation

Idle conversations and conversations with worldly people are very harmful to Christian souls and corrupt the pious faith. The holy prophet David in the first psalm pointed out the inadmissibility of the presence of a pious person at wicked gatherings: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and does not stand in the path of sinners, and does not sit in the seat of the destroyer.”

A Christian, conducting idle and disorderly conversations with heretics, cannot help but defile himself. Not a single word coming out of our mouths should be idle or empty.

Saint Isaac the Syrian wrote that a Christian, being in wicked assemblies, mocks his soul and body, thereby equating himself with fornicators and idolaters. Better is holy sleep in silence than wakefulness in discordant words. How more people moves away from idle talk the more he approaches God in his mind. And the further we distance ourselves from the consolation of this fleeting world, the more we receive Divine joy in the Holy Spirit.

About how it is not proper for a Christian to believe in signs coming from animals and birds, to interpret dreams and to engage in ungodly sorcery

The patristic command establishes for all those who are in Orthodoxy to evade evil heretical wisdom, not to perform all kinds of divination and enchantment. All magic is a demonic work, and wise men and wizards are sensual demons. The sacred rules establish for a person who has performed any magic and visited the Magi six years of excommunication from the Church.

About how it is not proper for Christians admitted to conciliar prayer to live with excommunicated Christians

It is not appropriate for a praying father and mother to live in the same house with non-praying, separated children. If they do not listen and want to live together, then such people must be excommunicated from the church. It is possible to receive people for cathedral prayer only after the worshipers have been removed to a separate dwelling and after six weeks of fasting and 100 prostrations for each day.

About fornication

If any Christian falls into fornication, then they repent and fast for one year without milk or fish. There are 100 prostrations for every day, except Saturdays and Sundays. A fornicator is prohibited from eating meat for the rest of his life.

About theft

If someone steals something, no matter what, then the thief must come to the person from whom he stole, ask for forgiveness and return the stolen property. If stolen goods are lost, they must be compensated with money. If the person from whom it was stolen dies, then the thief must pray for his soul until his death. The punishment for theft is established by the Sacred Rules - 1000 prostrations

About icon painters

Icon painters must have a pure life, be distinguished by good character, humility and meekness. Icon painters should not be foul-mouthed, blasphemers, fornicators, drunkards, slanderers, and should not follow bad customs. Even if an icon painter is a very fine artist, but does not live well, then he is prohibited from painting icons. An iconographer should not paint or depict anything other than icons to mock people. The icon painter must strive to perceive the Spirit of God. The icon image must correspond to ancient Christian models. The icon painter should not add anything of his own invention to these samples.

Christians should not accept icon images from infidels and foreign heretics, nor should they pass on holy images to them. It is written: “Do not give holy things to dogs.”

Parable about a soul wanting to repent

In a glorious place there lived a beautiful harlot. One day the prince came to her and said: “Promise me to remain pure and then I will marry you.” And the harlot made a promise. Her former lovers, having heard about her marriage to the Grand Duke, burned with envy and said: “If we go the straight path to the princely gate, we will achieve nothing except punishment, so we will approach from the back door and begin to whisper to the harlot to come out to us.” But the former harlot, hearing their whispers, stopped her ears, entered the inner house and closed the doors, and the fornicators were left to shame.

Interpretation

The harlot is the soul, and lovers are sins. Prince Christ. Home is Church. Whispering is a demonic obsession. A faithful soul always remains in the Commandments of God.

When I say “normal,” I don’t mean “average,” I mean one who lives according to Orthodox canons.

And this, of course, is not full list, and the items in it are not in order of priority.

So, a normal Christian:

1. Goes to services as often as possible

The minimum required is to go to morning service. But it often happens that this is not enough. And “going to the service” does not mean simply being present at it, but means being mentally involved - whether silently listening, crossing yourself, singing along, and so on.

2. Prays at home every day

Ideally, you should read your morning and evening rule and prayer before and after eating food. It is especially important that husbands and wives pray together, and that parents pray with their children. Include daily reading of the Bible, especially the Psalms.

3. Participates in the sacraments

This means not only confessing and receiving communion, but also receiving unction if you are sick. This means being baptized and being married. It’s worth even thinking about whether you or another man from your family should be ordained.

4. Avoids immorality in thoughts, words and actions

Everything we do with our body, soul and words matters for our salvation. Let your body, soul and words serve for the benefit of you and your loved ones. Look for someone to help, not someone to help you.

5. Keeps fasts according to the church calendar

The priest to whom you are confessing will advise you how to correlate fasts and ordinary life your family. Orthodox Christians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and, naturally, during the Great Lent, Petrov Lent, Dormition Lent and Nativity Lent.

6. Goes to confession

The sacrament of confession is extremely important for the soul. You need to go to confession at least once during each fast. But also, simply when your soul needs it, when there is sin tormenting you.

And he often finds them during confession. But the priest (or confessor, if you have one) will listen to you at any time. This is a source that should be used constantly.

8. Gives a tenth of income to the Church

Giving a tenth of your income to the Lord (after all, your income is His gift to you) is a biblical norm that Orthodox Christians must adhere to. If you can't give the full 10 percent, choose a different amount, but give regularly, gradually working your way up to giving 10 percent. And if you can give more than 10 percent, give it. And do this not only when it’s hard for you, when something bad happens in life - sacrifice when everything is good. The fact that giving a tenth of your income is exactly Orthodox tradition, the Church Fathers pointed out many times.

9. Gives alms and does charity work

That is, it helps those who need it. This help can be monetary, but you can also help with your own work, with moral support, and even just by being close to someone who is having a hard time, someone who is sick, etc.

10. Constantly improves the level of his education

We must constantly seek a deeper understanding of faith - and not only in the sense of understanding what it actually means to be a believer, pious, devout. This also means that our mind must constantly be in the power of the Lord so that He can heal it and change it. All our thoughts should be connected with God - whether we read spiritual literature, attend religious education courses, etc. The goal of all our educational activities is to learn and understand the Holy Scriptures as deeply as possible.

11. Shares faith with others

If you are grateful to the Lord for the Salvation given to us, you will want to share your faith with other people.

12. Goes to religious processions and makes pilgrimages

That is, he travels to visit shrines. Usually these are monasteries, temples and other holy places.

Translation by Anna Barabash