February 20, 7534
The memorial meal has today become an obligatory part of funerals and commemorative days. Where did it come from, and how should it be properly organized? In olden times, the custom of feeding the poor was widespread. This was done especially often in memory of the departed. Once a form of almsgiving, memorial meals today…
When should memorial meals for the deceased be held? How should they be organized? Is it sufficient to simply host a memorial meal, or must commemoration also be ordered in the church? How should a memorial meal be conducted properly? The commemoration of the deceased is typically observed on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th days…
In His parable about the Last Judgment, the Lord Jesus Christ explains the purpose of hell. To those who failed to show mercy to “one of the least of His brethren,” the Lord will say: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did…
From time immemorial, this question has deeply troubled humanity—a question about which A. S. Pushkin poetically remarked: “And the grave’s fateful secrets…” “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” These words of God, spoken to Adam after his fall into sin, determined the mortality of all “born of Adam.” Bodily death is a…
It is impossible to be saved outside the Church (naturally, we mean the Orthodox and true Church). This truth is so firmly rooted in the Old Believer consciousness that we need not prove its validity. The “patristic” testimonies concerning the essential truth of the Church for salvation are known to all of us. Therefore, in…
“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.” (Rev. 11:1) “And though the Spirit is one, yet the gifts are not equal,for the recipients of the Spirit are not equal;Such is the…
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…
A person who has decided to follow Christ and become a true Christian needs to carefully read the Gospel and understand that hostility from relatives and close ones toward any true Christian’s faith is not unusual. Our Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples: “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:…
We should not presume to take God’s judgment into our hands. We do not know who will perish or who will be saved—that is God’s domain: “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.”(James 4:12) We should focus on our own salvation: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”(Philippians…
The Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church is the modern name for the Church founded by Christ Himself. In the Creed, we profess: “I believe… in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” By this, we affirm that we preserve the same true faith that once existed throughout the entire universe. We do not require any correction…