372 M 73 Recommended for publication by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (IS11-025-2799) M 73 Archpriest Valentin Mordasov. What do you advise, father? Answers to the difficulties of everyday Christian life and church piety — Moscow: Blagovest, 2011. - 288 p. ISBN 978-5-9968-0125-1 Book by Archpriest Valentin Mordasov "What do you advise, father?

" is composed in the form of questions from Orthodox Christians addressed to the priest and answers to them. It is based on answers to questions from the spiritual children of the Pskov elder, Archpriest Valentin Mordasov: partly taken by him from the works of the Holy Fathers, partly comprehended by his own spiritual experience. It covers the most diverse problems of the life of an Orthodox Christian, all aspects of his everyday life. UDC 248 BBK 86.

372 ISBN 978-5-9968*125-1 © Compilation - prot. Valentin Mordasov, 1994. © Publishing house "Blagovest" - design, original layout, 2011   CONTENTS Foreword by Archpriest. Valentin Mordasov. What do you advise, father? On God, the Mother of God, Angels and Saints On Church Routine and Behavior in Church On Sacred Objects and Sacred Rites On Prayer On People of Other Faiths, Superstitions and Dreams On Spiritual Fatherhood and Priesthood On Fasting and Abstinence On Passions and Entertainment On Family and Upbringing of Children On Illnesses and Sorrows On Salvation and Virtues On the Sacraments On Sins On the Departed and Death On Spiritual Reading and Understanding of the Holy Scriptures On Miscellaneous   PREFACE   The book by Archpriest Valentin Mordasov "What do you advise, father?

" is composed in the form of questions from Orthodox Christians addressed to the priest and answers to them. It is based on answers to the questions of the spiritual children of the Pskov elder, Archpriest Valentin Mordasov: partly taken by him from the works of the Holy Fathers, partly comprehended by his own spiritual experience. It covers the most diverse problems of the life of an Orthodox Christian, all aspects of his everyday life.

The questions touch upon the Holy Scriptures, and the peculiarities of church services and the behavior of parishioners in church, and the problems of the Christian's relationships in the family, with neighbors, and the most important topics of repentance and prayer, and various aspects of monastic life - in a word, every Orthodox Christian will find here much that is useful and instructive for himself. This book has already gone through several editions and has evoked numerous readers' responses, among which there were complaints about the ambiguity of answers to similar questions or the fact that there are answers that are difficult to apply to the modern life of a Christian.

"A Christian who is zealous in the work of salvation," taught the ever-memorable Father Valentine, "should strive for an ascetic life. And if he is not able to lead a strict life, then the knowledge of this will lead him to repentance and humility, without which no one will see the face of God." The publishers of this book assure that there is not a single answer in it that would contradict or cast doubt on any of the aspects of Holy Scripture or Tradition, the heritage of the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church, in general the truths and foundations of Christian Orthodox life.

As for this or that advice, just as there is no single cure for all diseases, there can be no unambiguous answer to many questions of contemporaries. In each specific case, a Christian must first of all consult with his spiritual father, who knows the strengths and weaknesses of his spiritual child, the peculiarities of his external and internal life.

Wisdom and caution are demanded of us by God Himself, Archimandrite Agapit On God, the Mother of God, the Angels and the Saints If demons have no power over pious people, then how could they act on the holy Martyress Justina, since she was pious? By God's permission. And what is the purpose of God, only He knows – the ways of the Lord are inscrutable.

Are the Holy Heavenly Patron and the Guardian Angel the same spiritual person or different? There are two persons: the patron saint is the saint whose name you bear, and the guardian angel is given to everyone by the Lord at baptism. I used to think that name day is the birthday of the saint whose name you bear. Is this true?

If my name is Yuri, then what is my patron saint? Name day is the day of your Angel, most often it is the day of the dormition (death) of the saint whose name you bear. Yuri is the Slavic transcription of the name George. Your Angel's Day is established by you in the following way: after your birthday, St. George, whose feast day is closest to your birthday, will be your patron saint.

Most often it is called by this name in honor of the Great Martyr George; His feast day is November 16 or May 6 according to the new style. How should you spend your Angel's day? On the day of your Angel, you should go to Church, repent, commune of the Holy Mysteries. To commemorate the health and repose of your relatives, to serve a moleben to the saint whose name you bear.

The day of the Angel should be celebrated, although work is not prohibited. The best occupation on the day of the Angel is considered to be the reading of his life and other holy books, as well as deeds of piety. What does the expression "trampling down death by death" mean? This expresses the fact that the Savior Jesus Christ, by His death on the Cross, destroyed the death with which mankind in the person of Adam was punished for the Fall.

On the Cross, the Savior delivered mankind "from sin, curse, and death." And if physical death still has power over humanity, then spiritual death has been defeated by the Resurrection of Jesus. Whosoever believeth in Me shall not perish, but shall have eternal life, says the Gospel (John 6:47). It is no coincidence that the above words are placed in the troparion of Pascha – the Bright Resurrection of Christ, because this event is the main truth of Christianity.