Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he loves me (John 14:21)
The fourth commandment given by God is: Wash this day of God, that you may keep it holy. Six days work and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: you shall not do any work on it, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maidservant, nor (your ox, nor your donkey, nor any) your livestock, nor the stranger who is in your dwellings. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Ex. 20:8-11).
Thus, by the fourth commandment, the Lord commands the seventh day to be devoted to the service of the Lord, to holy and pleasing deeds. In the Old Testament, the seventh day of the week was celebrated - Saturday (which in Hebrew means rest) in remembrance of the completion of the creation of the world by the Lord God. And God finished on the seventh day His works which He did, and rested on the seventh day from all His works which He did(Gen. 2:2).
In the New Testament, from the time of Sts. Apostles, began to celebrate the first day of the week - Sunday, in remembrance of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Savior in His Flesh and Blood revealed the Passover of the New Testament and became the New Passover himself. And this final and complete fulfillment of it meant at the same time the completion of the history of the Old Testament Passover of Moses, its replacement by the Passover of Christ: “Our Passover, Christ, was slain for us (1 Cor.)
It is necessary to realize that every Sunday is a small Easter, and the heart of a Christian should call him to the temple, so that, rejoicing together with the Lord Jesus Christ, to celebrate the incomparable day of liberation from death. Small Easter for an Orthodox Christian is also the Day of the Angel (Name Day). By the name of the seventh day, one must mean not only the Sunday, but also other holidays established by the Church.
Most of us are willful or unwilling violators of the fourth commandment. God said: honor the holiday, and we work, it is said: work for six days, and sometimes we do nothing - that means we violate the same fourth commandment.
For us, Orthodox Christians, the holiday begins in the evening, when the vigil is served. Therefore, to indulge in entertainment or work at this time means to mock the holiday. But not everyone who works on a holiday sins against the fourth commandment. If a Christian on a holiday spends time on holy and God-pleasing deeds, then this will not be imputed to him as a sin. For example, if a relative or close person is on a holiday in a hospital bed in a serious condition and a meeting with him will bring him joy and a surge of strength, then it is necessary to sacrifice a visit to the temple, even if he planned to take communion. True, you can go to an early service at 6 o'clock in the morning, and then do other charitable deeds that do not abolish, but, on the contrary, support the festive mood of Orthodox people.
So, on Sunday and a holiday, an Orthodox Christian must free himself from the affairs of this world, associated with personal material gain, intense care for his worldly affairs. This is beautifully sung in the Cherubic Hymn: Let us lay aside all worldly cares now.” This day should be devoted entirely to God, to the service of one's neighbor, to one's spiritual ascent.
How to be a modern woman, busy at work throughout the week? By Saturday-Sunday, household chores accumulate, physical fatigue, and sometimes the soul is torn: you want to go to the temple, but you can’t start the house.
Sunday is often the only opportunity to restore physical well-being. True, it is not always restored by long sleep and long lying on the couch in front of the TV. Often it is spiritual wakefulness that contributes to the restoration of strength: prayer at the liturgy, reading the Holy Scriptures, visiting the sick, and so on. It must be remembered that a wife is a co-heir to her husband in the grace of life (See 1 Pet. 8:7) and, as an equal member of the Church, needs to go to church, read literature, and so on. In light of this, the Orthodox family should decide on the distribution of household duties and the reasonable adaptation of housekeeping to specific needs. life circumstances .
We must also not forget that there are countless everyday inconspicuous deeds that must be performed out of obedience. When the soul rushes between the desire to go to the temple or fulfill obedience. In this case, let us remember the words that pacify the spirit: “Obedience is more important than fasting and prayer.” Evgeny Trubetskoy remarkably said about this: “Creating relative values, a person, without noticing it, does something else, immeasurably more important: he defines himself, forges his human image, which will either pass into eternal life or become the prey of the second death. Creating one's own image in the image and likeness of God is that genuine, substantial and creative work to which a person is called. Relative values serve only as a means for this creativity, but in themselves do not express its essence.
However, as a means, these values are necessary. Both the food we eat, the clothes we put on, and the health we enjoy belong to the realm of relative blessings. And yet, if I do not take care of the food, clothing, and health of my fellow men, I myself will suffer an irrelevant loss. And since relative values serve as means for the realization of love, they acquire the highest sanctification, for they become ways of the manifestation of the unconditional and eternal in the world. Every reasonable person acts in this or that situation with reason, guided, first of all, by a sincere feeling of Christian conscience and love, and by the peculiarities of the life situation in which he finds himself. If the hostess of the house, forgetting about her family, spends all the days of Holy Week in the church, then this “forgetfulness” will not add saving grace to her due to her elementary failure to do household chores preparatory to the holiday.
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to plan and intelligently combine household chores with prayer in the temple. However, one should also take into account the fact that a person tends to justify his inability or unwillingness (laziness) to do charitable deeds. There is always a reason: lack of time, "feeling bad", lack of mood, resentment, decadent state of mind, etc. Referring to such reasons, some people for years cannot go to the temple of God, confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
On the other hand, there are quite a few people who, under the pretense of having to go to the temple rigorously regularly, consciously or unconsciously shirk their household chores. For a believer, there should be no pretexts that would prevent him from being saved in this disastrous and sinful world. It is difficult for us to fulfill church statutes, not because we are physically weaker than our ancestors, but because our spiritual and moral state is weakened, which is not able to lift us up with the routine of everyday everyday life.
“Our Holy Orthodox Church, loving mother of children, does not force anyone to feats that exceed her strength, she accepts every feasible sacrifice, she will take a humble sigh that we cannot fulfill her salvific charters to the accuracy. She rejects only those who stubbornly oppose her and dare to find her wisdom incompatible with the enlightenment of the age. To live in the world, but not to imitate it, to choose the “narrow path and narrow gates” is a sign of pious and salvific deed. At the same time, you must certainly maintain a sincere attitude towards what you are doing.
“Holidays are sacred days, on which our spirit rises above earthly cares, and the soul and body are freed from daily, tedious worries and duties. They remind us of the high destiny of a person to become the heir of a blessed life, when the work of life assigned to us by the Lord is completed. Therefore, we must be in the church for the festive service. What to do the rest of the time, when the service is over? The rules of the holy councils say nothing about this. Christian tradition prescribes pious rest. This fully corresponds to the meaning and purpose of the holiday. The person must be in a bright mood. It is quite clear that the strictness of the Pharisees, which forbids all work and occupation, is incompatible with the spirit of Christian joy. We must take care only that these activities do not tire us and do not captivate. The motives of these activities should be far from greed. In a word, on holidays after returning from the church, light, pleasant work is allowed, leading us away from relaxing idleness, which so often leads to despondency,” priest Athanasius Gumerov advises his children.
The existing principle of “separation of the Church from the state, and schools from the Church” has introduced spiritual confusion into the lives of the citizens of our country, and the state, as it were, itself limits the believer in visiting the temple. In our country, only three church holidays are recognized by the state: Christmas, Easter and Trinity. Therefore, the rest of the great holidays the people of God spend in their workplaces. But the wealth and power of the state depends on the spiritual potential, spiritual enlightenment and spiritual and moral strength of the people.
In addition to the above, we can add that the reasons for postponing temple attendance are illness or special life circumstances. The Church is a saving ship from worldly storms in comparison with a fragile boat on which a single person tries to swim across the roaring ocean.
We all boast of faith, but do we do works that are in accordance with faith? You believe that God is one: you do well, and the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, unfounded man, that faith without works is dead?(James 2:19-20). Therefore, believers often ask the priest a question: how great is the sin of not attending church on Sunday or the Great Feast? We cannot save ourselves, the Lord God saves us by His mercy and love for mankind; and the gospel says no one is holy, only one God, a person needs to approach his life carefully and responsibly. To determine the spiritual state of a person, God gave the Commandments of the Decalogue (Old Testament), the Commandments of Beatitudes (New Testament) and God also gave the human soul a conscience. So, willful non-attendance of the temple is a sin, the same severity as all other sins.
A believing person is drawn to grace as a gift from God, without which there is no normal spiritual well-being, and tries not to upset the Creator with his sinful behavior. Therefore, if we are in the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church of Christ and live its life, which is the Union of Love, and in which, according to the promise of God, the Holy Spirit invariably dwells, sending down His grace-filled gifts in the Sacraments of the Church, then we will avoid the devil's networks.
GENERAL CUSTOMS FROM THE CHURCH LIFE OF ANCIENT CHRISTIANS
The ancient Christians left us, far behind them in piety, an example worthy of imitation of the celebration of Sundays and feast days. They in every possible way avoided occupations that distract from the service of God, and exercised themselves in charitable and soul-beneficial activities. “We celebrate, but we celebrate as the Spirit pleases. And He wants us to say or do something proper. And to celebrate means to acquire from us permanent and eternal blessings for the soul, and not transient and soon-perishing ones, which, in my opinion, little sweeten the feeling, but rather corrupt it and harm it,” writes Gregory the Theologian.
On all Sundays and feast days without exception, the ancient Christians especially zealously visited the temples of God to participate in public worship. It was considered criminal to celebrate the holidays at home and in a state of sleep. All the night preceding the holiday, they read the Holy Scriptures in the temple or in another place of prayer, sang psalms, listened to instructive teachings, meeting the morning of the holiday.
Clement of Alexandria mentions vigils on the eve of feast days. Tertullian speaks of the pious, and in his time no longer new, custom of Christians to spend the night before feasts in church. In the “Epistle to the Wife,” he considers that a great obstacle to the marriage of a Christian woman with a pagan is the fact that, in this case, a Christian woman can no longer, with her former zeal, go to the church of God for an all-night vigil at the onset of the holidays: “What kind of husband (idolater ) agree to let his wife go to pray with the faithful during the all-night vigils? Will he allow her to spend the whole night in church on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ?
St. Gregory of Nyssa in his “Word for Pascha” describes his condition: “Our hearing resounded all night with the word of God, psalms, singing and spiritual songs, which, flowing into the soul with a joyful stream, filled us with good hopes; and our heart, coming into rapture from the audible and visible, and ascending through the sensual to the spiritual, anticipated unspeakable bliss.
POPULAR WORSHIP
No matter how long the vigils were, Christians did not leave the holy temples until the end of the Divine Service. John Chrysostom says: “I rejoice that you are so zealous for the common mother of all - the Church, you stand unceasingly throughout the entire all-night service ... bring unceasing praise to the Creator.”
Despite the preceding all-night vigils, Christians flowed to the temple and on the feast days themselves. The Evangelist Luke in the Acts of the Holy Apostles notes that the inalienable part of Sunday is a public meeting during which the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated. Origen, in one of his conversations on the prophet Isaiah, mentions the multitude of people in the temple on Sunday, the holy fathers of the fourth century speak with delight about the confluence of people to the temple on holidays. Joy seized St. Gregory of Nyssa when he went out to offer a lesson to the people on the feast of Theophany and saw such a great gathering of people into the church that “many, according to him, not fitting inside the temple, occupied all the entrances, just as bees - alone work inside while others fly near the hive. Inspiration, at the sight of such zeal of the flock, does not leave the shepherd throughout the entire sermon. He addresses them: “Seeing you, gathered in a multitude for the feast together with your household and relatives, I recall the prophetic saying that Isaiah proclaimed, foreshadowing the many children of the Church: “Who is it that flies like clouds and like doves to their dovecotes?” (Is. LX, 8), and again: “The place is narrow for me; yield to me so that I may live” (Is. XLIX, 20)
John Chrysostom often mentions in his conversations about the numerous gatherings of Christians in the temple on holidays. “You should be praised,” he said to the Antiochians, “for zeal, for the fact that you do not leave us on a single Sunday, but, leaving everything, come to church ... as if on wings, flock to hearing the word about virtue and put everything below divine words. In the “Word for the Nativity of Christ,” Chrysostom says: “I very much desired to see this day and, moreover, in such a way that it would be celebrated nationwide, as I now see ... For the space of this temple is almost cramped for such a large congregation ... The Savior who was born today will richly reward you for this jealousy".
In the “Word for Pascha” of the same saint we read: “For seven days we gather and offer you a spiritual meal that delights you with Divine verbs, so that every day we teach you and arm you against the devil.” John Chrysostom begins the “Word for Pentecost” as follows: “Again a feast, again a triumph, and again the many-child and child-loving Church is adorned with a great gathering of children ... The large number of those who come,” he continues, “is clothing for the Church, as the prophet said, addressing the Church:“ With all of them you will put on as a garment, and you will dress yourself with them like a bride ”(Is. XLIX, 18). Just as a chaste and noble wife in clothes that stretch to her very heels seems the most beautiful and best, so the Church, now covered by your numerous congregation, like a long garment, is today more cheerful.
Meeting the holidays in the temple, spending the festive morning there, the ancient Christians ended the holidays by visiting temples. With the onset of evening, they went to the temple to listen to instructive teachings and, probably, to pray. Evening meetings of Christians for listening to teachings on holidays were as numerous as meetings for all-night vigils and for the liturgy.
Only some urgent need, such as illness or captivity, kept some at home. But Christians did not abuse these circumstances. Those who were ill prayed at home on feast days during the hours appointed for public worship and, thus, were united in spirit with their brethren. Praying at home, the sick, however, grieved that they could not go to the temple. In the life of St. Sampson the Hospitable, it is told that the very sick royal adviser was very worried that he could not be in the church on the feast of the holy martyr Mokiy.
Even greater grief was felt by those who were comprehended by the heavy lot of captivity. “The road along which I walked,” one young man, who was captured by a pagan and then miraculously returned to his homeland, conveyed his feelings on the holiday, “ran past the Christian courtyard, in which there was a church. At that hour, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated. I heard the kontakion that was sung to St. George: “Thou hast been cultivated by God…” and so on, because there was a feast in memory of St. George the Victorious. This song moved me to tears."
In the biography of the martyr Sira, an incident is told that clearly testifies to the equal zeal of the ancient Christians, who lived both in calm times, under Orthodox rulers, and in times of persecution, for vigils on the eve of the holidays. Sira was imprisoned for the name of Christ and remained there in constant prayer. The feast of the martyrs who suffered in Persia has come. Sira knows that all Christians go to the temple according to custom, because she herself, along with others, participated in the all-night vigil; but he also knows that this time she will no longer be there. This plunged her into a new sorrow. At that moment, one God-lover comes, asks the guards to let Sira go to church and makes a promise that he himself will lead her back to the dungeon with the onset of the morning dawn. The door of the dungeon is open, Sira is in the church at the all-night vigil, and in the morning again in the dungeon, but without sorrow.
The cruel acts of the pagans did not in the least weaken the zeal of Christians for sacred assemblies on holidays; they still gathered together to give praise to the Lord. “We were persecuted,” writes the Hieromartyr Dionysius of Alexandria, “but persecuted and killed, we nevertheless celebrated at that time. Every place of our grief was for us a place of a solemn meeting, whether it was a village, a desert, a ship, a hotel or a dungeon. So for the ancient Christians, it was desirable to attend festive services.
EARTH BOWINGS
External worship on holidays, according to the martyr Justin the Philosopher, Tertullian, Eusebius Pamphilus and others, had the peculiarity that, praying on simple days with kneeling, on Sundays and holidays, the ancient Christians “did not kneel and did not make great prostrations - until earth, but small ones, bowing their heads until their hands reach the earth.
This custom originated in apostolic times, as Irenaeus, martyr and Bishop of Lyon, said in the book on Pascha, where he also mentions Pentecost, during which the knees were not bowed, for its days are equal to Sundays. Martyr Hilarius writes: “The apostles celebrated the Sabbath of Saturdays in such a way that for fifty days no one prayed to the ground ... it was also decreed to pray in the days of the Lord.” Later Christians followed the example of the apostles. Tertullian says: "We refrain from kneeling on the day of the Resurrection of the Lord ... also during Pentecost." And elsewhere: "We deem it impermissible to pray with kneeling on the Lord's day." Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria, writes: “We spend Sunday as a day of joy, for the sake of the Risen One… On this day we do not even bow our knees.” This is also evidenced by Saints Epiphanius of Cyprus and Basil the Great.
This tradition had a deep inner meaning, a special meaning, defined by one ancient writer as follows: “Since we must constantly remember two things: about our fall through sins and about the grace of Christ, by the power of which we rose from the fall; then kneeling for six days is a sign of our fall through sins. And that we do not bow our knees on the day of resurrection - this signifies the resurrection, through which, by the grace of Christ, we have been freed both from sins and from the death mortified with them. Basil the Great writes: “As those who have resurrected with Christ and are obliged to seek those on high, on Sunday, by the direct position of the body during prayer, we remind ourselves of the grace bestowed on us.” Tertullian, in the practice of Christians to pray on holidays without kneeling, sees an expression of spiritual joy: "We pray standing up when we refrain from revealing any sorrow and sorrow."
Christians were forbidden to kneel in holiday prayers and Council resolutions. At the First Ecumenical Council, it was decided: “Since some kneel on the day of the Lord and on the days of Pentecost, then, in order to observe agreement in everything in all dioceses, the holy Council determined standing to offer (on these days) prayers to God.” The same rule is found in the decisions of the Trullo (Sixth Ecumenical) Council: “From our God-bearing fathers, it is canonically given to us not to kneel on Sundays, for the honor of the resurrection of Christ. In order not to be in ignorance of how to observe this, we clearly show the faithful: on Saturday, at the evening entrance of the clergy to the altar, according to the accepted custom, no one kneels until the next evening on Sunday, on which, at the entrance, at lamp time, bending our knees again, thus we send up prayers to the Lord. For, considering the night of Saturday as the forerunner of the resurrection of our Savior, from it we spiritually begin songs and bring the feast from darkness into light. So from now on, both night and day, we fully celebrate the resurrection.
ON AVOIDING THE EVENING TEMPLE MEETINGS
In the time of Chrysostom, if some of the Christians avoided evening meetings, it was not so much due to negligence, but due to prejudice that after dinner one should not be in church and listen to the word of God. “Not everyone, I see, came here,” said the saint. - What is the reason? What drove them away from our meal? Having tasted sensual food, it seems that he thought that after it he should not go to hearing the word of God. But it is unfair to think so, because Christ, who repeatedly fed the people in the wilderness, would not have offered them a conversation after the meal, if it were indecent. When you are convinced that after eating and drinking it is necessary to go to the (church) meeting; then, of course, you will involuntarily take care of sobriety. Care and thought to go to church teaches to eat and drink with due moderation.
The words of John Chrysostom had a strong effect on the erring, and since then evening meetings for listening to teachings have become more numerous. “I rejoice and rejoice to all of you,” the saint said the next Sunday, “that you are fulfilling our recent advice to those who remain (at home). For many, I think, of those who have tasted food today are present here and fill this beautiful assembly; I think so because our spectacle has become more brilliant and the crowd of listeners has become more numerous. Not in vain, it seems, we recently convinced that it is possible, even after eating bodily food, to participate in spiritual food. For tell me, beloved, when did you do better? Was it during the past meeting, when after the table they turned to sleep, or now, when after the table they came together to listen to the Divine commandments? It is not shameful to take food, beloved, but, having taken it, stay at home and deprive yourself of the sacred celebration.
PUNISHMENT FOR NEGLIGENCE
The Holy Church has always taken care of maintaining pious zeal in Christians to visit the temple of God on feast days. At her Councils, she determined severe punishments for those who, without good reason, would leave Sunday worship for three weeks. At the Trull Council it was decided: “If a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or one of those who are numbered among the clergy, or a layman, without an urgent need or obstacle, by which he would be removed from his church for a long time, but staying in the city, at three Sundays ... will not come to the church meeting: then let the clergy be expelled from the clergy, and let the layman be removed from communion.
COMMUNICATION OF THE HOLY MYSTERIES
Ancient Christians every Sunday and feast began to receive the Holy Mysteries. There is no doubt that they also communed on simple days; in some places even daily, as testified by Saints Cyprian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, Blessed Augustine and St. Jerome the Blessed; and in other churches - only on Wednesday and Friday, as Basil the Great wrote. On Sundays and holidays, only the catechumens and penitents did not come to the Divine Meal.
The custom of accepting the Holy Gifts on feast days originated in the deepest antiquity. We find a mention of him in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “On the very first day of the week [at that time Sunday was considered the first day of the week], when the disciples gathered to break bread, Paul ... talked with them ... until midnight” (Acts XX, 7).
Hieromartyr Ignatius wrote to the Ephesians: “Try to gather more often for Divine Communion and glorification of God. For from your frequent gatherings, the powers of Satan are weakened, and by the union of your faith, the destruction he intends for you is terminated.
The Great Sacrament was honored not only by those who were present at the Divine Liturgy, but also by those who were not present for any good reason: the sick, imprisoned in prison. To these people, according to the testimony of the martyr Justin, the Holy Gifts were sent through deacons [the Sixth Ecumenical Council abolished this rule, and subsequently they began to pass blessed bread to the sick and prisoners, expressing their love and holy friendship]. In times of persecution, elders sometimes secretly went to the dungeons on feast days and communed the Christians who were there.
DONATIONS
History has preserved one more pious custom of the ancient Christians, by which they fulfilled the commandment of the Lord, given to ancient Israel: the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles; and no one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each one with a gift in his hand, considering the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you” (Deut. XVI, 16-17). On all Sundays, on all holidays, also on the days of memory of the saints, the ancient Christians made offerings to the church. They consisted, first of all, of things necessary for worship: bread and wine for the Eucharist, incense for incense, oil for lamps. All this was brought directly to the church. The other part of the donation, consisting of money, fruits, and other things, was sent to the houses of the bishop and presbyters, for the benefit of the clergy and to help those in need.
In the second century, offerings are mentioned by the martyr Justin the Philosopher and Tertullian, in the third century by the holy martyr Cyprian, in the fourth century by St. John Chrysostom and others. This custom was sacredly observed by all Christians, so that when one rich woman did not make a donation on Sunday, Cyprian, denouncing, spoke of her act as unworthy and strange. “You are in contentment and rich,” he said, “how do you want to celebrate the day of the Lord without thinking at all about the offering? How do you come on the day of the Lord without a sacrifice? How will you take a share of the sacrifice that the poor have brought?”
It was not allowed to make offerings only to those who had a clear or secret enmity against others, oppressed the poor; open and seductive sinners. Thus, the early Christians considered it a sacred duty to make donations, not to appear empty-handed on holidays before the Lord God, for which they received a great reward. The clergy, during their prayers in the temple, remembered those who had made offerings and pronounced their names aloud, as evidenced by Saints Cyprian and John Chrysostom, Jerome the Blessed. The apostolic decrees and John Chrysostom also mention that the bishop had to call the name of the bearer to the poor, so that they would pray for him.
SHOW PROHIBITION
Christians in antiquity did not attend theaters, did not participate in other popular amusements, because some served as an expression of false pagan beliefs, others were extremely cruel and immoral. Although subsequently popular amusements lost both properties, and some of the many new converts in the fourth century could not immediately wean themselves from pagan habits, did not refrain from attending spectacles, but these violators of Christian customs were subjected to severe denunciations of the pastors of the Church, denunciations to which pastoral zeal sometimes added threats of severe punishment.
St. John Chrysostom, strongly denouncing, according to him, for visiting theaters, uttered the following threat: Church, with great severity we will teach them not to do such things. And the laws of the Church prescribed to excommunicate those who attend theaters on holidays from the communion of the Holy Mysteries. In another conversation, John Chrysostom said: “I declare loudly that if anyone, after this exhortation and instruction, goes to the fatal infection of theaters, I will not allow him to enter the temple.”
However, the Fathers of the Church even took care that spectacles and other popular amusements be completely abolished on holidays. The Fathers of the African Church, who were at the Local Council of Carthage (418), decided to ask Emperor Honorius to ban shameful games on Sunday and other holidays. The pious Christian emperors, who recognized the importance of holidays, fulfilled the desire of the pastors of the Church. The code of Theodosius decreed: “On holidays, none of the judges should be in the theater, or in the circus, or on the persecution of animals ... No one should give spectacles to the people on the day of the sun and, moving away from the triumph of the Church, violate pious reverence.”
It also says: “On Sunday, the first of the week, and on the days of Easter, the Nativity of Christ, Theophany, Pentecost in all cities, remove from the people all the fun of spectacles and circuses and take care that all the thoughts of Christians and the faithful are occupied with deeds of God . If anyone is still carried away either by the foolishness of Jewish ungodliness, or by the gross error and folly of paganism, let it be known to him that there is a special time for prayer and a special time for entertainment.
Their triumph and mirth have never been revealed by that which can offend God and which is unworthy of virtue. Even on civil holidays, for example, in honor of the emperors, Christians did not allow themselves any of the pagan pleasures, although the pagans declared them enemies of the empire and even insults to the majesty of the emperors for this.
Tertullian, defending Christians, wrote: “Christians are enemies of the state, because they give honors to emperors not vain, not false, not reckless, but, professing the true religion, they celebrate their triumphs in conscience, and not with lust. To tell the truth, it is a great proof of zeal: laying fires and beds in the square, feasting through the streets, turning the city into a tavern (tavern or tavern), pouring wine everywhere, running in crowds, producing insults, shamelessness and all kinds of outrages. Is the joy of the people to be revealed by the general disgrace? Can it be that what is obscene at other times becomes obscene in the days dedicated to the sovereign? Will those who observe the laws out of respect for the sovereign begin to violate them under the pretext of honoring him? Can dishonesty be called deanery? Can an occasion for intemperance be considered a reverent feast?”
CHARITY
For the same pious impulse, the ancient Christians generously did good to the poor. Eusebius tells how Constantine the Great, with the onset of Easter morning, “in imitation of the beneficence of the Savior, stretched out his beneficent right hand to all citizens and blacks and gave them all kinds of rich gifts.” Gregory of Turin writes that King Guntram distributed alms during the first three days of Easter. Imitating the emperors, and their subjects for charity to their neighbors mainly chose holidays.
John Chrysostom speaks of Sunday as a day of special blessings, in comparison with other days of the week, and explains why he more than others disposes to give alms: day we received countless blessings. On this day, death was destroyed, the curse was destroyed, sin was destroyed, the gates of hell were crushed, the devil was bound, the long-term war was stopped, God was reconciled with people, our race entered its former or much better state, and the sun saw an amazing and wonderful sight - a man who became immortal."
FAMILY TRADITIONS
Little information has been preserved by the story of how the ancient Christians spent the holidays at home, but even from them one can see that piety adorned family life. All Christian families gathered at home with their family members to spend together the few hours that remained free after public worship and the performance of works of mercy. St. Gregory of Nyssa in the “Word for Easter” says: “Just as a new, newly formed swarm of bees, for the first time flying out of the bee house into the light and air, all sit down together on one branch of a tree, so on a real holiday all members of the family gather from everywhere to their homes." These home meetings were joyful.
The slaves felt joy even more strongly, because the masters not only freed them from work on holidays, but also forgave them misconduct, even important ones. Gregory of Nyssa spoke about the Easter holiday: “If a slave has committed many misdeeds that can neither be forgiven nor excused, then his master, out of respect for the day, conducive to joy and philanthropy, accepts the outcast and shamed.”
HOLIDAY CLOTHING
The joy of the ancient Christians was also revealed in their outward behavior. Everyday clothes, usually simple, were replaced by more valuable and bright ones. This is how St. Gregory of Nyssa depicts the solemnity of Easter: “The farmer, having left the plow and spade, adorned himself with festive clothes ... the poor adorned himself like a rich man, the rich dressed better than usual.” However, the festive clothes of Christians were not magnificent; they were clean, and sometimes the robes were significant from some recollection. On the solemn days of Pascha and Pentecost, the Monk Anthony put on the palm clothes dear to his heart, which he inherited after the Apostle Paul.
END OF THE FAST
On holidays, everyone stopped fasting, but they did not allow themselves excesses in eating and drinking, based on their usual rule: not to live in order to eat; but in order to eat, to live. Martyr Hilarius points to the termination of fasting on feast days as an apostolic custom.
Tertullian writes: "On the day of the Lord we consider it indecent to fast ... with the same freedom (from fasting) we rejoice from Easter to Pentecost." Epiphanius of Cyprus also testifies that there is no fasting on the days of Pentecost. Ambrose of Milan condemns the Manicheans for fasting on Sunday: "Their fasting on this day shows that they do not believe in the resurrection of Christ." Blessed Augustine writes: “We consider it reprehensible to fast on Sunday.” Those of the ascetics who, on fasting days, sometimes remained completely without food, also postponed fasting. Epiphanius testifies that true ascetics did not fast on Sundays and Pentecost. Cassian says that all Eastern monks fast five days a week without ceasing, but on Sunday and Saturday they postpone fasting.
It is narrated about St. Melania: “Saint Melania gradually began to accustom herself to fasting more and more strict, at first she ate every other day, then after two, and finally, she was left without food all week, except Saturday and Sunday.”
On the Sundays of Holy Forty Days (Great Lent), fasting was weakened. “Like on high roads,” says St. John Chrysostom, “there are hotels in which weary travelers can rest and calm down from their labors, so that later they can continue the journey again; just as there are marinas on the sea, where sailors, having overcome many waves and withstanding the pressure of the winds, can rest for a while, so that later they can start sailing again - so at the present time, the Lord has granted those two days (Saturday and Sunday) to those who have embarked on the path of fasting. as if hotels or piers for a short rest, so that they, and the body calmed somewhat from labors, and encouraged the soul, again, after two days, with zeal, embark on the same path and continue this beautiful and saving journey.
There were, however, holidays on which Christians observed fasting: the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Beheading of John the Baptist.
The Holy Church, by its decrees, approved the custom of ancient Christians to break the fast on holidays. The apostolic canons threaten the disobedient with excommunication for fasting on Sundays. The same was decreed at the Councils: Gangra and Trull. The Rule of the Sixth Ecumenical (Trullo) Council forbids fasting on the Saturdays of Holy Lent.
MEAL FOR EVERYONE
There is no doubt that Christians in ancient times, as now, used to visit the homes of their relatives and friends. Relatives and friends were pleased to share the joy of the holidays and taste the festive meal together. In the life of the Monk Theodore Sykeot, there is mention of a feast, which in the house of his parent on Pascha was arranged for relatives and neighbors. Christian homes these days were filled with the poor, orphans, wanderers. They were called here by Christian love, wishing to feed the hungry.
The pious custom of arranging a meal for the poor on feast days originated in the very early days of Christianity. Only then was a meal served at the temples, as pointed out by the Apostle Paul, Pliny, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, and at the tombs of the martyrs on the days of the celebration of their memory. So it was for the first three centuries
It is told about the Monk Macarius of Egypt that, according to the custom of his parents, on the feast of one saint, he prepared dinner in his house, “not only for neighbors, but also for the poor.” Tertullian wrote about love suppers: “Everything that happens at our suppers is in accordance with the faith that we profess. There is nothing wrong with them, nothing contrary to good morals. The Supper begins with a prayer to God; eat as much as necessary to satisfy hunger; they drink as befits people who strictly observe abstinence and sobriety; they are sated so that on the same night they can offer up prayers to God; they talk, knowing that the Lord hears everything ... The Supper ends as it began.
The article used the materials of the priest Viktor Grozovsky
Some people interpret completely ordinary events from a too mystical side. For example, demon possession has long been thought to be the reason why things get bad in the church. And even now, some people believe in such things. However, the simplest things can be the cause of such malaise.
What does it mean if the church becomes bad?
First, let's remember the standard setting of this place. Twilight, burning candles, a lot of people, stuffiness - all this is inherent in the church, especially on the days of various religious holidays. All of these factors can cause dizziness, nausea, fainting, and even an epileptic seizure. They are often the answer to the question of why some people feel bad in. And not obsession with demons or dark forces.
Why does it get worse after church?
The smell of incense can be the cause of a decrease in pressure, as well as dizziness or nausea after visiting the cathedral. It is he who often causes the described state.
Also, a person who has defended the service may feel not quite healthy due to banal fatigue or low blood sugar. As a rule, religious events are very long, and if we are talking about an Orthodox holiday, then the service even lasts several hours, which parishioners spend standing indoors. Fatigue and lack of sugar, that's the reason why after going to church it becomes bad.
Especially often this condition is observed in the elderly and in those who suffer from various diseases. It is they who, after the service, may begin to complain about, the inability to breathe normally, or weakness. Such parishioners should be given first aid, for example, give ammonia, make hot sweet tea. This will help relieve spasm from the vessels.
Number of entries: 43
Hello! I have such a problem, as soon as I go into the church, I immediately feel uncomfortable, my head is spinning, but somehow I was at a fortune teller, she said that I was walking under the devil. Sometimes it seems that something is twitching inside. And, if it matters, I was born on Friday the 13th. Can you please explain what that could be?
Vitaly
Vitaly, you don’t need to go to fortune-tellers anymore, no matter how much worse they do to you, but go to the temple, don’t leave, over time this temptation will leave you. This enemy will not let you go: either you went to visit him, to that fortuneteller, or maybe you read some kind of occult literature, they amused him, and now you turned away from him and went to God. How will he like it? Here it is spiteful, frightening, tempting, it gives all sorts of sensations to feel. And don't be afraid! But through such "tricks" you will be even more convinced that there is a spiritual world. And when it gets bad, you can even say: “Thank you, enemy, you strengthen me in faith with your tricks: if there is such rubbish as you in the spiritual world, then, therefore, there are angels, and the Lord Himself, here I am to them and I will strive!
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father. When I stand in the service, I feel bad - first there comes a continuous yawning, then bad. The same goes for the subway. Doctors say it's heart failure syndrome. How to be?
Iraida
Quite possibly, Iraida, it is. In any case, the situation in the subway is not at all similar to spiritual warfare. Consult with your parish priest, perhaps it is simply stuffy in your church.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Good afternoon, father. I have a difficult situation - my mother-in-law has schizophrenia, and my wife has some kind of mental illness, because of which we have a very limited ability to marital cohabitation. The mother-in-law, leaving the house, turns off electrical appliances, the wife turns them off before going to bed, because "they squeak." My wife wanted a wardrobe with mirrored doors, I bought it for her, so she went to sleep in another place - she is afraid of mirrors. He doesn’t listen to me or the priests, but on all issues he turns to the Internet, or to his friends. In disputable situations, he is incapable of a calm dialogue, immediately breaks into a heart-rending cry, even if it’s two in the morning. It came to breaking dishes and throwing the phone. On Saturday, because of her, we didn’t go to church, because “on Saturday you have to go to church only if you take communion.” And this despite the fact that there is a post in the yard! Then she gave me such a thing, from which I am still in a stupor: “I feel bad in the temple, my faith is not confirmed by anything, why does God need my torment, because no one asked me to be born.” She said many other terrible words, but when I asked her: "So you are a Christian or not," she answered: "I don't know." How do I not know! It became unbearable to live with her - I am constantly afraid that she will lay hands on herself, probably, from this I will soon be moved by my mind. For some reason, the priest who married us does not allow divorce, although there are all reasons for this. What should I do?
Alexei
Dear Alexey, a lot of patience and love is needed in your situation. Your wife feels bad, she is nervous, and you need to understand why and why, what problems oppress her so much. If this is a mental disorder, a doctor's consultation is necessary, and it may take a lot of effort for her to agree to go. He listens more than to you, to his girlfriends - it means that a common language has not developed very well. You seem to be more of a rational person, and your wife lives more with emotions. Learn to understand, make contact that she understands. Slowly figure out what's going on. In the meantime, we must be sympathetic to unexpected, seemingly strange actions, such as turning off electrical appliances. Some people especially feel either electric or magnetic fields, and experience discomfort from electrical engineering. Unless you figure out what the inner problem is, beware of pushing the observance of the outer side. Do not appeal to the concepts of "you are a Christian." Not words will help here, but an ardent prayer for the spouse. May God help you!
Priest Sergiy Osipov
Hello! Tell me, please, what to do, what to do if things get bad in the church? When I stand in the service, I feel very bad, there is ringing in my ears, I feel sick. The grannies who are there say that, despite this, we must stand. But I can't - it's too bad. And I want to go to church. Tell me how to proceed? Thanks to!
Katia
Katya, first of all, do not be afraid and not embarrassed, it happened to many, this will pass. Secondly, to understand that these conditions are brought down on us by the devil, our enemy, if you do not retreat and give in, then win: he can only scare us, but the Lord will not allow him to really harm him. On the other hand, how is this not a reinforcement in faith?! See how it works? And by this he involuntarily assures us that a spiritual subtle world really exists, and that in this world some people feel very bad because we are going to God.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father. I have a question. Everything changed in my worldview after I came to faith, but when I come to the temple, I cannot hold back my tears, especially when I hear singing or stand at miraculous icons, and I tremble during confession, and I am so ashamed, and sobs I’m choking that I can’t say a word, but then, like a mountain, I moved, but I don’t stop crying. I am ashamed of this, no one is crying, but I am in tears, and people are watching, I have already become afraid to go to the temple, and suddenly I will burst into tears again. What is it, how to deal with it?
Elena
Don't fight it, Elena, it's very good! Tears of tenderness are a wonderful gift. If they flow, don't hold back, don't be shy. Of course, you don’t need to somehow artificially evoke them in yourself or stir up some other emotions in the temple, but if you already have tears, don’t be embarrassed: it’s good to cry about your sins, about your life.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, today I was at the morning service with my mother, 30-40 minutes passed, and I suddenly became ill, began to burn in my head, ring in my ears, closed my eyes, got lost in space. With difficulty I reached the shop, I felt a little better, then they took me out into the street and I felt good, and I returned to the temple. This is the second time, tell me, please, what is happening to me? Thank you.
Daniel
This can happen for various reasons, Daniel. And from spiritual reasons, when the demon begins to tempt us, and simply from stuffiness in the temple and the smoke of candles, if there are too many of them. It is best to talk about this with the priest at confession: here you will need to delve into the reasons together.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello! I am pregnant! After I found out, I can't stand a single service. Before that everything was fine. Please tell me what to do and why is this happening? Thank you.
Marina
Hello Marina. It is better to think about God while sitting than standing about your feet. Standing service is not necessary. You can hatch them. And get up only at the most crucial moments - for the reading of the Gospel and for the Eucharistic canon. The main thing is that you do not forget to pray. There is nothing to be ashamed of. God help you.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Hello! Father, please help me. Sometimes when I come to church I feel like crying. Sometimes tears come out of the eyes on their own during the service, for no apparent reason. Tell me, is this normal? I don't understand why I want to cry.
Masha
Masha, just the soul yearned without God. It would be best for you to prepare somehow for confession, communion, come early in the morning to the service, repent of your sins, cleanse your soul, and take communion with a clear conscience. That would be solace for the soul! And they would do it more often. And so, of course, our situation is deplorable - and the sea of \u200b\u200bsins, and on the cleansing of the soul from them, we will be frank, we do not work, as we should. This is where the tears will flow.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, fathers! When they were getting married in the church, she fainted, but the priest held the wedding to the end after some time. My mother's friend asked the ministers of the church how to feel about this, they said that I would bear all the hardships of family life on my shoulders and I needed to be patient. Is it really? And another question, I heard that you can’t cry for the dead, they feel bad there, is that so?
Svetlana
Hello Svetlana! I think such a strange explanation was given not by the priest, but by some church employee from the category of "church grandmothers." Such explanations should not be trusted. Even the holy apostle Paul warned: “Resist the wicked and the fables of women, but train yourself in godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7). Family life itself is a common bearing of the Cross, and fainting does not matter here. In relation to the dead, we must mourn, but with the hope of God's mercy and eternal life. Inconsolable crying can only speak of our unbelief.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Hello, father! I have a friend with whom I have many common interests, both personal and professional. This year, she declared herself a "healer" after several sessions with a man who calls himself a sorcerer. Now she "heals" people with conspiracies and, as she says, with prayers; "takes strength" from the trees. This is alien to me, like a wall has grown in front of me, after ten years of good, fruitful communication, I completely lost the desire to communicate. And the most surprising thing for me is that I can’t go into church with her, just go in, light a candle, I can’t pray if she is next to me. So I remain at the threshold, and she enters. I can't pray next to the "healer". What is this, my pride? How should I behave?
Larisa
Larisa, all sorts of "healers", "sorcerers", "psychics" are servants of the dark forces. Your friend uses magic - this is witchcraft, it is ungodly. If you can’t convince, then it’s better to stay away from such a “girlfriend”, otherwise, what’s good, communicating with her, you yourself will begin to “treat people”. It's not pride, it's just that your soul feels that it's not from God. Go to church without her, alone. Or find yourself another girlfriend, Orthodox.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello. Recently, at the age of 63, my father died. He accepted baptism consciously at the age of 40, but did not go to church. He said that he felt bad there, that from childhood he felt uncomfortable there, something like fear. And his back always hurt a lot, he could not stand for a long time. I don’t know if it was always after baptism, but at least for the last ten years I constantly wore a pectoral cross. I think he did not know prayers, although I may be mistaken. But almost every day he went up to the icons at home, was baptized, and asked God for something. Lately, it seemed to me that he was getting closer spiritually to God. But at the same time, he moves away from him in his actions: he suffered from the sin of drinking wine. He died (was sober) suddenly, from a stroke. What I now regret very much, if he lay down for at least a few days, maybe we could invite a priest to the hospital or home. But that was the will of God. Can the soul of a person who turned to God but did not go to church have hope for salvation? How to pray for him?
Tatyana
Tanya, we Christians believe that the judgment of God is more merciful than the judgment of man. Pray for dad and don't despair. Your diligence is his justification before the Lord that he has a Christian daughter.
Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy
Father, good afternoon! Today I was at confession in a note my sins were listed: irritation, resentment, condemnation. Batiushka reproached me for being so nervous. I consulted with him that after the patristic books, this world seems hostile to me, I worry about the child, that there is a lot of abundant destructive information in the world ... Batiushka said that only my nervousness could affect the child. I felt a little embarrassed. I try to improve, it is difficult for me to get away from my passions, I repent, I pray, I ask God for help, I want the child to be healthy and pious. Today I felt bad again in the temple.
Marina
Marina, situations like the one you described are just passing, commonplace for spiritual life. Yes, confessors sometimes reproach us, sometimes they are even very strict with us. And there is a reason! If we are petted on the head all the time, what will grow out of us? We must remember that we did not come to the temple to look for caresses, but serious spiritual people. Those of the parishioners who came only to be pitied, believe me, very soon fall off the temple. Do not grieve, try to accept the priest's reproach with wisdom: we have nothing to be offended with - we are only taking the first clumsy and rather lazy steps in faith, along the path of salvation. Reproaches and shakes are our dear guests, without them, in caress and bliss, none of us will be saved.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father! I went to the temple for an early service on the Exaltation of the Lord. This day was my birthday. I lit candles for the saints, stood in the service for 50 minutes. Then I suddenly became ill while reading the Gospel, my eyes darkened and nausea began, I could not stay on my feet, I understand that I will fall now. This is the first time with me. I left the temple, but the fresh air did not help me either, so I went home. It didn't get any better at home. I believe in God, I don't do magic, I go to the temple. I cannot understand why this happened. I really wanted to stay until the end of the service, but the condition did not allow. I am very ashamed and embarrassed that I left the temple at such a moment, because it is impossible. Why is this so, and what could it be connected with?
Vivey
Dear Vivea, do not attach importance to what happened if it does not happen again. If this becomes a regular occurrence, consult a doctor. At your age, what happened may be the cause of hormonal changes in the body. And, of course, pray before the service that the Lord will help and this will not happen again. God bless you!
Archpriest Andrey Efanov
After going to church for services, for confession, for Communion, I already felt bad several times. Tell me what it says? Tell me what to do? Thank you.
Peter
Peter, I am not inclined to immediately give this ailment some kind of spiritual connotation, although this, of course, happens. I think this may be the result of fatigue, early rises to the service in the morning, perhaps stuffiness in the temple. Do not rush to worry. But don’t stop praying either, otherwise the demon will take advantage of this situation and will simulate such attacks for you, just not to let you into the temple.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Bless, father! The last time, when I had just taken communion and was already listening to the Prayers of Thanksgiving, my nose suddenly began to bleed. I don’t know what it is connected with, I just think that everything happens not by chance, and I don’t think this is just an accident either. And they immediately gave me a napkin, it was all covered in blood. What should I do with this napkin? I did not throw it away, because it all happened after the acceptance of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
Svetlana
Svetlana, the napkin could have simply been thrown away, there is no need to add mysticism to such simple things, and the situation, even if it happened after communion. Everything is fine! Do not worry.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Good afternoon! I went to communion on my birthday, got a headache in church, and after that I became very irritable, nervous, even quarreled with the saleswoman in the store, I was surprised by my behavior. Today is the second day, and the state too. What could it be?
Natalia
Natalia, this is the most banal temptation. Too bad you succumbed to it. This often happens: the enemy attacks a person either before he is going to the temple, or after. Be more vigilant for the future.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello! I don't have much opportunity to attend church services, because I live very far from the nearest church, and my grandfather cannot drive me every time, so I often pray at home. But with breaks: for example, the first week I pray, and the second one too, but on the third week I’m already too lazy. And now, after one week, I begin to pray again, and in the morning I (during prayers) feel very ill! I paused, lay down, and then continued again. And again I felt so bad that I could not even stand on my feet! This has never happened before! Only in the Church, perhaps.
Anna
Anna, there is no need to leave prayer, especially for you, in your position, when you cannot often go to church and receive spiritual reinforcement. Try, at least, when you manage to come to the service, to go to confession and communion without fail, this will strengthen you greatly. And if for a long time there is no opportunity to get to the service, then you can also agree with the priest to take communion at home. Stick to these simple rules for now, and I hope your infirmity will pass.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father! I am on my way to becoming a church. Unfortunately, I am not a strong and hardy person. I am not distinguished by good health, I suffer from frequent headaches, I get very tired. For me, even to defend the service in the temple is a serious test. Because of this, I don’t visit the temple often (depending on how I feel). I understand that the Lord gives each of us the trials that he is able to endure, for our own good. However, I feel guilty about not being able to become a good Christian! How to be? What do you advise, father? And 1 more question. Is it possible to shorten the morning and evening rule? Is there any obligatory minimum of morning and evening prayers? Unfortunately, I often do not have the strength and time to read all the morning and evening prayers that are contained in my prayer book.
Olesya
Hello Olesya. What happened can be explained by physical causes. Perhaps six hours of stress is too much for a teenage girl. Do not doubt, the Lord God hears the prayer appeals of all who came to bow to the Holy Relics of the Blessed One, and the feat of your standing did not go unnoticed by God. God bless.
Priest Sergiy Osipov
Good afternoon! On Sunday I went to confession and communion. Already after the confession (at the service) I felt bad (the lower back ached, my head was spinning). After communion, it got even worse - she lay at home until the evening, besides, some kind of depression began, such a heaviness in her soul ... But in the evening everything suddenly passed - the pain subsided, and the mood became just wonderful. What does it mean? How to evaluate it? When I used to go to church, I rested my soul there. The church has never been bad. I was preparing for communion - it was very important for me. The last time I attended communion was about 15 years ago ...
Anastasia
Hello Anastasia. I congratulate you on receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The one who kept you from Holy Communion for 15 years does not immediately give up, he tries with all his might to bring discouragement to a person, but under the influence of the Grace of God, he eventually retreats. Try to come to Confession and Holy Communion more often so as not to expose yourself to such attacks by enemy forces. God bless.
Priest Sergiy Osipov
| 1 |
For some reason, they try to bypass this topic, both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Christians themselves. However, in my opinion, such things cannot be ignored. For this whole epic with every Sunday visits to churches is nothing but masochism. Bullying both themselves and their children. Why?
Pay attention when typing the phrase “bad in” in Yandex, it becomes clear from the tooltips that people feel bad only “in the church”, or “in the heat”. And it’s somehow strange that people who use Yandex search somehow don’t care at all why it happens “bad in the circus”, “bad in the subway” or “bad in the market” ... And they ask precisely why “bad in the church”. Apparently, many people have certain doubts and suspicions.
Now let's see what Google gives us in the search. In the first place, the phrase “bad in the church” falls out (the higher the position, the more often the request for a specific phrase). And here, too, comments are unnecessary.
Further, I propose to run through the expanses of the Internet, go around dozens of forums and other thematic sites where different people communicate, and see if there is anything interesting there on the designated issue.
Black cat:
Can someone explain to me why I felt bad in the church? This summer I am on vacation in Cyprus, and as you know, there is an ancient monastery of Kykkos, where the miraculous icon of the Mother of God is kept, and in general this monastery, in my opinion, is the 3rd most important place for Christianity ... So, as soon as I went inside to the altar, to the icons with the entire tourist group, I suddenly felt so bad... Words can't describe... Something was coming from inside, my head began to spin from the smell of incense... I couldn't even get closer than 3 meters to the icons... After listening to the tour, I quickly left from the monastery, and on the street I somehow came to my senses ... Before, I never felt sick in churches ... What does this all come from? I wear a pectoral cross, but I also do magic from time to time ...
water:
the same question… only since childhood I feel very bad when I go to the Russian Orthodox Church. I go into Catholic and Protestant churches and cathedrals calmly, and even get some kind of peace. But in the Orthodox it becomes very bad - up to the loss of consciousness .... for the last couple of years I have bypassed them.
Falecto:
I have the same thing. Such a strange reaction only to the Orthodox Church. It feels like even the vault of the church “presses” on me.
Violet:
interesting fact ... I thought it was just me. Once I went to Jerusalem "Across Christian Places", and so in one of the places I became naturally ill. And when I went to the graves of local saints (not Christians), it was very normal, and even in some places I felt a “corridor” up ...
Svetlana:
My ears are stuck in the church and my head is spinning. And not every time, and not constantly, but sometimes, especially when the Acts of the Apostles are read or during the Eucharistic canon. And when I kissed the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, my whole face and ears then burned and cried all day for no reason. How can this be explained? The priest simply says: "The grace of God has touched you." What is happening, why is there such a strong energy from miraculous icons that not all people can stand it. I watched this, some became ill, fainted, left the church, and as soon as you leave the church, everything stops right away. I also felt unwell, but I decided that no matter what happened - I would not leave the church, and slowly let go, but I sobbed like a fool all day.
shameless:
Not so long ago, ... I went to church, to some kind of holiday there, I really don’t remember. A friend took me, I wouldn’t have gone myself, .... so ... as soon as I started to approach the church, my head began to spin, tears flowed from my eyes and a little panic began ..., .. all the same, my friend managed to drag me there, .there I also didn’t behave very adequately, .... after that, I didn’t feel very good for a week. I somehow watched a program that it seems to be bad, ... that it’s like some kind of demon instills in you .... So, ... I dreamed several times that someone really infused me with a bad one, like an evil spirit .... and I feel it very well…..I'm already straight….. What could it be?
M A R I N A:
How I felt at the service, I can’t say that it’s good, on the contrary, one of the main reasons for stopping attending church is that I started to faint there (it wasn’t rare), but I didn’t come to my senses right away - not anymore. churches, but on the street. I would like to know someone's opinion about such manifestations of the state in the church (fainting, loss of consciousness).
Little_Mary:
In the church itself, I feel NOTHING, as if I were in the most ordinary building or on the street. But on the other hand, after I get out of there, I feel wildly tired, as if I had been pulling pounds all day. And with fatigue often irritability.
hyediga:
And the church burns me out. I leave it empty-empty, tired, squeezed out. one shell remains.
Annie26:
My friend has a problem. When he goes to an Orthodox church, he becomes ill, he becomes covered with sweat, his head begins to spin, and most often he flies out of there like a bullet and runs out of the gate. Can't help it. What do you think is wrong with him???
Dashe4ka:
It always happens to me! No matter how I go to the church, my head is spinning, it becomes bad!
Elena_C:
It also gets very bad for me in church, when my daughter was baptized, I thought I wouldn’t stand it ... I generally have some kind of internal negativity towards the church ... Although I have been to church 8-10 times in my entire life!
Chebanskaya Olga Nikolaevna:
Our family entered the church a year ago, after the death of my father. After the funeral, we talked with the priest about the frequently ill child, received good advice to give him communion, and came to the temple. And so, when the priest read a prayer before confession, our 10-year-old son rolled his eyes and fell. There were not very many people, and he did not worry too much, so stuffiness and emotions have nothing to do with it. They took him out of the church - he came to his senses, went back - again it was bad. So they ran back and forth until communion. Immediately after communion, everything stopped, I feel wonderful.
Elena777:
The question is: what can cause poor health in the church? Because of this, one of my acquaintances refuses to even enter the church gate. She says that in church she feels dizzy, nauseous, weak, short of breath, even fainted.
Olga:
I had this when I started to become churched and go to church regularly. Once I didn't go for a month because of work. When she came a month later, it started: suffocation, fever, pain and a very loud rumbling in the stomach during the service ... It got dark in her eyes almost to the point of losing consciousness ... She walked and endured, then slowly passed. I think demons work.
naleynik:
Tell me, please, in the church it becomes bad: dizzy, nausea, there were cases that she lost consciousness. With what it can be connected
Altiz:
Hello members of the forum, can someone tell me what the problem is, after the service in the Church I moan irritable, nervousness appears, the next day I slowly calm down.
http://belmagi.ru/for/view.php?bn=ru_magic&key=1159340615
Sergey:
After the start of the service, everything seems to be fine, and then thoughts are a confusion and an alarming state of some kind, and then it becomes scary, as if something very bad will happen to me now, or I will die. It becomes so anxious that sometimes I go out into the street to calm down, then I return. And so every time. I go to church like I go to battle.
not like this:
I feel bad in church - to the point of dizziness. I used to love visiting churches so much, but now I just feel hatred when I only pass by.
Stas:
But the strangest thing was when my son was baptized in the church, I felt so bad that I had to go outside, I didn’t see the process itself. Today I went to church, it became bad again: my heart ached (although there were no worries with it), it became hard to breathe, my legs felt like cotton. WHAT IS THIS HAPPENING WITH ME???
Mill:
Here is a question. My head starts to hurt badly. And not in all churches, only in 2 out of 3 that I visited.
Squirrel:
I can’t stay in church for a long time, I get sick. Nauseous, dizzy, starting to hurt. It's always been that way for as long as I can remember. Can anyone explain to me why this is happening???
kitty:
My husband gets sick in church. he doesn't even go there. what is the matter?
Exclusive:
Recently, I began to notice that I feel uncomfortable in the church, at first an inexplicable fear attacked, now my head began to spin and nausea appeared, what could this be connected with?
Anna, Krasnoyarsk (Russia):
I often feel bad in church. It even came to fainting. Why is this happening?
Keleynick:
Personally, it causes me great surprise when people in the church simply fall down, lose consciousness, and in a small church near the house - I have never seen this, but in the central cathedral of the city - almost every time I visit there (and usually young girls all the time). With what it can be connected?
minitor:
The crown of my head is actually that I feel somehow not good in church, not comfortable and uncomfortable, I want to go out. A friend has the same garbage, even his "grandmothers" are asked to leave the church. What is it and what to do with it?
Julius Simonova:
We went to the Red Hill to St. Matrona. Stayed for 2.5 hours. This is half the trouble. The father called everyone to receive communion. And then it began. I felt so bad. Legs just wobbled. Tears abruptly began to flow in a hail. There was a feeling of a ton of weight all over my body. I was very scared and bad at the same time. In general, she left the church and began to stand with her husband further in line. The cat came up to us and stood with us for a long time purring, and was very kind to us. Then he disappeared without notice. When it was our turn to the masches, I felt bad again. Tears and all.
alison:
Here. I don’t know what caused this, but I’m really physically ill in church. I can watch TV, although without pleasure. And inside the temple, horror seizes.
icebabygirl:
Help someone advice. I don't understand what is happening to me. When I enter the church, after 5 minutes I feel very bad. It gets dark in the eyes, the heart begins to pound ... The state is as if now I will fall without feelings. This happens not specifically in one church, but wherever it goes.
Guest:
The girl faints in the church. What is it? not a lot of people, not stuffy, what could be the reason?
Navi:
For the fourth time, a 10-year-old child faints while visiting a church. On the fourth visit - there was a baptism of the child, they took him away in an ambulance. What could it be?
Stasets:
I felt bad once (it became hot and my head began to spin) when I went to let go of my sins
Lamii:
Hooray! I'm not alone!
I always get sick in church. I can't stay in church for more than 10 minutes. Once I even fainted. The head is spinning, it darkens in the eyes, it starts to vomit. I attribute this to the smell of wax and this smelly smoke, it can’t be that evil spirits are really walking in me ...
BIT:
As a child, the church really got sick with darkening in the eyes (it was stuffy). My parents quickly took me outside and everything went away.
Semyon:
After the baptism, I sat in the church, waiting for the next ceremony to be performed, I probably needed to taste the wine, I don’t remember. I fainted, apparently from the stale air.
Elena N.:
yeah, I started to faint there, I almost set fire to the dress with a candle
Tikhvin, student:
Whenever I'm in church, I get really sick. As soon as I cross the threshold of the temple, I feel dizzy, and after a few minutes I start to feel sick and it becomes difficult to breathe. The body begins to hurt, and it feels like thousands of needles are being stuck into you, you just want to run away from there, but at the same time a strong desire to stay there. I often go to church, I'm just drawn there for some reason, but I can't stand more than 15 minutes in the church. Why is this happening?
Olga, student, Novosibirsk:
Why do I feel unbearably bad when I go to the temple? This question has already been asked to you, I just do not quite understand how to deal with it. Why do I feel unbearably bad when I go to the temple? I feel dizzy, it gets dark in my eyes, the trembling is such that you either have to sit down or go out into the fresh air, otherwise you will faint.
Bars Kisa:
Why do I get sick in church? It can become bad for me not only in the church, but also near it. Somehow I went through a medical examination in one dispensary, well, I couldn’t be in the building, it was about 5 years ago, and recently everyone found out that there was a church in this building for a very long time.
Elena:
And why can it become bad in the Temple? Often the head is spinning in the Temple, the heart hurts. Usually in such cases I try to understand what is happening inside, in the soul.
Sergey:
What to do if the temple becomes ill?
As we can see, most people who talk about the same things have absolutely identical symptoms and manifestations when they visit temples and cathedrals. But this is only a small part of what I managed to find on the Internet.
According to the statistics of search queries in Yandex, more than 500 people every month are looking for the answer to the question “why does it make me feel bad in church”
For the sake of completeness and objectivity, let's take the priest's template answer.
Others say:
- I will not go to this church because the energy is bad there. I feel bad in the temple, especially from incense.
Priest's comment:
In fact, any church has the same energy - God's grace. All churches are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Christ the Savior abides in all churches with His Body and Blood. Angels of God stand at the entrance to any temple. It's just about the person. It happens that this effect has a natural explanation. On holidays, when "visitors" visit temples, they are packed with people. Indeed, there are very few sacred places for such a multitude of Christians. And so it really becomes stuffy for many. Sometimes it happens that poor-quality incense is burned in poor temples. But these reasons are not the main ones. It often happens that people feel bad even in a completely empty church. Christians are well aware of the spiritual causes of this phenomenon.
It is not for nothing that many unrepentant sinners feel bad in the temple - it is the power of God that rejects their sinful will, and the angels punish them for iniquity.
However, this "God's Grace" acts on people in some interesting and unusual way - they are taken out of the Christian cathedral feet first, loaded into an ambulance and for a medical examination. Someone even in intensive care. Someone insane. After all, the case is not an isolated one, the phenomenon is MASSIVE! On the Internet alone, you read enough of this from the first mouth on the forums, which makes you feel bad yourself ... People from different cities, different regions write. Everyone everywhere has the same observations with a sharp deterioration in well-being. But many don’t even go to the Internet, they can’t speak out ... But some are satisfied with the explanation that “really demons come out of them.” I went, prayed, tormented myself, squeezed myself like a lemon on a fish, threw off the emotional-energetic bastard - it became easier. And you don’t need to think anything, the demon is out! It's easier. Go sin further. Just come in more often, Servant of God. And don't forget to donate to the temple.
Naturally, why are people being taken out of Christian churches, we will no longer ask the clergy. For the answer "these are the angels punishing you for your iniquity" does not suit us, the Slavs - sensitive and sensible people. Initiative angels, it turns out, can punish. Then why are they punished only in churches? Maybe not angels?
What to guess. Let's just take it and go to church ourselves in order to highlight our issue from the standpoint of sanity. Which is what I did the other day. This was the second visit to the temple in my life. I got to the Judeo-Christian ceremony of the wedding of a cousin in a famous central cathedral of a famous large city.
We approach the church ... like nothing unusual. I open the door, take a step over the threshold and then the fun begins. The whole body around is enveloped in some kind of energetic muck, rot. The constantly moving energy through the body stops, everything is blocked by a dense negative, which noticeably affects the subtle bodies closest to the physical. A feeling of oppression appears inside, a physical sensation of a sharp and strong decline in strength, all this happens in the very first seconds of being inside the building. The first thought in my head is that everything here is much worse than I expected, we must quickly leave this rotten synagogue. But I stayed, through force. For the sake of experiment, you can be patient.
During the beginning of the reading of the prayer of the saints in the cassock, it was hard not to notice the increased beating of the heart anahata chakra (the center of the chest). This is what many sensitive and not very colleagues from the forums tell us about. There is an impression of energy pumping, as with a strong emotion of fear, when you rapidly lose a significant part of your energy. When "the heart jumps out of the chest."
At the end of the mega-show with the participation of priests, I went out into the street and it immediately became easier there, the movement of energy flows improved, my state of health gradually returned to normal. My foot will no longer be there, in the church of Satan
Why can there be such feelings?
Yes, everything is transparent. I immediately exclude the energy of the invited guests with whom I entered the empty cathedral, everything is fine with them. What remains is the building itself, and also do not forget about the people who were working there - the clergy. It is possible that the robed saints also have such an influence, perhaps even unconsciously. That's all in the sum and gives a disgusting energy background. And I am more than sure that a sufficiently long stay in such negatively saturated places will immediately affect a person’s health, including mental health. There are already confirmations.
Yes... I have been in many unclean places, with a huge crowd of people. Whether it's the subway, nightclub, disco or public transport. I have not seen anything like this, from which I conclude that the church in such negative manifestations is simply unique. She doesn't seem to have any competition. Well, except that the mausoleum with the corpse of a Jew. But something doesn't pull me there.
Although, if in the Christian church they worship corpses, officially drink the blood and devour the flesh of Christ, then why are we surprised at such a rotten subtle-material atmosphere
A little about the arrangement of church buildings. It becomes transparently clear to the hedgehog that any Judeo-Christian church is built according to a strictly defined, centuries-old proven technology. Domes must be in the form of a helmet of a Slavic warrior and gilded. In ancient times, our knights used such helmets as protection against unsolicited "unauthorized access" - scanning and reading thoughts at the mental level.
In a temple built using this technology, the domed structure itself plays the role of a reflector and does not let high energies through from above. That is, the parishioners who brought the devils with them: all their negative emotions and thoughts, all their sorrows, sorrows, hardships, sins and other lower astral energy rubbish - boil in their own shit, like in a cauldron with a tightly covered top lid. For details, please contact Trekhlebov A.V.
Why the church forbids all its clients to engage in the occult, magic, yoga, self-development.
In my opinion, partly because the ecclesiastical power structure with its entire hierarchy is afraid of sensitive people, since the latter become visible to the true essence of Christianity, and not its beautiful gilded wrapper. Perhaps for some this is news, but for the Slavs, from time immemorial, glorifying their native Slavic Gods - no. Christianity is, first of all, politics, power over millions of minds, control, manipulation of consciousness, and at the same time good profit, without taxation.
That's why they burned people in charge at the stake, because they knew a lot. Therefore, the mass appearance of various types of sensitive people is another reason why the decline of Christianity will happen.
A person who comes into contact with higher energies, vibrations, at the same time gets the opportunity to notice and explore a much larger spectrum of energies, including lower energy planes. And for such a person, any negative manifestation will always have something to compare with, something to compare. As a result, you can’t hide the sewing in the bag from the sighted. For times are changing. People change. The outlook is changing. Everything is changing. Evolution. Dawn is near.
GLORY TO THE GODS AND OUR ANCESTORS!
p.s. It seems that these guys in cassocks have so brainwashed the population over the past few hundred years that even nature itself has already intervened in the fight against Judeo-Christianity
Here are the observations of a person I know personally:
If you are interested in observing people by aura before and after visiting a church, I can say that at the level of the etheric body there is an outflow of energy, at the level of the emotional body the color becomes dull and gray, darkish, at the level of the mental body, the entire layer of this level is almost completely depleted, extends straight down into the ground. At the level of the astral body, all protective entities disappear, the color becomes dull and bright shades become bluish-dark gray. Sometimes there is a purple tint. On the levels above, I did not look, in the territories near churches, as a rule, one should not enter this state of observation. You can get hit on the head with an "empty bag". And in general, fall out of reality, waking up in a sobering-up station.
