March 3, 7534
What should be the outward appearance of a Christian in church and outside of it? Are there restrictions? Is it permissible to attend church in non-traditional Russian but modest modern clothing? Can this clothing be worn outside church? May men wear shorts and sleeveless shirts? Can women wear trousers? How should a woman dress in…
It might be best to say that unbelievers should be treated as one would treat seriously ill relatives. For instance, having a gravely ill family member nearby can be difficult to bear: such individuals often behave aggressively, are demanding, overly sensitive, unjust, and fail to understand your care for them. They may refuse necessary medicine…
Strictly speaking, Church rules contain prohibitions against eating in taverns. However, it’s important to understand that taverns in ancient times, when these rules were formulated, were not merely “places of public dining.” They were associated with questionable individuals and unrighteous activities. For clergy, there is a strict prohibition against eating in taverns, except in cases…
Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “Ye are the light of the world.” Clearly, this applies not only to the apostles but to all Christians. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, St. Paul writes to all Christians: “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as…
Christian Life as Struggle A.V. Muravyev Christianity, from its very beginning, is revealed as a struggle. In a prefigurative way, the Old Testament prophet and king David repeatedly speaks of God’s struggle against enemies and of divine aid in battling foes: “Judge, O Lord, them that harm me; fight against them that fight against me”…
One of the most important decisions in a person’s life—one that largely determines their destiny—is the choice of a profession: whom to become, what to study, and how. For an Orthodox Christian, this decision is further shaped by the desire to please God, so that one’s future professional activity, at the very least, does not…
The question of the relationship between the spiritual and the secular has always been relevant in the Christian world, and to this day, debate continues about whether it is acceptable for a clergyman to engage in worldly concerns, to hold occupations outside of Church service, or to possess secular education and skills enabling work beyond…
(On the Contemporary Disputes over the Names of God)[Moscow, 1913] Introduction A wondrous fate befell the creation of the former Patriarch of Russia, Nikon. The reforms he instituted resemble, in many respects, that house of which Christ speaks in the Gospel—“and great was the fall of it.” “Everyone who heareth these sayings of Mine,” the…
To answer this question, we must first examine the meaning of the word “heresy.” Often, words lose their original meanings over time, and people use them in new contexts, leading to confusion. This has also happened with the word “heresy.” Today, it is often used to mean “nonsense” or “absurdity.” For example, one might hear,…
Salvation can only be attained by uniting with Christ. And one can unite with Christ only by becoming part of His mystical Body—the Church. The Heavenly Church and the earthly Church together form one single Body. Such a Body can only be one. “He is the head of the body, the Church.”(Colossians 1:18) Just as…