St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

A GOOD BEGINNING
by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh
Every day at Evening Prayers, we say those words written centuries ago by St. John Chrysostom, asking the Lord to forgive us our sins and to make a good beginning. Each day, when the day is at an end and we are going to sleep, which is so like unto death, when we are no longer in control of ourselves but find ourselves under God’s mercy, in his hands, we say “Lord, remit us our sins, grant us to begin a new life when, as with Lazarus, You bring us out into a new day, into a new life.” This perhaps is especially pertinent to those who had spent their entire day in repentance, those who stood the entire day facing their implacable conscience and God, Who calls us to salvation and Who was Resurrected before us, but Who still carries on His risen Flesh the marks of His Crucifixion. It was a Crucifixion He endured because of the sins of mankind, wounds that will remain on His Most-pure Flesh, unhealed, as long as even one of us remains a sinner, i.e., remains guilty of His Crucifixion, remains an active crucifier of Christ. Each of us must think about how he has spent the day—simply put, did he consider his life, or did he rend the curtain that separates our repentant consciousness from the depths of our life?
Our sinfulness begins in the very earliest days of our existence, and manifests itself throughout our life in a wide variety of ways consistent with one’s age and the condition of his soul. What should have happened is that everyone who prepared for Confession yesterday reflected so profoundly on his life that everything dark and unworthy came out in the open—what was in himself, in his love for the others who had given him their hearts, and in his love for God, a gift whose price was death on the Cross. Is that how we spent yesterday? In profound reflection, in such intense soul-rending contemplation of how we have betrayed ourselves, the trust our parents and our relatives had in us, and ultimately the trust God granted us at our creation, with the belief that it was not a futile endeavor, that we would receive His gift of life as something holy, and would not sully it—or if we did sully it, through repentance would return, or more precisely, would move even farther along the path to salvation. Re-read the Epistle which was read last Sunday, re-read the Epistle that was proclaimed today, and think about them. To repent means to begin a new life, to renounce the past with great resolve, with strength of will. However attracted to evil we might be, we must be ready to say: No, no matter what the cost, I will not sin, will not allow these thoughts, will not allow these feelings and emotions to work within me.
Repentance is a turning point, a beginning in life. Those of you who repented and confessed, those who confessed today, those who dared Commune of the Holy Gifts, all of us, must make a good beginning, must begin a new life this very day. Not tomorrow, not later, but immediately, we must take up the new life worthy of our calling, for we are called to belong to Christ, not only to be, as He said, His brothers and sisters, but through Communion to become participants, participants in His physical incarnation, in His human mind and feeling, and beyond that, in His Divinity. Let us reflect upon this and make a good beginning. To the extent possible, let us repent not only on the day we prepare for Communion, not only on the day on which we go to Confession, but day in and day out, each evening, while we read those prayers of St. John Chrysostom. And as for daytime: The new day dawns, and the Lord resurrects us like Lazarus, saying to us, Come out of your sleep and begin a new life in a new day, one which has never been before. Then let us make every effort to ensure that our repentance was not merely empty words, but the beginning of life, a promise to God that what is past will not happen again. Of course, we are not referring to everything that happened in the past, but everything that we have admitted, everything against which we promised in Confession to struggle, when we said, “That is evil, and I renounce it.” Renunciation is not for a minute, it is something lifelong. Through repentance, life is given to us by God, a life so full, so joyous, such a miracle of communion with God through our return, like the Prodigal Son, to our Father’s House.

1 hour ago | [YT] | 15

St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

1 day ago | [YT] | 782

St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

HOW CAN A LAYMAN BE SAVED?
by St. Paisius (Velichkovsky)
I advise you to more diligently read the Divine Scriptures and the teachings of our holy and God-bearing Fathers, who have been given by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit to comprehend the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, that is, the true meaning of Sacred Scripture. In their spirit-enlightened teaching, you will find everything you need for salvation. And I, a sinner, according to my feeble mind, answer your question:
The Most Merciful God works our salvation by the Orthodox faith, good deeds, and His grace. The Orthodox faith is that which is borne by the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Eastern Church; without this Orthodox faith, no one can be saved. Good deeds are the Gospel commandments, which, together with faith, are also necessary for anyone to be saved. The Orthodox faith without good works is dead, and good works without faith are also dead. Those who desire salvation must have both together: both the Orthodox faith with good deeds and good deeds with the Orthodox faith; and then, with the help of God’s grace, which furthers our good deeds, they will be saved according to the word of Christ, Who says: Without Me ye can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).
And it should be known that Christ the Savior, our true God, Who wants all men to be saved, has established good deeds as a law, that is, His saving Gospel commandments, equally for all Orthodox Christians, both monastics and laity living with their wives and children, and demands their most diligent fulfillment from all Orthodox Christians, because His holy commandments don’t demand great bodily labors, but only the good dispensation of the soul: The yoke of His holy commandments is easy and the burden of performing them is light (Mt. 11:30).
The holy commandments of Christ, with the grace of God, can be easily fulfilled by any Orthodox Christian, whatever his rank, sex, or age: both the young and the old, the healthy and those lying in infirmities, if only they have such a disposition of soul. Therefore, those who transgress them and don’t repent shall be condemned to eternal torment together with the demons at the Second Coming of Christ.
The holy Gospel commandments, especially the main ones, are so necessary for salvation that if we’re lacking in even one of them, our souls will not be saved. These are the commandments on love for God and others, meekness and humility, peace with all and patience, forgiving others from the heart, not condemning anyone, having no hatred, loving enemies, giving both spiritual and bodily alms as much as we can, and forcing ourselves with all diligence to fulfill all the other commandments of Christ that are written in the Holy Gospel.
And above all: to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and to love others as ourselves; and imitating the meekness of Christ, to strive against the passion of anger even to the point of blood.
Living in peace with everyone is so necessary that the Lord found it necessary to repeat it to His holy Disciples and Apostles more than once: Peace be unto you (Lk. 24:36); Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you (Jn. 14:27). And where there is the peace of Christ, there is Christ Himself; but if there is no peace in the soul, then there is no Christ there.
Patience is also necessary for salvation. Christ says: In your patience possess ye your souls (Lk. 21:19). And it’s necessary to endure not only for a time, but unto death itself: He that endureth to the end shall be saved (Mt. 10:22).
He who wholeheartedly forgives his neighbor’s trespasses will receive forgiveness of his trespasses from God.
Whoever condemns not his neighbor shall not be condemned by God.
He who desires salvation must also keep all the other Gospel commandments as the treasure of his heart.
And humility, which is the foundation of all the Gospel commandments, is as necessary for salvation as breathing is for life. As it’s impossible to live without breathing, so it’s impossible to be saved without humility. The saints of God were saved in various ways, but none were saved without humility, which would be impossible.
Therefore, whoever wants to be saved must wholeheartedly consider himself a sinner before God, the most sinful of men, worse than any creature of God; he must regard himself as but dust and ashes, and in the recesses of his heart, must reproach himself for everything, and blame himself alone for his every sin.
Thus, fulfilling all the Gospel commandments in humility of heart, frequently offering a broken-hearted prayer to God for the forgiveness of his sins, a man is accounted worthy of God’s mercy and the forgiveness of sins; God’s grace visits him, and he will undoubtedly be saved by God’s mercy.
Additionally, an Orthodox Christian must also observe the commandments of the Church as set forth in the book, Orthodox Confession. They are also necessary for salvation. The Sacrament of Confession consists in repenting of your sins before God, casting them aside, and having the firm intention to, with the help of God, never return to them again. Then, before your spiritual father, as before God Himself, confess all your sins and receive absolution for them from him.
We must prepare ourselves to commune of the Divine Mysteries by fasting, by tender and sincere confession of our sins, full reconciliation with everyone, reading the whole Church rule at the appointed time according to Christian custom, and proceeding to Holy Communion with fear and trembling, with faith and love, with reverence befitting the one God.
You can find the fullest instructions on how to behave in the family and on other Christian duties in the God-inspired writings of St. John Chrysostom and other holy men, when we read their books with fear of God and due attention.

2 days ago | [YT] | 546

St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

SERMON FOR THE SUNDAY AFTER THEOPHANY
by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matt. 4:17)
With these profound and holy words, the incarnate Word began His preaching to fallen mankind. Outwardly, such simple teaching! But one must understand it with his very life: then these short and simple words which are contained in all of the Gospel will be revealed. Just as the holy Apostle Paul, when preaching the Gospel, which he did throughout almost all the known world, said that he testified “both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).
Brethren! In order to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ repentance is needed; in order to remain in this salvific faith, repentance is needed; in order to be successful in it, repentance is needed; in order to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, repentance is needed.
All of this is clearly set forth in the Holy Scripture. Holy Scripture teaches us that “God sent His Son into the world … that the world through Him might be saved,” that “he that believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already,.“ “That light (Christ) is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (John 3: 17-20) To those afflicted by the passion of vainglory the Scripture witnesses: “How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?”(John 5:44). Those bound by the passion of greed did not only not believe the Lord, but they even derided Him when He preached to them the important and most holy teaching concerning the remembrance of eternity, and the arranging of earthly matters in accordance to the immortality appointed for man. (Luke 16: 14) Those attracted to the evil passion of envy did not only not believe in the Lord, but they also conspired to kill Him, and they accomplished this. All those infected with vain and sinful vices, according to the unerring testimony of the Gospel, are cut of from participating in the spiritual wedding of the Son of God, making themselves unworthy of blessed union with Him (Matt. 22:5). “You can not serve God and Mammon!” (Luke 16:14); you cannot serve two masters, God and sin! “Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15).
However, one who has believed in Christ, and has decided to continually prove his faith, by his actions, is also in need of repentance. What do you think, brethren; what is the first fruit of living faith? What is the first fruit of fulfilling the commandments of Christ? I will give you the answer of St. Simeon the New Theologian, who acquired his knowledge of truth through his holy experience. He said: “The careful fulfillment of the commandments of Christ teaches a man his own infirmities.” Exactly! As soon as one who believes in Christ begins to fulfill the all-holy commandments of the Gospel, or also, to perform the works of renewed nature, his fallen nature is instantly revealed to him, which had been hidden from sight until then, and it enters into a sustained battle with the Gospel. The life of one who struggles for Christ is filled with unseen falls. He involuntarily confesses with the Apostle: ”For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am!” (Acts 7: 22-24). From such an observation of oneself, blessed poverty of spirit is engendered within a Christian, rational, spiritual mourning appears, and a broken and humble heart is established, which God will not destroy (Ps. 50: 20). In living according to the Gospel, there appears in a man, as if naturally, the repentance commanded by the Gospel. Therefore, repentance is necessary not only in order to believe in Christ; it is necessary in order to have a living faith in Christ. “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
There remains to be explained: why is there such a close connection between the words of the Lord calling us to repent, and the announcing of the nearness of the Kingdom of heaven? Why is there not presented between them a kind of intermediate struggle, an intermediate condition? The reason is that our Lord Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) --- He has accomplished everything for our salvation. He has reconciled us with God; He has prepared and acquired for us the Heavenly Kingdom. We, mankind, have been presented with one work in the matter of our salvation: the work of accepting salvation, given to us by God free and complete, the work of repentance. The Heavenly Kingdom and the Heavenly King are ineffably close to us --- incomparably closer than we imagine. “Behold, I stand at the door” of the heart of man, exclaims this King, and I knock at it with My all-holy and almighty Word: “if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me (Rev. 3:20). The opening of the doors of the heart to the Heavenly King is accomplished—with repentance. “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

3 days ago | [YT] | 430

St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

WHY DID A SAINT DOUBT HIS OWN REPENTANCE ON HIS DEATHBED? THE PROFOUND HUMILITY OF ST SISOES THE GREAT
by Priest Eugene Murzin
The Venerable Sisoes the Great, one of the most famous desert dwellers and ascetics of fifth-century Christian monasticism, uttered a phrase before his death that greatly surprised his disciples. What did the holy elder say, and how should his words be understood?
The actual story is described in the saint’s hagiography as follows: When the Venerable Sisoes was lying on his deathbed, surrounded by his disciples and followers, his countenance suddenly brightened and shone with a mysterious, unearthly light. When his disciples asked him what was happening, he replied that he had just been visited by the Venerable Anthony the Great. The elder revealed that he saw prophets, apostles, and finally angels who had come to take his soul. The following dialogue took place between Sisoes and the disciples:
“The angels have come to take me, but I pray that they may leave me for a short time so that I may repent.”
“You have no need for repentance, Father,” the disciples said in surprise.
“Truly I do not know whether I have made even the beginning of my repentance,” was the elder’s reply.
Then Sisoes saw the Lord Himself and placed his soul into His hands.
To understand the astonishment of the disciples, let us briefly turn to the life of the Venerable Sisoes. He was a disciple of the founder of monasticism, the Venerable Anthony the Great, and after his teacher’s death, he lived in Anthony’s cave. He reached such spiritual heights that, by the grace of God, he cast out demons and raised the dead. As St Demetrius of Rostov writes in the life of the Venerable, “all evil spirits fled from him, not daring to approach the brave and invincible warrior of Christ.” And now such a man, who was already considered a saint during his lifetime, says before his death that he has not even begun to repent yet. What is this? Hypocrisy? Feigned humility? A pedagogical device? Given the grandeur and importance of the moment, which was accompanied by amazing and actually terrifying visions (imagine being on the brink of eternity, actually seeing saints, angels, and the Saviour), it’s unlikely. In such moments, it’s doubtful that anyone would choose to be insincere or disingenuous.
In order to understand the inner state of Sisoes the Great and the meaning of the words he uttered, it is necessary to find out what repentance means in the Orthodox Church tradition. Literally translated from the Greek (μετάνοια), repentance means “change of mind.” It implies a qualitative inner spiritual change. Repentance includes awareness of one’s sinfulness, contrition, and striving for correction and change. Recognising one’s sinfulness and understanding that sin alienates one from God is an important first step that requires, first of all, honesty with oneself. This is followed by repentance, that is, sincere regret for the sins committed. It finds its expression in the sacrament of Confession, in which a person receives forgiveness and the grace of God to confront and overcome sins. Finally, the next stage, which lasts until death, is a continuous effort to correct one’s life and eliminate the causes of sinful behaviour. Repentance in the Orthodox Church is a profound spiritual process aimed at transforming life and restoring the lost connection with God, gaining His grace, and achieving inner peace and perfect joy.
There is one tendency here. The deeper a person repents, the more time he devotes to spiritual life, and the more sinful he considers himself to be. In the process of repentance, a person begins to see his sins in the light of God’s righteousness. The closer he brings himself to God, the more clearly he realises his own sinfulness. St John Chrysostom wrote in this regard that true repentance brings a light that allows one to see the depth of one’s sins. Venerable Peter Damascene echoed him, noting that “the first sign of the dawning soundness of the soul is the vision of one’s sins, countless as the sand of the sea.” A person begins to discern not only overt sins but also the potential for sin in thoughts, intentions, and states of the heart. He understands that sin is not limited to outward actions but can develop when one chooses to entertain and embrace sinful thoughts and inclinations. He sees that sin is not limited to outward actions but penetrates into the abysses of the soul. Many holy fathers have stressed that humility and repentance go hand in hand, leading to the realisation of the impossibility of salvation without Divine grace and mercy. Repentance, therefore, contributes to the development of humility, that is, a sober awareness of one’s state before God.
It is in this perspective that we should understand the words of Sisoes the Great, who spoke them from the depths of his humility. Despite his apparent righteousness in the eyes of others, he, being on the threshold of eternity, keenly aware of the presence of the heavenly upper world, conversing with angels and actually seeing the Lord approaching him, sincerely felt himself, in the light of God’s infinite holiness, to be a sinner who still needed time for correction. The words of Sisoes the Great serve as an important reminder that repentance is a lifelong journey of spiritual change.

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4 days ago | [YT] | 517

St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

At Saint Elisabeth Convent, our life is built on prayer. We pray for the world, and we invite you to join your heart to ours in this quiet work.
Simply send us the names of those you care about. We will write them in our prayer books, remember them during the Liturgy, and keep them in our personal prayers.
We pray for the living and the departed, for anyone who is struggling or in pain, and for the personal needs you carry quietly within. In this way, we share each other's burdens, placing them with trust in Christ's care.
Please feel free to send us your prayer requests for:
✅ Your family and friends – for God's peace and protection.
✅ Those who are sick – for healing and strength.
✅ The departed – that God may grant them eternal rest and peace.
✅ Your own personal needs – for guidance, comfort, and a sense of God's love.

You may send your prayer requests through this link 👉 obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request-youtube

Every name you share is important to us. It becomes part of our community's ongoing prayer—a quiet offering entrusted to God's care.
While prayer is our primary service, we are also grateful for any voluntary donations to support the life and work of our convent. No contribution is ever expected, but each one is deeply appreciated.

5 days ago | [YT] | 506

St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

THE LAW OF LOVE
by St. John of Kronstadt
And as ye would that men should do to you,
do ye also to them likewise
Lk. 6:31
The Holy Evangelist Luke speaks in today's Gospel about the teaching and commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ about how we should be with people in society, so that we might please both God and people, make also a good name for ourselves, have a good conscience, and be made worthy of the promised, incorruptible Heavenly Homeland for our wise behavior in our earthly homeland (Lk. 6:31:36).
What wise, lofty, saving, and truly divine teachings and commandments! But how badly our daily life conforms to them! The Lord teaches us to treat people as we would have people treat us; that is, simple-heartedly, well-wishing, sympathetically, patiently. He set our own selves as a measuring stick for our relationship to other people; and this measuring stick, this scope, is love. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church (Eph. 5, 29). But in community it often happens to the contrary—peoples' relationships to each other are often quite wrong, not distinguished by a spirit of simplicity and sincerity, love and good will, love of peace, meekness and condescension, purity and holiness, sympathy and compassion, and Christian patience. They are often distinguished by a spirit of insincerity and duplicity, coldness and haughtiness, deceit and ill will, or impurity and sensuality, low egoism and self-seeking.
The root, cause, or source of one or another way of treating one person or another is within a person's heart. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things (Mt. 12:35). This occurs either from his natural character traits, or from an either good or bad upbringing; from various passions, inclinations, or habits—for example, of seeking certain pleasures; from either good or bad examples; from life circumstances; from more or less comfortable material standards; from the milieu in which he lives or his standing in society; from various life lessons or trials; and finally, from how much he has been or not been penetrated with the Gospel spirit of Christ.
Thus, the measuring stick of relationships to others is simplicity and sincerity, good will, and love for all—this is the best side of relationships to others. But not rarely, the nature of relationships to others is cunning, suspicion, dislike, rudeness, envy, extreme selfishness, self-seeking, partiality, vanity, ambition, vainglory, sensuality, or extreme haughtiness; that is, a high opinion of one's self, which seeks to humiliate others.
In general, we can observe more insincere relationships amongst people than pure-hearted ones, because the whole heart is infected to a greater or lesser extent with the impurity of sin, covered with the corruption of the passions. For, Who can say: My heart is clean, I am pure from sin? (Prov. 20:9), say the Scriptures. Therefore, some words are smooth as oil, and yet they are poison darts. Thus, according to the teaching of our Savior, the measure of our relationships to others should be correct love for our own selves. As we would like others to treat us, so shall we treat them—that it, simply, pure-heartedly, meekly, lovingly, trustingly, condescendingly, sympathetically, patiently
The Lord offers Himself as an example to us, and we should ceaselessly look at it and learn from it. Learn of me, He says, because I am meek, and humble of heart (Mt. 11:29). The Apostle Paul says, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). He also teaches, Let love be without dissimulation... Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another… Distributing to the necessity of saints (that is, to you brother Christians); given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink… Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers (Rom. 12:9-21; 13:1).
These are the rules of behavior for Christians amongst themselves, which the Apostle Paul wrote for us in his epistle to the Romans. Each of us is equally obligated to uphold them. Where is the highest motivation for us to treat each other this way? In the image and likeness of God, in which man is created, and in that we are the children of the One Heavenly Father, members of Christ, branches of the one vine of Christ, sheep of His one rational flock. We partake of the one life bread of Christ, and drink from the same chalice of His divine Blood. We have drunk of the same Holy Spirit, and we await the same incorruptible, eternal inheritance. This is our motivation for mutual, sincere, loving relationships!
For if ye love them which love you, says the Lord in today's Gospel, what thank have ye? for sinners (that is, idolaters), also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same; that is, as long as they receive benefit, which means that they love only themselves—for they only love in their benefactors the benefit they receive.
And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again, and in this case you love only yourself, your own gain, and not the benefit of others, and do not satisfy his need perfectly. If Christians do not fulfill these natural virtues, then they are much worse than pagans, who do by nature the things contained in the law (Rom. 2:14), not having the power of grace; while Christians, as we know, have received all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (2 Pet. 1:3), for the fulfillment of all Christ's commandments.
Look, Christian, into the mirror of the divine commandments and know what you are. Do you at least love those who love you? Or do you not even love them at times? Do you do good to your benefactors? Do you lend to those who pay back loans? Do you tend towards self-interest and lack of trust? Many want to be satisfied with love only for those who love them, and do not want to force themselves to love those who hate them, or who have animosity toward them. O Christian, with such pagan love you will stand ashamed at the Last Judgment. But love ye your enemies, the Lord continues, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. It would seem that our Savior is giving us a difficult task by commanding us to love our enemies and to do good to them. The corrupt human heart says, "This is impossible, this is against nature and common sense!" It is really only difficult for the corrupted heart, a heart not renewed or strengthened by grace. But for the heart reborn by grace, this is an easy thing, for the Lord helps the believer in everything; and we can see many such examples in the lives of the saints.
But to whom should we give, not expecting anything in return? To poor people, those of lowly station, for whom repaying a debt is extremely difficult and often impossible. But wealthy people should always repay their debts; lenders do not sin if they seek repayment of debt by honest means or lawsuits. Otherwise, this would be harmful pandering to unconscionable people, who think to get rich easily at the expense of others. Be ye therefore merciful, says the Lord, as your Father also is merciful. The Lord requires mercy from Christians, His children by grace, like unto the mercy of the Heavenly Father. Truly, if Christians are the children of the Heavenly Father, bought with the blood of His Son, and they are promised incorruptible, eternal blessedness in the Heavenly Homeland, then they should manifest love and mercy in this life towards their brothers, corresponding in greatness to the love and mercy which God has toward them, and to the boundless greatness of incorruptible blessings, the great honor and heavenly crowns that have been promised them.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another, says the holy Apostle John the Theologian (1 Jn. 4:11). Amen.

6 days ago | [YT] | 576

St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

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St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants

ENTERING THE SHIP OF THE CHURCH . A Word on the Baptism of the Lord
by Igumen Nikon (Vorobiev)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
The holy Church and the holy fathers strongly exhort, urge, and beseech priests to remind the faithful about the great Mystery of Baptism. And when could it be better to think about it than today, the day of the celebration of the Baptism of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ?
The Lord was in no need of Baptism Himself, but He commanded St. John the Forerunner to baptize Him so as to fulfill all righteousness. The Lord thereby indicated to us the necessity for Baptism. One night, conversing with Nikodemos, one of the believing Pharisees, the Lord explained to Him that if a man is not born of water and the Spirit, then he will not enter the Kingdom of God. If a man believes in God and desires to enter the Kingdom of God, then he absolutely must receive the Sacrament of Baptism; for it is a necessary condition for man’s entrance into the spiritual community, into the Church, and only through it can he have hope of attaining to the Kingdom of God. He that believeth and is baptized, says the Lord, shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Everyone who believes and wants to be saved, every Christian, must himself receive the Sacrament of Baptism and baptize his children.
What occurs in the Mystery of Baptism? In it comes the death of the old, sinful man. Therefore, if someone receives the Sacrament of Baptism in adulthood with faith and repentance, then both Original Sin and his personal sins are remitted. Man comes out of the font like an angel of God. There is a host of examples of when the action of the Sacrament of Baptism on those present and on the one being baptized was obvious. Sometimes the one baptized would shine like the sun, entirely changing even on the outside, but inwardly he experienced the bliss of the Kingdom of God. Receiving the Sacrament of Baptism, he is reborn by the Holy Spirit and vested in the Lord Himself, for the Lord enters into his heart. We heard today, “As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.” This means the Lord enters into their hearts. However, if after Baptism a man lives not like a Christian, but like a pagan, insulting the Lord with every sin and not repenting of them—if he does not cleanse his soul from sin, he will be like unto one unbaptized. This is why we often hear from unbelievers: “You are believers, baptized, and you are worse than us.” Thus, the Word of God says that the name of God is blasphemed by you, Christians, for you live worse than the pagans.
The Lord gave man freedom, and he can move either towards God or towards the devil. There is no third path. There is no middle position. Therefore, we, Christians, should go towards God, seek Him, believe in Him, receive the Sacraments, obey the commandments of God, and if we do not fulfill something, then acknowledge it and do not justify ourselves, but weep for our sins before Him and ask forgiveness, so that He, the merciful Lord, would forgive and cleanse our souls. Whoever consciously sins, justifies himself in his sins, and doesn’t repent of them, opposes the Lord, becomes an enemy of God, and moves towards the devil.
Without the Mystery of Baptism, I repeat, man cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, says the Lord, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That is why the enemy of our salvation, the devil, so fights against the Sacrament of Baptism, trying in any way possible to diminish its importance and prevent it from being celebrated. Therefore, if someone isn’t baptized as an infant, then he must be baptized as an adult, having previously repented of his sins and given an oath to God to live as a Christian. To cross the sea, you need a ship—you won’t cross it by swimming. In order to cross the sea of life and to reach the Kingdom of God, you must enter the ship of the Church, for only on the ship of the Church can you cross the stormy sea of life and reach the Kingdom of God. To enter the Church is possibly only through the Sacrament of Baptism.
And if a man, having become a member of the Church, continues to fall into sin due to his weakness, but yet pursues the Lord and repents, then although he falls away from the Church by his sins, he is purified by his sincere repentance and is again united with the Church. Thus, at Confession, the priest reads the prayer, “Reconcile this sinner and unite him to Thy holy Church,” and then he reads the prayer of absolution and looses him from his sins. We should all know that no one is saved without the Mystery of Baptism. Therefore, we must baptize our children. If they couldn’t be baptized in childhood, then bequeath them this wish with your last gasp: “Children, here is my request—if you have compassion and love me at all, if you want to comfort me, promise you that you will receive the Sacrament of Baptism.”
The Lord uses every means possible to try to save everyone: Joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth. Every kind of help from the Lord, and from the saints of God, and from the angels comes to the man who sincerely tries with all his might to please the Lord, to fulfill His holy commandments, and to repent of his every sin. Perhaps a man knows little of the faith, perhaps he has little faith, perhaps he doubts, but let him tell his doubts to the Lord: “Lord, I believe, I want to believe, but help my unbelief. Disbelief torments my soul. Lord, I believe, but I also doubt; be merciful and help me. Lord, grant me to receive the Sacrament of Baptism and to enter the Church of Christ!” No matter the obstacles, a man must be baptized because there is no other path to the Kingdom of God.
But, having been baptized, we must live as the Lord indicates, and not as our lying and broken reason and our corrupted heart, so full of sins, indicate, prompting: Live as you know. The Lord brings us into the Kingdom of God, and the Lord requires that we walk that path which He shows us. This path is the study of the Gospel commandments, the commandments of God, life according to these commandments, repentance, and prayer to the Lord that He would not leave us, but that through whatever means He deems, whether through grief, or sickness, or prosperity, He might save us, and not deprive us of the Kingdom of God. But I repeat: There is no other way there than through the Sacrament of Baptism. Let us try to read the Word of God, especially the Gospels, where is written the life of the Lord, and His sufferings for the sake of our salvation, His commandments, and His teachings. Let us be imbued with the Spirit of God, trying to fulfill His holy commandments; let us repent of our wrongdoings and beg the Lord to vouchsafe that after death we might be partakers of His Kingdom.

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