In the Holy Scriptures it is impossible to find a description of many rites, including the sign of the Cross, since the veneration of the Cross became possible only after the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ on it. 23).

Blessed Augustine in his eighth discourse on the words of the Apostles writes: "Because of the Cross of Christ we are attacked by the wise of this age." Athanasius the Great, in his speech against the pagans, objected to them in the following way: "The pagans attack us and laugh at us with a wide-open mouth of nothing else but the Cross of Christ. Mocking the Cross of Christ, they do not notice its power and efficacy, which have filled the entire universe; but if they had turned their minds to the right path of cognition of the Godhead, they would have known that Christ is the Savior of the whole world, and that His cross is not an execution, but the redemption of all creatures" [13].

Blessed Augustine said the following about the Cross: "Do not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ. In proof of this, you put the sign of the cross on your forehead; guard your forehead, and you will not be afraid of a strange tongue." St. John Chrysostom writes: "If anyone says to you: you worship the crucified, you answer with a loud voice and with a cheerful face: yes, I worship and will not cease to worship" [14].

St. Cyril of Jerusalem in the fourth catechetical sermon says: "Let us not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ; but if anyone conceals it, you must clearly mark your brow with it" [15]. One can find many more testimonies of ancient writers, but from this it is clear that in the II, III and IV centuries there was already the veneration of the Cross and the sign of the cross.

Its forms were very diverse: they were baptized with one finger, they were baptized with the whole palm, sometimes only the forehead, and sometimes the chest. We also knew the two-fingered finger. The Orthodox Church established the three-fingered sign in the seventeenth century under Patriarch Nikon. Will the objects consecrated by the church be valid if the consecrated icon is inserted into a frame bought in a store, or if a binding is made in a previously consecrated book, etc.?

Does the sanctification of objects lose its power with the passage of time or from careless storage of them (there are antique wooden icons where the paint has dried and comes off the holy images)? Before inserting a consecrated icon into a frame made by a master or bought in a store, it must be sprinkled with holy water. In some prayer books there is a prayer for the consecration of every thing.

It can be read not only for the consecration of objects such as your frame, but also for everyday things: clothes, shoes, furniture, dishes, etc. Holiness over time, if a person behaves reverently, not only does not decrease, but even increases. We knew that the more often people turn to an icon, the more "prayed" and even miraculous such an icon becomes.

When we treat a sacred object carelessly, when we touch it in impurity, we often defile objects and ourselves. For the sanctification of our souls we have the Sacrament of Confession, and for the consecration of objects we have holy water. The priest does not bless books, because they carry the word of God, which itself sanctifies everything. Is it possible to keep unconsecrated icons in the holy corner of the house together with the consecrated icons and pray?

It is possible, as long as there are Orthodox Christians. On the Twelve Great Feasts, you want to decorate the festive icon in the house with an illustration. Will it be pleasing to God? The question is not entirely clear. You probably meant whether it is possible to decorate your corner with an illustration of the events of the holiday for the holidays, in the absence of a festive icon. It is possible, but it is still necessary to consecrate, at least by sprinkling this illustration with holy water.

My mother bought me an icon of the Mother of God in a store. I sprinkled it with holy water three times. Is it considered consecrated? No. Icons are consecrated by a priest. I myself am baptized, but my children are not. On Epiphany, I take a bucket of water outside and do not take it until one o'clock, and then I bring it and pour it into jars. Then, if there is any wound or fright, I wash it and give it to drink.

This holy water helps and it has been with us for almost a year and nothing is done with it, because it is holy. So I want to ask if it is possible to be baptized on the street on Epiphany, because on Epiphany God Himself can do this – to baptize children.   You can do as you do, i.e. collect water after 12 at night before Epiphany, only if the church is very far away. This is allowed as an exception.

The baptism of an infant by a layman is possible only when he is threatened with death and there is no priest nearby. If the danger passes, then it is still necessary to bring a child or an adult to the church, and there the priest must read the entire rite and anoint the newly-baptized person. And the way you want to act is not allowed among the Orthodox. You write in the January newsletter "The Trinity Book" that if an icon is hung in a corner of a room, that corner of the room will become holy.

Is it possible that because I hang an icon, the corner will become holy? You didn't quite understand our answer. It is not the corner itself that becomes holy, but the very place that you have designated for the storage of the shrine is consecrated; not only icons, but also holy water, prosphoras, etc. I sincerely wish to wear the image of Jesus Christ on my body. Is it permissible under the law of Orthodox Christians to tattoo, say, the Crucifixion of Christ in the heart area or in the center of the chest?

In the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, who lived in the second century, after his martyrdom, the holy name of Jesus Christ was found in his heart, written in golden letters. The Church has always welcomed not the outward wearing of the signs of Jesus Christ, but His constant presence in the heart. We see tattoos in the majority of hooligans.