Died servant of God Nicholas, old man. At the funeral whole family gathered, two sons, of course, also went to the cemetery. One son lived in the same town with her father in Russia. Another brother came from Ukraine. Cried together, together accompanied on his last journey. Then, already sitting at the memorial table, two brothers fought – to beat each other’s blood. One yelled something about “Muscovites-occupiers”, another – about “Ukrainians-fascists”. Brothers who by nationality – Russian or Ukrainian, so no one understood, and it does not matter. It is important that one was watching the news on one side of the border, the other on the other.
Such is the cute episode in the life of a provincial town. Sick at heart from such news. Hatred just gushing – first out of the screen, and then you from the soul. And polluted air, and people are crazy, this air breathing.
We talk with Archpriest Alexei Sorokin, rector of the church of St. Vologda righteous Lazarus, how can and whether you can do a Christian to breathe clean air – peace and love.
– Father Alex as a man to stand before the aggressive pressure of various kinds of propaganda?
– This episode of two brothers quarreled father’s funeral, tragic for the people of our time. That brings together people and eliminates differences and what you need to maintain that there was no such diabolical divisions – in the soul, spirit and body united people – a prayer and faith. Anticipation before the coffin farewell to the departed person, state of nearness to God must help man to forget all the earth, compared to eternity is very small and stupid feuds. All would have to be combined with one really important and good thing: prayer. Once we allow ourselves to be distracted from prayer, without regard to the values of Christ carried away the world, we immediately become vulnerable. Here, perhaps, the answer to this question: “How to survive?” Prayer and faith in Christ, to follow His commandments, which are firm and not subject to any impact of the media – that the rod man who assess events occurring outside, in relation to how they correspond to the Gospel. Here are the most important criterion of human independence.
– Why, then, is obtained in most cases exactly the opposite? Why are we so vulnerable to the outside influence?
– Because we are bad Christians, that’s all. Because for us the first place is the earthly life with its earthly same values, and not search for the Kingdom of Heaven. It seems to me like this: if a person lives according to the commandments of God, as it was in the years of persecution, quite recent repression, deprivation, humiliation, etc., then living with Christ, he is truly a free man, having the freedom inside. Remember the wonderful book “Father Arseny”, which tells about the persecution of Soviet times. Remember how the father, being free in the most cramped and squalid conditions, not only helped the prisoners saved their lives, but saved his tormentors even seeing sin in their souls warped reflection of the Creator and helping them to see for themselves this reflection.
We Christians need to have a certain criticality, able to look at the world with a share of healthy, good skepticism: how “all” refers to the gospel? A person who has inner core, based on the precepts of Christ, the Christian tradition accustomed to such skepticism.
removes it from me Christ or closer to Him? Sin is sin or not? Deed, word, thought in advance shall be subjected to some criticism. Man, however, does not have such a rod, of course, is more susceptible to any malign influence from the outside it is nothing to compare, not to rely on – he does not have a coordinate system, which would help to correctly assess the place and dignity of a particular act.
– Why not just in the secular media, but also in the “orthodox segment” of the Internet, we are often faced with hatred – not only to enemies, real or imaginary, but simply to dissent? And this hatred, to be honest, most resembles a genuine Bolshevik times, and even surpasses them in its power.
This “they” are all to blame, and not I
– I think that the very hatred easily leads people from solving internal problems mean own spiritual difficulties. “I’m not a good Christian, which I should be / become, because there is an enemy. I have no time to deal with them and fight with one’s own sins, because I feel that there are more important issues on the ground than my modest person and, this individual salvation. That “they” are all to blame, not me, that I do not pay proper attention to their salvation. ” This – satanic trick trick: take away from the scrutiny of internal human attention. Hiding behind the crime “fog of war”, a man allows himself to abandon the spiritual life, to commit sin, justifying themselves by some external circumstances.
Evil from the sofa – the diagnosis of our time
Here it is not even on the sides of the fighting in the war – let God judge them, – namely those who discusses these comments tragedy around the world sitting on the couch, but strenuously adding fuel to the fire of hell in hate speech. So, in passing, almost jokingly, we distribute a deadly evil in the world. Evil from the sofa – the diagnosis of our time. Can any of these “cushions” of people say that he / she sincerely prays for rescue, chastening those whom they so vehemently criticize and to be honest – just hate? There is a commandment of Jesus: “Pray for those who hate you” – how many people it takes? I think if you look at yourself honestly, most of us will be forced to confess and pray, and not going to pray. Not only take the war – look, and how many of us Christians, pray for those who have wronged them during the regular parish or diocesan any “dispute”? Sincerely and without false “smirennichanya.” This – what concerns domestic level, and what can we say about the level of global … Recognize own imperfection, pray for disciplining the warring parties, the termination of fratricidal carnage, expelled from his heart hatred – uh, brother to this, we seem to not really grown.
I am reminded of a Georgian monk, whose central television reporter tried to interview during the war in South Ossetia. Our troops occupied then, it seems, Gori and other Georgian town where there was a monastery. Sitting monk – runs up to him and patter correspondent asks: “What do you think about current events?” Or something like that. Monk sighed and replied: “All this popuscheno us by God for our sins. We – great sinners, and repent of their sins do not want, do not change your life. That’s because both war and murder and hatred. Lord, forgive us and save us. ”
– What characterizes the independence of man, his freedom from imposed opinions?
– His health and ability to critically assess the validity in accordance with the criteria of truth of the Gospel.
– So how do not always fall under the influence of partisan media of any orientation?
recipe is simple: turn off the TV – turn head and heart, open the Bible and prayer book
– Pray sincerely and pray with faith. The recipe is simple: turn off the TV – turn your head and heart, open the Bible and prayer book. I think in this case the true independence of mind, thoughts, life wait long to not make. To occupy the emptiness of the soul, which in “normal” life is filled with shouting, noise, the cacophony of condemnation, anger, hatred, vanity, want peace. And such a peace achieved with the help of prayer and reading of Scripture – in this case the reality we will evaluate our lot wiser and more severe.
– But anger-sometimes needs a Christian, is not it?
– All true. Only this anger, first, to be righteous, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26). Secondly, aims to own sinful life. We would like to teach many of the good life, but let’s try to start with ourselves. Well, says the same, literally screams St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov): “You do not, under any pretext, not condemn anyone, not even judge about anyone, it is good or bad, with the sight of one bad person for whom you should meet before God – himself. ” Sin is applicable to sin in the first place – to his own. I think not even sure, perform we Orthodox Christians, this simple rule, the life of our people would have been much more dignified. Yes, and from wars in many cases we have been able to protect themselves. Usually something simple, understandable. But one thing – to understand quite another – to live by this rule.
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