Many smokers start their day with just a cigarette and a cup of coffee. And this combination, as it turns out, is not accidental. Researchers have found that chemicals in coffee beans reduce nicotine cravings.
In a new study, experts from the University of Florida found two substances in coffee that affect nicotine receptors in the brain. For those who smoke, these receptors can be especially sensitive in the morning.
Scientists have studied cells that mimic one of the human nicotinic receptors. To these cells they applied a solution of dark roasted coffee. It turned out that the organic chemical compound that is part of coffee helps to restore the dysfunction of nicotine receptors, which is why a person develops a craving for nicotine.
The data from this study lead experts to believe that one of the compounds in coffee – n-MP – helps reduce the need for nicotine in the morning.
The icon does not depict, it manifests. It is the manifestation of Christ’s kingdom, the manifestation of the transformed, deified creature; of that transformed humanity itself, which Christ reveals to us in His Person. Therefore, the first church icons were icons of the Savior, who came down from heaven and became incarnate for our salvation; and of His mother. Later, they began to depict the apostles and martyrs, who also manifested through themselves the image of the Son of God. The quality of the icon is determined by how close it is to the First Image, how much it harmonizes with the spiritual reality it testifies to.
The importance of the icon was perfectly understood by Leonid Uspensky: “The icon is an image of the person in whom the elements of passion and the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit reside at the same time. Therefore, his flesh is depicted qualitatively differently compared to mortal human flesh. The image of the saint transformed by grace, sealed on the icon, is the very likeness of God, the image of God’s revelation, revelation and knowledge of the hidden.”
Our remarkable theologian Vl. N. Loski, although he was not an icon painter (but he knew the priest icon painter Grigory Krug and Leonid Uspensky), very faithfully called the icon “the beginning of face-to-face contemplation”. In the age to come, the faithful will see God face to face, the icon is only the beginning of this contemplation. Prince Yevgeny Trubetskoi says that we are not looking at the icon – the icon is looking at us. We must treat her as a supreme personage: it would be presumptuous to speak to her first, it is necessary to stand and wait patiently until she speaks to us.
The icon is born from the living experience of Heaven, from the Liturgy, therefore icon painting has always been seen as a church service. High moral requirements were imposed on icon painters, just as they were on clerics. The icon is the testimony of the Church about God’s incarnation: about the fact that God came into the world, became incarnate, united with man to such an extent that each of us can rise to God and address Him as a Father.
The icon painter, therefore, is a witness. And his icons will be convincing to those who face them to the extent that he himself has joined the world he wants to tell about. Can a person who does not belong to the Church testify about God? In order to bear witness to the Gospel Truth, I myself must be included in it, live in it; only then will this sermon through image and color – the holy fathers put the icon on par with the sermon – bear fruit in other hearts as well.
The Church preaches both by word and by image; that is why the icon is called a teacher. Prince Trubetskoi, mentioned above, beautifully defines the Russian icon as “Contemplation in dyes”. The icon is prayer incarnate. It is created in prayer and because of prayer, the driving force of which is the love for God, the aspiration for Him as perfect Beauty. Therefore, outside the Church, an icon in the true sense cannot exist. As one of the forms of preaching the Gospel, as the Church’s witness to the incarnation of God, it is an integral part of the divine service – as well as church singing, architecture, rites.
But nowadays, the icon does not take its rightful place in worship and the attitude towards it is not what it should be. It became a mere illustration of the celebrated event: for us it is not important what its shape is, therefore we honor every image, even a photographic one, as an icon. We have long ceased to see it as a theology in dyes, and we do not even suspect that it can distort the doctrine as well as the word: instead of testifying to the truth, it can seduce many.
The icon originates from the Eucharistic experience of the Church, it is an invariable and inseparable part of it, as well as from the level of church life in general. When this level was high – and ecclesiastical art was at its height; when ecclesiastical life weakened or times of decline occurred, then a crisis also occurred in ecclesiastical art. The icon often turned into a picture with a religious plot, and its veneration ceased to be Orthodox in its own sense. As a confirmation of what has been said, we can recall that in our churches many icons are depicted in contradiction to church canons and are prohibited by the Councils, in particular, the so-called “New Testament Trinity” and “Fatherland” icons. The Old Testament ban on depicting God was not abolished in the New Testament. We acquired the ability to represent God only after “the Word became flesh,” after He became visible and tangible. By His divine nature Christ is indescribable, but since in Him the divine and human natures are joined inseparably and inseparably in one Person, we picture the God-man Christ, Who came into the world for our salvation, and Who dwells in it until the end of the age. The Church speaks of the eternal birth of the Son from the Father, and on the icon “New Testament Trinity” we see the Son, incarnated in time, sitting next to the Father, who is “unspeakable, unsearchable, invisible, unattainable” (words from the prayer “Anaphora” in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom). And the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove only over the Jordan River; at Pentecost He appears in the form of tongues of fire; and on Tabor – in the form of a cloud. Therefore, the dove is not the personal image of the Holy Spirit and we can depict it only on the “Baptism of the Lord” icon. The Centurion and the Great Councils of Moscow banned such images, but nevertheless we can meet them in almost every temple and in every church shop. Even in the Danilovsky Monastery, the icon “Fatherland” is painted on the iconostasis of the “Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils” temple, and in this monastery almost all priests have a higher theological education! We can only marvel at how the personal and the human prevail over the conciliar opinion of the Church, which is the sole guardian and exponent of the Truth.
Icon painting is a congregational creativity, that is, creativity of the Church. The real creators of icons are the holy fathers. The iconographic canon (as well as the liturgy) took shape over centuries and acquired a finished form approximately in the twelfth century, in this form it has reached us.
The Church has always paid special attention to its art, strictly ensuring that it expresses its teachings. All deviations from it were removed by overthrow. Thus, at the Council of the Hundred, the issue of icon painting took a very important place. In particular, it is about the icon of the Holy Trinity.
There are four icons of the Holy Trinity. They are indicated in the order of blessing of these icons in our trebnik. These are: the appearance of God to Abraham in the images of three angels; the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles; Epiphany and Transfiguration. All other images of the Holy Trinity must be rejected as distorting church teaching. Uspensky’s mentioned book “Theology of the Icon” contains a chapter called “On the Road to Unity”, in which the icon of Pentecost is considered as an icon of the Church. Why can’t the Blessed Virgin Mary be depicted on this icon? And why does the icon of Pentecost cease to be an icon of the Church if the Mother of God is depicted on it; why does she become only an image of the Virgin surrounded by the apostles?
On the icon in question, we see the apostles in Zion’s Hill, who formed the first church community, the beginning of the Christian Church. It is pertinent to note here that an icon is not simply a representation of a specific historical event. On the icon dedicated to Pentecost, the apostle Paul is almost always depicted, although he was not present there; also the apostle Luke, who was not among the twelve. The head of the Church is Christ, therefore the center of the icon remains empty: as such, He cannot be replaced by anyone else.
Today, there is no established and expressed opinion of the Church regarding church art, even more so – control of the church authorities over it. And almost everything is accepted behind the temple fence. I have been asking myself a question for a long time, to which I still have not been able to find an answer: why even the pious and honorable representatives of the clergy, as well as not a few of the monks, do not pay due respect to the icon?
I completely understand people who wholeheartedly admit that they cannot understand the meaning and content of the canonical icon, but I cannot agree at all with those who reject it simply because they do not understand it. Many clerics believe that church icons are difficult for ordinary people to perceive, and therefore it is better to replace them with picturesque ones. But I am convinced that for the majority of people, for example, the stichirs, the irmos, and the very language of the service are no less incomprehensible, although it hardly occurs to anyone to simplify the service in accordance with spiritual ignorance. The mission of the Church is to raise people to the height of God-knowledge, not to lower the bar according to their level. Therefore, those who reject the original Orthodox icon call into question the orthodoxy of their own perception of worship and, in particular, of the Eucharist from which the icon originates.
How to become an icon painter?
When they come to me and show a desire to master the art of iconography, I tell them that nowadays it takes at least fifteen years, regardless of the level of artistic training. What’s more: if they have previous training in the field of secular art, even these are not enough.
And some – they stay for two or three months and leave; then you see that they even take orders; they start getting a lot of money and don’t show up again. But there are people who have been studying for years, and for them the material side of the matter is not the main thing, which is essential in our work. If the minister puts income first, what kind of minister is he? Likewise, an artist for whom money is the most important priority is no longer an artist. Indeed, few of the contemporary icon painters possess a serious spiritual training.
The young artist who decided to become an icon painter must live an active church life, participate in the sacraments of the Church, study theology as well as the Church Slavonic language. Of course, he must look at the ancient icons. Now there is such an opportunity. And the ancient icon painters had almost nothing at hand, everything was in their memory.
Creativity outside of the living tradition cannot exist, and in our country the living tradition of church art has been interrupted. Most of the old icons have been discovered recently. And that is why we now have to retrace the same path that the Russian icon painters took after the adoption of Christianity by Russia. Then Byzantine icons served as models for them, now for us – the entire ancient Russian heritage.
And what books should we read? I can’t give recommendations that apply to everyone. At the beginning of the 1980s, when I lived in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, I was brought Father Nikolay Afanasiev’s book “The Church of the Holy Spirit”. I leafed through it and put it away, thinking it wasn’t for me, but now I can’t imagine my job without it. Obviously, we have to mature for everything.
What is the point of thinking, for example, about hesychasm in icon painting only on the basis of the books I have read, if I myself live a different life?… The requirements for those entering icon painting schools should be the same as for those entering spiritual schools. And the status of the icon painter should be equal to the status of the priest. So, maybe something remarkable will appear in the future. And we are used to benefiting from everything immediately, without making any effort.
On the technique of Iconography
To create icons in the proper sense of the word, it is necessary to strictly follow the technology that they used in the past. A traditional background of the icon has always been the gold (or silver) coating. Since gold has always been an expensive metal, due to its lack they used simple but natural materials. In poor temples, especially in the north of Russia, all the backgrounds of the icons are painted with light colors. The word background is not Russian, icon painters call it “light”. Paints must be mineral, except for the simplest ones, for example, lead bleaches. The primer of the board is prepared from sturgeon clay – now this is quite unprofitable, but in the past icons were also expensive. I also prepare bezier myself, the paints are ground by my assistants. Starting with the board and ending with the linseed oil coating, I try to do everything myself, according to the recipes of the old masters. I try to paint on the primed board as they did in ancient times. There was no graphia (needle painting) then, Russian masters began to do it later. To paint an icon without making a detailed graphic drawing is more difficult, but to achieve a successful result it is better, because the icon painter stiffens and he does almost everything mechanically, without being able to make any changes or corrections. And when the drawing is made approximately, in the process of work it can be changed to acquire expressiveness of the image – after all, in the icon the most important thing is the image. The icon is intended for prayer, for prayer presence; it helps us to be reunited with God as a testimony of God’s incarnation. The views of the icon of the art critic and the praying man do not always coincide: the icon is not intended for aesthetic contemplation – it is a manifestation of narrow-mindedness to accept it only as a type of folk creativity, as a work of art.
Can we talk about the concept of “school” in icon painting? This concept is purely artistic, not ecclesiastical. In Ancient Russia there were no such contacts between people as exist now. They lived too isolated, even by the speech it was possible to determine where a person was from. For example, the Yaroslavians had one language, the Kostroma and Novgorodians another. Sometimes people did not leave their place of birth all their lives. They had specific ideas about beauty, specific local traditions. Therefore, they built the temples according to the ideas of beauty in their inhabited place. This is the difference between them. And the term “school” is conditional, it is intended for convenience in classification. No one set out to stand out from the others.
When Aristotle Fiorovanti was commissioned to build the main cathedral of the Kremlin, he was sent to Vladimir to examine the Assumption Council. He saw it and built a temple similar to it, but also completely different. It is the same with the icon painters – the guarantor says how he wants the temple to be painted, which of the famous examples it should resemble; the master looks and whatever remains in his memory he recreates. The result is both similar and unique.
For Beauty
God is perfect Beauty. Beauty does not yet reign in this world, although it entered it with the coming of the Son of God, with His incarnation. She followed Christ on the path of her crucifixion. Beauty is crucified in the world, therefore it is Crucified Beauty.
Eternal life will be realized on this earth, but it will be transformed and renewed by the Spirit of God; without sin – in contemplation of Beauty; in the presence of God; in communion with Him. To achieve this outside the Church is impossible: there are no two truths.
There is a collection of ascetic rules called “Kindness”. What do we mean by kindness? I have asked old monks and they have answered me differently: love of virtue; to the good; charity.
“Goodness” is a Slavic word and means Beauty as one of the names of God. The spiritual feat, the purification of oneself, the preparation to be a temple of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit – this is an art of arts, a science of sciences. Divine Beauty is above all the beauty of perfect spiritual Love; the writings of the holy fathers testify to this. In modern language, God took a risk in creating man. In some eternal perspective, the fate of the world and, of course, of each of us individually, were known to Him, but nevertheless the meaning of His actions is that He reveals to us perfect love. Creating man, believing in him, He knew that the atoning sacrifice of Christ would be necessary.
“Beauty will save the world” – said Dostoevsky, because man alone cannot save it. Beauty is an abstract concept: one’s criteria are the same; to another – others. But I think that Dostoevsky had in mind the concept of beauty as one of God’s names or as a manifestation of God-likeness. We also call God the Artist, since one of the ascetic exercises is the contemplation of the visible creation. If this world, even stricken and damaged by human sin, is so beautiful, so organic, how wonderful is its Creator! In the broad sense of the word, every Christian is called to be an artist. The gift of creativity distinguishes man from all other living beings, placing him even above the angels.
Now, many educated people, who did not find Truth and Beauty in the streets of life, come to the Church and look for this Beauty in it. They very subtly sense every falsehood, every ugliness and distortion, especially artists and musicians. And if they see poorly painted frescoes in the temple, hear fake concert singing instead of the simple statutory singing – no one could convince them that Christians are witnesses of Heavenly Beauty. Many may be put off by the unworthy behavior of the priest during the service, by his inappropriate manners, by his neglected appearance, even by his unclean shoes. In our country, it is accepted for everything to be guided by the elders: will they accept it or not. I am convinced that beauty will not turn away any old woman, and because of our carelessness we can turn away the frail and wavering from the temple forever.
Nowadays, when we talk about church revival, first of all it is necessary to take care that the Church reveals that Beauty that she possesses in fullness – this is her mission in the world. L. A. Ouspensky in his book “Theology of the Icon” correctly notes that “if during the period of iconoclasm, the Church fought for the icon, today it fights for itself.”
The abundance of all kinds of information in the modern world absorbs us so much that it causes an indifferent, frivolous attitude towards the word – both oral and printed. That is why the icon’s voice remains the most powerful, the most convincing today. Few today trust the word, and silent preaching can bear more fruit. The way of life of the priest, of every Christian; church singing and temple architecture should bear the seal of Heavenly Beauty.
Speaking of the silent sermon, I cannot but mention Archimandrite Seraphim (Tyapochkin) from the village of Rakitnoe. I met Father Seraphim even before I entered the monastery. After that, already being a monk, I visited him for seven years. I didn’t ask him about anything, I just watched him. He was a remarkable man! Not once did I hear him judge or look down on anyone, even though he met all kinds of people and went through a lot in his life. All kinds of people came to him, and he received them all with equal love.
The Apostle Paul says that to the pure everything is pure, and if a person finds only faults in others, this exposes him to his own impurity.
Father Seraphim spent fourteen years in a camp, in the harshest conditions. He was sentenced to ten, but when the term of the sentence expired, he was called by the head of the camp and asked: “What do you intend to do?” – “I,” he said, “am a priest and I intend to serve.” – “If you are going to serve, then stay longer.” And added more. Only after Stalin’s death, in fifty-five, he was released. Many were broken by these camps, only the spiritually strong people, whose faith was true, endured. They didn’t get angry, and in that scary environment you could very easily get angry.
Recalling Father Seraphim, I say that the best form of preaching these days is the life of a person who embodied the ideal of the Gospel.
For Christ
Many do not perceive as a miracle the incarnation of God in the image of a man, but it is a miracle.
To the Jews it seemed blasphemous to say that God was born of a Virgin: God, before Whom even the angels tremble, Whom even they cannot see, suddenly appeared in the form of a man; that’s not enough, he is also born of a Virgo. And for the pagans, it was unthinkable that God would suffer: for them it was madness – supposedly God is all-powerful, but he suffers!
Christ is the Lamb slain from of old for the sins of the world. He suffers in every person. In Abel slain by Cain; in Isaac prepared for the sacrifice; in Moses thrown and picked up by Pharaoh’s daughter; in Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt; in the prophets, the persecuted and the slain; in the witnesses and martyrs.
Rarely do people openly rebel against God – more often they express their protest by persecuting the prophets, apostles and saints who, bearing the righteousness of God, terribly anger those who do not accept the Lord, His Light, Truth and Beauty. They pour out their wrath on the saints, rejecting their word and slandering them as not being of God.
By persecuting and killing prophets, apostles, and saints, people fight against God. That is why the Body of Christ is always broken, always before us… The Redemption once made by the Son of God continues.
Source: From Archimandrite Zinon’s book “Discourses of the Icon Painter”. The author is the most famous Russian icon painter today, who had a huge impact on the development of Russian icon painting as early as the 80s of the 20th century. In addition to being a painter, he also deals with icon theology. Awarded the State Prize of Russia for his contribution to Orthodox fine art.
Photo: The “Old Testament Holy Trinity” icon is a work of Father Zinon
• The “Saturday sweets” tradition began in the 1950s
• Children decide for themselves how much of their budget they will invest in candy
• The benefit of this tradition goes far beyond healthy teeth
Every Saturday afternoon, Lilleholmen square in Stockholm is crowded with families entering the local shopping center. If you look more closely, you will notice that on the way out, the majority of children are clutching a bag of various candies in their hands, writes in his material BBC.
The Swedes love this Saturday tradition so much that they even have a special word for the occasion: lördagsgodis, which literally means “Saturday sweets”.
Children in Sweden look forward to the weekend for their weekly candy ration. But besides enjoyment, behind the “Saturday sweets” there is another unsuspected benefit.
Sweet tradition
“Lördagsgodis has always existed,” Robert Lundin told the BBC. He just bought marshmallows for his 5-year-old daughter. “You wait until Saturday to buy candy. And it’s kind of a small but meaningful event with your parents. They brought me here as a kid, and now I bring my daughter.”
In addition to enjoyment, behind the “Saturday sweets” in Sweden lies an unsuspected benefit.
The Lördagsgodis tradition dates back to the 1950s. Medical authorities in Sweden are beginning to recommend sweets only once a week, in an attempt to limit the increasing cases of tooth decay due to the general affluence of the country’s population, says Sophie Tegsveden Devo, a writer and lecturer on Swedish culture and values.
The Swedes’ tendency to trust their country encourages them to follow the advice of limited sweet eating until Saturday, a trend that eventually becomes a beloved family pastime.
“The children really like it,” says Hui Jiang, who emigrated to Sweden from China ten years ago. The tradition is also present in her family, where just at the mention of lördagsgodis, the children start jumping for joy. – Sophie Tegsveden Devo
A thought for the weekly budget
Sweets are a great reward for anyone who wants to relax at the end of the week. But cultural commentators and economists alike argue that there is much more to be learned from the lördagsgodis tradition. According to them, the event encourages children to think about the weekly budget, which develops their independence from an early age.
“My children have had bank cards since they were six. Every week I deposit 20 kroner into them. Then, every Saturday, they go to the store and fill the bag,” says Tegsveden Devo, who has seven-year-old twins. “They need to carefully budget their Saturday candy, toys, or anything else they don’t need,” she explains.
“Saturday sweets” encourage children to think about the weekly budget, which develops their independence from an early age.
Up to 40 bulk candies can be bought in the shop for 20 crowns. Her daughter usually comes home with a bulging bag, while her son chooses to buy smaller, lighter sweets to keep more money in his account.
Promoting financial freedom
While Coke bottles or chewing gum may not initially seem like symbols of financial freedom, Tegsveden Devo says her family is far from alone in using the lördagsgodis tradition as a lesson in managing personal finances. “Candy is usually among the first things children regularly spend money on if they are given a weekly allowance, which has been common in Sweden since the 1960s,” she says.
7 out of 10 Swedish children currently receive weekly or monthly pocket money, according to 2020 data shared by Swedbank, one of the country’s largest banks. 6 out of 10 parents surveyed said they and their children had some sort of agreement about what their money should be used for.
Américo Fernandes, an economist and personal finance consultant for SEB, another large Scandinavian banking chain, agrees that the lördagsgodis tradition is definitely a useful tool for understanding the value of money.
“It’s hard to talk to an eight-year-old and try to explain the importance of saving,” he says. “But when children are given money to spend on weekly sweets or other little things, they can learn basic financial planning. It’s easier to understand that if I give you 20 crowns and you spend it right away, you won’t you have money for the rest of the month or week.”
A Swedbank study shows that the average weekly pocket money for a seven-year-old child in Sweden is 20 kroner (about 2 euros). This rises to 500 kroner a month for 15-year-olds, with children making a habit of spending it on clothes or activities with friends, such as eating out or going to the cinema.
There is evidence that encouraging financial responsibility from an early age creates healthy
savings habits: more than 7 out of 10 parents surveyed by Swedbank stated that their children sometimes save some of their pocket money.
The role of the state
Americano Fernandez believes parents around the world could learn a lot from the Swedes’ tendency to talk about budgeting and personal finance with children, at a time when household spending is skyrocketing. But he reminds us that it is important to view Swedes’ spending habits in the context of their long history of social welfare and a culture that encourages individualism and independence at all ages.
Education is free and healthcare is subsidized by the state, helping to reduce the financial pressure on families. In addition, all parents, regardless of income, are entitled to monthly child benefits of 1,250 kroner (nearly 120 euros) until their child turns 16. Thus, everyone has the opportunity to save for their children or give them weekly or monthly pocket money in a way that is impossible in many other societies.
When children turn 16, the state stops paying child benefits to their parents and starts giving them the same amount directly in the form of a tuition grant, as long as they continue to study.
“So, the idea with weekly or monthly allowances is that they slowly add up to the tuition amount,” adds Tegsveden Devo. “It’s a smooth transition from getting money from parents to getting money from the state.”
The Future of “Saturday Sweets”
Whether it’s children learning to budget using coins and banknotes, or bank transfers and apps, there is little debate in Sweden about whether the lördagsgodis trend will continue – even as Sweden moves ever closer to a cashless and digital society. wallets.
Parents around the world could learn a lot from the Swedes’ tendency to talk about budgeting and personal finance with their children.
“I think the tradition of children spending their first pocket money on candy will continue. I don’t see why that should change,” Fernandez said.
However, he points out that already on weeknights, some people are abusing the treats, with national figures showing that consumption of chocolate and confectionery has been rising steadily over the past few years.
“People may eat more sweets during the week, but they won’t give up the lördagsgodis tradition,” Devo is sure. “It’s really deeply rooted.”
“And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors…if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matt. 6:14);
“If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:15).
“Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
Holy Fathers on Forgiveness:
St. Isidore: “Write the good on tablets of stone, and the offense on water.”
St. John Chrysostom: “If we sincerely wish to be reconciled, we will not yield to our enemy until we have defeated him by strong entreaties, until we have drawn him to us and made him cease enmity against us. Are we showing him any mercy by doing so? No, the fruits of a good deed pass upon us: by this we attract the favor of God, we obtain forgiveness of sins, we receive great boldness before the Lord.
“Nothing makes us more like God than when we forgive evil people who offend us.”
“The more someone has sinned against us, the more we should seek to forgive him, because he becomes the reason for a multitude of sins to be forgiven.”
St. Basil the Great: “A Christian should not remember evil, but he is obliged from the heart to forgive those who have sinned against him.”
St. Rev. Ephraim (Syrian: “If you, man, do not forgive everyone who sins against you, do not bother to fast and pray. If you do not forgive your brother who has angered you in something, you fast and pray in vain – God will not accept you.’
St. Demetrius of Rostov: “God forgives only those who do not forgive themselves.”
St. Nikolay Velimirovich of Serbia: “Do not write down your neighbor’s sins: if you write them down, half of them lie on you; if you forget them, the Lord will also forget your sins.”
Author: Associate Professor Dr. Kostadin Nushev, Faculty of Theology, SU “St. Kliment Ohridski”
When building its attitude towards the state in the modern world, the Orthodox Church turns to the classic Gospel truths about the relationship between the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God and the earthly state, to its millennial tradition and its current ministry in the world in the conditions of today’s socio-political realities.
The relations between the Church and the state in the modern conditions of social development, of a democratic civil society and a pluralistic political system, presuppose the existence and fulfillment of some fundamental conditions and requirements both on the part of the institutions of state power and on the part of the representatives of the Church. These requirements and conditions express both Christian traditions and evangelical principles, as well as the specific democratic spirit of modern models of partnership between the state and the church, and are particularly important for the affirmation of church-canonical, constitutional and international legal norms regarding freedom of conscience and religion.
In our post-communist socio-cultural context – mainly for the countries of Eastern Europe, these basic principles have their important place and special importance for overcoming the negative legacy of the time of totalitarianism and the anti-church policy of militant atheism. In the establishment and construction of modern relations between the Orthodox Church and the state, it is necessary to respect the established canonical traditions, but also to improve the legal and institutional framework according to today’s constitutional and international law. Therefore, it seems meaningful to recall some foundational principles and literal truths for building and maintaining normal, balanced Church-State relations that are valid in today’s democratic political and legal space.
Relations between Church and State – foundations, traditions and contemporary challenges
The main principles of classical Christian understanding and theological teaching about the relationship of Christians and the Church to the state and respect for its functions in society are rooted in the Gospel teachings of Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. This Christian understanding is based on Christ’s words from the Gospel: “Render Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God” (Matt. 22:21; Mark 12:17).
In these Gospel words, we can recognize the classical understanding of the Church and the modern fundamental principles of constitutional norms and international legal acts on the attitude of the state to religious freedoms, on freedom of conscience and the internal autonomy of the Church in the field of religion and spiritual life.
Evangelical and New Testament principles
In the Gospel, there are two moments in which Jesus Christ clearly expresses his attitude towards earthly authorities or “Caesar’s kingdom” (Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17). The first case is in Christ’s answer to the question whether a tax should be paid to the state. This question provoked Him to reveal His attitude towards the authority of the Roman emperor – “Caesar” (Caesar), which at that time extended into the lands of the Israelite people. The second case is when Christ is confronted by the representative of this earthly authority – the procurator of the Roman province of Palestine, Pontius Pilate (John 18:33-38).
In the first case, Christ reveals His attitude and understanding of the authority of the earthly ruler, distinguishing it clearly from the worship of God. In this way, He rejected both the pagan deification of the earthly king and the then Old Testament Jewish theocratic ideology of incompatibility between the authority of the kingdom of God over the people and the authority of the earthly kingdom of the Roman Caesar. This Gospel teaching of the Savior is the basis of the Christian doctrine and the tradition of the Church, in which there is an understanding of the state as a “Caesar’s” or earthly kingdom, which is defined and considered in opposition and distinction from the kingdom of God, but does not contradict it.
The earthly kingdom covers another, different and limited reality, while the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of the Spirit, is universal and not limited by earthly boundaries. God’s kingdom of the Spirit, according to the words of Jesus Christ, “is not of this world” (John 18:36), while Caesar’s kingdom is an earthly political kingdom and encompasses the earthly state. The state serves itself with the coercive power of political power (imperium), while the spiritual power of the Church is rather an authority (auctoritas), which is based on the truth of the Gospel and the power of God’s word and necessarily implies the freedom of the person and the voluntary consent of the faithful , who accept it based on their conscious conviction.
The traditional Christian understanding and teaching of the Church about its relationship with the state is based on the principle Gospel truth and theological position that the state and the Church are two separate realities. They are different and separate, but they are not irreconcilable and do not contradict each other (Romans 13:1-7).
The State and the Church have their own specific tasks, different functions and spheres of competence within the limits of their own ministry for the good of the individual and of society as a whole. They are different institutions, but not incompatible with each other and can interact within the limits of their powers if they observe the principles of mutual respect and equal partnership.
Theological understanding of Church-state relations in contemporary Orthodox social teaching
What can and should the Orthodox Church do in this regard and what are the special current tasks before it within the framework of the contemporary socio-political situation? How are these current tasks understood and reflected in the perspectives of the specific historical and cultural tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy? How does the modernization, democratization and Europeanization of the Orthodox countries in Eastern Europe affect the preservation and renewal of the traditions of the relationship between the Church and the modern legal state!?
It is necessary to remind that today’s society is radically different, both from the realities of the theocratic monarchy of Byzantium, and from those of the political system of the Russian Empire or, in the context of Bulgaria, the legal system of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom (1978-1947) and the norms of the Tarnovo constitution.
Some modern Orthodox clergy and theologians in this connection today point out that the Orthodox Church in the countries of Eastern Europe, facing the modern political and state-legal realities, is facing a very serious test and a fundamental challenge. It is expressed in the need for the Orthodox Church to reformulate its traditional or Byzantine “symphonic” understanding of its relations with the “holy Christian empire” or the old monarchical state in the direction of the new institutional relations with the modern democratic legal state. The constructive incorporation of the Orthodox Church into the modern European model for partner relations with the state or its latent presence as a counter-cultural and conservative-retrograde factor in the process of democratic social development will depend on the efforts to make this path successful. A new effort is needed to seriously rethink the gospel truths, historical traditions and contemporary realities in the field of relations between the state and the Church.
Basic Principles of Church-State Relations
We could formulate the main principles and conditions for modern democratic and balanced relations of partnership between the state and the Church in three main points and present them in the following way:
1. unconditional and categorical respect, guarantee and observance of basic human rights and religious freedoms both on the part of the state, which has adopted them in its legislation as universal values and European legal norms and standards, and on the part of the Church;
2. maintenance and strict observance of the principle of the rule of law as a fundamental basis of the democratic rule of law and its unwavering application in the field of religious freedoms, relations with the Church and church activities in society;
3. building balanced relations of partnership between the state and the Church, in which the institutional separation between them is preserved and not violated, the difference of their specific spheres of political and religious autonomy.
All these modern relations of cooperation between the Church and the State are built and based on the principles of personal freedom, freedom of conscience and religion, respect for human rights, the rule of law and the maintenance of a just social and legal order oriented to the common good in one modern, democratic and European pluralistic civil society.
In fulfilling the outlined conditions for building and functioning of balanced and equal partnership relations between the Church and the state in a democratic civil society, it is necessary for both church officials and state authorities and institutions to make serious efforts to maintain the just legal order based on freedom of conscience and human rights and to overcome some serious challenges of a cultural, historical and political nature.
Contemporary challenges and perspectives
The political history of relations between the Christian Church and the state in the twentieth century clearly show that only in the conditions of the rule of law and strict respect for human rights and the rule of law, the secular principles of separation of the Church from the state and the separation of the political from the religious sphere do not lead to violation of the freedom of the person, conscience and religion. In the political system of the totalitarian state, where this respect is absent, the separation of the Church from the secular state leads to oppression and deprivation of personal freedom, violence against the conscience of believers and discrimination of religious communities by the state.
For the Orthodox countries and for the local Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe only after the so-called “democratic revolutions” of 1989 opened a chance for a freer construction of relations with the democratic legal state in the spirit of the perception of the universal principles and norms of natural human rights.
Western Christian denominations, in their struggle against Nazism and right-wing totalitarian movements in Europe, prepared a better basis for adopting the fundamental principles than the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the European Convention for the Protection of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, and the Catholic Church finally moved towards this new Christian culture of human rights after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the adoption of its new doctrinal documents (Dignitates Humanae, Gaudium et Spes, etc.).
For the Orthodox Church, it was only after the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe that the possibility of a free, independent and positive interpretation of the doctrine of human rights and the adoption of its principles in the spirit and context of the Orthodox Christian theological teaching and church social doctrine was discovered. The post-communist situation, of course, offers other opportunities for traditionalist and isolationist “revival” and revitalization of tradition. With the growing role of religion and the Church in public life, these opportunities may lead to confrontation with modern political and legal principles and the values of modern democratic society. Such attempts and projects lead to peculiar fundamentalist forms of fanatical religious psychology and intolerant religious culture.
Therefore, the Orthodox Church is faced nowadays with a serious challenge and test to make efforts to overcome the remnants of the old traditionalist – Byzantine or Caesaropapist, political and legal concepts, which lead to the fusion of state and Church and prevent the creation of modern balanced relations between them. They are incompatible with the universal norms of individual freedom of personality in the public sphere and freedom of conscience in the field of religion and confessions.
In the modern era, these archaic models from the time of the traditional mono-confessional society are also incompatible with the principles of the democratic legal and non-confessional state and the socio-cultural realities of the pluralistic civil society. In other words, in order to face contemporary political realities, the Church in the traditionally Orthodox countries of Eastern Europe must rethink and overcome some aspects of the old Byzantine “symphonic” paradigm of relations with the state. This formula of the “symphony” was inherited from the Eastern Orthodox imperial model of sacral monarchy and above all to overcome the associated Caesaropapist stereotypes.
Along with this, systematic efforts are needed to adopt the modern contractual-legal paradigm of equal inter-institutional relations with the state and adopt a balanced attitude towards the concept of human rights by rediscovering its Christian roots in the teaching of the dignity of man as a free and God-like person (Genesis 1:26-27) and the principles of Christian humanism.
For some more conservative circles in the circles of the Orthodox Church and individual political defenders of Orthodoxy, interpreting it only as an alternative and counterpoint to the West or modern civilization, this may represent a kind of cultural shock and a serious challenge. A change in the discussed direction would be an “encroachment” or “betrayal” against the inherited tradition and the archaic legacy of the past. But in some of its forms, this legacy is reproduced in the present through peculiar worldview stereotypes and political paradigms, which are an echo of the old habits of resorting to the “sword of Caesar” to resolve intra-church and religious-religious issues. Such approaches prevent the creation of modern, equal and balanced relations between the Church and the state in modern society.
All these general principles and vaguely outlined trends can be observed and outlined in the specific social, political and cultural context of the various local Orthodox churches with different features, specificities and variations. In certain problematic directions, they are observed in the relations of the Russian Orthodox Church with the state authorities in modern Russia, in the countries of the European Union or in a special form for the Orthodox Church diaspora in Western Europe and North America.
The principles of interaction between the church and the state are particularly important for Bulgaria in particular and for the development of relations between the democratic rule of law and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) as a religious institution of the “traditional” according to the Constitution (Art. 13, Para. 3) ” Eastern Orthodox confession” in the Republic of Bulgaria. In recent years, after the entry into force of the new Law on Religions (LA) and the country’s full membership in the European Union, some decisions of the Constitutional Court on important questions about the role of the state and the limits of church autonomy, the consistent efforts by the state to implement the special legislation for religious communities for the purpose of “overcoming the schism and division in the BOC” in the spirit of the constitutional principles of the separation of the Church from the state, the foundations of the modern system of relations, cooperation and partnership between church authorities and state institutions are being built and shaped a number of areas of public life in the conditions of a democratic public environment and a European legal framework for guaranteeing human rights and the freedom of religious communities.
Source: First published at dobrotoliubie.com
References:
Nushev, K. Christliche Sozialethik und Sociallehre der Kirche. Grundprinzipien und Orthodoxe Perspektiven. – In: Die Gesellschaftliche Rolle der Kirche. Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Sofia, 2016, ss.14-22.
Nushev, K. Orthodoxy and human rights. – in: Harmony in differences. (ed. Georgeta Nazarska, Svetla Shapkalova), Publishing House: About the Letters-Opismeneh, S., 2015, pp. 101-108 (in Bulgarian).
Nushev, K. Religious education in the Bulgarian school – traditions, problems and perspectives in a national and European context. – in: Humanism. Science. Religion. Religious education and upbringing in institutional and confessional discourse. S., BAS, 2018, pp. 24-35 (in Bulgarian).
Nushev, K. Christian freedom and the challenges of neoliberalism in connection with the topic of Christian education and contemporary Europe. Contemporary Christian Education. Conditions, challenges and expectations. Association of Professors of the Teaching Subject Ethics in Religions “Enlightenment”, Skopje, 2018, pp. 49-63 (in Serbian).
Christians worship the icons or statues of Christ, the Virgin and the saints, and Buddhists light candles before the images of the Enlightened Ones. In Nepal, however, they still worship a living goddess – Kumari Devi. The cult of her is considered a world unique, but still fits perfectly into the rich pantheon of Eastern deities. In Nepal, goddess casting is regularly held among little girls. However, the life of the “chosen one from Above” is not easy at all.
Shakti
“Kumari” comes from the Sanskrit word “Kaumaria” – “virgin” and “Devi” means “goddess”. This tradition, dating back to the 10th century, is based on ancient beliefs. They come from the Hindu philosophical text Devi Mahatmya that the supreme goddess of Durga, who is believed to have manifested all creation from her womb, resides in the inner spaces of every woman, throughout the Cosmos.
People believe that the goddess Kumari carries the feminine energies called ‘shakti’. With them she can heal the sick, fulfill specific wishes, bless for protection and prosperity. Kumari Devi is believed to have the power to bridge the world of the living and the world of the divine. In Nepal, both Hindus and Buddhists sincerely believe that Kumari is an incarnation of the proto-goddess Durga (or Taleju). Even the kings in this part of the world were not allowed to take any action without the blessings of Kumari.
Backgammon
One of the legends about her appearance states that a villainous king slept with an underage girl. She died, and the ruler, in order to atone for his guilt, introduced the cult of virgin goddesses into the country. A more common legend about the cult of the living goddess states that one day King Jayaprakash was playing backgammon with the goddess Taleju and was about to seduce her. However, she discerned his impious thoughts, which violated her divine status. She became angry and disappeared from the mortal world, but announced that she would pass on her wisdom through a little girl who had never seen blood in her life.
Casting
Thus to this day casting is done for the goddess Kumari. Applicants are chosen from girls between 3 and 4 years old. The most valued are those children who have not lost their first milk tooth. The families of the future goddess must trace back at least three generations to the Bara jeweler caste of the Newari people. The child itself must be absolutely healthy and not have any scars or birthmarks on the body. Passed these requirements go to a careful study of the horoscope of the child. If it meets the special descriptions in the ancient books, the priests check whether the child meets 32 other requirements (tests). Some of them are quite shocking.
Trials
The little girl has only to enter a half-dark room, in which are scattered the freshly severed heads of buffaloes and rams, bleeding and barely illuminated by lanterns. A true Kumari should not show any fear. Then she has to spend the night in a temple among statues of dragons and snakes, again without showing the slightest sign of fear. If he goes through this nightmare as well, the little girl will have to choose items that belonged to the previous Kumari among many items placed before him.
Rituals
Becoming a Kumari is a great honor for the child’s family, but at the same time – a burden and a responsibility. When the new goddess is chosen, elaborate daily rituals begin to uphold her divinity. She should not step on the ground and use only special “clean” foods. Every day, the little girl is given a very complicated make-up. She does not socialize with anyone except the servants, priests, her own family, and sometimes a few well-chosen peers with whom she plays tame games. A Kumari cannot go outside unless there is a festival. Even then, her feet should not touch the wrong ground. The baby girl must be carried in the arms or on a palanquin (ceremonial litter for crowned persons). The aim is to protect her from accidental injury. Because if she sees her own blood, she will have to be dethroned as a goddess.
She appears at the window of her palace in Kathmandu every day at 11 a.m. and blesses her devotees with special healing mantras taught to her by dedicated sages. The rest of the time no one should see her, not even photograph her when she blesses. With the onset of puberty, the living goddess leaves the palace to make way for the next Kumari.
They raised the issue of children’s rights
However, the foundations of the centuries-old Nepalese tradition have been seriously shaken recently.
The dramatic political events that shook Nepal to its foundations between 1997 and 2007 and transformed the country from an almost medieval monarchy into a modern federal republic did not escape the ancient rules of Kumari life. In 2020, the Supreme Court upheld a plea by child rights groups that loosened the harsh regime of the “living goddesses,” which deprived them of a normal childhood and turned their palace in Kathmandu into their prison. The court ruled that Kumari should enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The goddess will be able to go to school, travel without restrictions and use health services.
Life after the palace turns out to be a nightmare
After leaving her palace, a former Kumari finds it terribly difficult to adjust to normal life. She has to go to school without having the slightest idea how to communicate with her peers, take care of herself. The girl Rashmila is the first of the former Kumaris who managed to get an education and work as a programmer. The rest are barely learning to read.
“It was terribly difficult for me to master the most ordinary household activities. I hated the “foreign people” – my own family, with whom I had to live, I hated my home, which was very different from the palace. I didn’t know how to dress myself, how to go out on the street. At the age of 13, I started first grade with my 5-year-old brother and I didn’t understand a thing. I was not good at any subject, I didn’t even know the alphabet. It was difficult for me, but I defeated the Kumari in me”, the former goddess is proud.
Whoever marries an ex dies soon
There are currently nine former living goddesses living in Nepal. The oldest of them, Dill, is more than 90 years old. However, there is a belief that whoever marries such a girl will soon die. However, Dill is an exception – she has children and grandchildren and her husband is alive at the same advanced age. In her home, however, it is in a room that no one else enters. There, under her portrait from 80 years ago, she repeats the secret mantras learned in the temple. And when one of the granddaughters asks her what she learned while being a goddess, Dil answers with just one word, “Patience.”
Vladimir Solovyov gave a new impetus to the development of Russian philosophical and theological thought, setting himself the task of “justifying the faith of the fathers” before the reason of his contemporaries. Unfortunately, he made a number of clear deviations from the Orthodox-Christian way of thinking, many of which were adopted and further developed by his followers.
Here is a brief exposition of these moments in Solovyov, which stand out because of their difference and even their clear deviation from the creed professed by the Church.
1) He presents Christianity as the highest stage of the overall sequential development of religions. According to Solovyov, all religions are true, but one-sided, and Christianity synthesizes the positive aspects of previous religions. He wrote: “Just as external nature is revealed to the human mind gradually, in consequence of which we must speak of the development of experience and natural science, so the divine principle is gradually revealed to the human mind, and we must speak of the development of religious experience and religious thought … Religious development is a positive and objective process, it is a real interaction between God and man – a God-human process. It is clear, wrote Solovyov, that none of the stages and none of the moments of the religious process can be in itself a lie or a delusion. “False religion” is contradictio in adjecto”*.
2) The doctrine of the salvation of the world in the form in which it was given under the apostles is cast aside. According to Soloviev, Christ came to earth not to “save the human race”, but to elevate it to a higher level in the order of the successive manifestation of the divine principle in the world – the elevation and deification of man and the world. Christ is the highest link in the series of theophanies (epiphanies), crowning the previous theophanies.
3) Solovyov’s theology focuses on the ontological side of being, that is, on the life of God Himself in Himself, and due to the insufficiency of the Holy Scriptures, thought resorts to arbitrary constructions – rational or based on imagination.
4) A being named “Sophia” is introduced into the Divine life, standing on the border between the Divinity and the created world.
5) A distinction between male and female is introduced in the Divine life. With Solovyov, this moment is obscured. Father Pavel Florensky, following Soloviev, presents Sophia as follows: “This is a great Royal, Feminine Being, who, without being either God, nor the eternal Son of God, nor an angel, nor a holy man, receives veneration both from the finisher of the Old Testament and from the Progenitor of the New” (“Pillar and affirmation of truth”).
6) An elemental beginning, an elemental aspiration, is introduced into the Divine life, forcing God the Word Himself to participate in a certain process, a beginning that subordinates the Logos to this process, which must elevate the world from the state of pure materiality and limitation to the most perfect forms of being.
7) God as the Absolute, God the Father, is presented as distant and inaccessible to the world and man. Despite what is said in the word of God, He separates himself from the world in an inaccessible area of being, which as absolute being has no contact with relative being, with the world of phenomena. Therefore, according to Solovyov, a mediator between the Absolute and the world is necessary. Such a mediator is the “Logos”, who became incarnate in Christ.
8) According to Soloviev, the first Adam united in himself the divine and the human nature, similar to their relationship in the God-manhood of the incarnate Word, only that he violated this relationship. If it is so, then the deification of man is not only a gracious sanctification of man, but is a restoration in him of the divine humanity, a restoration of the two natures. But this does not agree with the entire teaching of the Church, which understands deification only as beneficence. “There has not been and there will not be another person, says Rev. John Damascene, consisting of Divinity and humanity, except Jesus Christ.”
9) Solovyov writes: “God is the all-powerful Creator and All-Sustainer, but He is the Ruler of the earth and the creatures that come from it.” <…> “Deity is incommensurable with earthly creatures and can have a moral-practical relationship (power, dominance, management) towards them only through the mediation of man, who as a divine being is commensurate with both Deity and material nature. In this way, man is a necessary basis for true Divine rule” (“History and Future Theocracies”). This position is unacceptable from the point of view of the glory and power of God and so to speak contradicts the word of God. At the same time, it is disproved by the simple observation of the existing. Man subjugates nature to himself, not in the name of God as a mediator between God and the world, but for his own selfish needs and purposes.
The points noted here, where Solovyov’s views diverge from the teachings of the Church, show that Solovyov’s religious system is completely unacceptable to the Orthodox consciousness.
Note:
* contradictio in adjecto – (lat.) contradiction in definition, such as “round square”, “dry moisture”, “wooden iron”, etc.
Source: Protopresbyter Mikhail Pomazansky. Orthodox dogmatic theology. St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood Press, 1992.
1. To be able to successfully fight against evil, you must have order in your thoughts. This is achieved by more silence, solitude and prayer.
2. Always keep in mind and remember that every word in your mouth is important and therefore do not burn yourself so as not to become a traitor to yourself. Close your mouth and tongue so as not to bring suffering to your loved ones and to yourself. Be kind and gentle to everyone, and then they will cover your every mistake with the words: “Well, he is good.”
3. Remember that when you allow yourself to be very close and intimate with those who are your superiors and depend on them, they will inevitably hate you. Your relationship with them should be businesslike, polite, kind and considerate.
4. Arm yourself with good against your enemies. Do not allow yourself to condemn them under any circumstances.
5. Joy is not a voluntary feeling. It is proportional to your desire to be in contact with God and feel His benefits. Joy is a gift from God.
6. Defeat your enemies by praying for them. Through enemies, the devil incites us to anger and evil, but when you do the opposite of his desire, he goes against them and restrains them.
7. To make a good beginning, this means to stop the bad thoughts that incite you to do something bad.
8. When they prompt you, or ask you a question sharply and immodestly to provoke you, immediately counter them with: “Why are you asking?!”
9. When they incite you against someone, telling you – he did this or said about you that, or when someone starts to anger you and provoke you, do not rush like some stupid cock to fight, because you may come out with a bloody comb , from which your blood will flow and you will die.
10. Begin with humility and silence. To everything they ask you, answer: “I don’t know.” This is how you will know things spiritually. Take it easy. Whatever they say to you, say one thing: “Okay!”. Against that which provokes you most strongly, oppose the simple and all-conquering silence.
11. When you receive joy, humble yourself and know that it brings with it sorrows, against which you must fight, not despair.
12. Seal in your mind that with just one inappropriate word you can drive away the grace, and then with many prayers you have to get it again. If you feel that you are starting to say something wrong, say that you have lost your mind and stop.
13. Just leaving your house already puts you in contact with many demons, so be careful, don’t go back and forth too much, go out only for the most pressing needs and with great self-control and prayer.
14. Just when you most want to say something or when you are challenged and you feel that you are starting to get angry or excited, just then arm yourself with patient silence or with mandatory flight if you are faced with an inflaming kind image. Silence and flight are given to us just for these occasions. Everyone can keep quiet when they are calm and undisturbed. The winning silence is that which manifests itself when you are given an opportunity to speak.
15. Take prayer seriously. Success is only from her!
16. Humility consists in self-reproach, but in yourself, and not in front of people who will take you for a sheep’s soul and destroy you. Keep silent and don’t judge anyone for anything.
17. If you find yourself alone with a woman and begin to seduce yourself, keep silent and begin to repeat the most effective prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!”.
18. Learn some rules, but always have them in front of your eyes.
19. Temptations are given to overcome, not to fall before them. But for this purpose, it is necessary as soon as a temptation appears, especially if it is related to anger or fornication, to realize your weakness and diligently ask God for help with the words: “Lord, I am weak, so show me Your strength, because without Your support I cannot stand.”
20. Silence is simple and therefore in it is strength and victory. With power comes responsibility. Let them be annoyed more often by your silence than by your words. And often repeat: “Please!”, “Forgive!”.
21. Always raise the will to fight against sin and exalt yourself above sin, not above people. As Pushkin says: “Accept praise and slander indifferently and do not challenge the fool.” Whether they are praising you or scolding you, keep calm and remain silent. Never speak on your own initiative.
22. In the pursuit of perfection, be like a hound that, despite obstacles and injuries, chases the rabbit down the hole.
23 The insults you give to others, whoever they are, spin, spin, and fall on your head again. Say when they concern you, but meekly, politely and with dignity, without obscene insults and screams that only betray your weakness. To have anything to do with the Manger, you have to endure the humiliations calmly.
24. The day depends on the evening, i.e. from the prayer performed in advance for the next day, from which follows an early bedtime, a restful sleep and a timely early rise the next day.
25. Prodigal rage is curbed by avoiding the occasions for it, i.e. by refraining from exaggeration, verbosity and especially judgment (maliciousness).
26. Be careful in your relations with the baptized, do not be cunning, because their guardian angel, whom they received at baptism, learns from your guardian angel about your bad moods towards them and warns them.
27. If you are facing many fronts, tackle one of them and you will see how to deal with the others as well.
28. No matter how kind your colleagues and those you deal with, do not give in and do not leave the position of seriousness and respectful cold demeanor. Remember that the slightest of your looseness, intimacy, familiarity and free behavior will make you a fool, will deprive you of all authority, dignity and weight.
29. If your evening is difficult, be silent and patient, knowing that Christ was crucified in the evening and rose again in the morning.
30. Do not curse, do not condemn even the devil, because you will fall under the blows of your own curses and condemnations, because you yourself have many of the devil’s traits.
31. When you have to defend yourself, don’t write whole reports. Defend yourself only in the specific case and do not wait for other questions. Be human to everyone. Don’t pay attention to choir talk and gossip. Don’t leave your place or your job and try to make your way there.
32. God and you – there is no other. What you make yourself, it will be. If something happens, don’t blame others and don’t judge them, but only hold yourself responsible and you will be at peace both on earth and in heaven.
33. If the superiors refuse you their favor for what you ask, no debates and discussions, but keep silent, as if it does not concern you, and respectfully withdraw. Otherwise you lose the battle.
34 Be neat, clean, respectful, but not sugary. Be smiling, but in moderation. Be moderately polite, but with a cold stare. Do you know how to count to 10, stop at 3. Don’t be like a child who gets scalded and then shouts: “Ow!”. Be sober and aware of the wages of sin, which is death.
35. The first condition for any ascent is humility, i.e. to feel your powerlessness and to place all your trust in God.
36. When you have to ask someone for something, do not crawl, but behave with marked dignity. Present your request briefly, to the point, without obscuring and diluting words, explanations, etc., and immediately to the goal. Imagine that the person you are addressing is the one on whom your future depends. Be tight as a string. No relaxation and contraction, keeping constant attention. Answer the questions you are asked after careful consideration and above all, don’t forget to ask God to give you the right answer. Exude respect and seriousness. No familiarity. No orders, but always say the words: “please”, “thank you” a hundred times. Kind and polite to subordinates as well. Short, without wasting people’s time. When you talk to someone, never with your hands in your pockets. Don’t nag, don’t argue, don’t contradict even jokingly. For difficult questions, promise that you will answer the next time after you prepare. In relation to everyone, always in the polite form of “Vie”. Always stand with reverent fear and heartfelt attention, remembering that God is always with you. Any unnecessary word can send you to hell. They will challenge you and [pre]dispose you to [behave inappropriately]. But you spoke softly and remained firm and respectful to the end.
37. God loves the brave and the humble.
38. Do you see something painful and hopeless? Are you depressing? Are you despairing? Or do your circumstances seem insurmountable? Know that in all these cases the devil is on the other side, and for this reason, immediately start repeating the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!” repeatedly.
39. Keep your distance and don’t let anyone get so close to you that if you refuse and don’t give him something, he might get angry with you.
40. It is a man who suffers and does not respond to an insult, especially if it comes from an older man and from a woman.
41. Evil must be countered with good. But not with half means and half good, not with something slightly better than evil, but with complete, unreserved good. Only then there are chances to defeat evil with good.
42. If you get caught in indecent and sinful thoughts, immediately remove them with prayer and do not allow them to come to feelings, words and deeds. You cannot stop the winds that blow, but hide yourself in a covenant.
43. You will be happy if you consider every misfortune that befalls you as the will of God, aimed at your good and that of your loved ones. And let them send you to hell, and there hold on to God. There are three degrees of salvation: 1. Not to sin. 2. You were wrong – repent. 3. You repent badly – then endure the coming sorrows.
44. And Judas repented, but did not repent. That is why we are asked to have the will and determination to fight.
45. Do not participate in any slander, denunciation or slander. Cover your enemy – only then will God cover you. Nice and firm, remember something cardinal, and that is that until you shut your mouth and stop judging and insulting, you will always be unsuccessful. Know for sure that to whatever insult and teasing or whatever evil comes to you from others, meek and Christian behavior is the only response that will cause the least shock and harm to you and your loved ones! !! Remember, this is a basic and life-saving thing!
46. In order not to fall into fornication and anger, what is even more valuable than fasting is silence, and that is not to not speak at all, but to hold back your tongue from condemnation and slander. Remember a thousand times that our most deadly enemy and a malignant tumor from which we must get rid of at any cost is slander, condemnation, many stories – this is what eats away at us and leads to certain destruction.
47. At confession, promise that you will improve and try with all your might to fulfill these promises of yours, and then God Himself will help you.
48. Do not wander and do not travel from church to church, from monastery to monastery, from city to city and from country to country, because piety is not in this. Stand your ground and fight the dark forces there. Don’t splurge.
49. No matter how hard your life on earth is, here only one demon torments you, and if you kill yourself, everything will be much harder for you in the next world, and there you will be tormented by many and more cruel demons than this one, who torments you here. If passions attack you, pray against them and you will overcome them.
50. If you hear disagreement with your words, shut up! Even Pythagoras taught like this.
Note: The soul-beneficial teachings of Archbishop Seraphim Sobolev were recorded by his spiritual child, Nikola Mutafchiev, and were published in the book “The Sofia Wonderworker Seraphim for the Secrets of Victory”, Sofia, 2003.
About the author: Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Boguchar is one of the most prominent clergymen of our time. Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose episcopal ministry is almost entirely in Bulgaria. He was solemnly glorified as a newly canonized saint – Unfathomable joy overwhelmed the souls of thousands of Christians who filled the patriarchal cathedral “St. Alexander Nevsky”, to become part of this significant spiritual celebration ¬ the glorification of St. Seraphim, Archbishop Bogucharski, Sofia Miracle Worker, which took place on February 26, 2016.
Source of Revival NGO -
Critical infrastructure and residential area heavily damaged in the northeast region of Ukraine following 2022 Russian invasion.
Six months after the Russian invasion, Ukraine is the scene of the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Almost a third of those displaced by the conflict come from the region around the country’s second largest city of Kharkiv, in the east. To bring aid to Ukraine’s displaced population is dangerous work.
Before dawn on 24 February, Kharkiv took a fierce hit. Within 24 hours, Russian troops had reached the northern suburbs, just 30 kilometres from the Ukraine-Russia border. Despite outnumbering the Ukrainian forces, the invading army was unable to enter the city.
“I am from Kharkiv, from the largest residential area in Ukraine – Saltivka, where about 400,000 people lived before the war,” says 21-year-old Tania, who has found a temporary home in Ivano-Frankivsk Region and participated in a Summer school run by the UN migration agency (IOM), for young leaders among displaced persons and members of hosted communities.
“For two weeks, my family and I did not leave the underground metro station, even for a minute. The metro became the main bomb shelter for the locals. I did not want to leave the city, because my grandparents remained behind. But when they came to us in Kharkiv, I decided to flee from the war.”
According to a recent IOM survey, around 28 per cent of the estimated 6.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine fled from the Kharkiv Region. The humanitarian needs of those who chose to stay, or were unable to flee, are immense.
Source of Revival NGO – NGOs delivers IOM’s assistance not only to communities, but also directly to especially vulnerable people.
In May, the city received the first humanitarian convoy from IOM with much-needed items for people staying in shelters and hospitals, as well as hard-to-reach communities in areas under Ukrainian control.
“Locals need solar lamps as there is no light, mattresses and blankets as it is damp and cold in shelters, tools for minor repairs for their damaged houses, and hygiene kits,” explains Serhii, the head of Source of Revival, one of the biggest non-governmental organizations in the region and IOM’s implementing partner in the Kharkiv Region.
In the first months of the war, the Source of Revival team’s working day began at 6am and ended at 3pm, when a curfew was set and any movement around the city was forbidden. The location of the warehouses had to be changed several times due to heavy shelling, missiles, and air strikes.
Not all drivers agreed to go to this dangerous area. The situation has since escalated, the number of casualties is growing, but no one in the team has left Kharkiv. They put on bulletproof vests and protective helmets to deliver IOM’s assistance to those in dire need.
Source of Revival NGO – Nadia (r) found out that she was pregnant during the heavy shelling of Kharkiv oblast, eastern Ukraine.
Nadia, who is currently living on the outskirts of Kharkiv, fled her home in the city of Derhachi due to heavy shelling shortly after discovering she was pregnant in March.
“Now, there is nothing left alive in Derhachi,” she recalls. “There is also shelling here, but not as fierce as in my hometown; then, when a missile hit a nearby school, we moved once again.”
Source of Revival brought tailored humanitarian aid from IOM directly to her temporary home as it was especially challenging for a pregnant woman to move around the unsafe city.
https://youtu.be/riM6Crw27Iw
The hardest part of the team’s work is delivering aid to communities that survived the Russian occupation. Although it takes time to de-mine the area after Ukrainian forces recovered it, NGOs endeavour to reach people in critical need as quickly as possible.
“Some settlements were razed to the ground. There are many local Irpins and Buchas in our region”, a Source of Revival staff says, referring to two cities in Kyiv oblast occupied by Russia at the start of the war where evidence points to significant human rights abuses being committed against the civilians. Exploitation, kidnapping for ransom, robbery, bullying, torture, rape, and sexual abuse of women, children, the elderly, and men.
Source of Revival NGO – IOM assistance is reaching affected communities across Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine.
‘Everything has changed’
Humanitarian workers are helping local residents and identifying victims of conflict-related violence. All of them can go to the IOM centre for physical and psychosocial rehabilitation.
Lately, Kharkiv has been receiving increasing numbers of displaced persons fleeing neighbouring Donetsk and Luhansk regions. And, despite the security situation, even Kharkiv residents are returning to their homes with high hopes.
“They want to rebuild this place, but everything has changed”, says Serhii, whose house was damaged by shelling. “The infrastructure is damaged, houses are destroyed, there is no work, and part of the region is still occupied. Russian troops are trying to move closer to the city, so the threat remains, and chaotic shelling continues.”
According to authorities, over 1,000 civilians in Kharkiv Region were killed in the last 181 days, including 50 children, and this figure may rise. Calm is deceptive here, and the situation can change in the blink of an eye.
In one single night, on 18 August, 21 civilians died, and 44 were injured as a result of a missile attack on a residential area. Nevertheless, as was the case 79 years ago, locals believe in their land and justice, revealing the same strength and character as their ancestors.
“I draw power from my team. I understand that most of them could leave Kharkiv, but they stayed. They are the first to put on vests, helmets and go to help others,” says Serhii.
Source of Revival NGO – Kharkiv oblast, eastern Ukraine, is still suffering from chaotic shelling
The Baha’i International Community has received news of a shocking and outrageous new propaganda ploy to incriminate the Baha’is in Iran through a staged video production filmed in a kindergarten.
On 31 July, the same day as intelligence agents were invading Baha’i homes and arresting pre-school teachers, agents also entered a kindergarten in a major city in Iran and distributed Baha’i books and pamphlets to its teachers, none of whom were Baha’is. The agents then instructed and forced the kindergarten staff to say, on camera, that Baha’is had brought these materials and distributed them to the teachers.
“This shameful act of fraud and pretense, carried out in a kindergarten, once again reveals the true motives of the Iranian government in persecuting Baha’is only for their faith,” said Simin Fahandej, the BIC’s Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. “As the Iranian government has found no shred of evidence for their ludicrous accusations against the Baha’is, they have now resorted to fabricating evidence themselves, using Baha’i materials to accuse Baha’is of attempting to influence and convert Muslim children to the Baha’i Faith.”
Although the Iranian government attempts to frame the Baha’is as converting Muslim children, numerous official government documents testify to Iran’s plans to, in fact, convert Baha’i children to Islam.
In 1991, a confidential government memorandum, brought to light at that time by a United Nations Special Rapporteur, prepared by Iran’s Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council and signed by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself, instructing that Baha’i children be enrolled in schools which have “a strong and imposing religious ideology” and that Baha’is be treated in such a way that “their progress and development are blocked”.
“The Iranian government not only attempts to distort history in school textbooks in order to remove the Baha’i Faith from Iranian history, and to force Baha’i children to change their faith,” continued Ms. Fahandej. “But it is now producing fake materials to advance its already baseless allegations against the Baha’is.”
This incident has occurred within a larger context of mounting attacks against the Baha’is in Iran in recent weeks. Since 31 July, the BIC has received reports of over 196 separate incidents of persecution against the Baha’is in Iran, including arrests, imprisonments, confiscation of homes and properties, closure of business and exclusions from university.
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence released a rare statement on 31 July, in which it alleged that members of the Baha’i community were “propagating the teachings of the fabricated Baha’i colonialism and infiltrating educational environments,” including kindergartens. A number of Baha’i kindergarten and pre-school teachers were arrested on that day under the pretext offered by the Ministry’s statement. Filming the staged readings now also demonstrates that the authorities want to potentially use video footage to substantiate their false claims and seek to incite the general public against them.
Efforts to spread hate propaganda against the Baha’is are government policy. The 1991 memorandum by Iran’s Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council also said that Iran’s “propaganda institutions … must establish an independent section to counter … the Baha’is.”
And in March 2021 two human rights groups, League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran and the International Federation for Human Rights, published an official Iranian directive which instructed local authorities in the city of Sari, in the northern province of Mazandaran, to “conduct strict controls” on the Baha’is in the city by “monitoring their operations,” and to introduce measures to “identify Baha’i students” so as to “bring them into Islam.”
“The Iranian authorities have spread hate propaganda against the Baha’is for 43 years,” said Ms. Fahandej. “But Iranians of good will, who number in their millions, see through these lies. The incident at the kindergarten is the latest in a shameful litany of brazen deception, propaganda and hate speech, but these efforts do not go unnoticed by the international community and only work against Iran’s interests, showing its true motives of persecuting innocent people only for their beliefs.”
