About fears, or who is afraid of what? Christian attitude to fear according to the teachings of the holy fathers What the saints say about fears
I have had fear since childhood - I'm afraid of the dark. When I sleep alone, I try to sleep with light on. If I try to sleep without light, various fears begin, or someone’s strong hands begin to crawl over my body to my head. What happened with me?
What can be scary in the dark is that it’s all very simple: when the soul is unrepentant, there are sins, then at that time the soul is afraid, especially when we are in the dark - what if someone grabs us! Demons are constantly present next to a person, which is why there is no peace in the soul, no peace and the conscience torments. When a person sincerely repents of everything in confession and tells everything to his confessor, then this fear goes away. A person can then be in any room at night. This is because the Angel of the Lord is always with him and protects him. But it must be said that demons love to instill fear, but since they are spirits and have no flesh, they will not do anything to a believer. If they do do something, it will be only by God’s permission, and then for our benefit, so that we do not slumber. That’s what the pike is for, so that the crucian carp doesn’t doze off!
It is known that not only Orthodox Christians go to the temple, but also psychics and even sorcerers. I know that some parishioners are embarrassed. They are afraid that the sorcerer will conjure something during the service or that a psychic will act. How to calm such people?
If sorcerers, magicians, sorcerers from all over the world gather and cast spells against you and God does not allow them to harm you, they will not be able to do anything! Without the will of God, not a single leaf from a tree will fall, not a single hair from a human head. Sorcerers have no power over Orthodox believers! Remember all this. Over whom do they have power? Anyone who does not go to church, does not pray to God, does not know prayers, is not protected by anything. But sorcerers will not be able to harm such people either, unless God allows it. But He can allow it in order to awaken from the slumber of unbelief, to draw the Father into His arms. He reminds a person that without the faith of Christ an abyss awaits him. And calls him to repentance and correction.
"Fear no one but God alone!" And people believe more in sorcerers than in God. A man stands in the temple before God, asking Him for protection and patronage. And what? Will God really allow someone to spoil you right here? No. And the sorcerer will not take away the grace after communion; it will be taken away by our evil will and sinful habits, our passions. We are rude to our neighbor, condemn him, and then look for the culprit - the sorcerer. “Those who speak evil will not inherit the Kingdom of God,” says the Holy Scripture. Only kind, humble, bright souls enter there.
All your strength must be concentrated on the thought: “I am zero, I am nothing without God. The living God in me is everything. And I must try to be pure, so that He lives in me by His grace!” When we get used to this thought, humble ourselves, and this becomes a constant state of our soul, then the Lord will perform miracles through us and reveal His power. It is said in the Holy Scriptures: “In human weakness the power of God is made perfect.”
The gypsies took the photograph from me and are now sending an unclean spirit to me. What to do? Will the Antichrist be able to put a stamp on my photo?
There is no indication in the Holy Scriptures that a stamp will be placed on the image of a person, on his photograph. It says that they will put it on the forehead and on the right hand. So there is no need to be afraid.
And the gypsies cannot harm you in any way. All Orthodox Christians must remember: let all the sorcerers, magicians and sorcerers gather to do harm and cast spells; if God does not allow it, they will not be able to do anything.
If you feel spiritually unwell, I advise you to think not “what are the gypsies doing bad to me?”, but “what have I done bad in my life?” There is no need to blame anyone: neither gypsies, nor sorcerers. We must remember: “What sins do I have?” Perhaps there are grave, mortal, unrepentant sins. Maybe you didn’t repent of these sins during confession and were ashamed? And they are the stumbling block between God and your soul.
The Lord allows sorcerers to harm us for a good purpose: so that we look back at our unrighteous life, repent and begin to live holy. And then not a single sorcerer will harm us - the grace of God will cover and protect us.
They brought a demon-possessed man to St. Anthony the Great and asked: “Cast the demon out of him!” The monk began to read a prayer and said: “Demon, come out of him!” And he asks: “Where should I go?” Anthony replies: “Come inside me.” - “I’m afraid of you, the Holy Spirit is in you! There’s no place for me there!”
In churches you can often see and hear demoniacs. People, seeing them, begin to close their mouths, fearing that the demon will enter them through the mouth. There was such a case. A demon in one woman screamed: “Why did you shut your mouth? I won’t enter you, my friend, the demon of fornication is sitting in you!” The “hut” there is already occupied. When the Holy Spirit is in a person, there is no place for evil spirits.
Each of us is afraid of something. Some fears have haunted people since childhood; some have managed to outgrow childhood fears, but at the same time acquire new ones.
What is fear? And why does a person experience it?
Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary:FEAR - passion, fear, timidity, strong apprehension, an anxious state of mind from fright, from a threatening or imaginary disaster.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia:In psychology, a negative emotion that arises as a result of a real or imaginary danger that threatens the life of an organism, a person, or the values it defends (ideals, goals, principles, etc.)
Who is afraid of what?
People are afraid of: dogs, spiders, mice, various kinds of insects, heights, depths, darkness, flying on airplanes, death, sharks, bosses, loneliness, work, people of the opposite sex, pain, freedom, torture, dentists and much more.
Types of fears:
- Fear for someone.
- Fear for yourself:
- Fear of the unknown;
- Fear of the known (previously experienced); - Phobia (manic fear).
Let's try to classify fears into the following groups and look at them through the prism of the Word of God:
1. FEAR OF PEOPLE:
This category includes fears such as fear of the boss, parents, fear of public opinion and ridicule of others, fear of persecution and persecution, etc.
A. Speaking about fear of a person, we need to turn to the motives of these fears. On the one side, The Bible teaches us not to be afraid of people, because everything is in the hands of God, who is able to protect his children: Hebrews 13:5-6 For He Himself said: I will not leave you nor forsake you, so we boldly say: The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid: what will man do to me?Luke 12:6-7 Are not five small birds sold for two assars? and not one of them is forgotten by God. And even the hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid: You are more valuable than many small birds.
B. On the other side
, The Bible teaches that we fear (honor, respect, obey) earthly rulers and authorities who have received authority from God to punish lawbreakers:
Romans 13:1-5 Let every soul be submissive to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God; the existing authorities have been established by God. Therefore, he who resists authority resists God's institution. And those who resist will bring condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good deeds, but to evil deeds. Do you want to not be afraid of power? Do good, and you will receive praise from her, for the ruler is God's servant, for your good. If you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God's servant, an avenger in punishment of those who do evil. And therefore it is necessary obey not only out of fear of punishment, but also according to conscience.
Q. What's interesting is that these two verses do not contradict each other.
Human laws are a reflection of God's laws, and therefore human authorities are empowered by God to punish people who disobey the laws. But we know that the world is developing according to the laws of the prince of this world - Satan, and therefore persecution awaits believers, which the Bible calls “suffering for righteousness’ sake”:
1 Peter 3:11-14 Avoid evil and do good; seek peace and strive for it, because the eyes of the Lord are turned to the righteous and His ears are directed to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (to destroy them from the earth). And who will harm you if you are zealous for good? But even if you suffer for the truth, then you are blessed; but don’t be afraid of their fear and don't be embarrassed.
2. FEAR OF CIRCUMSTANCES:
This category includes fears such as failure, dismissal and unemployment, ruin, deportation, natural phenomena, fear of life and life’s problems and difficulties, fear of responsibility, etc.
Even the disciples of Jesus Christ were afraid of circumstances. Remember the storm:
Mark 4:37-40 In the evening of that day he told them: let's cross to the other side. And they sent the people away, and took Him with them, just as He was in the boat; There were other boats with Him. And a great storm arose; the waves beat on the boat, so that it was already filling with water. And He slept at the stern at the head. They wake him up and say to him: Teacher! Do You really not need that we perish? And, getting up, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea: be silent, stop. And the wind died down, and there was great silence. And he said to them: Why are you so afraid? How do you have no faith?
The life of believers is not without difficulties, but they trust the Lord in everything, in whose hands are not only the forces of nature, but also the lives of people.
Proverbs 3:24-26 When you go to bed, - you won't be afraid; and when you fall asleep, your sleep will be pleasant. You will not be afraid of sudden fear and harm from the wicked when she comes; for the Lord will be your trust and will keep your foot from being caught.
3. FEAR OF SATAN AND DARK FORCES:
This category includes fears such as fear of the dark, fear of the devil and demons, fear of superstitions and various kinds of omens...
A person is always afraid of everything unknown, and even more so - the invisible. Satan is the leader of evil spirits who are invisible to our eyes. Of course, this is a strong and insidious enemy, capable of “deceiving, killing and destroying.” However, God is stronger, and with His help we are able to resist the devilish forces:
1 John 4:4 Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Ephesians 6:10-18 10 Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil, because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of evil in high places. For this purpose, take on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having done everything, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; and above all, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and petition, and strive for this very thing with all constancy and prayer for all the saints..
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Confront him with firm faith, knowing that the same sufferings happen to your brothers in the world.
And finally, the Lord takes care of his children and protects them from the enemy:
John 10:27-28 My sheep obey My voice, and I know them; and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and will never perish; And no one will kidnap them from my hand.
4. FEAR OF DEATH:
The fear of death is a natural state for man since the time of his fall. Even Christ's disciples openly said that they did not want to die. In the story leading up to the healing of Lazarus, the disciples urged Jesus not to return to Judea, knowing that this could end in death for all of them: John 11:1-14.
A. Be afraid, don’t be afraid, but you will still have to die someday.
Hebrews 9:27 ...And how it is appointed for men to die once, and then the judgment.
B. The only question is how will you die: in the Lord or in sins?
John 8:21-24 Again Jesus said to them: I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. Then the Jews said: Will He really kill Himself, because He says: “Where I go, you cannot come?” He said to them: You are from below, I am from above; you are from this world, I am not from this world. Therefore I am told you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that it is I, then you will die in your sins
. Revelation 14:13 From now on blessed are the dead dying in the Lord.
B. Jesus is life and the source of Eternal Life.
John 11:25-26 I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will come to life. And everyone who lives and believes in Me, will never die.
Hebrews 2:14-15 And since children partake of flesh and blood, He also received them, in order by death to deprive him of the power of the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and to deliver those who from fear of death throughout life were subject to slavery
. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, and the gift of God - eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
D. As Christians, we are not afraid of death.
Philippians 1:21-24 Because for me life is Christ, And death is gain
.
5. FEAR OF GOD.
A. The first time the word fear was used was in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:9-10 And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him: Where are you? He said: I heard Your voice in Paradise, and was afraid because I was naked and hid myself.
Please note that Adam feared God not because he was naked, but because he disobeyed God and broke His commandment. Adam feared God's wrath and punishment.
B. Maybe you also fear God because you do not obey Him?
If that's the case, then you really should fear Him, because He will not delay in punishing you. And the Bible repeatedly warns us about this:
Luke 12:4-5 I say to you, My friends: do not be afraid killing the body and then being unable to do anything more; but I'll tell you who to fear: Fear the one who, after killing, can throw you into Gehenna: to her, I tell you, be afraid of that.
C. It is better to have the fear of the Lord than to simply fear God's wrath.
Proverbs 1:7 The beginning of wisdom - fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 9:10 The beginning of wisdom - fear of the Lord.
Psalm 146:11 The Lord favors to those who fear Him, to those who trust in His mercy.
D. Maybe you are afraid of God because you do not understand Him?
But even the disciples of Christ did not always fully understand Jesus:
John 6:16-20 When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea and, entering a boat, went to the other side of the sea, to Capernaum. It was getting dark, and Jesus did not come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the sea was rough. Having sailed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching a boat, and got scared. But He said to them: It is I; do not be afraid.
D. Are you afraid to trust God, thinking that He cannot help?
But He is Almighty. Nothing is impossible for Him. All we have to do is trust Him and believe in His power.
Luke 8:49-50 While He was still saying this, someone came from the house of the ruler of the synagogue and said to him: Your daughter is dead; don't bother the Teacher. But Jesus heard this and said to him: don't be afraid, just believe, and will be saved.
God does not act on our feelings, trying to force us to believe in Him under pain of death and eternal punishment. The Bible teaches that the love and goodness of God leads the sinner to realize his sins and repent: Romans 2:3-4Do you really think, man, that you will escape God’s judgment by condemning those who do such things and doing the same yourself? Or do you neglect the riches of God’s goodness, meekness and long-suffering, not realizing that God’s goodness leads you to repentance?
The Lord does not want man to die. He wants to save everyone!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack in fulfilling his promise, as some consider slackness; but he is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
However, the Bible also teaches that some still have to be saved by fear because nothing else has any effect on them: Jude 1:22-23 And be merciful to some, with consideration, and save others with fear, tearing them out of the fire; reprove them with fear, abhorring even clothing that is defiled by the flesh.
CONCLUSION:
1. Fear is slavery. Only God can free us from it.
Romans 8:14-16 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Because you didn't accept spirit of slavery to again live in fear, but received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry: “Abba, Father!” This very Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
2. The Bible teaches that we must have the fear of the Lord - honor and respect for God and obedience to His will. God doesn't want us to be terrified of him. He wants a relationship with us based on love and respect. God is love, and He proved His love by dying on the cross for us all. His love grants us forgiveness and drives out the fear of punishment for sin from our hearts, because the Creator Himself bore the punishment for our sins. And if the fear of punishment still lives in your heart, then this indicates that you have not yet fully known the perfect love of God.
1 John 4:17-18 Love reaches such perfection in us that we have boldness on the day of judgment, because we act in this world as He does. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment. Afraid imperfect in love.2 Timothy 1:7 ...For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control
3. Faith and trust in God- this is something without which we cannot overcome our fears.
Romans 8:31-33 What can I say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?? He who did not spare His Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also freely give us all things with Him? Who will accuse God's elect? God justifies them.
Psalm 55:4-5 When I'm in fear, in You I trust. In God I will praise His word; I trust in God not afraid; what will flesh do to me?
Psalm 118:6 Lord for me - I won't be afraid: what will a person do to me?
Psalm 26:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation: who should I be afraid of? The Lord is the strength of my life: who should I fear?
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled And let him not be afraid.
What are you afraid of?
The theme of human fears is heard loudly in today's world. And there are actually plenty of reasons for this. How not to become a slave to your own phobias and fears, how to overcome the fear of life as such and not allow it to become a total obstacle to our development? What is the importance of dealing with fear in the Christian life? He discusses this.
Human beings are as diverse as the structure of the human soul. Someone is afraid of death, which is inevitable for a person, someone is afraid of pain, someone is afraid of illness and any kind of suffering, someone is afraid of dishonor and shame, someone is afraid of being abandoned by people, someone is afraid of in general, that his life will not turn out the way he would like it to. If we add to this the fear of the dark, the fear of various everyday dangers, the fear of the unknown, which is also inherent in many people, then in the end it turns out that a person is afraid not only of something individually, but of all life as a kind of universal fact that he was faced with. placed when he came into this world.
What is the basis for this fear? First of all, a person often does not know what life is, does not understand why it was given to him, and even when he seems to know and understand, this knowledge and understanding is not the property of his heart. Therefore, sometimes it turns out that it is easier for a person not to live, but to vegetate, hiding in some hole, shutting himself up in his little room and hoping in this way to sit out and avoid some serious decisions, tests, shocks, without which human life cannot pass.
In fact, through this, a person’s development takes place - through the fact that he has to experience a lot of difficult and, in the context of our conversation, “terrible” things in his life. And, of course, such avoidance not only deprives the fearful person of certain important impressions for his life, but also deforms his personality, preventing it from developing into what it, according to God’s plan, could be. If a person continues to go with the flow, if he perceives his fear as some kind of norm, it can destroy him - even to the point of causing a mental disorder. Therefore, of course, you cannot put up with fears, you cannot get used to fears, you cannot merge with them into a single whole - you need to fight them and overcome them throughout your life.
Patristic principle
In order to overcome fear, you need to go for it
There is one wonderful principle of combating fear, which is described by the holy fathers and which can be adhered to in literally all life situations: in order to defeat fear, you need to go for it. What does it mean? To illustrate, we can cite as an example the advice that St. John Climacus gave to his contemporaries - monks: if you are susceptible to nightly demonic insurance, go to the cemetery at night and remain there in prayer. Let me make a reservation right away that in no case do I recommend that anyone do this today, since this type of feat was offered to hermits, whose living conditions were significantly different from ours. But this is the general principle. You're scared? Go to a place where you will be very scared, and overcome your fear there.
What does it take to implement this principle in your life? It is necessary, first of all, to pay attention to the Gospel episode in which the Savior comes to the apostles along the waters of Lake Gennesaret. For the disciples of Christ, this is a moment of fear, and to the fear of drowning is added the fear of seeing the figure of Christ supernaturally approaching them. What does the Apostle Peter do in this situation? He overcomes his fear in the same way that we are talking about: instead of closing his eyes, huddling somewhere and not seeing this frightening picture, he asks for the command to get out of the boat and walks along the raging waves.
The Monk Isaac the Syrian says that if you go towards death, then death will flee from you. We are talking here, of course, not about some kind of obvious recklessness, but about the fact that by changing our attitude towards something that frightens us, we get rid of it in our lives. A simple example: a child is afraid to sleep in the dark. There are two ways: leave him a light at night, and then he will sleep in the light until adulthood, or take him by the hand and go with him into the darkness, walk around the entire apartment - first with a flashlight, then by touch - and show that no one hides in the dark. In each situation we need to look at how we can go at our own risk. Here, for example, is another common example: a person is afraid to turn to another person and ask for something. Such excessive shyness is usually based on vanity and pride: a person is afraid of losing himself in someone’s eyes, of seeming funny, helpless. This can be overcome quite simply: I just make up my mind and do what I’m afraid of. We need to constantly get used to this, starting with the most basic things, and then we will be able to control ourselves in more serious moments.
The only thing in which fear can be good, if we talk about human fear: it sobers up a person in a certain way. Even in purely external everyday situations, it sometimes happens that a person is drunk, but an extreme situation arises, a threat - and he suddenly becomes completely sober. The same applies to our inner life: a sudden, piercing thought about death, a feeling of a threat to life can sober a person internally, prompt him to come to his senses and reconsider his life. But even a believer, unfortunately, such circumstances often do not sober up, returning reason, but plunge them into panic, which, on the contrary, deprives them of reason.
Stop being afraid to survive
Sometimes people say: “Well, how can you not be afraid of real danger? Let’s say some kind of natural disaster occurs...” In the case where the danger is real, it is natural for a person to be afraid: the body is brought into a state of alarm by the instinct of self-preservation. But here, too, you must remember that it is useless to succumb to fear; this will not reduce the danger. On the contrary, with severe fear, a person loses the ability to take active actions and becomes more vulnerable: arms and legs feel like they are made of cotton, there is not enough air, the sense of reality is lost. What if you need to escape from a house that is on fire? What if someone else needs to be pulled out of this house? It is obvious that a person who has the ability to control his reactions to one degree or another has a better chance of finding his bearings and getting out than someone who allows himself to be completely and completely embraced by this state.
How to prevent this? In order for fear to recede, common sense must come first. At the same time, you can tell yourself this: “I’m afraid, I’m very scared, but precisely because I’m very scared, I must stop being afraid - this is necessary in order to survive.” You need to realize that being afraid is, in fact, the worst thing. Fear is a very painful condition, it is even worse than what we are afraid of, and it is fear that in most cases kills, and not the very thing that caused it. If you are afraid of fear, you must stop being afraid - this is the formulation, no matter how paradoxical it sounds. Otherwise, you simply won’t be able to get out of difficult situations.
Not only weakness, but also sin
At the heart of fear is always a lack of trust in God.
If we talk about fear from a spiritual point of view, it is always based on distrust of God. Therefore, fear is not just a misfortune, not just a person’s weakness and infirmity, but at the same time a sin. If a person is afraid of something in his life, this, by and large, means the following: either he believes that God at some point does not care about him and forgets about him, which, of course, is blasphemy against God, or he believes that God does not love him, and this is also blasphemy against God, because there is no one whom the Lord does not love. Or a person believes that for some reason God wants to do something to him that will be harmful to him and which will make him feel bad - and this again is blasphemy and terrible mistrust. This is also obvious ingratitude to God, but more often than not, when we are overcome by some kind of fear, we do not at all correlate it with the insult that we cause to Divine Love by letting this fear into our hearts. And you need to correlate. And we must definitely remind ourselves of the words of the Gospel that not even a small bird will fall to the ground without the will of our Heavenly Father and that all the hairs on our head are numbered (see: Matt. 10: 29–30). And after this it is useful to say the following words: “Lord, this is how You want it, whatever You want to happen to me, then let it be.”
A person who sins intentionally, hoping to repent later, most often does not have time to repent - he dies suddenly
It happens that a person’s fear seems to be based on a religious feeling: it is the fear of dying suddenly, of not having time to prepare for eternity. But, according to the holy fathers, in particular the Reverend Abba Dorotheos, God never takes a person who seeks to prepare for eternal life before helping him to do this as much as this is in principle possible for that person. It’s another matter if a person lives thoughtlessly, lives absent-mindedly - then his death can indeed be both unexpected and disastrous. St. Isaac the Syrian says that a person who sins intentionally, hoping to repent later, most often does not have time to repent because he dies suddenly. But if we struggle with our sins and passions and sincerely repent in case of stumbling, we should not be particularly embarrassed by the thought of sudden death. Every person dies when the Lord calls him, whether by his own natural death or as a result of extreme situations. And in this thought our heart must learn to find joy and peace for itself. Because everything that the Lord does to us, He does according to His mercy and love.
- Modern people have a lot of fears. Some are afraid of future events associated with the end of the world, some are afraid of persecution from some person, others are afraid of financial difficulties. In general, almost everyone has some kind of fear.There is only one recipe for getting rid of all these phobias. If a person has the fear of God, it will free him from all other fears.
The fear of God acts like light. If we are no longer in the light and we are in darkness, what can we feel? How will we navigate and perceive the environment?
So, the fear of God acts in a person like light. When life is illuminated, other fears are simply unable to take up residence in our lives.
Accordingly, if we leave the fear of God, our heart will be filled with many phobias and fears.
Love works in a similar way. When the fear of God takes on a new dimension and is transformed into love for the Lord (and the fulfillment of his commandments), this love delivers from all earthly attachments and sinful manifestations of love.
This is how a person is liberated.
I would like to ask a question about grief. Some, when they do not have difficulties and trials, begin to worry because they believe that God has abandoned them.
We see similar examples repeatedly in the Lives of the Saints.
For others, grief comes in a row, one after another. Is there any pattern in the way trials are sent to us?
We should not try to figure everything out with our minds and build some patterns. Our salvation does not depend on us understanding all the mysteries associated with our lives.
If we devote ourselves entirely to God, the Lord will solve our problems and give answers to troubling questions. If we try to figure everything out ourselves, we will get lost in the open sea of our thoughts.
Be that as it may, let us remember: everything that God allows is for our good.
We don’t criticize teachers for setting tasks for children and teaching them to overcome difficulties, do we? Without this, how can they be helped to succeed?
Let's not forget that everything is in God's hands. Our job is to obey and strive to become closer to God by admitting our mistakes, shortcomings and delusions.
Many people have hidden selfishness. Such people consider themselves good, worthy, kind, etc. So God allows trials to show us our true face. In sorrows the depth of our faith is tested.
Our reader asks a question related to ecumenism. Interfaith cleanup days are held in his city: representatives of different religions work together to clean the streets and plant trees. Is it possible for an Orthodox Christian to participate in such events?
Let's imagine that we are going to make bread. To do this, we collected sourdough from different housewives: one of them was good, another was sour, the third was spoiled, etc. What result will we get if we mix them all?
The same thing happens in the situation described. A Christian carries his good leaven (which has been preserved in our Church: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today, and forever”) and mixes it with others. How can you not lose your purity in such a situation?
An Orthodox person gains nothing from participating in such joint ostentatious events with non-Orthodox people, but only loses.
There is only one truth - Christ.
Good morning everybody! The topic is good, thank you, Taisiya!
Not afraid of any difficulties of life or death, a self-confident person is suddenly frightened by the mere possibility of being reprimanded by his boss, arousing ridicule from society, or, conversely, not receiving any distinction or self-esteem satisfaction. Brave warriors turn pale at the word or glance of a weak woman. Dark fear is always caused by passion. This fear is always a consequence of untrue love either for the world, or for another person, or for oneself. But there is also fear from spiritual emptiness, from a person’s loss of himself. The Apostle Peter was frightened by this last fear in the courtyard of Caiaphas, in the presence of Christ the Savior Himself. Ready to give his life for Christ, he (this is a consequence of arrogance) suddenly became lost and afraid.
In the midst of his dark fear, modern man is like the most primitive. What are people not afraid of? The life of a modern person, like an ancient one, is woven from fears that fly through his soul like birds, not always reflected on the screen of his consciousness. Modern man is not aware of all his fears. But, if there is not complete peace in his heart, we can say that fears, these children of his human passions, live in his spiritual home.
Fears enter a person's doors and windows, whistle through his keyholes, fill all pores of life, paralyze the activities of active people and excite inactive people to activity. Anyone who is not insensitive is afraid of something, sometimes of a lot. Rulers and subjects, superiors and subordinates, rich and poor, healthy and sick. Everyone is afraid in their own way... There is no doubt that, frightened on all sides by all sorts of personal, social and world ghosts, modern man is an even greater slave of demonic fears than the ancient pagan or the naive African of our days.
Until recently, many people, frightened by the authority of “science,” hastened to renounce the highest values of their life and culture - from the Creator, from their eternal salvation, from the Gospel, from their soul... Wasn’t this the fear of ghosts? These childish scientific conclusions of the last century have now disappeared in the light of new human knowledge, in the new word of science, which no longer opposes itself to God, but is modestly aware of its limits.
A person is tormented by his own body. The human body has its own understanding of happiness and grief, joy and sadness. Bodily emotions are a new source of suffering and fear for a person - fears of the body and fears of giving in to the body. The body is inert, persistent and rude in relation to the spirit, it has its own psychology and will. It comes upon the spirit of man like a lion; bound by the spirit, turns into a pitiful dog. It is “of this world” and does not recognize the highest demands of the human spirit; he has to be forced to do good deeds, to pray, to self-sacrifice.
The “spiritual” body (1 Cor. 15:44) fears many things. It often trembles, while the person’s spirit remains peaceful and surrendered into the hands of God (the experience of many believers during aerial bombings).
Man is afraid to meet himself, because by finding himself, man can find God. But people don’t want to meet God. That is why a person is afraid of his great depth and runs away all his life from the slightest deepening into himself. The whole rush of his life, the whole bustle of the world, the whole dynamics of his civilization, with its leveling and standardization of life, its entertainment and hobbies, worries, plans and enthusiasm, seem to expel man from the Face of God and deprive him of a human face. But - “How will I walk from Your Spirit, O Lord, and how will I flee from Your Face?” Many people still don’t understand this. The impulse of an unbeliever or a little believing humanity is aimed at fleeing from its depth, from its silence, where heavenly bliss is hidden, where God meets man. A person is running away from the spiritual world - where? In a vicious circle of external creativity, external tasks, external relationships with people, transient successes, instantaneous joys that never satiate. And a person is increasingly afraid of being left alone with himself. He no longer looks at the stars, does not think about life in silence. The depth of his soul, which can accommodate the great love of the Creator Himself, is not a joyful vision for him, but an eerie vision.
Man is afraid of the depth of his immortal self, his absoluteness, his “capacity for anything”: the possible abyss of his crime and his ultimate self-giving to God.
And in everything a person fears his own pain, and the unknown, like unexpected pain. He is afraid of his own fear, for fear is pain; and sometimes even a person is afraid of joy, for joy is false and, when it leaves, it brings pain; a person may be afraid of his joyful hopes. How deep a person is, so mysteriously vast is the world of his spirit; one can truly say: such a spirit as human could only be given to an immortal person.
Excerpt "Apocalypse of Petty Sin"
Archbishop John of San Francisco (Shakhovskoy)
Best regards, Valentina.