At first, every Saturday, and then on other days, he came to church. He listened, tried to understand, but from the general structure of the service he understood individual words and phrases. I thought about the meaning of what I heard. It is difficult, very difficult to understand. The thought arose that for almost two millennia people believed in God, Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, prayed, worshipped, died for faith not because someone deceived them or they were mistaken, but because, probably, faith in God is a necessary need of the human soul, a necessity. Or maybe this is one of those psychological or mental states of a person that have not yet been sufficiently studied?

Prayers are read and sung: Now lettest Thou depart Thy servant..., O Gentle Light..., Bless the Lord, O my soul.... I memorize the words, come home, write them down, think about them and gradually, like an ancient inscription, the phrases and meaning are deciphered. A lot of things become clear, but there is still a complete fog in my head. When the people in the church sing, I also start singing, it lifts my spirits, captures. I try to learn as much as I can about Christianity. The information I have gleaned from books on iconography, descriptions of ancient churches, turns out to be negligible. I'm starting my search. I took out the Gospel, the Bible, books of pre-revolutionary publications about the church, asked some of my relatives and acquaintances.

Something becomes clearer, but reading the Bible is confusing, and the thoughts of the Gospel are clear, kind, but in our time they are too naïve. I go to libraries and look for works on religion, but everything is vilified, ridiculed and cursed, and I feel a deceitful, superficial approach to the problems of faith, although some people celebrate church holidays. I don't know anyone in the church and it's inconvenient to ask. By chance, I find an old catechism textbook from some relatives. I read it avidly, much becomes clear, the exposition is dry, heavy, wooden, official, but the meaning of some prayers and divine services becomes clear. I already know what happens in church during divine services, but mainly Vespers and Matins, since I come to these services. To study, to understand, to comprehend becomes my hobby. I am entering some new, previously unknown world. The world, as it turns out, is not fenced off from modern life, but includes it.

I am also fond of traveling, nature, but something new that has entered my life has made it meaningful, spiritual, full, and at the same time many things seem strange, outdated, far-fetched to me. I haven't seen Lena for a long time. Several times I visited other churches, but I did not see her there either. It took me more than a year and a half to understand the service and comprehend the basic rules of faith, but how little I knew then!

Much of the old stuff is gone, and new interests have entered my life. I spend my vacation in Zagorsk. I rent a room and go to the monastery every day. I stood at the shrine of the monk and met a student of the Academy. He explains and helps to understand a lot, answers my questions. This is a happy meeting. Finally, the day comes when I understand why people believe in God. I came to church only to see Lena, but now I come because I can't help walking. Do I believe? Or are you used to church services? Even I myself still find it difficult to answer. I don't just listen to the prayers read in church, but delve into their meaning and sometimes catch myself praying. I go home, and the words of prayer, exclamations, and hymns live in my soul for a long time. It's been almost two years since I came to church for the first time because of Lena. I came, catching up with her, then I began to walk out of curiosity, now I walk like a believer.

Easter. Great Lent is over. Matins are underway. A state of solemnity and joy embraces those standing in the church. The people sing: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death... Of course, I sing too. I am overwhelmed with extraordinary delight, my soul strives upwards, I want to embrace everything and everything. There is no fatigue, resentment, no anxiety.

Matins ends, after defending the mass, I go to the exit. There are a lot of people, it is difficult to pass, and I decide to go out through the left exit of the church. Lena is standing on the steps. I am not surprised at the meeting and say: Christ is risen! Lena impulsively raises her head, looks at me. The eyebrows rise happily, the eyes shine with inner delight, the face is happy and excited. Looking at her, I repeated: Christ is risen, Lena! Truly He is Risen! Lena answers and unexpectedly reaches out to me, and we are christened on the steps of the church. We go down the steps of the temple and walk together. Where to? What for?

Somewhere behind the houses, dawn breaks through, the city is quiet and calm, the air is fresh and transparent. I took Lena by the arm and said: Lena! For two years I went to this church, first because of you, then out of curiosity, and now I come because I believe. And I begin to talk about myself. I speak, I talk and speak, but in my soul the Paschal service still sounds, Christ is risen!

Lena walks silently and listens, and I look at her and still continue to talk. We walk along the streets, alleys, boulevards, not noticing where we are going. Probably, there are passers-by, but I don't see them. Now I am all in the Paschal service that has engulfed me and, there is nothing to hide, I am full of joy that I am going with Lena. Everything is surprisingly good today. Easter, life, mood and the fact that I am with Lena! It seems to me that I have been reborn. I go and tell Lena about Easter, about faith, about my life and about herself, Lena. She walks, leaning on my arm, listens and is silent, only occasionally looking at me. I feel restless and frightened by her silence, and I, squeezing her hand, say, lost and panting: Lena! Do you know, Lena? You know what I want to tell you, I am starting for the third time and I cannot finish the sentence to the end.

She does not pull her hand away and does not push it away, but only looks at me with large dark eyes, then lowers them and says quietly: I know!

Passers-by are probably surprised to see the big guy on the corner of the lane hugging and kissing the girl, and perhaps there are no passers-by at this early hour.

Yuri! Lena says. I knew you were still in church, now it would be our common church.

I don't answer, yes, I just hug Lena, and we move on, and the church from which we left after Mass appears in front of us again, in which the second Mass is going on.

Enter. Slowly we go to the icon of the Mother of God, venerate, pray and leave.