Can only the priest who imposed it really remove the epithymia?

Priest Athanasius Gumerov, a monk of Sretensky Monastery  

There is no rule according to which only the priest who imposed it can allow from epitimia. There is only expedient pastoral practice. It was born in those distant times when the life of Christians took place in communities. The presbyter, as a spiritual teacher, not only gave a certain measure of punishment for a serious sin, but also monitored the correction of the sinner. Seeing the fruits of repentance in the believer, he could shorten the duration of the penance. Naturally, another presbyter who removed it would have acted contrary to pastoral ethics. Now many people confess in various parish churches and monasteries. The person receiving confession sees them once in a lifetime or extremely rarely. In such cases, the priest or hieromonk should not give them an epitimia, but offer them a spiritual plaster: read the penitential canon for a while, make prostrations, and abstain from Holy Communion for a certain time after repentance of mortal sin. A person is not bound by this, but receives the necessary recommendations for correction.

Isn't it a sin to be treated with Tibetan medicine?

Priest Athanasius Gumerov, a monk of Sretensky Monastery  

A person must make a choice depending on what he does not want to cripple: the soul or the body. European medicine, like all other fields of activity, was very differentiated. Most often, it treats not a person, but a sick organ. A strong therapeutic effect in the treatment of a disease can be negative for individual organs (for example, the liver) or the body as a whole (sharply weaken the immune system). This does not always happen. There are also considerable achievements. You need to have a sober and calm view of everything, free from extremes. If medical healing is successful, the Christian thanks God. If the illness continues, then the believing soul strengthens repentance and prayers. In any case, the soul is not only not damaged, but humbles itself and learns to turn more often to the all-powerful Heavenly Physician and follows the path of salvation. An Orthodox person should not turn to Tibetan medicine. It is closely connected with Eastern occultism. It is known from experience that any false spirituality leads to communication with demonic forces. Let's look at the basic text of Tibetan medicine "Zhud-shi" (four tantras). At the beginning of the 2nd chapter we read: "At this time, the victorious Teacher, the healer Bhaisajya-guru, the king of vaidurya effulgence, entered into samadhi, called the "King of healing, the Conqueror of 404 diseases." As soon as he entered samadhi, the light of hundreds and thousands of flowers burst out from his heart in ten directions, purifying the living entities in all ten directions from the defilement of the vices of the soul. Having pacified all the diseases of the "three poisons" that arose from ignorance, the light returned back to the heart. <… > At that time, a ray of hundreds and thousands of different colors burst out of the tongue of the Master Bhaisajya-guru, the king of vaidurya effulgence, spread to the ten cardinal directions, and purified the living entities within the ten realms from the contamination of sins committed by the word. Having pacified the diseases and demons of the gdon, the light returned to the tongue. The embodiment of words (Bhaisajya-guru) appeared - a rishi named Manosiji. He bowed down to the Master, made a circle of honour around him, and, standing before the Master in the lion posture, uttered the following request on behalf of the circle of rishis: "O Master, Rishi Vidyajnana, may there be goodness! One does not need to be a theologian to see behind the sugary and flowery words a dangerous false spirituality, resorting to which a person enters into communion with dark spirits, even if he does not realize it. In this case, the soul is damaged.

Why could the Ninevites "not distinguish the right hand from the left"?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)  

In Scripture, the distinction between the right and left sides has a symbolic meaning. At the time of Judgment, the Son of Man will place the righteous on the right hand and the sinners on the left (Matthew 25:31-46). The right hand (right hand) in the Bible signifies the righteousness of deeds and power. The inability of the inhabitants of Nineveh to distinguish between the right hand and the left hand (Jonah 4:11) indicates their moral ignorance, since they were pagans and did not receive Divine revelation, unlike the representatives of the chosen people.

I am very confused by the statement "... let the wife fear her husband." What does that mean?

Priest Athanasius Gumerov, a monk of Sretensky Monastery  

In a word, the translator of the Epistle of St. Paul. Paul to the Ephesians was translated into the Slavic language by the Greek phobitai, which has several meanings, including honor, respect, and care. Slav. The verb "afraid" also contains these meanings. The Apostle undoubtedly had this meaning in mind. This is easy to see if you read the verse in full: "So let each one of you love his wife as himself; and let the wife fear her husband" (5.33) The husband is commanded to love his wife as himself. Such love excludes the relationship of domination and fear. We will be even more confirmed in this understanding if we carefully read the entire fifth chapter and the last verses of the preceding one: "And do not offend the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed in the day of redemption. Let all anger and wrath and wrath and shouting and slander, with all malice, be removed from you; but be kind to one another, compassionate, forgive one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you" (4:30-32). From verse 23, chapter 5, the Apostle says that Christian marriage is built in the image of the relationship between Christ and the Church: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her" (5:25).

Is it a sin to watch TV?

Priest Athanasius Gumerov, a monk of Sretensky Monastery