In church, I am often overwhelmed by blasphemous thoughts. What to do? Whoever begins to live according to God's commandments, the enemy makes an obstacle to him, for example, blasphemous thoughts in church. Do not despair at that time, but make the sign of the cross to the Lord Himself and to the Guardian Angel — and you will receive a reward for this, as one who struggles and overcomes.

If the enemy does not immediately leave your heart, then do not pay attention to him, as to the barking of a dog in the street, which does not harm us. Is it possible to defend only the Liturgy on Sunday? On Sunday, a pannikhida and a moleben should be served in church until the end of the service, if there are no particularly good reasons to hurry out of the church, because the Lord said: "Six days you shall do and do your works in them, and the seventh day you shall give to the Lord your God."

We do not want to stay even half an hour to pray for our relatives and friends. If you had guests gathered for dinner, and some of them, breaking the conversation, did not sit until the end of the dinner, would it not offend the host? In the same way, we will anger God if we leave without having served the Lord. On sacred objects and sacred rites I have heard that from communion to the kissing of the cross it is better not to venerate icons and not to kiss brothers, is this true?

Is it possible to venerate icons at all on the day of communion? After the reception of the Holy Mysteries. There is no sin in venerating (kissing) icons, the cross and other holy things; only refrain from doing it immediately, until they take zapivka. You have taken into yourself the highest holiness and try to protect it from all sinful things: condemnation, idle talk, malice, irritation, gluttony, etc.

What is to be done with sacred images (for example, icons) in secular magazines, newspapers, stamps? "It is necessary to carefully put aside sacred images and protect them from trampling,"[11] advises Archbishop Nikon of Vologda. Following this advice, pious believers cut out sacred images from a magazine or newspaper so that they would not be desecrated, much less get into the lavatory.

Is it permissible to consecrate a computer, a television, a radio, and similar things? It is not the thing itself that is sin, but how and for what purpose it is used: whether for good or for evil. You can use a computer to play and you can print Divine books. The same is true of a tape recorder: you can record dances, horse races and sinful songs, or you can record prayers and spiritual hymns and Divine instructions.

A camera can be used for various worldly pleasures, or you can photograph icons. Thus, it is clear from this that if a given thing is not used sinfully, it can be consecrated, and if it is sinful, then it is not necessary. Can I wear monastic clothes if I am not a nun? The one who puts on clothes that are not his own (

For example, a man is the garment of a priest, or a woman is the garment of a man), say the elders, is an idolater. Monasticism does not consist in clothes and rosaries, but in humility, patience, love and other virtues. In general, he who renounced all worldly things, such as his wife, possessions, and so on, made an external person a monk, but not yet an internal one, say the elders.

He is a true monk who has renounced passionate thoughts. An external person can easily be made a monk, but a considerable feat is needed to make an inner person a monk. Is it permissible for a layman to carry a rosary? "Carry them with you," Elder Barsanuphius of Optina said to his spiritual daughter, "but in such a way that, God save those who have not seen them." What to do if St.

The water has gone bad, should I drink it or is it better to pour it out? Spoiled holy water is poured into the river (where there is a current, the so-called "living", non-stagnant water), spoiled icons and prosphoras are burned (if possible, in a church stove). I heard that it is not good to use shoes with the sole of crosses. Should we attach importance to this?

You should try to have shoes without the image of the cross. There is even such a conciliar rule that forbids depicting a cross on the floor, so that it would not be trampled underfoot[12]. Is it good to burn incense at home? Some say that censing is effective only when it is done by a priest?

It is good to burn incense where there is the action of demons, so even a layman can burn incense if necessary. For example, it is good for the spiritually ill to perform incense. What is "cherubic incense"? "Cherubic incense" is incense that has been in the censer (and taken out) on the Cherubic Hymn. And nothing more. Can two Liturgies on the same day be celebrated at one altar?

It is not allowed to celebrate two Liturgies at the same altar on the same day, but when necessary, an attached altar with an antimension to the main altar is placed and the second Liturgy is celebrated. Who and with whose blessing can use the products left from the eve? For whom are these products left? This is the business of the priest who blesses.

The bad thing is that we are busy in the temple "not with Jesus, but with a bite." Is it possible to clean candlesticks with oil from a lamp; Is it not a holy thing for which such use is not pious? Oil from a lamp is not yet sacred. The oil that burns in the lamp on the altar and which the priest consecrates during the litany and during the baptism can be called consecrated.