Who are Orthodox saints? Saints - who are they? Ksenia is a holy fool for Christ's sake

For our readers: who are the saints in Orthodoxy with a detailed description from various sources.

About who the saints are, how holiness differs from righteousness and why we pray to the saints.

What is holiness?

Orthodoxy considers holiness as the highest level of human spiritual development. But this category also includes two previous stages: the initial one, which can conventionally be called salvation, and the second - righteousness. Therefore, before talking about holiness, it is necessary to talk about the two previous steps.

Salvation

The first, lowest, is clearly depicted in the Gospel, when Christ says to the thief crucified to His right: today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43). How to understand these words of Christ? After all, the robber not only did nothing righteous, but, on the contrary, he, figuratively speaking, had blood on his hands up to his elbows?!

However, if we look at the Gospel context, we encounter the same amazing phenomenon more than once. Thus, Christ sets the example of the Pharisees as a publican, a tax collector, who deceives his fellow men left and right. Who are the Pharisees? Based on the vows taken, they can be compared, so that it is understandable for a modern person, with monasticism - both of them set the goal of their lives to carefully fulfill the entire law of God.

Christ justifies the harlot caught in open sin, and says to the Pharisees: “Truly I say to you, tax collectors and harlots are going ahead of you into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 21:31). For their pride and exaltation over other people, for their hypocrisy, the Savior calls the Pharisees vipers, snakes, whitened tombs, which on the outside seem holy, but on the inside are filled with abomination and theft. What does Christ call abomination and robbery? Seeing yourself as righteous.

This narcissism, which hides from a person his sins, primarily internal ones, such as vanity, envy, deceit, pride, etc., makes a person incapable of accepting Divine purity and holiness. For salvation, it turns out, a person needs something completely different - awareness of his spiritual and moral impurity. Only those who are able to see and realize their abominations and internally reject them, repent, acquire a state of salvation and receive salvation, as we see from the case of the robber. This is the first and most important stage of a person’s spiritual development, leading him to full holiness.

Righteousness

What is the second stage, righteousness? We see people trying to live according to their conscience, striving not to offend or oppress anyone. All these people who sincerely strive to live according to their conscience and fulfill the golden rule of human life: as you want people to do to you, do so to them (Matthew 7:12) and are the righteous.

However, such a life, as long as passions still live in a person, cannot have perfect spiritual purity. Passions certainly distort behavior and force some to love more, others less, to become angry and irritated, to judge, to be stingy, etc. Therefore, righteousness is still far from what is called holiness in the Church.

Who is a Saint?

A saint is only that person who not only does not violate the moral standards of life (that is, lives righteously), but also has acquired what is called purity of heart, which is the fruit of a correct spiritual life. Such a life necessarily presupposes righteousness, but is far from being exhausted by it. Spiritual life consists of fighting one’s passions, constantly paying attention to one’s thoughts, feelings, desires, and moods in order to cleanse the mind and heart from everything evil, nasty, and contrary to the commandments of Christ. This life requires a careful study of the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers, mainly ascetic ones, and is associated with constant prayer (mostly Jesus prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”), with fasting and abstinence of all one’s feelings, bodily and mental. Spiritual life also requires special external conditions that those seeking spiritual perfection have always created for themselves: renunciation of family life, property (except for the most necessary), from connections with worldly activities and worldly people - in general, from everything that scatters the mind, interferes with prayer, internal concentration . Since ancient times, such a life has been called monastic. It was the ascetic monks who achieved such dispassion, perfect humility and God-like love, which made them partakers of the Spirit of God.

The Church canonizes some who have not reached such a perfect state. But she does this to show believers an example of either the feat of suffering and death for Christ (martyrs), or the good Christian life of those who, in the midst of the world, managed to preserve themselves from temptation and sin (the righteous). In the latter case, of course, there is always great caution so as not to make a mistake, not to succumb to worldly assessments of a person’s life, giving unusual significance to his external church or social activities, forgetting about spiritual criteria. For in this case, the saints can turn into a pantheon in which the glorious ones of this world become “saints”: kings, princes, high hierarchs, politicians, generals, writers, artists, musicians... But this is another topic.

Holy Fools

“A holy fool is a person who voluntarily chooses the path of hiding his abilities, pretends to be devoid of virtues and exposes the world in the absence of these very virtues,” this definition is offered by Andrei Vinogradov, candidate of historical sciences, associate professor at the Orthodox St. Tikhon’s Humanitarian University. - Sometimes they were called blessed. There is ambiguity in the modern usage of some of the terms associated with this face of holiness. We often call ascetics “blessed” who have had no experience of exposing the world. Why? This is largely the result of Catholic influence. For the Catholic Church, blessed is the lowest rank of holiness. This is connected with the fact that in our Church, ascetics whose feat belongs to an atypical, “peripheral” type are sometimes called blessed. In the East, the term “blessed,” that is, “makarios,” was traditionally used as a complete synonym for the word “saint.” But in the first centuries, most saints were either martyrs or apostles.

Holy Blessed Xenia of Petersburg

Over time, the number of “types” grew: from the fourth century, holy (blessed) monks appeared - “venerables”, holy bishops - “hierarchs”. And at this time the term “blessed” begins to be applied to some unusual types of holiness, such as foolishness. “God’s people” are also called blessed, who lead a life similar to the holy fools, but whose feat is not entirely equal to the feat of the holy fool.”

The feat of the holy fool, in contrast to the “Man of God,” has a clear social orientation. “He not only hides his talents from the world (like Alexius the Man of God, whose Byzantine life is widely known), but pretends to be insane, “violent” - hence the Greek term “salos”, which is used to call holy fools (in ancient Slavic - ugly or deformed). This term comes from the verb “saleuo” - “to waver, to swing.” “Salos is a crazy person, a person who behaves inappropriately,” continues Andrei Vinogradov. - By means of imaginary madness, the holy fool exposes the world of its sins, tries to guide it on the path of correction. Foolishness is internally connected with the feat of the “man of God,” typologically these are similar faces of saints, and they are distinguished only by the element of exposure, the outward focus of the holy fool’s feat.”

Saints in Rus'

We honor our Russian saints not only as the heavenly patrons of holy and sinful Russia. In them we look for revelation and guidance for the spiritual life of each of us, for our own spiritual path. That is why you should know what is special about our Russian holiness. Today we look with special feeling at our great past, at the faces of our saints, appearing at the very beginning, at the very beginning of the history of our people. Here is the 11th century - the first Russian saints. Who were they? Lay people, brothers and sisters. Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, and behind them come the saints of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, led by the Monk Theodosius, the spiritual head of this Lavra. Then we see the holy princes and saints. Then, finally, Muscovite Rus'. We see the Moscow saints who labored near Moscow, Saint Sergius of Radonezh, Abbot of All Russia, the Wonderworker, and finally, our holy northern Thebaid... Then the Venerable Nil of Sorsky and Joseph of Volokolamsk (or Volotsk), who argue among themselves about how to organize the monastery, monastic spiritual life. One says one way, and the other says another. Both of them arrange monastic life somewhat differently, but both are saints, both are ascetics. Behind them come the holy fools, blessed and holy wives - Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Anna Kashinskaya and many other holy wives who labored in Russia. Finally, almost our contemporary - Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk. Here is a golden chain stretching from the very beginnings of our history to the present day. This golden chain has never been interrupted and will never be interrupted. There were, are and will always be on our land pure-hearted people who strive for the holy feat of special Russian holiness and special Russian piety.

We peer into this golden chain, we peer into this great past of the Russian Church, and what do we see? What features are characteristic of Russian holiness? First of all, brothers and sisters, we see the bright, bright dimension of life, i.e. absence of any radicalism. There are no sharp deviations from the Christian ideals bequeathed by antiquity in monasticism, and we especially revered, reverence and will continue to reverence monasticism. There is no cruel practice of any special self-torture, there is no so-called asceticism, there is quiet work and fasting, fasting and work. This is how our monasteries live.

Clergy appears in these monasteries. People living around monasteries look outside the monastery for mentors of high spiritual life and go to them for consolation, joy, support, and guidance. So in these monasteries there appears that clergy, not eldership, but precisely clergy, which, as it were, replaces the clergy of parish priests: there, in monasteries, people confess more than here, in parish churches. Then elders appeared in the same monasteries. Words of exhortation - words of truth, instructions rushed from there, from behind the monastery walls, into the world. Moreover, the words of truth are also before the powerful of this world, and not just ordinary people. The monks in these monasteries did not reject book work either - almost everywhere they created circles of copyists of sacred and not only sacred books. Finally, in this simple monastic work of cultivating the land, for many other economic needs, another type of special work is included - icon painting work, absolutely wonderful, if you can call this unusually high in its spirituality art that way.

But what should we pay most attention to? What are the especially characteristic features of Russian holiness? What ideal inspired the Russian Orthodox Christian most of all in ancient times and until very recently? He was inspired, brothers and sisters, by the image of the humiliated Christ. It is this image that we find in the thin vestments of St. Sergius, the abbot of Radonezh; we see the same image in the lack of anger of this priest, and moreover, in his free anarchy. He did not want to use his power over people, the power of the abbot - before him stood the wonderful, amazing image of humiliation: the humiliated, humiliated Christ. This ideal inspired not only monastics, it stood before the spiritual gaze of all Russian Orthodox people and was always especially dear to them. This is exactly how brothers and sisters, holy laymen, holy fools for Christ’s sake appear in the world. It was they who labored in this special feat who were especially inspired by the image of the humiliated Christ.

There was one more feature characteristic of Russian holiness - giving alms. All our princes, saints, and ordinary laymen give alms first of all. “Be merciful” so that the Lord will be merciful to you.

These are the special features of Russian holiness, brothers and sisters, which we should all pay attention to for our spiritual benefit. These are the fires of which ideals have always burned the lamp of Russian Orthodox piety. This lamp burns both before and now in our churches, and in the houses of believers, and in big cities and small ones, and in the provincial wilderness, and among the noise and roar of modern civilization, both the blessed and the venerable walk their holy path , and wanderers, and holy fools, pure-hearted holy righteous, unmercenary, invisible ascetics of love. So, around us, a miracle is happening with their holy prayers and their intercessions. And by the power of this miracle of God that is happening now, may we all be strengthened on the paths of our Christian life and our spiritual work, leading to the Kingdom of Heaven and to God Himself.

Why pray to saints?

In a state of holiness, many receive the gifts of miracles, insight, and healing. And often, based on these signs, a person begins to be considered a saint. But it should be noted that this is deeply incorrect - no gifts themselves are an indicator of holiness. Christ warned: “false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24-25).

This is especially important to keep in mind in our time. Why? Now, unfortunately, many believers are looking for miracles, insight, predictions, and not salvation and holiness. Therefore, they turn to sorcerers, psychics, and false elders, resulting in harm to both soul and body. A Christian should not seek miracles, but healing from passions.

Currently, many books are being published that literally advertise individual saints as helpers and healers for specific diseases: some help with the liver, some with the spleen, some with the purchase of apartments - and so on. All this is very reminiscent of paganism, offering the help of one or another specialist god depending on the problem that has arisen.

In Orthodoxy, prayers to saints are of a completely different nature. Every saint to whom we sincerely turn is our prayer partner to God. And each of them can be our assistant. You cannot specialize saints like doctors and lawyers - this is a sign of obvious superstition.

Why and why do we pray to saints? If I turn to a friend: “Pray, tomorrow I have a difficult task ahead of me...”, then why can’t I make the same request to St. Nicholas? God has no dead, He has everyone alive. And we turn to the saints, for their prayers are more effective than those of us sinners. But it is important to remember that the saints are ours. with prayer books to God, not “saviors” in themselves. If we forget about this, we will turn into the same pagans.

About holiness and saints on “Pravmir”:

• What is holiness and why should an Orthodox Christian read “Lives of the Saints”
• What does it mean to be holy?
• Who are the saints?
• Saints: Saints are not born
• Modern Day Saints
• Holy lands of Russia - unexpected destinies
• Already unsainted saints
• Russian holy lands
• Relics of saints. Veneration of holy relics
• What is holiness?
• Russian holiness - what is it like?
• Three features of Russian holiness
• Who becomes a saint?
• Holiness on screen

Films about holiness and saints

A.I. Osipov. About holiness

Holy relics – Orthodox documentary film

Why do Orthodox Christians pray to saints?

Saint(from Protoslav. svętъ, svętъjь; plural - saints) - a person especially revered in various religions for holiness, piety, righteousness, persistent confession of faith, in theistic religions - for intercession before God for people.

Christianity

In Christianity (with the exception of some Protestant denominations), a pious and virtuous person, glorified by the Church, is an example of virtue and, according to the teachings of the Church, remains in heaven after his death and prays before God for all people now living on earth. God is the only source of holiness; accordingly, the holy one is the one who is united with God. Not all outwardly virtuous people are saints, some of them are even unbelievers, and not all saints were virtuous, for example, the Prudent Thief, who, however, repented and accepted Christ.

In a number of areas of Protestantism, all members of the church are considered saints, which is based on the texts of the Bible, in which its believing readers are often called “saints”, for example, the Apostle Paul addresses his believing readers, calling them “saints”: “Paul -... called saints ”(First Corinthians chapter 1, verse 2), “Paul, the called apostle...to all those beloved of God who are in Rome, the called saints, grace and peace to you...” (Romans, chapter 1, verses 1, 7, 8), “Be holy, for I (God) am holy.” (First Epistle of Peter, chapter 1: 16, Book of Leviticus, chapter 11, verse 45).

Calendar tradition

In the monuments of early Christian antiquity, until the half of the 4th century. and even until the 5th century, among both Eastern and Western Christians, the word saint is Greek. ἅγιος, lat. sanctus - according to Martigny (“Dictionnaire des antiquites”) has not yet been assigned to the so-called now canonized saints, that is, neither the apostles, nor the martyrs, nor in general persons who later became, under the name of saints, the subject of special veneration of the church, and when mentioned they were called simply by name, for example, Paul (without adding “apostle” or “saint”).

The Roman calendar, published by Bucher and then by Ruinard with his Acta Sincera, brings the list of persons especially honored in the church to the 4th century. inclusive (up to Pope Liberius), and never once gives them the name sanctus. Only in the calendars of the Carthaginian church, in the 3rd-5th centuries, when commemorating the dead, especially revered by the church, the word sanctus is found often. The first calendar in which the word sanctus constantly appears in the name of one or another especially revered church person is the calendar of Polemius (“Acta Sanctorum”; vol. 1). In a less distant era, this word is sometimes found in mosaics when depicting the apostles, but it is not yet present when depicting St. John the Baptist even in 451, and it appears with the name of the Baptist no earlier than in 472, in the image of St. Agathia in Suburra, in Rome. According to Ciampi's research, it is also found in the depiction of Cosmas and Damian in 531. The words sanctus and sanctissimus on marble burials, undoubtedly ancient, have, according to Martigny, the meaning carissimus. The reason why Christians of ancient times avoided the epithets: Sanctus, Sanctissimus, is, according to some scientists, that the word Sanctus was often used in undoubtedly pagan inscriptions, which Christians did not want to imitate. On epigraphic documents of the 5th century. found in names, at some distance, one letter S, which can be mistaken for the initial letter of the word Sanctus, but also for the beginning. letter of the word Spectabilis. Instead of the name “saint” (Latin Sanctus) or together with it, another name was often used with the name of a person revered by the church - dominus, domina. Martigny is inclined to think that the words dominus and domina in ancient times specifically meant “martyr and martyr.” From the stories about the burial of deceased Christians, it is clear that those in charge of the burial proclaimed: ad sanctos! ad sanctos! (or ad martyres, ad martyres), that is, they ordered to carry the deceased to a specially Christian cemetery. In addition to denoting the personal holiness or high piety of a person, the word sanctus, (agioV;), as once in paganism, was also applied in Christianity to indicate that this or that person or place is dedicated to some sacred service. Christians in corpore in the ancient church (for example, in the epistles of the Apostle Paul) were called saints. In the Gospel, holiness and sanctification are presented everywhere as a property of Christianity, in all its manifestations: hallowed be thy name (Matthew 6:9), holy father, sanctify them in thy truth (John XVII, II, 17).

Veneration and invocation of saints

Orthodox and Catholics believe that Holy Scripture emphatically prohibits the provision of divine worship and service to anyone other than the one true God (Deut. 6:13; Isa. 42:8; Matt. 4:10; Matt. 23:9; 1 Tim. 1:17), but does not at all forbid giving due honor (doulexa) to the faithful servants of God, and, moreover, in such a way that all honor is attributed to the One God (Matthew 25:40), as “wonderful in his saints” (Ps. 67: 35).

King David cried out: “I was greatly honored by Your friends, O God” (Psalm CXXXVIII, 17); the sons of the prophets solemnly “bowed down to the ground to the faithful servant and friend” of God - Elisha (2 Kings 2:15). In the New Testament, Jesus Christ himself, having confirmed the law: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone” (Matthew 4:10), said to his disciples: “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John. 15:14), and testified before them: “Whoever receives you receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives him who sent Me” (Matthew 10:40), showing that the honor given to His faithful servants and friends applies to Himself, also in Revelation through the mouth of John the Theologian: “To him who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on the throne Mine, just as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev. 3:21). The Apostle Paul also says: “Remember your teachers, who preached the word of God to you, and, considering the end of their lives, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7).

Origins of the veneration of saints

Having arisen in the Christian Church at the very first stages of its existence, the belief in the godly and salutary value of honoring saints in due manner was expressed in the establishment of special holidays in memory of martyrs and other saints, following the example of Sunday and other holidays, with the performance of appropriate prayers and liturgy (testimonies of Tertullian and St. Cyprian; Apostolic Constitutions, Book VI, Chapter 30; Book VIII, Chapter 33). Since the 4th century, the honoring of saints has been open and solemn everywhere, legitimized by two local councils of the same century: Gangra and Laodicea. At the same time, the very doctrine of the veneration of saints (Efrem the Syrian, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom) is developing and defining. This was facilitated by the emergence of various heretical teachings. There were, for example, heretics who not only honored the Mother of God with the veneration due to her, as the holiest of all saints, but also gave her divine honors, worshiped and served her on an equal basis with God. This prompted Saint Epiphanius both to expose those who were in error and to clarify the true church teaching on the veneration of saints. At the beginning of the 5th century, heretics appeared who began to reproach the church for allegedly allowing divine honoring of saints with the same worship and service to them, and this restored ancient pagan idolatry and overthrew faith in the true God, who alone must be worshiped and served. The Spaniard Vigilantius became the head of this kind of false teachers, consisting mainly of Eunomians and Manichaeans. Blessed Jerome and Augustine spoke out against him. The belief in the obligatory and salutary nature of duly honoring the saints was invariably preserved in the church in subsequent centuries; This is confirmed by the testimony of both individual pastors of the church (Salvian, Cyril of Alexandria, Gregory the Great, John of Damascus), and entire councils - the local Council of Carthage (419) and especially the Second Nicene. Opponents of this teaching in the Middle Ages were the Albigensians, Paulicians, Bogomils, Waldensians and supporters of the teachings of Wycliffe, in modern times - generally Protestants.

The beginning of the prayerful invocation of saints can be seen in the Old Testament church: King David cried out to God: “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel our fathers” (1 Chronicles 29:18). The Apostle James teaches believers the commandment to pray for one another and adds to this: “the fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much” (James 5:16). The Apostle Peter promised the believers even after his death not to interrupt his care for them (2 Peter 1:15). The Apostle John testified that the saints offer up their prayers in heaven before the Lamb of God, remembering in them also their fellow members in the militant church (see Rev. 5:8; Rev. 8:3-4. Based on the Holy Scriptures and together with the holy ... traditions, the church has always taught to call upon the saints, with full confidence in their intercession for us before God. This teaching and belief of the church is contained in all the most ancient liturgies, for example, the Apostle James and the Jerusalem church, which appeared in the 4th century and entered into church liturgical life The rites of the liturgy of St. Basil the Great and John Chrysostom clearly prove that the invocation of saints at this time was a universal phenomenon. The veneration of saints did not cease during the period of iconoclasm. Iconoclast Council (754): “who does not confess that all saints ... are venerable before in the eyes of God... and does not ask for prayers from them, as from those who, according to church tradition, have the boldness to intercede for Peace, is anathema." Despite the fact that his decisions were soon rejected at the Seventh Ecumenical Council, the very practice of venerating the saints is not condemned was exposed.

The doctrine of veneration and invocation of saints is also preserved in the teachings of the ancient Eastern churches (Assyrian Church of the East, Ethiopian, Coptic, Armenian and others). Opponents of this teaching were various Protestant movements. Luther rejected the veneration and invocation of saints mainly on the grounds that he saw in them a kind of mediator between God and believers, which mediation was excluded by his personal, immediate faith. It seemed to him that even the glorified saints through their means would alienate believers from Christ, just as here on earth members of the church hierarchy alienate them from Him. Therefore, he insisted on the idea that the veneration of saints is a humiliation of the merits of Jesus Christ, as the only intercessor between God and people. Saints, according to Luther, are only remarkable historical figures who need to be remembered with reverence, spoken of with respect, but to whom one cannot turn in prayer.

Ancient polytheism and veneration of saints

The preservation of ancient traditions among followers of the Christian religion is expressed in the combination of previous ideas with Christian symbols in art, literature, philosophy, everyday life and in religion itself. The external similarity of ancient polytheism and the cult of Christian saints causes criticism from atheism. F. Engels noted that Christianity “could supplant the cult of the old gods among the masses only through the cult of saints...” “The Greek lives of martyred philosophers and political figures who suffered for their beliefs served as a model for the mythical lives of fictional saints.”:

However, such views have an answer from the Church, as Sergei Bulgakov explains:

Saints in Orthodoxy

Saints placed in heaven according to the faces of holiness (icon "Last Judgment" Western Ukraine, XVII century)

Orthodox teaching emphasizes two fundamental features of spiritual life: firstly, the constant striving for holiness, for a sinless life: “Whoever is born of God does not commit sin... he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John. 3:9), on the other hand, this is awareness of one’s sinfulness and trust only in the mercy of God in the matter of one’s salvation: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3), “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). This combination is expressed, for example, by the words of the Apostle Paul “To me, the least of all saints, this grace has been given...” (Eph. 3:8) - a phrase that combines the awareness of the calling of all believers in Christ to holiness and at the same time humiliation of the supreme apostle himself, found, for example, in 1 Cor. 15:8,9: “...and last of all he appeared to me, as to a certain monster. For I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” One way or another, the desire for holiness is the natural desire of every Orthodox Christian. It was revealed to the Apostle John the Theologian that “lukewarm” Christians would be cast out from the mouth of God (Rev. 3:15,16)

The Apostle Paul in his letters calls all members of the Church saints, including addressing them as “called saints” (1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 1:7) or simply “saints” (Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1 ; Col. 1:2), and the Apostle Peter says to Christians: “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people” (1 Pet. 2:9). At the same time, holiness in Orthodoxy is not a status, but rather a state of the human spirit: “the Kingdom of God will not come in a noticeable way, and they will not say: behold, it is here, or, behold, there. For behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21), “be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). In general, holiness in Orthodoxy has synonymous analogues, the words communion with God and vision of God. They are based on the Orthodox teaching that the Saints in the Kingdom of Heaven are constantly in communion with God himself and is illustrated, for example, by these words from Scripture:

• “And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as one speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:11)
• “One thing I have asked of the Lord, this only I seek, that I may abide in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to contemplate the beauty of the Lord and to visit His temple” (Ps. 27:4)
• “Philip said to Him: Lord! show us the Father, and it will be enough for us” (John 14:8)
• “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he loves Me; and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father; and I will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:21)
• “But I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you; and in that day you will not ask Me anything” (John 16:22-23)
• “Our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3)

During the rite of the Orthodox funeral service, the Church (according to ancient custom) repeatedly asks God to canonize the deceased: “ With the saints, may Christ rest the soul of Your departed servant!" The same words are sung during the glorification of the saint before singing glorification as a new saint.

In Orthodoxy, according to the face of holiness (see), several types of saints are distinguished.

The Most Holy Theotokos occupies a special place among Orthodox saints.

Holiness is a state experienced by a believer according to the words of the Apostle James, “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you” (James 4:8). But it also says “You are the light of the world. A city that is on the top of a mountain cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Thus, on the one hand, the only one who knows the heart of his saints is the Lord himself. But He Himself glorifies His saints with miracles: the gift of tongues (in the first centuries), prophecies, healings, working miracles during life, incorruptible relics, healings through the prayers of the saint. Miracles are not a prerequisite for veneration, according to the words of the Apostle Paul about the highest gift: “Love never fails, although prophecy will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished” (1 Cor. 13:8) - but they are, as it were, an indication of the Lord himself to honor his faithful servant. For example, as described immediately after the glorification of Saint Jonah of Moscow about the healing of one woman:

Orthodox churches recognize as saints, as a rule, only Orthodox Christians or Christians who lived before the division of churches. However, there are exceptions, for example, in 1981, the ROCOR Council canonized all the servants of the royal family who died with them in the Ipatiev House, including Catholics and Protestants.

Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna, member of the Holy Synod, chairman of the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints of the Russian Orthodox Church:

It is impossible to single out more “authoritative” and less “authoritative” saints, but in the Orthodox Russian tradition, especially among the laity, the most revered saints are John the Baptist, Nicholas the Wonderworker (Nicholas the Wonderworker), Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, Alexander Nevsky, Prince Vladimir, and also locally revered saints.

See also: Face of Holiness

Saints in Catholicism

Saints, that is, Christians saved for eternal life with God, are examples of Christian life for living Christians, as well as prayer books and intercessors before the Almighty. The ancient Apostolic Creed speaks of the “communion of saints,” which is understood in the Catholic Church as the communion of spiritual goods, as well as the communion of the earthly and heavenly Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says on this matter:

Angels and saints present at the Ascension of the Virgin Mary ( "Assumption of the Virgin Mary", Francesco Botticin).

The Catholic Church venerates saints, emphasizing that worship is due to God alone, and prayers to saints are in the nature of requests for intercession. It is significant that in the litanies addressed to Christ, the exclamation “Save us!” is used. or “Have mercy on us!”, and in the litanies addressed to the Mother of God and the saints, “Pray for us!”

In the Catholic Church there is a division of the righteous into the actual saints and the blessed. The process of canonizing a righteous person is called canonization, while canonizing a saint is called beatification. A blessed person is a person whom the Church considers saved and in heaven, but for whom church-wide veneration is not established, only local veneration is allowed. Beatification is often a preliminary step before the canonization of a righteous person. The separation of beatification and canonization processes was introduced in 1642 by Pope Urban VIII. Since that time, beatification has been a necessary step to begin the process of canonization.

In the Catholic Church there is no clear division of saints according to the faces of holiness, accepted in Orthodoxy. However, according to similar principles, saints are often divided into several groups. The most common division dates back to the Loreto Litany.

Sometimes there are also saints-immaculates, saints-married and repentant sinners.

See also Chronological List of Catholic Blesseds and Saints of the 17th Century, Chronological List of Catholic Blesseds and Saints of the 18th Century, Chronological List of Catholic Blesseds and Saints of the 19th Century, Chronological List of Catholic Blesseds and Saints of the 20th Century.

Denial of veneration of saints

1. Molokans
2. Tolstoyans
3. Bogomils
4. Christadelphians

Other religions

African American folk cults

Syncretic religions popular in Latin American countries, widespread primarily among the black population - such as Santeria in Cuba, voodoo in Haiti, Umbanda and Candomblé in Brazil, etc. - inherited many elements of cult and ritual from Catholicism, including veneration of Christian saints. At the same time, their images are often interpreted in a very unorthodox way. In some ways, the Voodoo loa are an analogue of Christian saints.

Buddhism

In Buddhism, arhats, bodhisattvas and mahasattvas, siddhas, buddhas, as well as the founders of various directions of Buddhism, such as Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) in tantric Buddhism, Huineng and Linji in Chan Buddhism, etc. are revered - people who, through spiritual work on themselves, achieved various degrees of enlightenment and perfection. In folk Buddhism, Bodhisattvas are especially revered, saints who vowed to achieve Buddhahood in the name of saving all living beings and sacrificed Nirvana for them. They are considered protectors of the righteous.

Hinduism

Hinduism has a long and rich tradition of venerating saints. These can be gurus, ascetics who have succeeded on the path of spiritual self-improvement, the founders of Hinduism, such as Sri Shankara-charya, Ramanuja, etc. Spiritual people (sadhus) know the signs by which one or another person can be called a saint. They pay respects to him, and ordinary people follow their example, and then word of the holy man spreads from mouth to mouth.

Judaism

In Judaism, tzaddikim are revered, that is, righteous people - people distinguished by special piety and closeness to God. In Hasidism, tzaddikim turn into spiritual leaders (rebbes), to whom they go for advice, from whom they ask for prayers and blessings.

Islam

Avliya (singular wali) - righteous people and prayer warriors who avoid committing sins and constantly improve themselves. They may have supernatural powers (karamat), and pilgrimages (ziyarat) are made to their graves. However, Islam warns against overly zealous veneration of the awliya: they should not be placed above the prophets or perceived as pagan deities.

see also

• Holiness
• Hagiography
• Faces of Holiness
• Agios
• All Saints' Day
• All Saints Cathedral

Notes

Bibliography

• Lurie V. M. Introduction to critical hagiography. Archived November 28, 2012. St. Petersburg: Axioma, 2009. 238 p. ISBN 978-5-901410-69-1
• Brown P. The Cult of Saints: Its Formation and Role in Latin Christianity / Peter Brown; Per. from English V. V. Petrova; Ed. S.V. Month. - M.: Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN), 2004. - 208 p. - 1500 copies. - ISBN 5-8243-0563-3. (in translation)

Orthodox saints

• Canonization of saints in the 20th century. M., 1999.
• Kovalevsky I. Foolishness for Christ and for Christ's sake the holy fools of the Eastern and Russian Church: Historical sketch and lives of these ascetics of piety. M., 1902.
• Holy, holy // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.

Russian Orthodox saints

• Andronik (Trubachev). Canonization of saints in the Russian Orthodox Church // Orthodox Encyclopedia: Russian Orthodox Church. M., 2000. P. 346-371
• Barsukov N.P. Sources of Russian hagiography. St. Petersburg, 1882
• Vasiliev V. History of the canonization of Russian saints. M., 1893
• Golubinsky E. E. History of the canonization of saints in the Russian Church. M., 1903
• Dmitry (Sambikin), archbishop. Months of saints revered by the entire Russian Church or locally revered, and an index of festivities in honor of icons of the Mother of God and saints of God in our fatherland. Kamenets-Podolsky, 1892-1895
• Canonization of saints. Local cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. Trinity-Sergius Lavra, June 6-9, 1988. M., 1988
• Leonid (Kavelin), archimandrite. Holy Rus' or information about all the saints and devotees of piety in Rus' (before the 17th century), generally and locally revered, set out in tables with a map of Russia and a plan of the Kyiv caves: A reference book on Russian hagiography. St. Petersburg, 1891
• Melnik A. G. The tomb of a saint in the space of a Russian temple of the 16th – early 17th centuries // Eastern Christian relics. Ed.-comp. A.M. Lidov. - M., 2003. - P. 533-552. - ISBN 5-89826-190-7.
• Melnik A. G. Tombstone complexes of Rostov saints in the 17th – early 20th centuries: main trends in formation // History and culture of the Rostov land. 2005. - Rostov, 2006. - P. 443-475.
• Melnik A. G. Social functions of Rostov saints in the 12th – 17th centuries // Historical notes. - M.: Nauka, 2008. – Issue. 11(129). - P. 75-93. - ISBN 978-5-02-036736-4.
• Melnik A. G. Monastic income and expenditure books of the 16th century as a source on the history of the veneration of Russian saints // Problems of source study. Vol. 2(13). - M., 2010. - P. 224-230. - ISBN 978-5-02-036736-4.
• Melnik A. G. Moscow Grand Duke Vasily III and the cults of Russian saints // Yaroslavl Pedagogical Bulletin. - Yaroslavl, 2013. - No. 4. - Volume I (Humanities). - P. 7-12.
• Melnik A. G. The practice of the initial establishment of the cults of Russian saints in the 15th–16th centuries. // Yaroslavl Pedagogical Bulletin. - Yaroslavl, 2014. - No. 4. - Volume I (Humanities). - P. 7-11.
• Melnik A. G. Heavenly patrons of the Russian army at the end of the 15th – 16th centuries. // Makarievsky readings. The army of the earth is the army of heaven. - Mozhaisk, 2011. - Issue. 18. - pp. 61-68.
• Melnik A. G. Burial places of selected ascetics of piety in Russian monasteries of the 11th – 14th centuries. // Eastern Europe in antiquity and the Middle Ages. XXIII reading in memory of Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences V.T. Pashuto: Conference proceedings. - Moscow, 2011. - pp. 185-188.
• Nikodim (Kononov), archimandrite. On the issue of canonization of saints in the Russian Church. M., 1903
• Tolstoy M.V. Book, verb Description about Russian saints, where and in which city or region or monastery or desert they lived and performed miracles of every order of saints. M., 1887
• Filaret (Gumilevsky), Archbishop. Russian saints, revered by the entire church or locally. St. Petersburg, 1882
• Khoroshev A. S. Political history of Russian canonization (XI-XVI centuries) M., 1986

Criticism from atheistic positions

• Gordienko N. S. Orthodox saints: who are they? L.: Lenizdat, 1979.

These are individuals whom the church and believers especially honor for their steadfastness in faith, selflessness, desire to overcome sinfulness, ability to perform miracles, etc. It is believed that such people have achieved a “direct” union with God.

How many saints are there in Orthodoxy?

There is no exact figure here. According to Christians, God brings a person closer to himself and he becomes a saint, but people may never know about this. Among them are unknown martyrs for the faith who died in the arenas of Roman circuses, in Soviet prisons and camps.

There were now forgotten Orthodox saints who were once revered in the East;

In addition to the “general Orthodox”, there are numerous saints who are honored in various local churches;

Do the thousands of saints whose names are unknown still be venerated in any way in the church?

For this, the Orthodox have a special holiday - “All Saints Week”. Its name retains the ancient name of the seventh day of the week - Sunday.

This holiday is celebrated seven days after Trinity. In the Catholic calendar, this day is tied to a clear date - November 1st.

Who became the first Russian saint?

There were two of them - the prince brothers Boris and Gleb (these were their names at birth, after baptism they became Roman and David). Their father was the Kyiv prince Vladimir the Baptist. According to the widespread version, Boris and Gleb died at the hands of assassins sent by their brother Svyatopolk. Christians see their feat in the renunciation of armed resistance and humility in the face of the threat of death.

And before the death of the brothers, saints lived in Rus', but the church canonized them later than Boris and Gleb. These were the baptized Varangian warrior Theodore and his son John, killed by a crowd of warriors under Prince Vladimir, when he was still a pagan.

Are saints always virtuous?

Saints are earthly people whose lives were not always blameless. The Church canonized one of the two villains crucified next to Christ: the criminal repented before his death and accepted Jesus.

In his youth, the Apostle Paul took part in the cruel persecution of Christians. In our minds, the life of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary of Egypt was originally immoral. The famous Optina Pustyn monastery in the Kaluga region was founded by a repentant robber named Opt, who became a monk Macarius.

In general, the saints were deprived of ordinary human passions, but they learned to control, direct them, and follow higher spiritual needs.

Under what conditions can a person be declared a saint?

In the Russian Church, three conditions are accepted for this: his pious life, veneration by the people and miracles performed thanks to his remains or by invoking his name. The third condition is considered the most important; it is, as it were, an indication from God himself that this person is united with him. In addition, at least several decades must have passed since the death of the righteous.

Of course, it is not she who makes a person a saint - the decision only means official recognition of his feat and permission to honor him, along with other saints, to turn to him with prayers.

Where do saints come from? How do they help people? Is this really possible, and why do we need such God’s “guides” - the Thomas magazine asked the priest about all this Konstantina PARKHOMENKO, clergyman of the St. Petersburg diocese, author of several books published by the Olma-Press publishing house and the Neva Publishing House.

Photo Orthodoxy. RU

Father Constantine, let's talk about who the Orthodox Church generally calls saints. For example, Protestants consider as saints all who became disciples of Christ. In confirmation of this, words from the Gospel are cited, for example: “... and now you are holy,” etc.

In the Russian language, the word “saint” (in Slavic “holy”) can be deciphered as yat from above, that is, taken from above, from heaven. The Greek "agios" is translated as unearthly, the Hebrew "kodesh" can be translated as separated, cut off, different.

Actually, only God has always been called a Saint. An ancient prophet, raptured to heaven, sees the Throne of God in heaven, Angels fly around and cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts...” A person or some religious object can be holy only if God imparts holiness to them, if God will introduce you to His Holiness.

So, holy means God. It is the one in whom God acts and does His work. In the highest sense, this is the one in whom, as Holy Scripture and Tradition say, God was “represented.”

It is in the latter sense that Orthodox Christians understand this word today. You will hardly find an Orthodox person who will say that he is a saint. This is at least immodest. On the contrary, the more righteous a person is, the more obvious it is to him that a huge distance separates him from God, from God’s purity, righteousness, and holiness.

But in ancient times, for example in the Old Testament, the people of Israel were called holy. Not because the Jews were righteous and pure, but because they were the people of God. As God told the people when the Jews came out of captivity in Egypt and approached Mount Sinai: “Therefore, if you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be My inheritance above all nations, for the whole earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom. priests and holy people." And a little later the command: “... sanctify yourself and be holy, for I (the Lord your God) am holy.”

The fact that Israel was the people of God, as if separated, cut off from the number of other nations, allowed it to be called a Holy people.

Later, Christians adopted this name. They, as the successors of Old Israel, moreover, as true worshipers of God, who recognized His Son, called themselves a holy people, saints. He also calls his disciples saints. Paul in his epistles.

And when in the Creed we call the Church Holy, this does not mean that the Church consists of holy people, but that it is the Church of God. The holiness of the Church and its members is given by God.

Material on the topic

Formally, ten faces can be distinguished, i.e. ten types of holiness

Father Constantine, what significance can it have in heaven to be canonized on earth? Is it really possible here on earth to decide something for sure and not make a mistake?

Of course not. It is precisely in order “not to make mistakes” that the Church is in no hurry to canonize, that is, to officially glorify some ascetics as saints.

Church canonization is only a confirmation of what happened long ago in heaven.

To canonize a person, it is necessary that he... has already died. Only by following his life, his feat until his death and seeing how he died, can one understand whether this man was really a righteous man.

And after death, it is necessary that the holiness of this ascetic be confirmed... by God. How is this possible? These are miracles that emanate from the grave or remains of a saint, or occur in response to prayer to him.

Little popular veneration. It is necessary that a number of miracles confirm the fact that the saint is next to the Lord, he is praying for us!

After the death of St. Seraphim there were a lot of such messages. The same can be said about the life of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt, Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg and other saints.

I know many people who talked about amazing miracles in their lives that happened through prayers to St. John of Kronstadt, Blessed Xenia, St. Seraphim of Vyritsky, Blessed Elder Matrona and other saints long before their official canonization.

At the Seminary, our teacher Tatyana Markovna Kovaleva told such an incident from her childhood. During the blockade, her mother greatly revered Blessed Xenia. There was a terrible famine, my mother was assigned to collect cards for the whole house, and one day she lost all these cards.

Material on the topic

The story of a woman who renounced everything for the sake of serving God and people is surprising and still makes you think.

Imagine! Losing the cards of the entire house - yes, this was sabotage in those days, execution! What to do? She left her daughter and ran to the Smolensk cemetery to pray to Blessed Ksenia. Tatyana Markovna was then 10 years old. She's sitting at home and suddenly there's a knock. Who's there? - Open it, baby. On the threshold is a woman in a knitted sweater and green skirt, without outerwear, even though it is frosty outside. “Didn’t you lose it?” and gives Tanya the cards... And how many other such cases happened during the war years! And Blessed Ksenia was canonized only in 1988.

The question arises: why, in this case, is church canonization needed? It is not the saint who needs it, but us! This is like confirmation that the path of life of a saint is the path of a true son of the Orthodox Church, this is the right path!

Saints are not canonized in order to add something to their heavenly status; this is not some kind of church reward; they have already received everything from God. Saints are canonized as examples for other Christians.

Readers of the magazine “Thomas” who do not come to church sometimes ask: why pray to God through intermediaries, through saints? Will the merciful Lord really not hear me anyway? And indeed, it is difficult to imagine how a “strict” God is persuaded and begged by some saint especially close to Him, and the Lord changes His decision based on these prayers.

Material on the topic

The question of innocent suffering torments a person not at all because our mind cannot logically combine these sufferings with the existence of an omnipotent and omniscient God-Love.

The best answer to this question will be the opinion of the Lord Himself, which we find in the Holy Scriptures.

Here is the Old Testament. The story of the sufferer Job. Everything that happened to him was a test of his spiritual strength and trust in God. But friends come to Job and accuse him of immorality, which brought sorrow upon him. And then the Lord becomes angry with his friends. Their words are false and feigned. These people are trying to measure God’s plan with their minds, trying to calculate God’s actions. The Lord, well aware of the purity of Job’s life, angrily says to one of his comrades, Eliphaz: “My anger burns against you and your two friends because you did not speak about Me as truly as My servant Job.” And then the Lord commands his friends to repent, make a sacrifice and... ask for Job’s prayers: “And my servant Job will pray for you, for only his face will I accept, so as not to reject you” (Job 42:8).

Here the Lord Himself commands to ask for the prayers of the righteous.

In the 20th chapter of the book of Genesis, the Lord exhorts Abimelech, king of Gerar, to ask for the prayers of Abraham: “... for he is a prophet and will pray for you, and you will live...” (Genesis 20: 7).

The psalmist David also speaks unequivocally about the prayer of the righteous: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Ps. 33:16). And in the book of the prophet Jeremiah we read the following bitter testimony: “And the Lord said to me: even though Moses and Samuel appear before me, my soul will not bow to this people; drive them (the wicked Jews) away from before Me” (Jer. 15:1).

And is there any doubt that God listens to His righteous if He Himself affirms: “I will glorify those who glorify Me” (1 Sam. 2:30)?..

The New Testament also contains many indications of the power of the prayers of the righteous. Apostle Peter: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12). Apostle James: “The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (5:16). And further - examples: “Elijah was a man like us (that is, an ordinary person like us), and he prayed with prayer that there would be no rain: and there was no rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again: and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit” (James 5: 17-18). For up. James, it is absolutely obvious, undoubtedly, that the righteousness of life, let's say - the holiness of life, allows a person to perform miracles.

Can God cancel the sentence over people, the people through the prayers of the saints? Many facts of Holy Scripture and Tradition testify to this. Remember, Abraham begged the Lord, who appeared in the form of three strangers, to spare Sodom and Gomorrah.

Why is that? In the Holy Fathers we find the following thought: Christ promises that His followers will be given divine grace: “Father, the glory that You have given Me I will give to them” (John 17:22). If a person works together with God to transform the world, cleanse it from sin, and bring it to God, we can say that the person becomes a friend of God, a co-worker. Is it possible to assume that the Lord is deaf to a person who has given his whole life to Him, dedicated himself to the Lord?.. Such a person has the right to ask for others, and to ask persistently, not as a slave or an unfaithful servant, constantly betraying his master, but as a son.

We believe that there is no death as the disappearance of the soul; that after physical death a person’s soul continues to live an even more spiritually active life. This means that what prevents us from helping the deceased righteous man after his departure from this world, after his relocation to heaven?

In the book of Revelation of John the Theologian, we read about the remarkable vision of the seer: “Twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Apoc. 5:8), and, a little later: “And the smoke of incense ascended with the prayers of the saints from the hand of an angel before God” (Rev. 8:3-4).

Material on the topic

How is holiness actually understood in the church tradition, what is the Orthodox teaching about saints

At first glance, the custom of the Orthodox Church to pray to special saints on some special occasions seems strange and somewhat pagan. It is clear, for example, why in family troubles you resort to the help of St. Xenia the Blessed. But why, for example, if you have a headache, go to John the Baptist?

There are undoubtedly excesses in this. We can say that some saints, even during their earthly lives, helped people in certain situations. These are holy healers, for example, the Great Martyr Panteleimon, the unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, the martyrs Zinaida and Philonilla, etc. After resigning from earthly life to heavenly life, these ascetics will help sick people. They were given a gift from God; it is not taken away even after death. The Church believes so, and in the ancient rite of the Sacrament of Unction (otherwise the Blessing of Anointing, the Sacrament of Church Healing) the names of these holy doctors appear.

There are other saints who help with certain needs. Warrior - to warrior, missionary-navigator - to sailor, traveler, etc.

But there are far-fetched examples that do not correspond to any sound logic. John the Baptist, who had his head cut off, is believed to help with headaches. Another saint helps against caterpillars, mice, Colorado beetles and other reptiles of fields and vegetable gardens... Some pious brochures contain long lists of such highly specialized heavenly helpers. But this does not correspond to either the Orthodox faith or the experience of the Church; this is pious amateur activity.

Material on the topic

On August 9th the Church celebrates the memory of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. He is the most famous, but not the only doctor canonized by the Orthodox Church. The editors of Thomas briefly talk about the great martyr and his holy colleagues.

Although, you know, about ten years ago such an interesting incident happened to me. Then I was a novice seminarian, in some ways zealous, in others naive. I was traveling on a train with a man whose teeth hurt terribly. He had some kind of suppuration in his gums, everything was swollen, he did not sleep for several nights. And he was on his way to surgery. Here he sits with a bandaged cheek, swaying and humming something. I felt so sorry for him! I say: “Maybe I should bring you some water?” He nods. I went to the titan to get some water, and then I remembered that when you have a toothache you pray to Saint Antipas. And I prayed to him. To my shame, I will say that I didn’t even really believe in this idea, I just felt very sorry for the man, and I prayed with all the strength of this pity. He crossed the water, gave him a drink... And then - well, just a miracle happened. After about five minutes he says: “Strange. I don't feel any pain at all." And then he lay down and fell asleep peacefully. The next day the swelling subsided. I don’t know what happened to him next, he left in the morning... That’s it.

Every person has several favorite saints. You turn to them more often in prayer, you light candles for them. But there are many other icons in the temple, and even more different saints. Are we not “offending” others with our inattention? There is an opinion that all the saints, together with the Mother of God, form in heaven, as it were, a single body that glorifies God and prays to Him. What is the point of approaching “your” icons specifically? What is the meaning, in general, other than one’s own habit, of the custom of kissing icons and lighting a candle in front of them? You can often hear: “Well, I went to church before the exam, lit a candle, and passed well.”

I'll start with the last one. There should be no magic in relation to God. If you didn’t light a candle for this saint, didn’t bow, didn’t kiss the icon - he will punish you and stop helping you. Such an attitude is unworthy of a Christian.

We must understand that first of all, God needs our burning desire to be genuine Christians. The Lord knows our life circumstances, who has what kind of workload, who has what opportunity to pray, and so on. Therefore, we must sincerely not be lazy to attend divine services, try to pray, learn this... But if we couldn’t, we were late for a reason beyond our control, the Lord will never be angry.

However, we still have a very tenacious magical attitude towards the Church. If a student was once helped by a candle, he will think that if he doesn’t light the candle, he will immediately fail the exam.

Material on the topic

The weak, sick saint was again driven off-road. He walked most of the way. Not far from the village of Comana, John fell off his feet - his strength failed. They took him to the nearest temple and laid him in one of the buildings. The next day he died. His last words were: “Thank God for everything.”

I'll tell you one case. In our church at the Theological Seminary on the eve of each exam, for those who wish, a prayer service is served in front of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. So we ask the Mother of God to help us take the exam successfully. A seminarian I know, a classmate of mine, somehow realized that he had become internally dependent on these prayers. He was afraid that if he missed such a prayer service, he would do poorly. And then he stopped going to prayer services for some time. He prayed in his room, asked for help, but did not go to the prayer service. After some time, when he realized that he had internally freed himself from fears, he again began going to prayer services.

But we digress. The question is, why do we single out some saints?.. There is nothing bad or strange in this. Many saints are close to us in their spiritual make-up, character, temperament, church service, and ascetic deeds. Of course, we feel a special attraction to such saints. We want to know about them, read their lives, and prayerfully communicate with them.

In my life there were many such discoveries that were precious to me. This, of course, is the holy righteous Father John of Kronstadt, Blessed Xenia, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Sergius of Radonezh. When I entered the Seminary, I experienced great help from the spiritual patron of our Seminary and Academy, Apostle John the Theologian. In my second year at Theological Seminary, I picked up a book about St. Simeon the New Theologian and simply “fell in love” with this man. I can say the same about the king and psalmist David, the martyr Justin the Philosopher, saints John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, Maximus the Confessor, Gregory Palamas, Blessed Matrona, and many others.

By our “attention” to some saints, we, of course, do not offend other saints. Where saints are, there are no petty grievances, wounded pride, or anything else. But, of course, if we somehow especially single out some saints, we should not forget that each saint of the Church is a unique and beautiful person, ripe for God. One should strive to learn about other saints, study their lives, and peer into the features of their feats.

What does a “strong” saint mean? That is, it is assumed that there are “not very strong”? At my house I have butter from the relics of St. Alexander of Svir. This oil really has a strong, pronounced medicinal property. But you don’t notice such an effect with any oil. Why is this happening?

There is no such thing as a “strong” saint in the Orthodox Church. Every saint, if we sincerely turn to him for help, helps. The same can be said about holy oil (oil) from the relics or lamp of a saint, about some holy objects.

Here, too, I can give an example from my seminary youth. Suddenly I developed eczema. I didn't know what to do. It spread further and further, already taking away entire areas of the skin. And my friend had oil from Athos, from some miraculous icon of the Mother of God. He simply kept it in a glass jar. I tell him: “Listen, give me some oil.” I went to the akathist to the Mother of God, prayed, then had a special, “spiritual” dinner at home, anointed the affected areas with this oil and went to bed. And from the next day I began to notice a clear improvement. Then it really shocked me...
But, of course, now I try to rarely use holy objects, only in extreme cases.

Any crumb, drop of shrine can bring great grace. And on the contrary, you can have dozens of particles of relics, oil, holy water at home, but this will not bring any spiritual benefit if we do not strive with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength towards God.

After the revolution, a special department was created in the GPU to combat religion. It was headed by E. Tuchkov. This man caused enormous evil to the Church; he condemned to death hundreds of now glorified new martyrs. Note that meetings with people, at least one of which would have been a great honor for us, a spiritual revelation, did not have any influence on Tuchkov. His heart burned with hatred of God and the Church and was closed to grace.

In general, any shrine can bring us spiritual benefit if we accept it with reverence. And no shrine, even the greatest, can melt the ice if a person does not want it, because God respects our freedom...

Announcement illustration - foma.ru

Russian saints...The list of saints of God is inexhaustible. By their way of life they pleased the Lord and thanks to this they became closer to eternal existence. Each saint has his own face. This term denotes the category to which the Pleasant of God is classified during his canonization. These include the great martyrs, martyrs, saints, saints, unmercenaries, apostles, saints, passion-bearers, holy fools (blessed), saints and equal to the apostles.

Suffering in the name of the Lord

The first saints of the Russian Church among the saints of God are the great martyrs who suffered for the faith of Christ, dying in severe and long agony. Among the Russian saints, the first to be numbered in this rank were the brothers Boris and Gleb. That is why they are called the first martyrs - passion-bearers. In addition, the Russian saints Boris and Gleb were the first to be canonized in the history of Rus'. The brothers died in the battle for the throne that began after the death of Prince Vladimir. Yaropolk, nicknamed the Accursed, first killed Boris while he was sleeping in a tent while on one of his campaigns, and then Gleb.

The face of those like the Lord

Reverends are those saints who led through prayer, labor and fasting. Among the Russian saints of God one can single out St. Seraphim of Sarov and Sergius of Radonezh, Savva of Storozhevsky and Methodius of Peshnoshsky. The first saint in Rus' to be canonized in this guise is considered to be the monk Nikolai Svyatosha. Before accepting the rank of monasticism, he was a prince, the great-grandson of Yaroslav the Wise. Having renounced worldly goods, the monk labored as a monk in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Nikolai Svyatosha is revered as a miracle worker. It is believed that his hair shirt (a coarse woolen shirt), left behind after his death, cured one sick prince.

Sergius of Radonezh - the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit

The 14th century Russian saint Sergius of Radonezh, known in the world as Bartholomew, deserves special attention. He was born into the pious family of Mary and Cyril. It is believed that while still in the womb, Sergius showed his chosenness of God. During one of the Sunday liturgies, the not yet born Bartholomew cried out three times. At that time, his mother, like the rest of the parishioners, was overcome with horror and confusion. After his birth, the monk did not drink breast milk if Mary ate meat that day. On Wednesdays and Fridays, little Bartholomew went hungry and did not take his mother's breast. In addition to Sergius, there were two more brothers in the family - Peter and Stefan. Parents raised their children in Orthodoxy and strictness. All the brothers, except Bartholomew, studied well and knew how to read. And only the youngest in their family had a hard time reading - the letters blurred before his eyes, the boy was lost, not daring to utter a word. Sergius suffered greatly from this and fervently prayed to God in the hope of gaining the ability to read. One day, again ridiculed by his brothers for his illiteracy, he ran into the field and met an old man there. Bartholomew spoke about his sadness and asked the monk to pray to God for him. The elder gave the boy a piece of prosphora, promising that the Lord would definitely grant him a letter. In gratitude for this, Sergius invited the monk into the house. Before eating, the elder asked the boy to read the psalms. Timidly, Bartholomew took the book, afraid to even look at the letters that always blurred before his eyes... But a miracle! - the boy began to read as if he had already learned to read and write for a long time. The elder predicted to the parents that their youngest son would be great, since he was the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit. After such a fateful meeting, Bartholomew began to strictly fast and pray constantly.

The beginning of the monastic path

At the age of 20, the Russian saint Sergius of Radonezh asked his parents to give him a blessing to take monastic vows. Kirill and Maria begged their son to stay with them until their death. Not daring to disobey, Bartholomew until the Lord took their souls. Having buried his father and mother, the young man, together with his older brother Stefan, set off to take monastic vows. In the desert called Makovets, the brothers are building the Trinity Church. Stefan cannot stand the harsh ascetic lifestyle that his brother adhered to and goes to another monastery. At the same time, Bartholomew took monastic vows and became the monk Sergius.

Trinity-Sergius Lavra

The world-famous monastery of Radonezh once originated in a deep forest in which the monk once secluded himself. Sergius was in the house every day. He ate plant foods, and his guests were wild animals. But one day several monks found out about the great feat of asceticism performed by Sergius and decided to come to the monastery. There these 12 monks remained. It was they who became the founders of the Lavra, which was soon headed by the monk himself. Prince Dmitry Donskoy came to Sergius for advice, preparing for the battle with the Tatars. After the death of the monk, 30 years later, his relics were found, performing a miracle of healing to this day. This Russian saint still invisibly receives pilgrims to his monastery.

The Righteous and the Blessed

Righteous saints have earned God's favor by living godly lives. These include both lay people and clergy. The parents of Sergius of Radonezh, Cyril and Maria, who were true Christians and taught Orthodoxy to their children, are considered righteous.

The blessed are those saints who deliberately took on the image of people not of this world, becoming ascetics. Among the Russian Pleasers of God, those who lived during the time of Ivan the Terrible, Ksenia of Petersburg, who abandoned all benefits and went on long wanderings after the death of her beloved husband, and Matrona of Moscow, who became famous for the gift of clairvoyance and healing during her lifetime, are especially revered. It is believed that I. Stalin himself, who was not distinguished by religiosity, listened to the blessed Matronushka and her prophetic words.

Ksenia is a holy fool for Christ's sake

The blessed one was born in the first half of the 18th century into a family of pious parents. Having become an adult, she married the singer Alexander Fedorovich and lived with him in joy and happiness. When Ksenia turned 26 years old, her husband died. Unable to bear such grief, she gave away her property, put on her husband’s clothes and went on a long wandering. After this, the blessed one did not respond to her name, asking to be called Andrei Fedorovich. “Ksenia died,” she assured. The saint began to wander the streets of St. Petersburg, occasionally visiting her friends for lunch. Some people mocked the grief-stricken woman and made fun of her, but Ksenia endured all the humiliation without complaint. Only once did she show her anger when local boys threw stones at her. After what they saw, the local residents stopped mocking the blessed one. Ksenia of Petersburg, having no shelter, prayed at night in the field, and then came to the city again. The blessed one quietly helped the workers build a stone church at the Smolensk cemetery. At night, she tirelessly laid bricks in a row, contributing to the speedy construction of the church. For all her good deeds, patience and faith, the Lord gave Ksenia the Blessed the gift of clairvoyance. She predicted the future, and also saved many girls from unsuccessful marriages. Those people to whom Ksenia came became happier and luckier. Therefore, everyone tried to serve the saint and bring her into the house. Ksenia Petersburgskaya died at the age of 71. She was buried at the Smolensk cemetery, where the Church built by her own hands was located nearby. But even after physical death, Ksenia continues to help people. Great miracles were performed at her tomb: the sick were healed, those seeking family happiness were successfully married. It is believed that Ksenia especially patronizes unmarried women and already accomplished wives and mothers. A chapel was built over the tomb of the blessed one, to which crowds of people still come, asking the saint for intercession before God and thirsting for healing.

Holy sovereigns

The faithful include monarchs, princes and kings who have distinguished themselves

a godly lifestyle that strengthens the faith and position of the church. The first Russian saint Olga was canonized in this category. Among the faithful, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who won a victory on the Kulikovo field after the appearance of the holy image of Nicholas, stood out to him; Alexander Nevsky, who did not compromise with the Catholic Church in order to maintain his power. He was recognized as the only secular Orthodox sovereign. Among the faithful there are other famous Russian saints. Prince Vladimir is one of them. He was canonized in connection with his great activity - the baptism of all Rus' in 988.

Empresses - God's Servants

Princess Anna was also counted among the faithful saints, thanks to whose wife relative peace was observed between the Scandinavian countries and Russia. During her lifetime, she built it in honor because she received this very name at baptism. Blessed Anna revered the Lord and sacredly believed in him. Shortly before her death, she took monastic vows and died. Memorial Day is October 4 according to the Julian style, but in the modern Orthodox calendar this date, unfortunately, is not mentioned.

The first Russian holy princess Olga, baptized Elena, accepted Christianity, influencing its further spread throughout Rus'. Thanks to her activities that contributed to the strengthening of faith in the state, she was canonized.

Servants of the Lord on earth and in heaven

Saints are saints of God who were clergy and received special favor from the Lord for their way of life. One of the first saints ranked among this rank was Dionysius, Archbishop of Rostov. Arriving from Athos, he headed the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery. People were drawn to his monastery, since he knew the human soul and could always guide those in need on the true path.

Among all the canonized saints, Archbishop Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra especially stands out. And although the saint is not of Russian origin, he truly became the intercessor of our country, always being at the right hand of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Great Russian saints, the list of which continues to grow to this day, can patronize a person if he diligently and sincerely prays to them. You can turn to the Pleasers of God in different situations - everyday needs and illnesses, or simply wanting to thank the Higher Powers for a calm and serene life. Be sure to purchase icons of Russian saints - it is believed that prayer in front of the image is the most effective. It is also advisable that you have a personalized icon - an image of the saint in whose honor you were baptized.

The Saints.

Sainthood and Canonization.

Lives of the Saints. History of Compilation of Hagiographic Texts.

Orders of holiness.

Prophets.

Holy Apostles.

• Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.

Holy Apostles from 70.

• Apostle of the 70 James, brother of the Lord according to the flesh, Jerusalem, bishop.

Equal to the Apostles and Enlighteners.

• Holy and Righteous Lazarus of the Four Days.

Saints.

• Saint and Wonderworker Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra.

Martyrs, Great Martyrs.

Confessors, Passion-Bearers.

Where do saints come from? How do they help people? Is this really possible, and why do we need such God’s “guides”? - Thomas magazine asked about all this priest Konstantin PARKHOMENKO, clergyman of the St. Petersburg diocese, author of several books published by the Olma Press and Publishing House "Neva".
- Father Konstantin, let's talk about who the Orthodox Church generally calls saints. For example, Protestants consider as saints all who became disciples of Christ. In confirmation of this, words from the Gospel are cited, for example: “... and now you are holy,” etc.
- In the Russian language, the word “saint” (in Slavic “holy”) can be deciphered as yat from above, that is, taken from above, from heaven. The Greek "agios" is translated as unearthly, the Hebrew "kodesh" can be translated as separated, cut off, different.
Actually, only God has always been called a Saint. An ancient prophet, raptured to heaven, sees the Throne of God in heaven, Angels fly around and cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts...” A person or some religious object can be holy only if God imparts holiness to them, if God will introduce you to His Holiness.
So, holy means God. It is the one in whom God acts and does His work. In the highest sense, this is the one in whom, as Holy Scripture and Tradition say, God was “represented.”
It is in the latter sense that Orthodox Christians understand this word today. You will hardly find an Orthodox person who will say that he is a saint. This is at least immodest. On the contrary, the more righteous a person is, the more obvious it is to him that a huge distance separates him from God, from God’s purity, righteousness, and holiness.
But in ancient times, for example in the Old Testament, the people of Israel were called holy. Not because the Jews were righteous and pure, but because they were the people of God. As God told the people when the Jews came out of captivity in Egypt and approached Mount Sinai: “Therefore, if you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be My inheritance above all nations, for the whole earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom. priests and holy people." And a little later the command: “... sanctify yourself and be holy, for I (the Lord your God) am holy.”
The fact that Israel was the people of God, as if separated, cut off from the number of other nations, allowed it to be called a Holy people.
Later, Christians adopted this name. They, as the successors of Old Israel, moreover, as true worshipers of God, who recognized His Son, called themselves a holy people, saints. He also calls his disciples saints. Paul in his epistles.
And when in the Creed we call the Church Holy, this does not mean that the Church consists of holy people, but that it is the Church of God. The holiness of the Church and its members is given by God.
- Father Constantine, what significance in heaven can be canonized on earth? Is it really possible here on earth to decide something for sure and not make a mistake?
- Of course not. It is precisely in order “not to make mistakes” that the Church is in no hurry to canonize, that is, to officially glorify some ascetics as saints.
Church canonization is only a confirmation of what happened long ago in heaven.
To canonize a person, it is necessary that he... has already died. Only by following his life, his feat until his death and seeing how he died, can one understand whether this man was really a righteous man.
And after death, it is necessary that the holiness of this ascetic be confirmed... by God. How is this possible? These are miracles that emanate from the grave or remains of a saint, or occur in response to prayer to him.
Little popular veneration. It is necessary that a number of miracles confirm the fact that the saint is next to the Lord, he is praying for us!
After the death of St. Seraphim there were a lot of such messages. The same can be said about the life of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt, Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg and other saints.
I know many people who talked about amazing miracles in their lives that happened through prayers to St. John of Kronstadt, Blessed Xenia, St. Seraphim of Vyritsky, Blessed Elder Matrona and other saints long before their official canonization.
At the Seminary, our teacher Tatyana Markovna Kovaleva told such an incident from her childhood. During the blockade, her mother greatly revered Blessed Xenia. There was a terrible famine, my mother was assigned to collect cards for the whole house, and one day she lost all these cards.
Imagine! Losing the cards of the entire house - yes, this was sabotage in those days, execution! What to do? She left her daughter and ran to the Smolensk cemetery to pray to Blessed Ksenia. Tatyana Markovna was then 10 years old. She's sitting at home and suddenly there's a knock. Who's there? - Open it, baby. On the threshold is a woman in a knitted sweater and green skirt, without outerwear, even though it is frosty outside. “Didn’t you lose it?” and gives Tanya the cards... And how many other such cases happened during the war years! And Blessed Ksenia was canonized only in 1988.
The question arises: why, in this case, is church canonization needed? It is not the saint who needs it, but us! This is like confirmation that the path of life of a saint is the path of a true son of the Orthodox Church, this is the right path!
Saints are not canonized in order to add something to their heavenly status; this is not some kind of church reward; they have already received everything from God. Saints are canonized as examples for other Christians.
- Readers from among those who do not come to church sometimes ask: why pray to God through intermediaries, through saints? Will the merciful Lord really not hear me anyway? And indeed, it is difficult to imagine how a “strict” God is persuaded and begged by some saint especially close to Him, and the Lord changes His decision based on these prayers.
- The best answer to this question will be the opinion of the Lord Himself, which we find in the Holy Scriptures.
Here is the Old Testament. The story of the sufferer Job. Everything that happened to him was a test of his spiritual strength and trust in God. But friends come to Job and accuse him of immorality, which brought sorrow upon him. And then the Lord becomes angry with his friends. Their words are false and feigned. These people are trying to measure God’s plan with their minds, trying to calculate God’s actions. The Lord, well aware of the purity of Job’s life, angrily says to one of his comrades, Eliphaz: “My anger burns against you and your two friends because you did not speak about Me as truly as My servant Job.” And then the Lord commands his friends to repent, make a sacrifice and... ask for Job’s prayers: “And my servant Job will pray for you, for only his face will I accept, so as not to reject you” (Job 42:8).
Here the Lord Himself commands to ask for the prayers of the righteous.
In the 20th chapter of the book of Genesis, the Lord exhorts Abimelech, king of Gerar, to ask for the prayers of Abraham: “... for he is a prophet and will pray for you, and you will live...” (Genesis 20: 7). The psalmist David also speaks unequivocally about the prayer of the righteous: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Ps. 33:16). And in the book of the prophet Jeremiah we read the following bitter testimony: “And the Lord said to me: even though Moses and Samuel appear before me, my soul will not bow to this people; drive them (the wicked Jews) away from before Me” (Jer. 15:1).
And is there any doubt that God listens to His righteous if He Himself affirms: “I will glorify those who glorify Me” (1 Sam. 2:30)?..
The New Testament also contains many indications of the power of the prayers of the righteous. Apostle Peter: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12). Apostle James: “The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (5:16). And further - examples: “Elijah was a man like us (that is, an ordinary person like us), and he prayed with prayer that there would be no rain: and there was no rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again: and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit” (James 5: 17-18). For up. James, it is absolutely obvious, undoubtedly, that the righteousness of life, let's say - the holiness of life, allows a person to perform miracles.
Can God cancel the sentence over people, the people through the prayers of the saints? Many facts of Holy Scripture and Tradition testify to this. Remember, Abraham begged the Lord, who appeared in the form of three strangers, to spare Sodom and Gomorrah.
Why is that? In the Holy Fathers we find the following thought: Christ promises that His followers will be given divine grace: “Father, the glory that You have given Me I will give to them” (John 17:22). If a person works together with God to transform the world, cleanse it from sin, and bring it to God, we can say that the person becomes a friend of God, a co-worker. Is it possible to assume that the Lord is deaf to a person who has given his whole life to Him, dedicated himself to the Lord?.. Such a person has the right to ask for others, and to ask persistently, not as a slave or an unfaithful servant, constantly betraying his master, but as a son.
We believe that there is no death as the disappearance of the soul; that after physical death a person’s soul continues to live an even more spiritually active life. This means that what prevents us from helping the deceased righteous man after his departure from this world, after his relocation to heaven?
In the book of Revelation of John the Theologian, we read about the remarkable vision of the seer: “Twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb [that is, Christ], each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Apoc. 5:8), and, a little later: “And the smoke of incense ascended with the prayers of the saints from the hand of an Angel before God” (Rev. 8:3-4).
- At first glance, the custom of the Orthodox Church to pray to special saints on some special occasions seems strange and somewhat pagan. It is clear, for example, why in family troubles you resort to the help of St. Xenia the Blessed. But why, for example, if you have a headache, go to John the Baptist?
- There are undoubtedly excesses in this. We can say that some saints, even during their earthly lives, helped people in certain situations. These are holy healers, for example, the Great Martyr Panteleimon, the unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, the martyrs Zinaida and Philonilla, etc. After resigning from earthly life to heavenly life, these ascetics will help sick people. They were given a gift from God; it is not taken away even after death. The Church believes so, and in the ancient rite of the Sacrament of Unction (otherwise the Blessing of Anointing, the Sacrament of Church Healing) the names of these holy doctors appear.
There are other saints who help with certain needs. Warrior - to warrior, missionary-navigator - to sailor, traveler, etc.
But there are far-fetched examples that do not correspond to any sound logic. John the Baptist, who had his head cut off, is believed to help with headaches. Another saint helps against caterpillars, mice, Colorado beetles and other reptiles of fields and vegetable gardens... Some pious brochures contain long lists of such highly specialized heavenly helpers. But this does not correspond to either the Orthodox faith or the experience of the Church; this is pious amateur activity.
Although, you know, about ten years ago such an interesting incident happened to me. Then I was a novice seminarian, in some ways zealous, in others naive. I was traveling on a train with a man whose teeth hurt terribly. He had some kind of suppuration in his gums, everything was swollen, he did not sleep for several nights. And he was on his way to surgery. Here he sits with a bandaged cheek, swaying and humming something. I felt so sorry for him! I say: “Maybe I should bring you some water?” He nods. I went to the titan to get some water, and then I remembered that when you have a toothache you pray to Saint Antipas. And I prayed to him. To my shame, I will say that I didn’t even really believe in this idea, I just felt very sorry for the man, and I prayed with all the strength of this pity. He crossed the water, gave him a drink... And then - well, just a miracle happened. After about five minutes he says: “Strange. I don't feel any pain at all." And then he lay down and fell asleep peacefully. The next day the swelling subsided. I don’t know what happened to him next, he left in the morning... That’s it.
- Every person has several favorite saints. You turn to them more often in prayer, you light candles for them. But there are many other icons in the temple, and even more different saints. Are we not “offending” others with our inattention? There is an opinion that all the saints, together with the Mother of God, form in heaven, as it were, a single body that glorifies God and prays to Him. What is the point of approaching “your” icons specifically? What is the meaning, in general, other than one’s own habit, of the custom of kissing icons and lighting a candle in front of them? You can often hear: “Well, I went to church before the exam, lit a candle, and passed well.”
- I'll start with the last one. There should be no magic in relation to God. If you didn’t light a candle for this saint, didn’t bow, didn’t kiss the icon - he will punish you and stop helping you. Such an attitude is unworthy of a Christian.
We must understand that first of all, God needs our burning desire to be genuine Christians. The Lord knows our life circumstances, who has what kind of workload, who has what opportunity to pray, and so on. Therefore, we must sincerely not be lazy to attend divine services, try to pray, learn this... But if we couldn’t, we were late for a reason beyond our control, the Lord will never be angry.
However, we still have a very tenacious magical attitude towards the Church. If a student was once helped by a candle, he will think that if he doesn’t light the candle, he will immediately fail the exam.
I'll tell you one case. In our church at the Theological Seminary on the eve of each exam, for those who wish, a prayer service is served in front of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. So we ask the Mother of God to help us take the exam successfully. A seminarian I know, a classmate of mine, somehow realized that he had become internally dependent on these prayers. He was afraid that if he missed such a prayer service, he would do poorly. And then he stopped going to prayer services for some time. He prayed in his room, asked for help, but did not go to the prayer service. After some time, when he realized that he had internally freed himself from fears, he again began going to prayer services.
But we digress. The question is, why do we single out some saints?.. There is nothing bad or strange in this. Many saints are close to us in their spiritual make-up, character, temperament, church service, and ascetic deeds. Of course, we feel a special attraction to such saints. We want to know about them, read their lives, and prayerfully communicate with them.
In my life there were many such discoveries that were precious to me. This, of course, is the holy righteous Father John of Kronstadt, Blessed Xenia, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Sergius of Radonezh. When I entered the Seminary, I experienced great help from the spiritual patron of our Seminary and Academy, Apostle John the Theologian. In my second year at Theological Seminary, I picked up a book about St. Simeon the New Theologian and simply “fell in love” with this man. I can say the same about the king and psalmist David, the martyr Justin the Philosopher, saints John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, Maximus the Confessor, Gregory Palamas, Blessed Matrona, and many others.
By our “attention” to some saints, we, of course, do not offend other saints. Where saints are, there are no petty grievances, wounded pride, or anything else. But, of course, if we somehow especially single out some saints, we should not forget that each saint of the Church is a unique and beautiful person, ripe for God. One should strive to learn about other saints, study their lives, and peer into the features of their feats.
- What does a “strong” saint mean? That is, it is assumed that there are “not very strong”? At my house I have butter from the relics of St. Alexander of Svir. This oil really has a strong, pronounced medicinal property. But you don’t notice such an effect with any oil. Why is this happening?
- There is no such thing as a “strong” saint in the Orthodox Church. Every saint, if we sincerely turn to him for help, helps. The same can be said about holy oil (oil) from the relics or lamp of a saint, about some holy objects.
Here, too, I can give an example from my seminary youth. Suddenly I developed eczema. I didn't know what to do. It spread further and further, already taking away entire areas of the skin. And my friend had oil from Athos, from some miraculous icon of the Mother of God. He simply kept it in a glass jar. I tell him: “Listen, give me some oil.” I went to the akathist to the Mother of God, prayed, then had a special, “spiritual” dinner at home, anointed the affected areas with this oil and went to bed. And from the next day I began to notice a clear improvement. Then it really shocked me...
But, of course, now I try to rarely use holy objects, only in extreme cases.
Any crumb, drop of shrine can bring great grace. And on the contrary, you can have dozens of particles of relics, oil, holy water at home, but this will not bring any spiritual benefit if we do not strive with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength towards God.
After the revolution, a special department was created in the GPU to combat religion. It was headed by E. Tuchkov. This man caused enormous evil to the Church; he condemned to death hundreds of now glorified new martyrs. Note that meetings with people, at least one of which would have been a great honor for us, a spiritual revelation, did not have any influence on Tuchkov. His heart burned with hatred of God and the Church and was closed to grace.
In general, any shrine can bring us spiritual benefit if we accept it with reverence. And no shrine, even the greatest, can melt the ice if a person does not want it, because God respects our freedom...

Who are the saints? You will probably be surprised to hear that the saints were the same peoplelike each of us. They experienced the same feelings as us, their souls were visited by both joy and disappointment, not only hope, but also despair, both inspiration and extinction. Moreover, the saints experienced exactly the same temptations as each of us. What prompted them to that amazing thing that fills the soul with indescribable light, and what we call holiness?

At the beginning of the 4th century, a certain young man Ephraim lived in Syria. His parents were poor, but they sincerely believed in God. But Ephraim suffered from irritability, could get into quarrels over trifles, indulge in evil plans, and most importantly, doubted that God cared about people. One day Ephraim was late home and stayed overnight near a flock of sheep with a shepherd. At night, wolves attacked the herd. And in the morning Ephraim was accused of leading thieves to the herd. He was put in prison, where two more were imprisoned: one was accused of adultery, and the other of murder, also innocently.

Ephraim thought about this a lot. On the eighth day, he heard a voice in a dream: “Be pious, and you will understand the Providence of God. Go over in your thoughts what you were thinking about and what you were doing, and you will realize for yourself that these people are not suffering unjustly.” Ephraim remembered how once, with evil intent, he drove someone else’s cow out of the pen, and it died. The prisoners shared with him that one participated in accusing a woman slandered of adultery, and the other saw a man drowning in the river and did not help. An epiphany came to Ephraim's soul: it turns out that nothing happens in our lives for nothing, for every action a person is responsible before God - and from that time Ephraim decided to change his life. All three were soon released. And Ephraim again heard a voice in a dream: “Return to your place and repent of unrighteousness, making sure that there is an Eye that oversees everything.” From now on, Ephraim was extremely attentive to his own life, he prayed a lot to God and achieved holiness (in our calendar he is referred to as St. Ephraim the Syrian, commemorated on January 28 according to the Julian calendar).

So, the saints became holy because, firstly, they saw their unrighteousness, their distance from God (one should not think that every saint of God was initially a saint). And secondly, they deeply felt that no good could be accomplished without God. They turned to Him with all their souls. They had to fight a lot with evil, and above all in themselves. This is their difference from ordinary heroic personalities. Earth's heroes are trying to change the world through an external struggle for justice. And saints influence the world through its internal transformation, and begin this transformation with themselves. If Peter I, although he was a strong-willed man, lamented: “I pacified the archers, overpowered Sophia, defeated Charles, but I cannot overcome myself,” then the saints managed to defeat themselves. Because they relied on God. And who can be stronger than God? His grace uprooted everything dark in their souls, and then enlightened their minds and hearts to the vision of amazing mysteries.

We call saints ascetics because holiness is the path of unceasing spiritual ascent, and this is associated with difficult inner feat, with overcoming everything vicious and base in oneself. There is an ancient legend about how one day the philosopher Socrates, walking with his students through the streets of Athens, met a hetaera who arrogantly said: “Socrates, you are considered a sage and are respected by your students, but if you want, I will say one word, and they will all immediately will they run after me? Socrates replied: “This is not surprising. You call them down, and this requires no effort. I call them to the sublime, and this requires a lot of work.” Holiness is a continuous ascent, which naturally requires effort. Holiness is painstaking work, the creation of the image of God in oneself, just as a sculptor carves an amazing masterpiece from a soulless stone that can awaken the souls of those around him.

On icons of saints we see a halo. This is a symbolic image of the grace of God, enlightening the face of a holy man. Grace is the saving power of God, which creates spiritual life in people, internally strengthens and cleanses them from everything sinful and nasty. The very word “grace” means “good, good gift,” because God gives only good things. And if sins devastate the soul and bring with them the coldness of death, then God’s grace warms a person’s soul with spiritual warmth, so its acquisition satisfies and delights the heart.

It is the acquisition of God's grace that elevates a Christian to eternity; grace brings with it the happiness sought by the heart of every person and true joy and light of the soul. The face of the prophet Moses shone with such indescribable light when he descended from Mount Sinai, having received the Ten Commandments from God. Thus, the Savior Himself, transfigured on Tabor before the three apostles, revealed His Divine glory: “And His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17: 2). Every saint also joined this heavenly, Divine light, so that communication with saints brought spiritual warmth to the people who came to them, and resolved their sorrows, doubts and life difficulties.

Saints are those who saw God's plan for themselves and embodied this plan in their own lives. And we can say that saints are people who responded with love to love. They responded to the boundless love of God addressed to every person and showed love for Him in their faithfulness. They showed loyalty to God in everything and, above all, in the recesses of their own hearts. Their souls became close to God, for the saints eradicated everything sinful in themselves, even at the level of thoughts and feelings. Therefore, holiness is not a reward for good deeds, but an introduction of the individual to the grace of God. In order to receive the gift of grace from God, it is necessary to fulfill His commandments, and to do this, overcome what inside each of us resists God, that is, sin.

The Venerable Anthony the Great once said: “God is good and does only good things, always being the same, and when we are good, we enter into communication with God because of our similarity with Him, and when we become evil, we separate from Him because of our dissimilarity with Him.” . By living virtuously, we become God’s, and by becoming evil, we become rejected from Him.” The saints achieved closeness to God and thanks to this they became like God. So the questions of life, which often lead us to a dead end, become clear for the saints thanks to the gracious Light to which they have partaken. That is why the famous writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s reference book was “The Ladder” of St. John of Sinai - Gogol often turned to this book for clarification of the questions of his own soul.

Many famous people of the 19th century, trying to find answers to spiritual questions, turned to the venerable elders of Optina Hermitage. The most educated people went for advice to Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, Saint Theophan the Recluse and Righteous John of Kronstadt. And the American psychologist William James, after reading “Words of Asceticism” by St. Isaac the Syrian, exclaimed: “Yes, this is the greatest psychologist in the world.” Thus, representatives of secular culture were surprised at the depth of reasoning of holy people. Of course, among those who have not achieved holiness, there is also wisdom and experience, but all this remains entirely an earthly skill, while the wisdom and experience of the saints not only resolve the deep-seated problems of earthly life, but also open up for us the path from the earthly to the heavenly.

Just as an eagle soars high above the earth, but at the same time sees the smallest objects on earth, so the saints, having risen above everything earthly, having reached the Kingdom of Heaven, see everything that happens on earth and hear the prayer of a person sincerely praying to them. History knows many cases when saints came to the aid of people still living on earth who found themselves in trouble.

When our contemporary, famous traveler Fyodor Konyukhov set off on his first, difficult voyage, Bishop Pavel, Bishop of Australia and New Zealand, came to see him off. The bishop bequeathed, if it becomes difficult, to ask for help from the Lord Jesus Christ, Saints Nicholas the Wonderworker and Panteleimon the Healer: “They will help you.” During the journey, Fedor felt that someone was really helping him. One day, there was no autopilot on the yacht, Fedor went out to adjust the sails and turned to St. Nicholas with such a simple phrase: “Nicholas, hold the yacht.” While he was adjusting the sails, the yacht began to capsize, and Fyodor shouted: “Nikolai, hold it!”, and he himself thought: that’s it, it will capsize. And suddenly the yacht became as it should, it went as smoothly as ever, even when Fedor himself was at the helm. This was near Antarctica, where the metal steering wheel usually became so cold that gloves had to be worn. And at that moment, after the prayerful appeal to St. Nicholas and the unexpected alignment of the yacht, when Fyodor Konyukhov approached the helm, he turned out to be unusually warm.

So, holiness is not a declaration of one’s high morality, but the radiance of a pure heart that has acquired God’s grace. And saints are people who have partaken of heavenly grace, which enlightens the soul. From God they accepted the gift of helping those still living on earth. And prayer to the saints can help even in the most, by earthly standards, hopeless situation.