February 20, 7534
Fasting, as a form of piety, has been known since ancient times. The Old Testament recounts prophets who fasted during their communion with God, such as the prophet Moses, who fasted for forty days while conversing with God on Mount Sinai. Even abstaining from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and…
Observing fasts teaches Christians one of the virtues, namely temperance. The righteous and the prophets of Old Testament times observed fasting. Even our Lord Himself fasted, giving us an example of restraint. The requirement for Christians to observe the Great Fast and one-day fasts is found in the Apostolic Canons. The 69th canon of the…
According to ancient pious customs, children in Old Believer families were taught to fast from the age of two or three. Today, the more common practice is to begin fasting labors upon emerging from infancy, around six or seven years of age. It is at about this age that a child begins to understand the…
Man, in the conditions of this earthly existence, is like a prisoner in a “dungeon.” “In every person, in his soul, there is a noble captive whom he must set free. There is no one in the world in whose depths does not often clang and rattle the chains of a noble, tightly shackled prisoner…
by Bishop Mikhail Semyonov What is fasting? Nowadays, we hear objections against fasting more frequently than ever. Why is it necessary? “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth,” saith the Lord. Yes, He said it. He said it—He who fasted forty days and gave…
How can a child be prepared for confession? To answer this question, we have gathered advice from several priests:
I have spoken about parents, mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, but said nothing of children—of their duties to the family, to father and mother. On this subject, if I find time, I shall speak in detail. For now, just a word or two. More and more often now one hears such talk: “I owe nothing to my parents….
How should one choose a name for a newborn? What are the traditions and rules in this regard? Please provide a reference to the source. In the early Christian Church, during times of persecution, people were often baptized as adults, coming from paganism or Judaism, and they retained the names they had borne previously. Over…
According to Orthodox teaching, when a person is baptized, a guardian angel is given to him, who protects the soul from demonic assaults and guides him toward virtue. This angel accompanies the person throughout his life and, after the soul’s separation from the body, leads it to bow before the throne of God. In former…
Bishop Mikhail (Semyonov) Now, about the Wife. “Wives, love your husbands… Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.” What does it mean to “submit”? It means to obey in what is just and good. And more than that. Be attentive to your husband and to his will, for through humility you can accomplish a great…