August 15, 7533
If men sin against you, even seventy times seven, forgive them, that they may be forgiven on earth and in heaven.(Prayer at the Burial) One of the ancient Russian funeral customs is the placing of an absolution certificate into the hand of the deceased. After the farewell, the priest quietly reads aloud the written prayer of absolution…
“We believe in the resurrection, but as for those who do not believe—woe unto them, for they have been grievously deceived.”(Prayers at the Burial) The aim of the funeral rite is to warm the soul, separated from the body, with prayer; to comfort the grieving loved ones with the hope of a just reward for…
In churches we often witness a sorrowful scene. Relatives come to arrange the burial of an Orthodox Old Believer. And the first, entirely reasonable question from the standpoint of a believer—“Who was the spiritual father of the deceased?”—throws them into confusion. The second question, “When was the last time he went to confession?” prompts them…
The Lord Jesus Christ once said: “Verily I say unto you, If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in…
What is our attitude toward the church service? Father Deacon and I begin the service at seven o’clock in the morning. I do not expect any of you to arrive that early. But you come at nine, at half-past nine. Some even rush into the church with their little ones, snatching off their hats just…