Holy saints of God about times and seasons. Holy saints of God

Reverend Abraham of Galich, Chukhlomsky, Gorodetsky - disciple of Reverend Sergius of Radonezh.
The place of birth and worldly name of the Monk Abraham are unknown. According to an excerpt from his most ancient life, the Monk Abraham initially labored in the Nizhny Novgorod Pechersk monastery, from where he moved to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. After some time, in search of a place for a solitary monastic life, the Monk Abraham, with the blessing of the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, went to the Kostroma borders, to the Principality of Galich, where he founded the first monastery in the Galich side - the Avraamiev Novozaozersky (Novoezersky) Monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the north. on the eastern shore of Lake Galich (now the village of Umilenie, Galich district, Kostroma region).

Venerable Adrian of Monzen

The Monk Adrian (in the world Amos) was born in Kostroma and was a student of the Monk Ferapont of Monza. In his youth, he left his parents' home and labored in the Tolga, Gennadiev, Spaso-Kamenny and Pavlo-Obnorsky monasteries. At the direction of the Monk Ferapont, Adrian settled near the mouth of the Monza River (the right tributary of the Kostroma River) and began building the Annunciation Monastery, which later received the name Hadrian Hermitage.

Rev. Alexander Vochsky

The Monk Alexander was the founder and abbot of the Alexander Hermitage on the Vocha River, a left tributary of the Kostroma River, near the city of Soligalich. It is impossible to say with certainty either the time or place of birth of the Monk Alexander, as well as the class to which he belonged. It can be assumed that he was born no earlier than the middle of the 14th century, because he is glorified as an “imitator” in his exploits and even as an “interlocutor” of the Monk Abraham of Chukhloma, who died in 1375, and no later than the beginning of the 16th century, since during the reign of Vasily Ivanovich III (1505-1553) The Alexander Hermitage already existed and received an entire volost from this king.
The saint’s youth in the service is sung as follows: “From the shrouds of youth you clung to the venerable God, for this sake you considered this life as nothing, you desired to bear the cross of the Lord more than anything else, and you hated all earthly things.” The consequence of such zeal for piety was that the young man early left “his fatherland and relatives and retired to the desert for exploits.

Venerable Barnabas of Vetluga

The Monk Barnabas lived in the XIV-XV centuries; At first he was a parish priest in Veliky Ustyug, and after the death of his wife he became a monk.
After tonsure, the monk withdrew from the vain worldly life and settled in a deserted place on Red Mountain near the Vetluga River. Here, as the life of the holy saint narrates, he “worked for God in psalmody and prayer, feeding on the past and the top of oak.”
The Monk Barnabas spent twenty-eight years as a hermit on Red Mountain. Despite the fact that there was no human habitation in the immediate vicinity of this place, the inhabitants of the ancient Vetluga region became aware of the fertile hermit; Those who were looking for spiritual advice, admonition and consolation began to turn to the saint of God. Evidence has been preserved of the prophecies of the holy elder, who predicted that after his repose to the Lord a monastic monastery would arise on Red Mountain, and “God will increase the lives of men.”

Hieromartyr Vasily Razumov, Priest Sypanovsky

Hieromartyr Priest Vasily Razumov was born in 1879 in the village of Kuchino near the city of Sudislavl into a poor peasant family. In the early 30s of the twentieth century, he served as a priest in the Krasnoselsky district; in 1932, Father Vasily was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in a camp, from where he was released early for health reasons in 1935.
Hieromartyr Nikodim, Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich, who ruled the Kostroma diocese at that time, appointed Father Vasily to serve in the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Trinity, Nerekhta region - the former monastery church of the Trinity-Sypanova Pachomiev-Nerekhta monastery. During the sorrowful years of persecution of the Church and the faith of Christ, Hieromartyr Basil, strengthened by his mentor and spiritual friend, Hieromartyr Nicodemus, zealously defended the truth and purity of Orthodoxy, affirmed his flock in standing for the truth of God, and protected the temple from attempts to close and desecrate it.

Soligalich New Martyrs

Hieromartyrs Archpriest Joseph Smirnov, Priest Vladimir Ilyinsky, Deacon John of Kastor and Martyr John Perebaskin.
Archpriest Joseph Smirnov was born in 1864. After graduating from the Kostroma Theological Seminary, from 1885 to 1896 he taught at the Soligalich parish school. In 1886 he was ordained priest of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; was a confessor at the city prison and an observer of parochial schools in Soligalichsky district. In September 1905 he was appointed rector of the cathedral. He was elected as a deputy of the city duma and the Soligalichsky district assembly, and was a member of the district committee of trusteeship of people's sobriety. In 1907 he was elevated to the rank of archpriest. Information from his service record and materials from periodical church press show us Father Joseph as an educated, worthy clergyman, a man of impeccable Christian morality, who enjoyed deep respect among the townspeople.

Hieromartyr Vasily (Preobrazhensky), Bishop of Kineshma

Bishop Vasily (Preobrazhensky Veniamin Sergeevich) was born in 1876 in the city of Kineshma, Kostroma province (now Ivanovo region) in the family of a priest.
His parents, pious and devout people, spent their lives almost monastically. Only when necessary, they left the house, beyond the walls of which neither news, nor gossip, nor idle talk penetrated. This absence of everyday fuss instilled concentration in the boy. He received higher secular and higher spiritual education, defended his dissertation, receiving a master's degree in theology. However, he wanted to arrange his life as a secular person. But God prepared a different fate for him. Every summer Benjamin came home.

Venerable Gennady of Kostroma and Lyubimograd

The Monk Gennady, in the world Gregory, came from a family of Russian-Lithuanian boyars John and Helen; he was born in the city of Mogilev. From childhood, the boy loved to visit the temple of God, and, finally, deciding to enter one of the monasteries in the Russian land, he secretly left his parental home, exchanged rich clothes from the beggars for rags, and in this form reached Moscow. Here he met his future spiritual friend named Theodore, who also strived for monastic exploits. Not finding refuge in the Moscow region, the ascetics went to the Novgorod land; here they met with the Monk Alexander of Svirsky, who blessed the friends to go to the Vologda forests to the Monk Cornelius of Komel.
Saint Cornelius predicted to Theodore that his fate was worldly life (indeed, Theodore soon returned to Moscow, had a large family and lived to a ripe old age), and left Gregory in his monastery, where, after a long time of novice labors, he took monastic vows with the name Gennady .

Venerable Gregory of Pelshem, Vologda

Born in the city of Galich, Kostroma province, he belonged to the noble family of boyars, the Lopotovs. At the monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God on Lake Galich, he took monastic vows and was awarded the rank of priest. He founded a monastery on the Pelshma River in the Vologda province. He died as a 127-year-old old man on September 30, 1442.

Hieromartyr Dimitri (Dobroserdov), Archbishop of Mozhaisk

Hieromartyr Demetrius (in the world Ivan Ivanovich Dobroserdov) was born on January 22, 1864 in the village of Pakhotny Ugol, Tambov province, into the family of a priest. After graduating from the Tambov Theological Seminary in 1885, he was appointed teacher of the zemstvo school in Morshansky district, where he worked until 1889. On May 6, 1889, Ivan Ivanovich was ordained a priest to the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Mamontov, Tambov province, and was appointed head and teacher of the law at the Mamontov parish school.
Soon, Father John’s wife and children died. Left alone, he left the Tambov province and in 1894 entered the Moscow Theological Academy. Upon graduating in 1898 with a candidate of theology degree, he was appointed teacher of the law at the 4th Moscow Gymnasium and priest of the gymnasium church. On April 10, 1899, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Vladimir (Epiphany) appointed Priest John rector of the Annunciation Church at the gymnasium.

Venerable Jacob Bryleevsky

The Monk Jacob lived in the 15th century and came from a family of nobles, the Bryleevs. He was a student of St. Jacob of Zheleznoborovsk, a novice of his monastery. He founded a small monastic monastery, known as the Trinity Bryleevskaya Hermitage, four miles from the Iakovo-Zheleznoborovskaya monastery, where he died.

Venerable Jacob of Zheleznoborovsk

The Monk Jacob was born in the 14th century into a pious family of Galich nobles, the Anosovs. Having lost his parents at a young age, he distributed all his property to those in need and took monastic vows at the monastery of the abbot of the Russian land, St. Sergius of Radonezh.
The desire for the highest feat of monasticism - the hermit life - prompted the Monk Jacob to return to his native land. Having received the blessing of Saint Sergius, he settled on the banks of the Tebza River near the village of Zhelezny Borok, not far from the city of Buya, and remained there in solitary prayer and monastic labors.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea

Saint Ignatius (in the world Dmitry Alexandrovich Brianchaninov) was born on February 5, 1807 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Gryazovets district, Vologda province, into an old noble family, received an excellent education at home, and graduated from the Military Engineering School. In 1827, he retired for health reasons, lived in the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, in the Optina Hermitage, and the Dionysian-Glushitsky Monastery.
On June 28, 1831, he was tonsured with the name Ignatius in honor of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, ordained to the rank of hieromonk, then appointed abbot and builder of the Pelshensky Lopatov Monastery. On January 28, 1835, for his diligent work in reviving the monastery, Saint Ignatius was elevated to the rank of abbot, then to the rank of archimandrite and appointed rector of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery near St. Petersburg.

Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia

Saint Jonah (his worldly name is unknown) was born at the end of the 14th century in the village of Odnoushevo, located several miles from Sol Galitskaya (Soligalich), in the family of the nobleman Theodore Odnoush. According to his life, the future saint became a monk at the age of 12 “in one of the monasteries of the Galich country” - according to modern data, in the Annunciation Unorozhsky Monastery near the Veksa River, a few kilometers northwest of Lake Galich. After some time, he moved to the Moscow Simonov Monastery and around 1430 he was ordained Bishop of Ryazan. After the death of Metropolitan Photius in 1431, Saint Jonah began to manage the affairs of the entire Russian Metropolis. In December 1448, a council of Russian bishops elected Bishop Jonah as Metropolitan of All Rus'; from that time on, the Russian Orthodox Church actually became autocephalous, independent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Venerable Kirill of Novoezersk

Born in Galich, he came from a noble family of the Whites or Whites. Secretly leaving his parents' house, he retired to the Komel forests to the Monk Cornelius, from whom he received monastic vows. For 10 years he labored under the leadership of the Monk Cornelius, and then, with his blessing, he lived in the desert for 7 years. In 1507, he settled on Red Island near New Lake (White Lake), built 2 churches: in the name of the Resurrection of Christ and in the name of the Hodegetria icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. He was ordained a priest. Died on February 4, 1532. The relics of St. Cyril were found incorrupt in 1649.

Venerable Macarius of Unzhensk and Zheltovodsk

The Monk Macarius of Unzhensk and Zheltovodsk was born in 1349 in Nizhny Novgorod. At the age of 12, he became a monk in the Nizhny Novgorod Ascension Pechersky Monastery, and then, with the blessing of the abbot of the monastery of St. Dionysius, he settled on the banks of the Lukh River, erecting a church there in the name of the Epiphany of the Lord and creating a monastery. Subsequently, the Monk Macarius moved to the banks of the Volga River, where, near Lake Zheltye Vody, he founded a monastery in the Name of the Life-Giving Trinity. In 1439, the Zheltovodsk Monastery was destroyed by the Tatars; After this, the Monk Macarius went to the Unzha River, where he founded his third monastery.

Venerable Macarius, missionary of Altai

The Monk Macarius (in the world Glukharev Mikhail Yakovlevich) was born on November 8, 1792. He studied at the Vyazemsky Theological School and the Smolensk Theological Seminary, after which he remained there as a teacher of Latin grammar. In 1817 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy with a master's degree in theology. On June 18, 1817, he was appointed inspector of the Ekaterinoslav Theological Seminary. On June 24, 1818, he was tonsured a monk, and on June 28, he was ordained a hieromonk.
On February 20, 1821, he was appointed rector of the Kostroma Theological Seminary. On December 21, 1821, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and made rector of the Kostroma Epiphany Monastery. Through the care of the Monk Macarius, the corner southwestern tower of the monastery with the miraculous Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God written on it was rebuilt into the Smolensk Church, which has survived to this day.

Hieromartyr Macarius (Karmazin), Bishop of Ekaterinoslav

Hieromartyr Macarius (in the world Grigory Yakovlevich Karmazin) was born on October 1, 1875 in the Podolsk province. On August 23, 1893, after graduating from the Podolsk Theological Seminary, he was ordained a priest and served in the parishes of the Podolsk diocese.
In 1902, Father Grigory Karmazin became a priest of the 8th reserve cavalry regiment; on May 4, 1912, he was listed as a military chaplain of the 152nd Vladikavkaz Infantry Regiment. During the First World War he was wounded and shell-shocked twice. For his personal courage and pastoral work, he was elevated to the rank of archpriest and was assigned to the 729th Novoufa Infantry Regiment. As a military priest, Father Grigory Karmazin served in Brest-Litovsk, Galicia, Riga and other places, from 1918 to 1922 - he served in various parishes of the Kyiv diocese.

Saint Mitrofan, Bishop of Voronezh

Saint Mitrofan (in the world Michael) was born on November 6, 1623 in the village. Antilokhovo, Vladimir region. Until the age of 40, he lived in the world, was married, had a son, John, and served as a parish priest in the village. Sidorovskoye near the town of Shuya. Having lost his wife, in 1663 he took monastic vows in the Zolotnikovaya Hermitage with the name Mitrofan. For 10 years he was abbot of the Yakhroma Kosmina Hermitage. Through his care, a temple was erected in the monastery in honor of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
For 7 years, from 1675 to 1682, Saint Mitrofan was the abbot of the Makariev-Unzhensky Monastery, founded within the Kostroma region by the Monk Makariy Unzhensky. During the years of the abbess of St. Mitrofan, the Annunciation Church with a bell tower was erected in the monastery in 1680.

Venerable Macarius of Pisemsky.

Very little is known about the life and works of St. Macarius. The saint was born in the middle of the 14th century; According to legend, his homeland was the village of Danilovo on the Pisma River (the left tributary of the Kostroma River), and he himself by origin belonged to the family of Pisemsky boyars. Even in his youth, having renounced all the advantages of his class position, the saint went to the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh, where he was tonsured a monk with the name Macarius - in honor of St. Macarius of Egypt.
With the blessing of the abbot of the Russian land, the Monk Macarius, having gone through the harsh school of monastic labors and exploits, returned to his homeland - to the Principality of Galich. Here he erected a cell and a small chapel on the banks of the Letter (this place is located about a kilometer from the monastery that arose later and was subsequently called the “old hermitage of St. Macarius”).

Hieromartyr Nikodim (Krotkov), Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich.

Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich Nikodim (in the world Nikolai Vasilyevich Krotkov) was born on November 29, 1868 in the village. Seredsky district, Kostroma province (now Ivanovo region) sinned in the family of a priest.
From an early age he was distinguished by exceptional piety and love for the Holy Church. After graduating from the Kostroma Theological Seminary in 1889, he was a parish school teacher for several years. In 1896, the future saint entered the Kyiv Theological Academy. Here, on August 13, 1899, he took monastic vows and gave his name in honor of the righteous Nicodemus. The following year, after successfully completing an academic course with a candidate of theology degree, Hieromonk Nikodim was sent as caretaker of the Vladikavkaz Theological School. Two years later he was transferred to Kutaisi to the position of inspector of the theological seminary, and in 1905 he was appointed rector of the Pskov Theological Seminary.

Reverend Nikita of Kostroma.

St. Nikita is a disciple and, as they say in the ancient synodics, a relative of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The saint was born around the 60s of the 14th century in the Moscow region (it is no coincidence that in some lists of students of the Radonezh abbot he is called Serpukhovsky or Borovsky).
The monastic path of the Monk Nikita began in the Vysotsky Mother of God Conception Monastery near Serpukhov. In 1396, the saint became abbot of the monastery, and around 1415, due to an eye disease, he left the monastery and retired to the Vysoko-Pokrovsky Monastery near the city of Borovsk. Here he was the spiritual mentor of the Monk Paphnutius Borovsky, the future founder of the Paphnutius-Borovsky Monastery.

Reverend Pavel Obnorsky (Komelsky).

The Monk Paul was born in Moscow in 1317 (this date is considered traditional, but historians believe that the birth of the saint could have occurred later - in the 30s of the 14th century). When the father and mother decided to marry their son, he secretly left his parental home and went to the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh, where he took monastic vows. Having gone through all the monastic obediences, the Monk Paul decided to undertake the feat of silence and, with the blessing of the Radonezh abbot, retired first to a deserted place near the monastery, and then, 15 years later, to the northern forests.
Arriving on Kostroma land, the saint first settled near the Great Hermitage of the Robe founded by the Monk Abraham Gorodetsky, and then moved to another monastery of the Monk Abraham - Pokrovsky on the shore of Lake Chukhloma. After some time, the saint of God retired from there to the small river Pisma, where for about 20 years he labored together with another disciple of Saint Abraham, the Venerable Macarius of Pisemsky.

Venerable Paisius of Galich

The Monk Paisius, the heavenly patron of the ancient city on Lake Galich, at the end of the 14th century came to the Galich Assumption Monastery (then called Nikolsky) and labored there for 70 years, subsequently becoming the abbot of the monastery. Already during the life of the holy elder, the monastery received the name Paisiev; Thus, our pious ancestors testified to their reverence for the high spiritual life of the saint. The saint of God put in a lot of effort to improve the monastery and establish the rules of ascetic monastic life in it.
During the reign of the Monk Paisius, in 1425, a miraculous appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, called Ovinovskaya, took place in the monastery. Next to the monastery were the lands of the pious Galich boyar Ioann Ovin. Wanting to erect a new church in the monastery instead of the dilapidated old one, one Sunday the boyar came to the monastery to choose a place to build a church.

Blessed Simon Yuryevetsky, a holy fool for Christ's sake, was born in the village of Odelevo in the former Nerekhta district of the Kostroma province (currently the Volga region of the Ivanovo region) into a pious family of peasants Rodion and Maria Shitov.
At a young age, having secretly left his parental home, Blessed Simon took upon himself the feat of foolishness in Christ. He settled in the forest near the village of Elnati. The village residents informed the local priest Joseph about him, and he took the blessed one into his home. In winter and summer, the saint walked barefoot, wearing only a shirt, enduring ridicule and humiliation, and was often beaten.

Venerable Timon, Elder of Nadeevsky

The Monk Timon (in the world Tikhon Fedorov) was born in 1766 in the city of Balakhna, Nizhny Novgorod province, in the family of a deacon of one of the local churches, Theodore, and his wife Anisia. Taught by his father, the boy already at the age of seven read church books freely, being distinguished by his love of solitude and prayer.
Having received an education at the Nizhny Novgorod Theological School, Tikhon returned to his parents’ home to his already seriously ill father. During this period of his life, the young man often made pilgrimage trips to the monasteries of the Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vladimir and Tambov dioceses.

Rev. Tikhon Lukhovsky

The Monk Tikhon (in the world Timothy) was born in the first half of the 15th century within the Lithuanian principality. In one of the Moscow monasteries, he took monastic vows and went to the Kostroma region. Three miles from the city of Lukha, in the town of Kopytovo, the monk begins his hermit life. Soon the St. Nicholas Monastery appeared on this site - later Tikhon’s Monastery.

The Monk Tikhon died on June 16, 1503. In 1570 he was canonized. The life of the saint was compiled in 1649. The holy relics of St. Tikhon reside in the St. Nicholas Tikhon Men's Hermitage in the Ivanovo region.

Reverends Gerasim and Thaddeus of Lukhovsky

The Monks Thaddeus and Gerasim of Lukhovsky lived in the 16th century and were students of the Monk Tikhon of Lukhovsky. Their names, along with the names of two other ascetics, Saints Philaret and Photius, were preserved in the ancient synodikon of Tikhon's Hermitage and on the ancient icon of Saint Tikhon. The relics of Saints Gerasim and Thaddeus rest in the St. Nicholas Tikhon Hermitage for Men of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Diocese.

Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates - heavenly patron of Kostroma

The Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates has been the patron saint of the city of Kostroma since ancient times.
Theodore Stratilates (Greek: “commander in chief”) was the ruler of Iraklia Pontus in Asia Minor. Under Emperor Licinius in 319, he accepted martyrdom for his confession of faith in Christ - after cruel scourging, he was crucified on a cross and then beheaded with a sword. Theodore's sufferings were described by his servant Uar.
Cathedral in the name of the Great Martyr Theodore

Relics - from the word “power”

Church historian Nikolai Nikolaevich Lisovoy told magazine correspondent Deacon Fyodor Kotrelev about what relics are, how the veneration of these shrines developed in the past and what problems arise today.

In order to better understand the meaning of the veneration of relics in the Orthodox Church, one must first of all turn to the etymology, the origin of the Russian word “relic” itself. This word comes from the word “power”, “strength”. This root is found in all Indo-European languages: German “Macht” - “strength, power”, Greek “MAYOC” - “magician, sorcerer”, literally “powerful” (the Magi are named in the Gospel with this word). That is, we worship and receive grace not from dead bones, but from the power of God, the bearer of which is this or that saint of God. The same thing happens with the veneration of icons: we do not worship wood or paints, but the depicted saint, who is our representative before God and conveys to God both our kissing and our prayer. The grace and help of God are inherent in the saints even during their lifetime. But even after death, the effect of holiness remains in their honest remains. Indeed, in the Orthodox understanding, the body is as necessary in the human composition as the soul. The Lord created us in three parts: body, soul and spirit. And among saints, the body is no less holy than the soul and spirit. Through our prayer to the saint and to the Lord, this grace can assist and help us. And it should be noted that not only saints are a source of grace-filled power, but also what remains of them: icons, personal belongings, etc. It is known, for example, that the mantle of St. Seraphim was miraculous and healed. The very churches and monasteries where the saints labored and prayed, their preserved vestments or liturgical vessels on which they celebrated the Eucharist, their grave cloths, coffins and shrines - all this is imbued with grace.

Sharing of grace?

Everyone knows such a phenomenon as a “particle of relics”. The tradition of dividing the relics of saints arose at a very early time. Already at the very beginning of Christianization, in the era of Constantine and Helena (and even somewhat earlier), we encounter divided relics. How to make sense of this tradition? First of all, it must be said about those parts of the body that were naturally separated. For example, let us remember the honest chapter of John the Baptist. Here is the already separated part of the relics. But the history of Christian holiness and martyrdom knows truncated heads, and right hands, and other members. Often this is evidenced by ancient documents - primarily the lives of saints, going back to the records of notaries - officials who were present at each torment, as well as to eyewitness accounts. For example, in the life of St. Adrian and Natalia are told that Natalia, who was present at the martyrdom of Adrian, after the execution, as soon as the saint’s arms and legs were cut off, before anyone noticed, she hid his right hand - in order to save, to preserve at least something of the saint’s remains. Then, when his relics were transported to Constantinople, she brought her hand there too.

The phenomenon of the division of relics lies in the fact that it is not the body itself, not the remains themselves, that are the bearer of grace, but the power of God living in them. And this force is indivisible and, accordingly, is equally present in all parts. That is, one finger of a saint is no less holy than his hand, foot, head or whole body. Let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “The eye cannot say to the hand: I have no need of you; or also head to feet: I don’t need you... Therefore... if one member is glorified, all members rejoice with it” (). So, no matter how small the relics are crushed into, their grace is not diminished by this. For example, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem still takes particles of the Life-Giving Cross, divides them and still gives them as a blessing to churches and monasteries.

Christians have always sought to preserve at least something from the holy saint, especially the martyr. True, it must be admitted that the pious tradition has been repeatedly used by unscrupulous people. Back in the 19th century, drops of the Blood of Christ, drops of the Milk of the Virgin Mary, and other “shrines” were sold to our poorly educated pilgrims in the east. But the need for sharing relics is also a liturgical need of the Church. Each church has an antimension - a platform on which the liturgy is performed. And a piece of relics is necessarily sewn into each antimension. The fact is that for the initial liturgies, the gravestones on the relics of the martyrs served as the throne. And subsequently, “anti-minsa” began to be used, that is, “instead of a throne” with particles of relics.

In anti-religious literature, blasphemous assumptions have been made more than once that, supposedly, if you collect all the revered particles of saints, then maybe some of them will have several arms or legs. This, of course, is completely untrue. Because if you really collect and count these shrines, it turns out that there are actually very few of them! For example, we say: the right hand of John the Baptist. But in fact, the right hand is made of silver or gold, and literally one finger or even one phalanx of the Forerunner can be placed in it. The same is true with many other relics. The bodies of martyrs were often thrown to be torn to pieces by beasts; the remains of others were deliberately destroyed and hidden by the persecutors in order to prevent veneration. In addition, many saints were burned at the stake or thrown into the sea, and their relics were lost.

The myth of incorruptibility

There is a common misconception that the bodies of saints must be preserved incorruptible. This is absolutely false. As stated above, relics are power, strength. What is strength in the human body? It's a bone! The strength and strength of a person is in the bones. A relaxed person is one who does not control his skeleton. As for the veneration of exclusively supposedly incorruptible bodies, there has never been such a tradition. The martyrs could not have incorruptible bodies, as mentioned above, due to the very nature of the torment.

Where does this misconception come from? In our country it arose in the 18th-19th centuries, during the synodal period, under the influence of the West. Western piety is more tactile, unlike Eastern piety, more sensual and physical. It is characterized by portraiture that emerged in the Renaissance in the depiction of saints and, at the same time, by the idea of ​​incorruptible bodies, which are conveyed in the plasticity of statues depicting the saint as living.

This error played a disastrous role in the history of the Russian Church in its time. At the beginning of Soviet power, when persecution of faith began, mass autopsies of relics began to take place. The atheists began to tell with great pleasure that instead of holy relics, “shards, rags and stuffed animals stuffed with paper” were found in the crayfish. But in these cases, partially preserved relics could be discovered, and the councils called “rags” the church vestments in which the burial was carried out. This was the case, for example, in 1919 during the opening of the relics of St. St. Sergius of Radonezh, partially preserved. Even for believers, both the fact of the partial incorruption of the relics of the great Russian saint and the desecration itself became a temptation. According to legend, St. Sergius appeared to one of the monks of the Lavra and said that today all Christians are suffering from persecution, and he wants to voluntarily suffer from blasphemy with his relics. But more often than not, this information was greatly exaggerated, and sometimes simply false. And, unfortunately, we must admit that here the church people seem to have “set themselves up.” Because there should be transparency in such matters. It was necessary to write directly: “the relics have not been preserved,” or “the relics are hidden,” or “only the frontal part of the skull remains” - and not the incorruptible relics. But it was precisely these deceptive words, this verbal shell that gave the Bolsheviks the opportunity to absolutely objectively, with the help of cameras and filming, build anti-religious propaganda on the exposure of relics! And this is precisely what His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon feared when he issued a decree to diocesan bishops on February 4 (17), 1919, “On eliminating reasons for mockery and temptation in relation to holy relics.” Similar decrees were issued by Russian bishops before, in the 19th century, but the desire for touch, for “incorruptibility” drowned out the voices of the saints.

Of course, there are also cases of incorruptibility of the bodies of saints. For example, in the Kiev-Pechersk and Pskov-Pechersk monasteries, even some not-glorified saints lie incorrupt. But these are climate conditions. Although, of course, the effect of God’s blessing is also present here. And yet, this does not happen in all monasteries! If this were a mandatory rule, it would be everywhere. But it turns out that the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery has it, but nearby, in Chernigov, for example, it doesn’t. And of course, incorruptibility cannot in any way be a criterion of holiness. On Athos it’s even the other way around: it is believed that if the body has not decayed, it means that the person is not pleasing to God. And this belief is quite solid. The earth does not accept. After all, there are legends that the earth does not accept sorcerers or witches, and they often lie incorrupt. Ancient legends about ghouls, the living dead, etc. are also based on this. The remains of people associated with evil spirits are often incorruptible.

But it happens, by the grace of God, differently. For example, in the monastery of George Khozevita near Jerusalem lie the relics of St. John of Romania or John the New - almost untouched by decay. At the same time, he wrote poems to himself before his death:

My body is unworthy
To honor him
Because I often didn’t want to
Listen to your God.

But the Lord decided that it was worthy. And nearby lie the relics of George Khozevit himself, the founder of the Lavra - and this is only the skull of the saint, only the honest head.

Now let us turn to the word “incorruptible” itself. What is this? It turns out that this is not what was preserved intact from the dead body. When we say “the incorruptible heritage of the Church”, we mean that which is not subject to corruption. There are spiritual things, things of grace that are not subject to decay. This is what incorruptibility means! Here we can talk about the criterion of holiness! If the relics retained the power of a saint, the grace-filled gift of miracles, then he really was a saint! And from this point of view, the bones of St. Seraphim and the bones of St. Sergius of Radonezh (and the bodies of these great saints did not turn out to be “incorruptible”) are much stronger, more alive and powerful than some completely incorruptible bodies that can be shown in the anatomical theater.

The question of the optionality of incorruption of relics for canonization arose during the canonization of St. Seraphim. In preparation for canonization, the opinion of a famous church historian was specifically requested, who wrote an entire book on the topic of canonization of saints in the Russian Church. So, it is absolutely clearly stated there that never, from ancient times, from St. Anthony to St. Anthony, the Church has never demanded the incorruptibility of relics. What did she demand? Evidence of miracles.

"Let him show himself"

Moreover, this applied not only to relics, but also to the most famous Christian relics. Take 1625, for example. Reign of Mikhail Feodorovich. A part of the Robe of the Lord, donated by the Persian Shah to the Russian Tsar, is brought to Moscow. On Donskaya Street there is the Church of the Deposition of the Robe. Now not all Muscovites know that we are talking about the position of the Robe of the Lord, and not the Robe of the Mother of God - after which, for example, the temple in the Kremlin is named. Patriarch Filaret says: wait, let’s not rush into glorification. They tell him - no, no, everything is in order: here is a letter from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who confirms the authenticity. But the patriarch stands his ground: wait, let him show himself, let a miracle happen, then we will present it to the people for veneration. And indeed, time passes - one miracle, two, three. And only then does the hierarchy bless the public veneration.

Another case. In 1819, the Patriarch of Jerusalem sent to Moscow to the Jerusalem courtyard at the Arbat Gate “An Honest Cross made of silver and gold, built with stones and margaritas (pearls), decorated and sealed with our seal, inside of which with our own hands we placed part of the All-Honorable Tree of the Life-Giving Cross, on it But the God-man Jesus Christ stretched out his hands, being nailed for our deliverance; secondly, the Holy Icon, depicting the Three Persons and containing many and varied stories of the Saints; thirdly, the Honest Right Hand of the Holy Glorious Great Martyr Eustathius Placidas, so that the designated three Honest Gifts, i.e. the Honest Cross, the Holy Icon and the Honest Right Hand, would be named and correctly recognized from all henceforth as the acquisitions and treasures of the Holy Church of the Holy Apostle Philip " Seraphim, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, ordered: “the box with the cross and relics sent from the Patriarch, taken, as can be seen from the patriarchal letter, from the jewelry stored in the book depository of the All-Holy Sepulcher, to be kept in the sacristy of the Chudov Monastery, and the image in the Filippov sacristy, and these by no means Do not pass off the right hand as miraculous or revealed, and do not glorify the right hand as relics.” That is, it does not need to be immediately presented to the people for veneration. And only after miracles were they placed in the temple.

Folk cults

The story of the Robe of the Lord brings us to another aspect of the veneration of relics and shrines: popular cults. Let us draw attention to the fact that the cult of veneration of the Robe of the Lord in Moscow never took shape. The miraculous nature of the shrine was recognized, the hierarchy approved the veneration, but a mass cult did not develop. And I must say, this is a normal phenomenon. Because in ancient Rus' there were never mass cults such as we see now. Until the end of the 19th century. And why? Yes, because the end of the 19th century is, firstly, the beginning of the era of mass information, and secondly, the era of decadence, the collapse of genuine church consciousness. This is the time when grace begins to be confused with magic. They begin to look at the relics as a magical remedy: if your knee hurts, apply the relics and you will recover faster. This is a very difficult issue to distinguish between fetishization and true worship, but it is very important. And, unfortunately, we ourselves unwittingly contribute to fetishization by our attitude towards relics, even genuine ones.

The attitude towards these shrines should be more calm and chaste. We are not all eager to receive communion at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. We understand that at the moment of the Eucharist, any altar of any rural church is Golgotha ​​and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. For modern people, this high symbolism of the Orthodox church consciousness stops working, and this is very sad.

For example, now there is a custom - to carry earth from the grave of a saint. But this never happened. This is truly from the realm of folk magic! And most importantly, everyone knows this very well. But still there is a queue, like to the Mausoleum, for the earth from the grave of St. Matronushka. Here, really, if you add everything up, it turns out that several multi-ton trucks have already been carried away. And in the Caucasus, the veneration of Theodosius of the Caucasus takes similar forms. The hierarchy has already taken measures to have his relics transferred to the temple - and to no avail! People don’t go to church, but buy land from the grave. There is a stall there where they sell it in bags; a whole mine has already been dug...

That is why both Patriarch Filaret in the 17th century and Metropolitan Seraphim in the 19th century did not bless such haste. Because they were very afraid of the hype. Let us remember what ugly forms the veneration of the saint took during his lifetime. He himself suffered greatly from this. Instead of reverently kissing the priest’s right hand, other “fans” tried to bite his finger in order to receive some kind of magical power with a drop of the saint’s blood. In recent years, he had to serve behind bars, which were placed on the pulpit so that no one, God forbid, would tear him apart. Where did the “Johnites” come from – then and now? From the darkening of religious consciousness. This is a sign of something unhealthy in the very atmosphere of national and state life. Then it was the eve of the crash. And now? And it's scary. By the way, this is also the reason for the confusion around the Taxpayer Identification Number, etc. Everyone has already said: theologians, the clergy, and His Holiness the Patriarch: don’t worry about the Taxpayer Identification Number. No, entire parishes, almost entire dioceses are ready to split because of the tax identification number.

This is fetishism: Taxpayer Identification Number, land from Matronushka, land from Feodosius... With all due respect and our universal love for Sergei Aleksandrovich Nilus, we cannot fail to mention here his “museum of the Antichrist” - a chest in the closet where he stored, for example, galoshes with a triangle sign , because these products of the famous Triangle factory allegedly trample on the Trinity. This is a fetishistic understanding, materialistic at its core, of the teachings of the Church about the signs of the coming of the Antichrist, and about holiness, and about the forms of its veneration. God forbid us to do this!

Procedure

Let us return, however, to the relics. There are no specific periods after which the veneration of holy saints begins. For example, when St. died. Alexander Nevsky, he was taken to be buried from Gorodets to Vladimir. The Life of the Holy Prince says that when Metropolitan Kirill wanted to place a letter of permission into the hand of the deceased, the prince himself extended his hand. The veneration began instantly, without any deadlines. It was the same with the miracles of St. . Before they had time to bury him, miracles and veneration immediately began. But it happens differently: miracles begin only after many years. Only the Lord knows the times and timing. Therefore, the Church, both in ancient times and now, gives time to witness. What will happen? The Lord will show. There is no need to rush and rush things, you need to wait. The Lord and the church people will have their say.

Previously, there was no specific procedure for opening, identifying and glorifying saints. In normal church life, what procedures and protocols might there be? Yes, of course, there must be evidence of power, evidence of grace, evidence of healing power - this has always been required. But there might not have been any formalized procedure. This, again, is all borrowed from the Catholic protocol - Catholics have a gradation of holiness: beatification, canonization, etc. But we do not have this. Saint means holy. A saint – he is a saint even during his lifetime.

Sometimes people doubt whether the venerated relics are actually the relics of this particular saint. This issue is resolved only and exclusively by our trust in Church Tradition. The church historian said that Orthodoxy cannot be proven in general; it is not a mathematical theorem. You can show it, present it: here is the Reverend, here is Father Nikolai from the island of Zalita - this is Orthodoxy. The situation is exactly the same with belief in the authenticity of relics. For example, in the sacristy of the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher there is a bone on which it is written that this is the bone of Mary Magdalene. There was no document with her and there never will be. This is a matter of faith – and trust in the Church. Believe it or not. Another 11th century author Jacob Mnich, hagiographer of St. Princess Olga, wrote that you can lean close to the coffin with her relics and look and see her. But the one who embraces it with faith sees it incorruptible, and the one without faith sees nothing. By the way, the relics of Saint Princess Olga, like Prince Vladimir, were lost, they do not exist. They existed before the Mongol invasion and then disappeared. And what now, because of this they have ceased to be saints? Of course not.

Often the relics of a saint are either missing or hidden, and an empty tomb - a cenotaph - is displayed in churches to venerate him. This is a normal and very traditional ancient phenomenon and there is nothing wrong with it. One saint of God, when in 1903 she was told about St. Seraphim: “They say that only bones remain of your Seraphim, what kind of saint is this?” - answered: “We do not worship bones, but God’s grace!”

It is also wrong to believe that the authenticity of the relics must necessarily be confirmed by any documentation. After all, for some, a document can be a life, while for others, it can only be what is issued by a notary and sealed with a seal. If we need the second option, then we must take into account that there is no notarized certificate with a seal for any relics; this has never been done - neither in ancient times, nor in modern times. Another thing is hagiography, the lives of saints. It is necessary. About the ancient martyrs - acts of martyrdom, about the saints - lives, which, as a rule, were written by the closest disciples soon after the death of the saint. So, already 20 years after the death of St. Sergius, he wrote his life, where he says that he still saw all the eyewitnesses and talked with them. What other documents do we need?

Queues for the relics?

The last issue that I would like to touch upon is the many-kilometer queues that line up around our churches, in particular the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior, when the relics of saints are brought for veneration. How to evaluate this phenomenon? Is it necessary to stand in a queue for many hours if around the relics - and therefore both the temple and the area around it - everything is already imbued with grace? On the one hand, it would seem that it is not necessary. It is much better to undertake a pilgrimage, force yourself to do some work and venerate the relics of the saint where they rest. But, of course, not everyone has this opportunity. On the other hand, turning around the Cathedral of Christ the Savior three times is also work, especially for old, sick grandmothers and mothers. There is another big truth in these queues. These lines are nothing more than a continuation of the ancient Russian tradition of religious processions. The Russian Church has always paid special attention to this form of nationwide prayerful feat. Dozens and hundreds of large and small processions of the cross were held annually in Rus': to the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, to St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky... All of Russia stood up and walked in the procession of the cross. So it is here: when going to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to see the relics, we should not expect a magical effect from them, but strive to take part in the people’s religious procession. And then standing in line for many hours will turn into real joy.

Orthodox prayers of saints and the Mother of God.

Orthodox and church holidays and fasts.

Today is an Orthodox church holiday:

All Orthodox and church holidays and fasts.

Orthodox Saints are saints of God.

The holy saints of God show special love and mercy to those who honor their holy memory.

It seems to many that the saints are far from us. But they are far from those who have withdrawn themselves, and very close to those who keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The holy saints in their earthly life turned to God for help in healing their ailments, sorrows and deliverance from temptations, asking God that even after death He would honor them with the gift of helping people in various cases of life.

The saints have reached the Heavenly Kingdom and there they see the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ; but by the Holy Spirit they also see the suffering of people on earth. Many holy saints of God received special grace from God, and He deigned them to be intercessors before Him for deliverance from our sorrows and bodily ailments, in which they themselves were tempted.

The saints rejoice at our repentance and mourn when people leave God and become like foolish cattle. They feel sorry that people live on earth, not knowing that if they loved each other, then there would be freedom from sin on earth: and where there is no sin, there is joy and gladness from the Holy Spirit, so that, wherever you look, everything sweet, and the soul wonders why it feels so good, and praises God. The saints hear our prayers and have the power from God to help us. The entire Christian race knows about this. We must remember: in order for a prayer to be heard, one should pray to the holy saints of God with faith in the power of their intercession before God, in words coming from the heart.

In our prayers we turn to the Lord God, to His Most Pure Mother - our Intercessor and Helper, to the holy Angels and holy people - the saints of God, because for their sake the Lord God is more likely to hear us sinners, our prayers. The Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, saints, unmercenaries, blessed, righteous, confessors.

The Lord says: “When you light a candle, you do not put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16). Saints are bright stars that show us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let us treasure the closeness of the holy saints of God to God and turn to them for help, remembering that they love us and care about our salvation. It is good to pray to the holy saints of God on those days when the Church celebrates their memory.

« Holy Saints of God, pray to God for us!»

Saints: life, memory, suffering.

Orthodox prayers and icons of the Mother of God and saints.

The word “icon” comes from the Greek language and means “image”, “image”. The image of the icon is consecrated with holy water and special prayers, through this consecration the grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted to the icon, and the icon is already revered by us as holy.

According to the Orthodox dogma of icon veneration, approved by the VII Ecumenical Council, “the honor given to an icon relates to its prototype, and the one who worships the icon worships the hypostasis of the person depicted on it.” The Council especially emphasizes that we give veneration to icons, and not the worship that is due to God alone. “The icon mysteriously contains within itself the presence of the one whom it depicts, and this presence is the closer, more grace-filled and stronger, the more the icon corresponds to the church canon.”

All Icons of the Mother of God and Saints

Prayer in the Christian life. What is prayer? About prayer.

Prayer- the most important part of the spiritual life of every believer. Through prayer, a person turns to God, asks him and asks for forgiveness from him. In other words, prayer is nothing more than a person’s way of talking with God.

About prayer.

The basis of the life of an Orthodox Christian is fasting and prayer. Prayer, said Saint Philaret of Moscow, “is a conversation between the soul and God.” And just as in a conversation it is impossible to listen to one side all the time, so in prayer it is useful to sometimes stop and listen to the Lord’s answer to our prayer.

Prayer does not require a specific time, place, circumstance or form. It can be verbose - long, and laconic - short. The prayer can be said at any time of the day or night, and anywhere. A person can pray under all circumstances of his life: when he is sick or healthy, when he is happy or sad, when he succeeds or fails, when he is in the company of his enemies or in the circle of his friends, when he is abandoned by everyone, or when he in the midst of your beloved family. But God’s temple serves as a special place of prayer. On Sundays, as well as on weekdays, if time permits, we should go to church to pray, where our brothers and sisters in Christ - Christians - gather to pray together, all together. This kind of prayer is called church prayer.

Every Orthodox Christian must pray daily, morning and evening, before and after eating food, before starting and at the end of any task (for example: before teaching and after teaching, etc.).

In the morning we pray to thank God for preserving us last night, to ask for His Fatherly blessing and help for the day that has begun.

In the evening, before going to bed, we also thank the Lord for a successful day and ask him to keep us during the night.

Before and after meals we pray to thank God for His gifts and ask Him to bless and sanctify the food.

In order for the work to be done successfully and safely, we must also, first of all, ask God for blessings and help for the upcoming work, and upon completion, thank God.

Unfortunately, many people forget about the necessity and importance of prayer, and resort to it only in cases of feeling hopeless. However, even in these cases, as practice shows, God does not forget about the person and gives him his love and support. But not a single prayer will bring anything good to a person if he simply reads it without thinking about what is said. Therefore, it is extremely important, when turning to the Creator in prayer, to truly feel every word.

God is the best of interlocutors; he will always hear a person and help him. You should not be embarrassed to talk to God even about the most secret things that are in your soul. The main thing is to do it with true faith in God.

“True prayer does not consist in words and saying them, but true prayer consists “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). When we pray to God, we must stand before Him not only in body, but also in spirit; and say prayer not only with your lips, but also with your mind and heart; and not only bow our heads and knees, but also our hearts before Him; and raise our intelligent eyes to Him with humility. For all prayer must come from the heart; and what the tongue says, the mind and heart must say.” Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk.

And no matter what happens during the day, everything happens according to the will of God; all, without exception, are circumstances in which the Lord wished to place you so that you could be His presence, His love, His compassion. His creative mind, His courage. And, besides, whenever you encounter a particular situation, you are the one whom God put there to carry out the ministry of a Christian, to be a part of the Body of Christ and the action of God. If you do this, you will easily see that sometimes you will have to turn to God and say: “Lord, enlighten my mind, strengthen and direct my will, give me a fiery heart, help me!” At other times you will be able to say, “Lord, thank you!”

In the Christian catechism, that is, in the instructions on the Christian faith, it is said about prayer this way: “Prayer is the offering of the mind and heart to God and is a person’s reverent word to God.” Prayer has extraordinary power. “Prayer not only defeats the laws of nature, not only is it an insurmountable shield against visible and invisible enemies, but it even holds back the hand of the Almighty God Himself, raised to defeat sinners,” writes Saint Demetrius of Rostov.

In the New Testament, prayer is a living connection between the children of God and their infinitely good Father, with His Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is “the unity of the entire Holy Trinity with the entire spirit.” Thus, prayer life is a constant and natural stay in the presence of the Trisagion of God and in communion with Him. Such vital communion is always possible because through baptism our being has become one with Christ. Prayer is Christian because it is communion with Christ and grows in the Church, which is His Body. Its dimensions are the dimensions of the love of Christ.

“Prayer is not telling God our needs. Prayer is the condition under which Divine power can come into contact with our spirit and act in us. God is omniscient and knows us better than we know ourselves.” Archimandrite Rafail (Karelin) (XX century).

Holy Fathers on prayer.

“Prayer is a great weapon, an unfailing treasure, wealth that never runs out, a serene haven, a foundation of peace; prayer is the root, source and mother of countless blessings and is more powerful than royal power.” St. John Chrysostom.

“Prayer in its rank is higher than alms.” St. Isaac the Syrian.

“Prayer is the emergence in our heart of one after another reverent feelings towards God.” St. Feofan, the Recluse of Vyshensky.

“During prayer, let our speech and supplication be combined with decorum, calmness and modesty. Let us think about the fact that we stand before the face of God and that we must please the eyes of God both with the position of the body and the sound of the voice.” Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage.

“One must abstain from marital affairs in order to engage in prayer; to abstain from worries about wealth, from the desire for earthly glory, from the enjoyment of pleasures, from envy and every evil deed against our neighbor, so that when our soul is in silence and not disturbed by any passion, in it, as in a mirror, God’s purity and uncloudedness will be insight." St. Basil the Great.

“When starting a prayer, leave yourself, your wife, your children, part with the earth, pass through heaven, leave every creature visible and invisible, and begin by praising Him who created everything, and when you praise Him, do not wander your mind here and there, do not talk about fabulous things. pagan, but choose words from the Holy Scriptures.” St. Basil the Great.

“Every place and every time is convenient for us to pray.” St. John Chrysostom.

Orthodox prayers to the holy saints. Holy saints of God.

Orthodox prayers for those in need for various needs and infirmities.

What should a Christian remember?

There are words of Holy Scripture and prayers that it is advisable to know by heart.

1. The Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4).

3. Basic gospel commandments (Matt. 5, 3-12; Matt. 5, 21-48; Matt. 6, 1; Matt. 6, 3; Matt. 6, 6; Matt. 6, 14-21; Matt. 6, 24-25; Matthew 7, 1-5;

The sacraments must not be mixed with rituals. A ritual is any outward sign of reverence that expresses our faith. A sacrament is a sacred act during which the Church calls on the Holy Spirit, and His grace descends on the believers. There are seven such sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion (Eucharist), Repentance (Confession), Marriage (Wedding), Blessing of Anointing (Unction), Priesthood (Ordination).

Types of prayers. Forms of prayers.

Types and forms of Orthodox prayers: Praises of praise, Prayers of supplication, Prayers of intercession, Prayers of repentance, Prayers of thanksgiving, Secret prayers, How to pray so that the Lord will hear.

What a believer needs to know.

What a believer needs to know. First steps in church: What an Orthodox Christian should know, How to behave in church, Rules about bowing and the sign of the cross, About holy icons, About confession, About communion, Remembrance and prosphora, Memorial service and prayer service, Rules regarding the relationship of a lay person to his confessor, The most important holidays of the year, Fasting, home prayer and spiritual reading.

What is today's Orthodox church holiday?

Miscellaneous:

Prayer to the holy righteous Philaret the Merciful.

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon, called Vladimir.

Prayers of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg.

Prayer to Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos in honor of Her icon “Consolation in sorrows and sorrows”

Prayers to the holy martyr Matrona of Thessalonica

Prayers to Saint Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea, Wonderworker

Icon of Saint Innocent, Wonderworker of Irkutsk

Icon of Saint Paisius the Great

Icon of the Holy Great Martyr Mina

Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, in front of Her icon called the Healer

Akathist to St. Jacob of Zheleznoborovsk

Akathist to the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Vasily

Akathist to Saint Mitrofan, Bishop of Voronezh

Akathist to Saint Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea, Wonderworker

All pages of the site.

Prayers in despondency and sorrow to the holy saints of God

Messenger, Prayer book, 2012

GREAT MARTYR VARBARA

Saint Barbara herself experienced these mental anguish.

First prayer

Holy glorious and all-praised Great Martyr Varvaro! Gathered today in your Divine temple, people who worship the race of your relics and kiss with love, your suffering as a martyr, and in them the Martyr Christ himself, who gave you not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, with pleasing praises, we pray to you, the well-known desire of our intercessor: pray with us and for us, beseeching God from His compassion, that He may mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not leave us with all the necessary petitions for salvation and life, and grant a Christian death to our belly - painless, shameless , in peace, I will partake of the Divine Mysteries, and to all, in every place, in every sorrow and situation who require His love for mankind and help, He will give His great mercy, so that by the grace of God and your warm intercession, always remain in good health in soul and body, we glorify the wondrous one in our saints The God of Israel, who does not remove His help from us always, now and ever, and forever and ever, Amen.

Second prayer

Holy Great Martyr of Christ Varvaro! Pray with us and for us, the servants of God (names), beseeching God from His mercy, that He may mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not leave us with all the necessary petitions for salvation and life, but the Christian end of our life will be painless, shameless, May I partake of peace and the Divine Mysteries, and through the grace of God and your warm intercession, may you always remain in good health in soul and body, glorifying the God of Israel, wondrous in His saints, who does not withdraw His help from us, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

ST. NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER

Even during his lifetime, this saint showed his miraculous abilities in consoling those burdened with sadness.

First prayer

O our good shepherd and God-wise mentor, Saint Nicholas of Christ! Hear us sinners, praying to you and calling for your speedy intercession for help; see us weak, caught from everywhere, deprived of every good and darkened in mind from cowardice; Try, O servant of God, not to leave us in the captivity of sin, so that we may not joyfully become our enemies and not die in our evil deeds. Pray for us, unworthy, to our Creator and Master, to whom you stand with disembodied faces: make our God merciful to us in this life and in the future, so that He will not reward us according to our deeds and the impurity of our hearts, but according to His goodness He will reward us . We trust in your intercession, we boast of your intercession, we call on your intercession for help, and falling to your most holy image, we ask for help: deliver us, servant of Christ, from the evils that come upon us, and tame the waves of passions and troubles that rise up against us, and for the sake of Your holy prayers will not overwhelm us and we will not wallow in the abyss of sin and in the mud of our passions. Pray to Saint Nicholas of Christ, Christ our God, that he may grant us a peaceful life and remission of sins, salvation and great mercy for our souls, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Second prayer

O great intercessor, the Bishop of God, the Most Blessed Nicholas, who shone forth miracles from the sun, appear as a quick hearer to those who call upon you, who always precede them and save them, and deliver them, and take them away from all sorts of troubles, from these God-given miracles and gifts of grace! Hear me, unworthy, calling you with faith and bringing you prayer songs; I offer you an intercessor to plead with Christ. Oh, renowned for miracles, saint of heights! as if you have boldness, soon stand before the Lady, and stretch out your holy hands in prayer to Him for me, a sinner, and grant me bounty of goodness from Him, and accept me into your intercession, and deliver me from all troubles and evils, from the invasion of enemies visible and invisible freeing, and destroying all those slander and malice, and reflecting those who fight me throughout my life; for my sins, ask for forgiveness, and present me saved to Christ and be worthy to receive the Kingdom of Heaven for the abundance of that love for mankind, to which belongs all glory, honor and worship, with his beginningless Father, and with the Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages centuries.

Prayer three

O all-praised, great wonderworker, saint of Christ, Father Nicholas! We pray to you, awaken the hope of all Christians, protector of the faithful, feeder of the hungry, joy of the weeping, doctor of the sick, steward of those floating on the sea, feeder of the poor and orphans, and quick helper and patron of all, may we live a peaceful life here and may we be worthy to see the glory of God’s elect in heaven and with them unceasingly sing the praises of the One God worshiped in the Trinity forever and ever.

ST. TIKHON OF VORONEZH,

Saint Tikhon himself struggled for a long time with this mental illness.

O all-praised saint and saint of Christ, our Father Tikhon! Having lived like an angel on earth, you, like a good angel, appeared in your wondrous glorification. We believe with all our souls and thoughts that you, our merciful helper and prayer book, with your honest intercessions and grace, abundantly given to you from the Lord, are constantly contributing to our salvation. Accept therefore, blessed servant of Christ, even at this hour our unworthy prayer: free us through your intercession from the vanity and superstition that surrounds us, the unbelief and evil of man. Strive, quick intercessor for us, to beg the Lord with your favorable intercession, may He add His great and rich mercy to us sinners and unworthy His servants, may He heal with His grace the incurable ulcers and scabs of our corrupted souls and bodies, may He dissolve our petrified hearts with tears of tenderness and contrition for our many sins, and may He deliver us from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna: and may He grant to all His faithful people in this present world peace and silence, health and salvation, and good haste in everything, and so, a quiet and silent life lived in every piety and purity, vouchsafe me with the angels and with all the saints to glorify and sing the All-Holy Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

TO THE MARTYR TRIFON

Saint Tryphon, subjected to cruel torture, himself experienced spiritual grief, courageously enduring the torment.

O holy martyr of Christ Tryphon, quick helper and quick to obey the intercessor to all who come running to you and pray before your holy image! Hear now and at every hour the prayer of us, your unworthy servants, who honor your holy memory in this all-honorable temple, and intercede for us before the Lord in every place. You, the saint of Christ, shining in great miracles, exuding healing to those who flow to you with faith and intercede for those in sorrow, you yourself promised before your departure from this corruptible life to pray for us to the Lord and you asked Him for this gift: if anyone in any need, sadness and illness of soul or body, if he begins to call on your holy name, may he be delivered from every excuse of evil. And just like you sometimes the daughter of the princess, in the city of Rome, tormented by the devil, you healed her, her and us from his fierce machinations, save us all the days of our lives, and especially on the day of our last breath, intercede for us. Then be our helper and quick drive away of evil spirits, and our leader to the Kingdom of Heaven. And where you now stand in the presence of the saints at the Throne of God, pray to the Lord, that we may also be worthy to be partakers of everlasting joy and joy, and that with you we may collectively glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Comforter of the Spirit forever. Amen.

PRAYER FROM THE CREATIONS OF ST. DEMITRIY OF ROSTOV

God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies and God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrow! Comfort everyone who is grieving, saddened, despairing, or overwhelmed by the spirit of despondency. After all, every person was created by Your hands, wise in wisdom, exalted by Your right hand, glorified by Your goodness. But now we are visited by Your Fatherly punishment, short-term sorrows! - You compassionately punish those you love, and you are generous and considerate of their tears! So, having punished, have mercy and quench our sorrow; turn sorrow into joy and dissolve our sorrow with joy; Surprise us with Thy mercy, wondrous in counsels, Lord, incomprehensible in destinies, Lord, and blessed in Thy deeds forever, amen.

PRAYER FOR DELIVERY FROM DESPENDANCE

SAINT JOHN OF KRONSTADT

The Lord is the destruction of my despondency and the revival of my boldness. Everything is Lord for me. Oh, truly this Lord, glory to You! Glory to You, Father Life, Son Life, Holy Soul Life - Simple Being - God, who always delivers us from spiritual death, caused by passions to our soul. Glory to Thee, Trinitarian Master, for from one invocation of Thy name you enlighten the dark face of our soul and body and bestow Your peace, which surpasses all earthly and sensual good and all understanding.

PRAYER TO THE HONORABLE CROSS

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; just as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God and signify themselves with the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force on you of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and straightened the power the devil, and who gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL

Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that I may not anger my God in any sin; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that you may be worthy of showing me the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, protect me with Your holy angels, the prayers of our All-Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, the holy Archangel of God Michael and other ethereal Heavenly powers, the holy prophet, the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Hieromartyr Cyprian and Martyr Justina, St. Nicholas, Archbishop Myra of Lycia the Wonderworker, St. Leo, Bishop of Catania, St. Nikita of Novgorod, St. Joasaph of Belgorod, St. Mitrophan of Voronezh, St. Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky, St. Seraphim of Sarov, miracle worker, holy martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia, the holy martyr Tryphon, the holy and righteous Godfathers Joachim and Anna and all Your saints, help me, unworthy of Your servant (name of the one praying), deliver me from all the slander of the enemy, from all evil, witchcraft, magic, sorcery and from crafty people, may they not be able to cause me any harm.

Lord, with the light of Your radiance preserve me in the morning, and noon, and evening, and in the sleep of the future, and by the power of Your grace, turn away and remove all evil wickedness, acting at the instigation of the devil. If any evil is conceived or done, return it back to the underworld. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dmitry Alexandrovich, how would you differentiate the spheres of activity of a doctor and a clergyman when providing assistance to a mentally ill person?

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"ABOUT. John says emphatically: “ ». What else can be added to this?.. Let us be clear about the terrible times we live in. And let us not madly indulge in frivolity, closing our eyes to the obvious signs that are multiplying every day and vividly testify that we are on the threshold of eternity opening up before us.”Archbishop Averky Taushev

«… The time of the “end”, its approach or distance depends on the spiritual moral state of people. There is no absolute constant of time, there is no static, fatal time, objectively independent of a person. Time, like space, is a way of created existence; it is inextricably linked with the spiritual state of man. Time is a variable quantity …» Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Vladimir

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (386):“But no one is curious about time... Do not dare to say decisively: this will happen then and there, and do not indulge in careless sleep.” (Nilus S.A. “There is nearby, at the door”, 2009).

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833) - When will this world end? —“One Sarov brother thought that the end of the world was already near, that the great day of the second coming of the Lord was approaching. So he asks Fr.’s opinion about this. Seraphim. The elder humbly answered: “My joy, you think a lot about the poor Seraphim. Do I know when this world will end and the great day will come on which the Lord will judge the living and the dead and reward everyone according to his deeds? No, it’s impossible for me to know.” The brother fell in fear at the feet of the perspicacious old man. Seraphim tenderly raised him up and continued to speak like this: “The Lord said with His most pure lips: No one knows about that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, except My Father alone. As it was in the days of Noah, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Just as in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and committing violence, until the day before Noah went into the ark, and was not taken away, until the water came and was all taken away: so will the coming of the Son of Man be.(Matthew 24, 36-39).” At this the elder sighed heavily and said: “ We who live on earth have lost our way a lot from the path of salvation; We anger the Lord by not keeping the Holy Spirit. posts; Nowadays Christians allow meat and St. Lent and every Lent; Wednesdays and Fridays are not saved; and the Church has a rule: those who do not keep St. posts and all summer Wednesdays and Fridays sin a lot. But the Lord will not be completely angry, but will still have mercy. We have the Orthodox faith, a Church without any blemish. For the sake of these virtues, Russia will always be glorious and terrible and insurmountable to its enemies, having faith and piety in the shield and armor of truth: the gates of hell will not prevail against these.” (“The phenomenon of Russian eldership: Examples from the spiritual practice of elders. Comp. S.S. Khoruzhy, 2006).

Archbishop Averky (Taushev) (1906-1976): “When will the Antichrist come?- The day and hour of his arrival is unknown, just as the day and hour of the Second Coming of Christ is unknown. But Holy Scripture shows us signs that will precede his arrival. The coming of the Antichrist will be gradually prepared over a very long time. This is because Antichrist will appear from the sea, or from the abyss of human sins- in it, as it were, all the evil that has accumulated over centuries in the human race will be concentrated and will reach the maximum strength of its tension. This is the gradual preparation of St. The Apostle Paul calls “the mystery of iniquity”, already in effect, and “apostasy” (from Greek “apostasy”; 2 Thess. 2:7, 3). By this “retreat,” as can be seen from the last speeches of the Lord (Matthew 24, etc.) and from the epistles of the Apostles (2 Pet. 3, 1, Jude 18, 19, etc.), we must understand retreat from true faith in God, impoverishment of love, increase in vices, decline in morality, which, intensifying more and more, by the time of the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world, will bring humanity to the extreme degree of godlessness and wickedness. In particular, the preparers for the coming of the Antichrist will be his predecessors - people who are especially wicked and anti-God. These are precisely the “antichrists” in the broad sense of the word that St. speaks about in his conciliar letter. John the Theologian (1 John 2:18).

An important sign of the imminence of the coming of the Antichrist will be, according to St. Apostle Paul, taking from the environment “holding” and “holding”"(2 Thess. 2:6-7). The Holy Fathers understood the Roman Empire by “holding”, and the Roman emperors by “holding”; in the broadest sense of the word, these expressions meant the legitimate state legal order on earth and its representatives - legitimate sovereigns, as curbing the manifestations of evil on earth. The great fathers and saints of God of our Russian Church understood by this the Russian State and the Russian Sovereigns as the legal successors of the Roman and then the Byzantine Empire (“Moscow – the Third Rome”). If we take into account that Russia, after the fall of Byzantium, remained on earth the only powerful state that was the true stronghold of the one true Orthodox faith on earth, and the Russian Sovereigns were the patrons and defenders of the Orthodox Church throughout the world, then such an interpretation seems quite reasonable and natural.

This is exactly what the great righteous man, prayer book and miracle worker of ours thought. ever-memorable archpriest O. John of Kronstadt... Many of his inspired, fiery sermons, especially in the last years of his life, are devoted to the theme of the apostasy that was so clearly taking place before the eyes of the righteous here in Russia, which was rapidly sliding into the abyss of godlessness and wickedness. He did not say that nothing special was happening, that, supposedly, it had always been so before, as some say even now, after all the horrors that befell our Motherland, but he warmly warned the Russian people, warning about the inevitable punishment of God approaching them for apostasy and predicting the coming of the Antichrist soon after. Now, when the whole world is faced with the fact, unheard of in history, of the existence of a huge multimillion-dollar state, which has set itself the task of an open struggle with God and the destruction of Christianity - a state armed with a terrible, also unheard of never before, force, destructive weapons and projectiles, such as atomic and hydrogen bombs, it is time to bring to mind the true words of our great righteous man and seer.

« We are going through terrible times, apparently the last“,” he said in a sermon on February 13, 1907, “and, although the day and hour of the future Last Judgment are unknown to any of the people, however, there are already signs of its approach indicated in the Gospel. That's why everyone needs to be prepared for universal judgment and live in repentance, love and good deeds. Strive diligently, brothers, for your salvation, so that the last day does not find you sleeping!»

But here is how clearly he speaks about the Antichrist and about the one who must be understood as holding back: “Through the mediation of sovereign persons, the Lord guards the good of the kingdoms of the earth and especially the good of the peace of His Church, not allowing godless teachings, heresies and schisms to overwhelm it, and the greatest villain of the world who will appear in the last times - the Antichrist cannot appear among us due to the autocratic power that restrains the disorderly vacillation and absurd teaching of the atheists.

The apostle says that Until then the Antichrist will not appear on earth, as long as autocratic power exists. “For the mystery of iniquity is already being done, but it will not be completed until the sovereign is taken away from us: until now it will be held from among us, and then the wicked one will appear, whom the Lord will kill with the spirit of His mouth” (2 Thess. 2:7-8). (New words, spoken: in 1902, ed. 1903, p. 47).

And in another sermon delivered the same year, Fr. John says emphatically: “ When the one who holds back (the autocrat) is taken from the earth, then the Antichrist will come ».

What else can you add to this? " He who has ears to hear, let him hear!» Let us be clear about the terrible times we live in.. And let us not madly indulge in frivolity, closing our eyes to the obvious signs that are multiplying every day and vividly testify that we are on the threshold of eternity opening up before us.” (Archbishop Averky “The Church of Christ and the Coming Antichrist”).

Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Vladimir (+2014) O time and timing the coming of the Antichrist into the world, writes in his article about the Orthodox attitude to questions about the “end times” the following: “The Lord, answering the question of the apostles: when it will be, does not tell them about the timing of the fulfillment of the prophecy, but points only to internal and external signs of their approach: No one knows about that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but only My Father alone.(Matthew 24, 36). It is not your business to know the times or seasons that the Father has set in His authority(Acts 1:7), says the Lord in another place. ... The Lord ... does not seem to touch upon the question of time, but transfers the answer to another plane, to the plane spiritual and moral state of the world, which determines the passage of time and the proximity of the end.…The time of the “end”, its approach or distance depends on the spiritual and moral state of people.There is no absolute time constant there is no static, fatal time that is objectively independent of a person. Time, like space, there is a way of being of created things, it is inextricably linked with the spiritual state of a person. Time is a variable quantity.

The Lord is so merciful that he allows his creation - man - to participate and influence the fate of the Church, the world, the entire universe, and the passage of time. God conceived man, embodying the image and likeness of God, as the king of the whole world, responsible for the universe, which depends on his internal and external activities. God trusts man so much that he entrusts to him the fate of the world, and therefore the fate of time. Understanding that time depends on a person gives rise to a completely different attitude towards oneself, which the time of your life and everything that happens. If a person sins, i.e. generates and spreads destructive energy, then it not only poisons the spiritual environment, but also shortens, “kills” time, and brings its end closer. Every sin has destructive consequences for the entire universe and time. And vice versa, repentance and righteousness increase the life force of the entire universe, prolong history and time.

Two biblical examples eloquently confirm this. The prayers and tears of King Hezekiah prolonged his life (2 Kings 20). The public sincere repentance of the Ninevites through the preaching of the prophet Jonah saved their city from destruction (Jon.3). There is a certain critical mass, exceeding which threatens disaster. If the strength and quantity of evil and wickedness in the world have exceeded this measure, then the sin that overwhelms life sweeps away everything in its path. This is a disaster, the end. One can recall the conditions of pardon for Sodom and Gomorrah, where several righteous people were missing to avoid death (Gen. 18-19). God does not predetermine a person's choice, but foresees his behavior and tries to direct him to good. God knows what the thought of the human heart is evil from his youth(Genesis 8:21). The consequence of this will be death, the timing of which is open to God’s omniscience. In this sense, God, in His power, laid down the times and seasons for the existence of the world.

Thus, the time of the appearance of the “man of lawlessness,” the Antichrist, who accumulates all the world’s evil in himself, depends on people. By sinning, people bring his coming closer. By repenting and living righteously, they push him away.

The signs of the approaching end indicated in the Gospel (Matthew 24) have a double meaning: a spiritual scale by which the moral state of humanity in a given period of time is determined, how close it has come to the limit beyond which there is a catastrophe, and a motivating reason for vigilance, prayer and repentance. And the desire to calculate or find out the time of the coming of the Antichrist and the end of the world, in addition to insolence and empty curiosity, impermissible for Orthodox Christians, also testifies to an incorrect, fatal perception of time as a substance independent of our will. If the sinner knew exactly the time of the end, this would tempt him to postpone repentance until the very end of his life. That slave, being angry, will say in his heart: My master will not come soon, and will begin to beat his comrades and eat and drink with drunkards.(Matt.24, 48-49). By the uncertainty of the time of the second coming, the Lord warns against sin, encourages us to be sober, to always be ready for the meeting, so that life constantly “burns” like the lamp of the wise virgins (Matthew 25).

And therefore We pray to you, brethren, about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to Him, not to rush to waver in mind and be confused either by the spirit, or by the word, or by the message, as if sent by us, as if the day of Christ is already coming... But you, brethren don't be discouraged while doing good(1 Thess. 2, 1-2; 3, 13).” (Based on the book: “Apocalypse. Interpretation of St. Andrew, Archbishop of Caesarea.” Publication of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, 2009, pp. 7-10).

Archimandrite John (Peasant) (1910-2006) about our modern world and the last times he writes: “Someone will not live to see that open choice - either faith, or bread, - but the choice of life path: either for God or against God - is made in the life of every person, both before and now, and until the end of my life. Only a piece of bread is not yet on the scales. And such a time will come. But when? God knows! The more people choose to live against God, the sooner the final choice approaches.The earth will stop producing bread because of the malice of those living on it. All nature will cry out to God from human iniquities. The field of life will be overgrown with thorns and weeds, but we are workers in this field, workers in God’s field.

The Spirit of God must be preserved, and this is joy, peace, love, abstinence, and so on - in God and according to God. Only this will not burn in the last fire, and only this will testify to our heartfelt choice, and cards, passports, numbers, stamps - everything will burn without a trace.

Yes, of course, the world is rushing at last speed towards the Last Judgment. The struggle is visible and obvious, but the struggle is for souls, and not for anything else. And not without our participation, all this is happening now. And even more so at the last stage, when we will have to give the answer: “How do we believe?”

... We ... will not doubt for a minute the omnipotence of God's Providence, which knows how to save the faithful and those who love God. This is our weapon – love for God and the Church. And eat bread, God gives it to the world; eat before its issuance is associated with your belief. And our task is to protect the Church from schism and heresies.” (“Letters of Archimandrite John (Peasant)”. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Mgarsky Monastery, 2006).

Elder Archimandrite Seraphim Tyapochkin (1894-1982) He said what was revealed to him about the future of Russia, he did not name dates, he only emphasized that the time for the fulfillment of what was said is in the hands of God, and much depends on how the spiritual life of the Russian Church will develop, how strong the faith in God will be among the Russian people , what will be the prayer feat of believers.

We present this selection of statements by God's saints about times and seasons so that people, on the one hand, are not careless, realize what evil times we are all going through, and what we still have to go through in the near future, and on the other hand, do not lose heart about what is happening around lawlessness, did not give up, that “Everything, they say, nothing can be changed, evil is stronger than us, and nothing depends on me”. These are suggestions, whispers of the evil one. He needs to bring the Antichrist to power, and therefore our despondency and expectation of the end and quick accession of the Antichrist plays into his hands. On the contrary, it is necessary not to succumb to panic, to intensify prayer and fasting. Whoever is not reading yet, finally start reading the Psalter, which helps very well from despondency and teaches trust in the Lord, akathists to the Lord, the Mother of God, and the Saints, giving real help and spiritual joy, despite all external troubles. We need to fully understand that the Lord is above everything, and everything depends on Him and on our repentance and on our prayers - both the duration of preparation for the accession of the Antichrist, and the time when the “man of lawlessness” came to power, and the strengthening or weakening of the concentration of evil specifically in our home, city, country, and our fate and that of our loved ones both in the near future and in eternity...

We need to live according to the commandments, and therefore according to love - we will give all sinners into the hands of God’s mercy, and we will treat ourselves more strictly, remembering that just as we can acquire a peaceful spirit in ourselves, we can also help others in this. A true Christian is strong because he is able to really influence the world, to charge everything around him with his love, and, therefore, change the world around him...

Therefore, forecasts are forecasts, predictions are predictions - yes, you need to know them in order to know where the world is moving, and where we are in this world - all this will really happen. But when - now, in the near future, or will the Lord still allow us and our children to live piously for some time?..

And in this regard, in conclusion, I would like to quote the words Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, said to Russian pilgrims during their visit to Athos, are very comforting for believers, and give hope that there will still be a flourishing of Orthodoxy in Russia and in the world, and a pious life for some time, again, the duration of which depends on us... His words are fully consistent with the predictions of both the ancient Greek Fathers about the revival and flourishing of Orthodoxy ( there will be blossoming before the end), and with the prophecies of the monk Abel, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, with predictions about the near future of Elder Paisius the Svyatogorets, Elder Elpidius and other Orthodox elders.

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi(1921-2009) : “The Lord endured our iniquities for a long time, as before the great flood, but now the limit of God’s patience has come - It's time for cleansing. The cup of God's wrath overflows. The Lord will allow suffering to destroy the wicked and those who fight against God - all those who caused modern unrest, spilled dirt and infected the people. The Lord will allow that they, with blinded minds, will destroy each other. There will be many victims and blood. But believers do not need to be afraid, although there will be sorrowful days for them, there will be as many sorrows as the Lord allows for cleansing. There is no need to be horrified by this. Then there will be a surge of piety in Russia and throughout the world. The Lord will cover his own. People will return to God.

We are already on the threshold of these events. Now everything is beginning, then the God-fighters will have the next stage, but they will not be able to carry out their plans, the Lord will not allow. ...After the outburst of piety, the end of earthly history will be near.”

« We pray so that the Russian people return to their normal state that was before the destruction, because we have common roots and are worried about the situation of the Russian people...

This deterioration is now a general condition throughout the world. And this state is precisely the limit after which the wrath of God begins. We have reached this limit. The Lord only endured out of His mercy, and now He will no longer endure, but in His righteousness He will begin to punish, because the time has come.

There will be wars and we will experience great difficulties. Now the Jews have seized power all over the world, and their goal is to eradicate Christianity. The wrath of God will be such that all the secret enemies of Orthodoxy will be destroyed. The wrath of God is sent specifically for this purpose to destroy them..

Trials should not terrify us; we should always have hope in God. After all, thousands, millions of martyrs suffered in the same way, and the new martyrs suffered in the same way, and therefore we must be prepared for this and not be horrified. Patience, prayer and trust in God's Providence must be. Let us pray for the revival of Christianity after all that awaits us, so that the Lord will truly give us the strength to be reborn. But we must survive this harm...

The tests began a long time ago, and we must wait for the big explosion. But after this there will be a revival…

Now is the beginning of events, difficult military events. The engine of this evil is the Jews. The devil is forcing them to begin to destroy the seed of Orthodoxy in Greece and Russia. This is for them the main obstacle to world domination. And they will force the Turks to finally come here to Greece and begin their actions. And although Greece has a government, it actually doesn’t exist as such, because it has no power. And the Turks will come here. This will be the moment when Russia will also move its forces to push back the Turks.

Events will develop like this: when Russia comes to the aid of Greece, the Americans and NATO will try to prevent this, so that there is no reunification, a merger of the two Orthodox peoples. More forces will rise - the Japanese and other peoples. There will be a great massacre on the territory of the former Byzantine Empire. There will be about 600 million people killed alone. The Vatican will also actively participate in all this in order to prevent the reunification and increasing role of Orthodoxy. But this will result in the complete destruction of Vatican influence, right down to its very foundations. This is how God’s Providence will turn...

There will be God's permission for those who sow temptations to be destroyed: pornography, drug addiction etc. And the Lord will so blind their minds that they will destroy each other with gluttony. The Lord will allow this on purpose to carry out a great cleansing. As for the one who rules the country, he will not be around for long, and what is happening now will not be for long, and then immediately there will be war. But after this great purge there will be a revival of Orthodoxy not only in Russia, but throughout the world, a great surge of Orthodoxy.

The Lord will give His favor and grace just as it was in the beginning, in the first centuries, when people walked to the Lord with an open heart. This will last three to four decades, and then the dictatorship of the Antichrist will quickly come.

These are the terrible events we must endure, but let them not terrify us, because the Lord will cover His own. Yes, indeed, we are experiencing difficulties, hunger and even persecution and much more, but the Lord will not abandon His own. And those who are placed in power must force their subjects to be more with the Lord, to remain more in prayer, and the Lord will cover His own. But after the great purge there will be a great revival..." (http://www.zaistinu.ru).

“When thinking about this topic, you need to remember this word of God: “Sometimes I will say about a nation and a kingdom that I will establish and establish it; But if he does evil in my sight and do not obey My voice, I will cancel the good with which I wanted to bless him» (Jer.18, 9-10). And accepting personal numbers from the “world lying in evil” is entering into the system of evil and disobedience to the voice of God’s commandments.

And if all of Russia accepts the codification and thus puts itself at the complete disposal of the world government, then what can the monarch do? The world Masonic government will rule here, and not the long-awaited king.

So those who accept the codes are testifying that they want to live not under the control of the Orthodox Tsar of Russia, but under the hood of the world government headed by the “king of the blood of Zion”...

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt said: « If there is no repentance among the people, then the end of the world is near».

Therefore, if we do not repent and cleanse ourselves of passions, but wait only for the king with his glorious kingdom, then we will receive neither earthly nor heavenly things. If we repent and first of all seek the Kingdom of God in our souls, then if the Lord wills, He will provide us with everything necessary for this temporary life (including, perhaps, the Orthodox Kingdom). For it is said: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [necessary for life] will be added to you.”(Matthew 6:33)…

This is how a wonderful Russian patriot spoke about this: Metropolitan John (Snychev):“The 20th century for Russia is a time of fiery, terrible, bloody trials, a time of satanic temptations that dominate the minds and corrupt the souls of millions of people; the time of zealous ascetics, confessors and martyrs - fearless warriors of Christ who preserved Truth and Faith in Rus' despite all the efforts of Russophobes, God-fighters and Christ-haters.

The cruel and bloody struggle for the Russian heart has not stopped to this day. Moreover, right now, today, it is close to its culmination, to that decisive moment that will determine whether our tormented country will return to the spiritual expanses of Holy Rus' or, stunned and slandered, will go "a wide and spacious path that leads to destruction" (Matthew 7:13), through apostasy and national degeneration, “civilization and progress.” In a way that naturally ends in a worldwide cosmopolitan kingdom with the Antichrist at its head...” (According to the book: “Reflections on salvation in our time. 2014,” pp. 184-185).

Holy Scripture about times and seasons

“But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but only My Father alone.”(Matthew 24, 36).

“Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with excess and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and lest that day come upon you suddenly.”(Luke 21:34).

“It is not your business to know the times or seasons which the Father has appointed in His authority.”(Acts 1:7).

“Know this first of all, that in the last days there will appear arrogant scoffers, walking according to their own lusts, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers began to die, from the beginning of creation, everything remains the same”... One thing should not be hidden from you, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack in fulfilling his promise, as some consider slackness; but he is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance... And consider the longsuffering of our Lord to be salvation..." (2 Pet. 3, 3-4, 8-9, 15).

“There is no need to write to you about times and seasons, brethren, for you yourselves know with certainty that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety,” then destruction will suddenly come upon them, just as the pain of childbirth befalls one who is pregnant, and they will not escape.”(1 Thess. 5, 1-3).

“We pray to you, brothers, that no one will deceive you in any way... For the mystery of iniquity is already at work, only it will not be completed until... the one who is now holding back is taken out of the way.”(2 Thess. 2; 1, 7).

L. Ochai, 06/27/2015

According to the Christian religion, God gives each Christian two angels. In the works of St. Theodore of Edessa explains that one of them - a guardian angel - protects from all evil, helps to do good and protects from all misfortunes. Another angel - the saint of God, whose name is given at baptism - intercedes for the Christian before God. We must resort to the mediation of our Angel in different cases in life; he will pray for us before God. In addition, the Christian tradition has determined which holy saints can help in certain situations if you turn to them with faith and hope for resolving the situation. For example, about success in blacksmithing in Rus', they turned to the patronage of the unmercenaries and miracle workers Kozma and Demyan, the holy brothers - artisans and healers. Against pride they prayed to the venerable wonderworker Sergius of Radonezh and Alexy the man of God, known for his deep humility. The prayers were structured, for example, like this: “Reverend Seraphim of Sarov, martyrs Anthony, Eustathius and John of Vilna, holy healers of feet, weaken my ailments, strengthen my strength and legs!”
Orthodox Christians had patron saints who helped both in captivity of the enemy (the righteous Philaret the Merciful leads those awake out of captivity through prayer), and in the patronage of the entire state (Great Martyr George the Victorious, in whose honor the state award for services to the fatherland “St. George’s Cross” was established), and even in digging wells (Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates).
During their lifetime, many saints and great martyrs knew the art of medicine and successfully used it to heal the suffering (for example, the martyrs Cyrus and John, the Monk Agomit of Pechersk, the martyr Diomede and others). They resort to the help of other saints because during their lifetime they experienced similar suffering and received healing by trusting in God.
For example, Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (11th century) suffered from eyes and recovered after Holy Baptism. Prayers achieve success only with faith in the power of their intercession before God, from whom believers receive help. To make prayers more successful, they ordered a prayer service in the church with the blessing of water.
We present to your attention a list of saints who glorified themselves by helping people get rid of physical and mental illnesses. It should be noted that holy healers help not only fellow believers, but also other sufferers. For example, there is a known case where Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow (14th century) cured the wife of Khan Chanibek Taidula from eye diseases. It is Saint Alexy who prays for the granting of insight.
The proposed list of intercessors in illnesses does not pretend to be complete; it does not include miraculous icons, Archangels are the patrons of Christians at different stages of life. Here is only information about saints - healers. After the name of the saint, numbers are indicated in parentheses - the century of life, death or acquisition of relics by the church (Roman numeral) and the day on which the memory of this saint is honored by the Orthodox Church (according to the new style).

Hieromartyr Antipas(I century, April 24). When he was thrown into a red-hot copper bull by his tormentors, he asked God for the grace to heal people from toothache. There is a mention of this saint in the Apocalypse.

Alexy Moskovsky(XIV century, February 23). During his lifetime, the Metropolitan of Moscow healed eye diseases. They pray to him to get rid of this disease.

The Righteous Youth Artemy(IV century, July 6, November 2) was crushed by the persecutors of the faith with a huge stone that pressed out the insides. Most of the healings were received by those suffering from stomach pain, as well as from a hernia. Christians with serious illnesses received healing from the relics.

Agapit Pechersky(XI century, June 14). He did not require payment during treatment, which is why he was nicknamed the “free doctor.” He provided assistance to the sick, including the hopeless.

Venerable Alexander of Svirsky(XVI century, September 12) the gift of healing was given - of his twenty-three miracles known from life, almost half relate to the healing of paralyzed patients. After his death, they prayed to this saint for the gift of boy children.

Venerable Alypius of Pechersk(XII century, August 30) during his lifetime had the gift of healing leprosy.

Andrew the First-Called, holy apostle from Bethsaida (1st century, December 13). He was a fisherman and the first apostle to follow Christ. The Apostle went to preach the faith of Christ in the Eastern countries. He passed through the places where the cities of Kyiv and Novgorod later arose, and through the lands of the Varangians to Rome and Thrace. He performed many miracles in the city of Patras: the blind received their sight, the sick (including the wife and brother of the city ruler) were healed. Nevertheless, the ruler of the city ordered Saint Andrew to be crucified, and he accepted martyrdom. Under Constantine the Great, the relics were transferred to Constantinople.

Blessed Andrew(X century, October 15), who took upon himself the feat of foolishness, was awarded the gift of insight and healing of those deprived of reason.
The Monk Anthony (IV century, January 30) parted with worldly affairs and led an ascetic life in complete solitude in the desert. He should pray for protection of the weak.

Martyrs Anthony, Eustathius and John of Vilna(Lithuanian) (XIV century, April 27) received holy baptism from Presbyter Nestor, for which they were subjected to torture - this happened in the XIV century. Prayer to these martyrs provides healing for leg diseases.

Great Martyr Anastasia the Pattern Maker(IV century, January 4), a Christian Roman woman who retained her virginity in marriage due to illnesses that tormented her, helps women in labor in relieving themselves of a difficult burden.

Martyr Agrippina(July 6), a Roman woman who lived in the 3rd century. The holy relics of Agrippina were transferred from Rome to Fr. Sicily by revelation from above. Many sick people received miraculous healing from the holy relics.

Venerable Athanasia- the abbess (9th century, April 25) did not want to get married in the world, wanting to devote herself to God. However, by the will of her parents, she married twice and only after the second marriage did she retire to the desert. She lived a holy life, and she needs to pray for the well-being of her second marriage.

Martyrs Blessed Princes Boris and Gleb(baptized Roman and David, 11th century, May 15 and August 6), the first Russian martyrs - passion-bearers constantly provide prayerful assistance to their native land and to those suffering from illnesses, especially with leg diseases.

Blessed Basil, Moscow miracle worker (XVI century, August 15) helped people by preaching mercy. During the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich, the relics of St. Basil brought miracles of healing from diseases, especially from eye diseases.

Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir(in holy baptism Basil, 11th century, July 28) during worldly life he was almost blind, but after baptism he recovered. In Kyiv, he first of all baptized his children in a place called Khreshchatyk. This saint is prayed to for healing from eye diseases.

Vasily Novgorodsky(XIV century, August 5) - archpastor, famous for the fact that during the epidemic of ulcers, also known as the Black Death, which wiped out almost two-thirds of the inhabitants of Pskov, he neglected the danger of infection and came to Pskov to calm and console the inhabitants. Trusting the reassurance of the saint, the citizens humbly began to wait for the end of the disaster, which soon really came. The relics of St. Basil of Novgorod are located in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod. A prayer is offered to Saint Basil to get rid of ulcers.

Venerable Basil the New(10th century, April 8) they offer prayer for healing from fever. During his lifetime, Saint Basil had the gift of healing those sick with fever, for which the patient had to sit next to Basil. After this, the patient felt better and recovered.

Reverend Vasily - Confessor(VIII century, March 13), together with Procopius the Decanomite, imprisoned for icon veneration, they pray to get rid of severe shortness of breath and bloating.

Hieromartyr Basil of Sebastia(IV century, February 24) prayed to God for the possibility of healing those with sore throats. He should be prayed to in case of sore throat and in danger of being choked by a bone.

Rev. Vitaly(VI-VII centuries, May 5) during his lifetime was engaged in the conversion of harlots. They bring him a prayer for redemption from carnal passion.

Martyr Vitus(IV century, May 29, June 28) - a saint who suffered during the time of Diocletian. They pray to him to get rid of epilepsy.

Great Martyr Barbara(IV century, December 17) they pray for salvation from serious illnesses. Barbara's father was a noble man in Phenicia. Having learned that his daughter had converted to Christianity, he severely beat her and took her into custody, and then handed her over to the ruler of the city of Iliopolis, Martinian. The girl was brutally tortured, but at night after the torture the Savior himself appeared in prison, and the wounds healed. After this, the saint was subjected to even more cruel torture, she was led naked around the city, and then beheaded. Saint Barbara helps to overcome severe mental torment.

Martyr Boniface(III century, January 3) during his life he suffered from addiction to drunkenness, but he himself was healed and was awarded martyrdom. Those suffering from the passion of drunkenness and binges pray to him for healing.

Great Martyr George the Victorious(IV century, May 6) was born into a Christian family in Cappadocia, professed Christianity and called on everyone to accept the Christian faith. Emperor Diocletian ordered the saint to be subjected to terrible torture and executed. The Great Martyr George died before reaching the age of thirty. One of the miracles performed by Saint George was the destruction of a cannibal serpent that lived in a lake near Beirut. They pray to St. George the Victorious as a helper in grief.

Saint Gury of Kazan(XVI century, July 3, December 18) was innocently convicted and imprisoned. After two years, the doors of the dungeon opened freely. They pray to Guria of Kazan to get rid of persistent headaches.

Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica(IV century, November 8) at the age of 20 he was appointed proconsul of the Thessalonian region. Instead of oppressing Christians, the saint began to teach the inhabitants of the region the Christian faith. They pray to him for insight from blindness.

Tsarevich Dmitry of Uglich and Moscow(XVI century, May 29) sufferers bring prayer to get rid of blindness.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov(XVIII century, October 4) suffered from chest illness and died from this disease. After his death, his incorruptible relics help sufferers who are exhausted especially from chest illness.

Martyr Diomede(III century, August 29) during his lifetime he was a healer who selflessly helped sick people get rid of their ailments. Prayer to this saint will help to receive healing in a painful condition.

Reverend Damian, presbyter and healer of the Pechersk Monastery (11th century, October 11 and 18), was called a pelebnik during his lifetime “and those who healed the sick with prayer and holy oil.” The relics of this saint have the grace to heal the sick.

Martyrs Domnina, Virinea and Proscudia(IV century, October 17) help in fear of outside violence. The persecutors of the Christian faith led Domnina’s daughters Virinea and Proskudiya to trial, that is, to death. To save her daughters from violence from drunken warriors, the mother, during the warriors' meal, entered the river with her daughters as if into a grave. The martyrs Domnina, Virinea and Proskudiya are prayed for help in preventing violence.

Venerable Evdokia, Princess of Moscow(XV century, July 20), wife of Demetrius Donskoy, shortly before her death, she took monastic vows and received the monastic name Euphrosyne. She exhausted her body with fasts, but slander did not spare her because her face remained friendly and cheerful. Word of the dubiousness of her feat reached her sons. Then Evdokia took off some of her clothes in front of her sons, and they were amazed at her thinness and withered skin. They pray to Saint Eudokia for deliverance from paralysis and for the sight of the eyes.

Venerable Efimy the Great(V century, February 2) lived in a deserted place, spent his time in work, prayer and abstinence - he ate food only on Saturday and Sunday, slept only sitting or standing. The Lord gave the saint the ability to perform miracles and insight. Through prayer he brought about the necessary rain, healed the sick, and cast out demons. They pray to him during famine, as well as during marital childlessness.

First Martyr Evdokia(II century, March 14) was baptized and renounced her wealth. For her strict fasting life, she received from God the gift of miracles. Women who cannot get pregnant pray to her.

Great Martyr Catherine(IV century, December 7) had extraordinary beauty and intelligence. She announced her desire to marry someone who would surpass her in wealth, nobility and wisdom. Catherine's spiritual father put her on the path of serving the heavenly bridegroom - Jesus Christ. Having received baptism, Catherine was honored to see the Mother of God and the Child - Christ. She suffered for Christ in Alexandria, was wheeled and beheaded. They pray to Saint Catherine for permission during difficult childbirth.

Reverend Zotik(IV century, January 12) during the leprosy epidemic, he ransomed lepers condemned by order of Emperor Constantine to death by drowning from the guards and kept them in a remote place. Thus, he saved those doomed from violent death. They pray to Saint Zotik for the healing of those suffering from leprosy.

Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of St. John the Baptist (1st century, September 18), help those suffering in difficult childbirth. Righteous Zechariah was a priest. The couple lived righteously, but they had no children, since Elizabeth was barren. One day an angel appeared to Zechariah in the temple and predicted the birth of his son John. Zechariah did not believe it - both he and his wife were already old. Because of his unbelief, he was attacked by dumbness, which passed only on the eighth day after the birth of his son, John the Baptist, and he was able to speak and glorify God.

Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus', miracle worker (XV century, June 28) - the first of the metropolitans in Russia, elected by a council of Russian bishops. During his lifetime the saint had the gift of healing toothache. They pray to him to get rid of this scourge.

John the Baptist(I century, January 20, July 7). The Baptist was born of Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth. After the birth of Christ, King Herod ordered all the babies to be killed, and therefore Elizabeth and the baby took refuge in the desert. Zechariah was killed right in the temple, as he did not reveal their hiding place. After the death of Elizabeth, John continued to live in the desert, ate locusts, and wore hair shirt. At the age of thirty he began to preach on the Jordan about the coming of Christ. Many were baptized by him, and this day is popularly known as the day of Ivan Kupala. At dawn of this day, it was customary to swim; both dew and medicinal herbs collected on this day were considered healing. The Baptist died a martyr's death through the beheading. Prayer to this saint can help with unbearable headaches.

Jacob Zheleznoborovsky(XVI century, April 24 and May 18) was tonsured by Sergius of Radonezh and retired to the Kostroma desert near the village of Zhelezny Borok. During his lifetime he had the gift of healing the sick. Despite the exhaustion in his legs, he walked to Moscow twice. He lived to a ripe old age. They pray to Saint James for the healing of leg diseases and paralysis.

Venerable John of Damascus(VIII century, December 17) for slander, his hand was cut off. His prayer before the icon of the Mother of God was heard, and his severed hand grew together in a dream. As a sign of gratitude to the Virgin Mary, John of Damascus hung a silver image of a hand to the icon of the Mother of God, which is why the icon received the name “Three-Handed”. John of Damascus was given grace to help with hand pain and hand injuries.

Saint Julian of Cepomania(1st century, July 26) during his lifetime he healed and even resurrected infants. On the icon, Julian is depicted with a baby in his arms. A prayer to Saint Julian is offered when an infant is ill.

Venerable Hypatiy of Pechersk(XIV century, April 13) during his lifetime he was a healer and especially helped heal women’s bleeding. They also pray to him for mother’s milk for babies.

Venerable John of Rila(XIII century, November 1), Bulgarian, spent sixty years in solitude in the Rylskaya desert. They pray to Saint John of Rila for healing from dumbness.

John of Kiev - Pechersk(1st century, January 11), a baby martyr, cut in half, belongs to the number of Bethlehem babies. Prayer before his tomb helps with marital infertility. (Kiev-Pechersk Lavra).
Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (1st century, May 21) - guardian of purity, chastity and assistant in the writing of icons.

Venerable Irinarch, recluse of Rostov(XVII century, January 26), was a farmer in the world, during the famine he lived in Nizhny Novgorod for two years. At the age of thirty he renounced the world and spent 38 years in the Boris and Gleb Monastery. He was buried there in a grave he dug himself. Irinarch spent sleepless nights in retreat, so it is recognized that prayer to Saint Irinarch helps with persistent insomnia.

Righteous Joachim and Anna, parents of the Virgin Mary (September 22), had no children until old age. They made a vow, if a child appears, to dedicate it to God. Their prayers were heard, and in old age they had a child - the Blessed Virgin Mary. Therefore, in case of marital infertility, prayer should be addressed to Saints Joachim and Anna.

Unmercenary and miracle workers Cosmas and Damian(Kozma and Demyan) (III century, November 14), two brothers studied the art of medicine and treated without demanding payment from the sick, except for faith in Jesus Christ. They helped with many diseases, treating eye diseases and smallpox. The main commandment of the unmercenaries: “Freely you have received (from God) - freely give!” Wonderworkers helped not only sick people, but also healed animals. They pray to the unmercenaries not only in case of illness, but also for the protection of those entering into marriage - so that the marriage will be happy.

Martyr Conon of Isauria(III century, March 18) during his lifetime he treated patients with smallpox. This help was especially valuable for believers in those days, since no other means were yet known. And after death, prayer to the martyr Konon helps in healing smallpox.

Unmercenary martyrs Cyrus and John(IV century, February 13) during his lifetime they selflessly healed various diseases, including smallpox. Patients received relief from ailments and celiac diseases. They should read the prayer in a sick state in general.

Blessed Xenia of Petersburg(XVIII-XIX centuries, February 6) widowed early. Grieving for her husband, she gave away all her property and took a vow of foolishness for Christ’s sake. She had the gift of clairvoyance and miracle-working, especially healing the afflicted. I was revered during my lifetime. Canonized in 1988.

Martyr Lawrence of Rome(III century, August 23) during his lifetime was endowed with the gift of giving sight to blind people, including those blind from birth. He should pray for healing from eye diseases.

Apostle and Evangelist Luke(I century, October 31) studied the art of medicine and helped people with diseases, especially eye diseases. He wrote the Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. He also studied painting and art.

Martyr Longinus the Centurion(1st century, October 29) suffered from eyes. He was on guard at the Cross of the Savior when blood from the Savior’s pierced rib dripped onto his eyes - and he was healed. When his head was truncated, a blind woman received her sight - this was the first miracle from his truncated head. They pray to Longinus the Centurion for the enlightenment of the eyes.

Venerable Maron of Syria(IV century, February 27) during his lifetime helped those sick with fever or fever.

Martyr Mina(IV century, November 24) helps with troubles and illnesses, including eye diseases.

Venerable Maruf, Bishop of Mesopotamia(V century, March 1 - February 29) pray to get rid of insomnia.

Reverend Moses Murin(IV century, September 10) in worldly life he lived far from righteously - he was a robber and a heavy drunkard. Then he accepted monasticism and lived in a monastery in Egypt. He died a martyr's death at the age of 75. They pray to him to get rid of the passion for alcohol.

Venerable Moses Ugrin(XI century, August 8), a Hungarian by birth, “strong in body and beautiful in face,” was captured by the Polish king Boleslav, but was ransomed by a rich Polish young widow for a thousand silver hryvnia. This woman was inflamed with carnal passion for Moses and tried to seduce him. However, blessed Moses did not change his holy life, for which he was thrown into a pit, where he was starved and beaten daily by his mistress’s servants with sticks. Since this did not break the saint, he was castrated. When King Boleslav died, the rebel people beat their oppressors. Among them, a widow was killed. Saint Moses came to the Pechersk Monastery, where he lived for more than 10 years. They pray to Moses Ugrin to strengthen the spirit in the fight against carnal passion.

Venerable Martinian(V century, February 26) the harlot appeared in the form of a wanderer, but he quenched his carnal lust by standing on hot coals. In his struggle with carnal passion, Saint Martinian spent his days in exhausting wanderings.

Venerable Melania the Roman(V century, January 13) almost died in worldly life from difficult childbirth. They pray to her for a safe outcome from pregnancy.

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker(IV century, December 19 and May 22) during his lifetime not only healed eye diseases, but also restored sight to the blind. His parents Feofan and Nonna made a vow to dedicate the child born to them to God. From the early days. For years, Saint Nicholas fasted and prayed diligently, and while doing good, he tried so that no one knew about it. He was elected Archbishop of Myra. During a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he stopped a storm at sea and saved (resurrected) a sailor who had fallen from the mast. During the persecution of Christians under Diocletian, he was thrown into prison, but remained unharmed. The saint performed many miracles, and was especially revered in Rus': it was believed that he helped when traveling across the waters. Nikola was called “sea” or “wet”.

Great Martyr Nikita(IV century, September 28) lived on the banks of the Danube, was baptized by the Bishop of Sofia Theophilus and successfully spread the Christian faith. He suffered during persecution from the pagan Goths, who tortured the saint and then threw him into the fire. His body was found at night by his friend, Christian Marion - it was illuminated with radiance, the fire did not damage it. The body of the martyr was interred in Cilicia, and the relics were subsequently transferred to Constantinople. They pray to Saint Nikita for the healing of babies, including those from the “parent”.

Saint Nikita(XII century, February 13) was Bishop of Novgorod. He became famous for his miracles, especially in bringing sight to the blind. People with poor eyesight can get help by turning to this saint.

Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon(IV century, August 9) studied healing as a young man. He treated unselfishly in the name of Christ. He owns the miracle of resurrecting a dead child bitten by a poisonous snake. He healed both adults and children from various diseases, including abdominal pain.
The Monk Pimen of Pechora the Many-Sick (XII century, August 20) suffered from various diseases from childhood and only at the end of his life received healing from his ailments. They pray to the Monk Pimen for healing from a long-term painful condition.

To the Blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia(XIII century, July 8), Murom miracle workers should pray for a happy marriage. During his lifetime, the Murom prince Peter, having accomplished the feat of freeing his brother's wife from the snake, became covered with scabs, but was healed by the Ryazan commoner healer Fevronia, whom he married. The married life of Peter and Fevronia was pious and accompanied by miracles and good deeds. At the end of their lives, blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia accepted monasticism and were named David and Euphrosyne. They died on the same day. Believers received healing from their ailments from the shrine of their relics.

Martyr Proclus(II century, July 25) was considered a healer of eye diseases. Prokle dew is used to treat eye diseases and cure intramural care.

Martyr Paraskeva Friday(III century, November 10) received her name from pious parents, because she was born on Friday (in Greek “paraskeva”) and in memory of the passion of the Lord. As a child, Paraskeva lost her parents. Growing up, she took a vow of celibacy and devoted herself to Christianity. For this she was persecuted, tortured and died in agony. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa has long been especially revered in Russia, considered the patroness of the hearth, a healer of childhood diseases, and an assistant in field work. They pray to her for the gift of rain in a drought.

Reverend Roman(V century, December 10) during his life he was distinguished by extraordinary abstinence, eating only bread and salt water. He healed many ailments very successfully, and became especially famous for treating marital infertility with fervent prayers. Spouses pray to him in case of infertility.

Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye(XVIII century, September 25) treated for prolonged blindness, appearing sick in a dream. People also resorted to his help for leg diseases - the saint himself made a trek on foot from Russia to Siberia with sore legs.

Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver(February 16) on the fortieth day after Christmas, he received the infant Christ from the Virgin Mary in the temple with joy and cried out: “Now, Master, you release your servant in peace, according to your word.” He was promised repose after he accepted the holy baby into his arms. They pray to Righteous Simeon for the healing of sick children and protection of healthy ones.

Venerable Simeon the Stylite(V century, September 14) was born in Cappadocia into a Christian family. In the monastery since adolescence. Then he settled in a stone cave, where he devoted himself to fasting and prayer. People flocked to the place of his asceticism wanting to receive healing and edification. For solitude, he invented a new type of asceticism - he settled on a pillar four meters high. Of his eighty years of life, forty-seven stood on the pillar.

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov(XIX century, January 15 and August 1) took upon himself the feat of standing: every night he prayed in the forest, standing on a huge stone with raised hands. During the day he prayed in his cell or on a small stone. He ate meager food, exhausting his flesh. After the revelation of the Mother of God, he began to heal the suffering, especially helping people with sore legs.

Venerable Sergius of Radonezh(XIV century, October 8), boyar son, by birth Bartholomew. He surprised everyone from an early age - on Wednesdays and Fridays he didn’t even drink his mother’s milk. After the death of his parents at the age of 23, he took monastic vows. From the age of forty he was the abbot of the Radonezh Monastery. The life of the saint was accompanied by miracles, especially the healing of the weak and sick. Prayer to Saint Sergius heals from “forty ailments.”

Reverend Sampson, priest and healer (VI century, July 10). He was given the ability to heal people with various diseases through his prayers to God.

Saint Spyridon - miracle worker, Bishop of Trimifuntsky(IV century, December 25), became famous for many miracles, including the proof of the trinity at the First Ecumenical Council in 325. During his lifetime he healed the sick. Prayer to this saint can provide help in various painful conditions.

Martyr Sisinius(III century, December 6) was a bishop in the city of Kizin. Persecuted under Diocletian. God gave the martyr Sisinius the opportunity to heal those sick with fever.
Saint Tarasius, Bishop of Constantinople (IX century, March 9), was the protector of orphans, the offended, and the unfortunate, and had the gift of healing the sick.

Martyr Tryphon(III century, February 14) for his bright life, he was awarded in his adolescence the grace of healing the sick. Among other misfortunes, Saint Tryphon delivered those suffering from snoring. Those sent by the eparch of Anatolia brought Tryphon to Nicaea, where he experienced terrible torment, was sentenced to death and died at the place of execution.

Venerable Taisiya(IV century, October 21) during secular life, she became famous for her extraordinary beauty, which drove her fans crazy, who competed with each other, quarreled - and went bankrupt. After the Monk Paphnutius converted the harlot, she spent three years as a recluse in a nunnery, atonement for the sin of fornication. They pray to Saint Taisia ​​for deliverance from obsessive carnal passion.

Venerable Theodore the Studite(IX century, November 24) during his life he suffered from stomach diseases. After his death, many sick people received healing from his icon not only from stomach pain, but also from other celiac diseases.

Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates(IV century, June 21) became popularly known when he killed a huge serpent that lived in the vicinity of the city of Euchait and devoured people and livestock. During the persecution of Christians under Emperor Licinius, he was subjected to cruel torture and crucified, but God healed the martyr’s body and took him down from the cross. However, the great martyr decided to voluntarily accept death for his faith. On the way to execution, the sick who touched his clothes and body were healed and freed from demons.

Venerable Ferapont of Moisen(XVI century, December 25). From this saint they receive healing for eye diseases. It is known, for example, that Elder Procopius, who had had eye pain since childhood and was almost blind, regained his sight at the tomb of Ferapont.

Martyrs Florus and Laurus(II century, August 31) lived in Illyria. Brothers - stonemasons were very close to each other in spirit. At first they suffered from the passion of drunkenness and binge drinking, then they accepted the Christian faith and got rid of their illness. They suffered martyrdom for their faith: they were thrown into a well and covered alive with earth. During their lifetime, God gave them the ability to heal from various diseases and from heavy drinking.

Martyr Thomaida of Egypt(V century, April 26) chose death over adultery. Those who fear violence pray to Saint Thomaida, and she helps in maintaining chastity.

Hieromartyr Kharlampy(III century, February 23) is considered a healer for all diseases. He suffered for the Christian faith in 202. He was 115 years old when he healed not only ordinary diseases, but also the plague. Before his death, Harlampius prayed that his relics would prevent the plague and heal the sick.

Martyrs Chrysanthos and Darius(III century, April 1) even before marriage, they agreed to lead a worthy life in marriage, dedicated to God. These saints are prayed for a happy and lasting family union.

Orthodox Christians most often turn to the saint whose name they bear with a request to pray for them before God. Such a saint is called a holy saint and a helper. To communicate with him, you must know the troparion - a short prayer address. The saints must be called upon with love and unfeigned faith, only then will they hear the request.