In general, the entire Gospel of John bears witness to Jesus, the Father, and to the Holy Spirit as the Trinity, One in Essence and Indivisible. On what date in June is Ivan Kupala Day celebrated and on what other days of the year is the same name honored? Ivan Kupala is the common name of the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. He is commemorated several times a year: January 7, February 24, March 25, June 24, August 29, September 23, October 12 (dates are given according to the old style). I was born on November 10.

Not so long ago I found out that this is the day of Paraskeva Friday. And I don't really know anything about Paraskeva Pyatnitsa. And I really want to know everything about her. You can learn more about the life of the holy martyr Paraskeva from the life of this saint, which is placed in the "Lives of the Saints" on October 28 (old style)[1]. Here we can only give brief information. St. Paraskeva the Great Martyr (

Paraskeva in Greek means Friday) was born during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, a persecutor of Christians. She lost her parents early. Having come of age, Paraskeva began to preach Christianity not only in words, but also in deeds. She began to distribute the property left by her parents to the poor, the needy, i.e. she acted according to the precepts of the Gospel.

All this could not fail to attract the attention of the adherents of the repressed paganism. They seized her, threw her into prison and began to turn her away from Christ by all available means. They persuaded her, tortured her, but everything was useless, on the contrary, many, seeing her fearlessness, converted to Christianity. Then it was decided to cut off her head. How to represent God? In heaven, in yourself or in some other way? "No way.

Acquire the habit of standing in the conviction that God is everywhere and, consequently, in you sees all your innermost secrets, and in this conviction behave yourself reverently before the invisible God, without any of His imaginations. But pray that God Himself will teach you this," teaches St. Theophan the Recluse[2]. What is reverence for God?

Our reverence, teaches St. Theophan the Recluse, should be commensurate not with the capacity or smallness of what we do, but with the face of God, to Whom it belongs. Whether someone censes, or reads, or sings, or does anything else, as long as he does it carelessly, he is subject to judgment on those who do the work of God with negligence. Likewise, of those present in the Church, if anyone stands or makes prostrations, or lights a candle, if he does it carelessly, the same number sins and is subject to the same judgment[3].

What are the visible pledges of our general resurrection? The visible pledges of our general resurrection are the remains of the righteous of God. They serve for the faithful as a visible pledge of the general resurrection of all, and for the weak they serve as a support of faith in moments of its hesitation. Therefore, with faith and hope, kiss the holy relics of the saints of God, as visible pledges of the general liberation of you and all creation from work, death and corruption!

Bring "thy finger" more often, touch these perishable bodies, preserved in incorruption by the grace and providence of God, and do not be unfaithful, but faithful (John 20:27). What is the end of all God's purposes on earth? Do not seek those who are higher for yourself, and do not test those who are strong for yourself (Sir. 3:21). As far as we are given to know, we see that the glory of God and our salvation are the end of all God's intentions on earth; everything that we see in the world should serve to increase the Kingdom of God on earth.

Virtue and vice, dominion and submission, success and failure, wealth and poverty of nations, the rise and fall of states, in short, everything in the order of eternal laws should contribute to the formation and reward of the heavenly Jerusalem. Tyrants have purified the faith through persecution, the righteous strengthen it with love, the holy saints are witnesses to its purity, pastors are the guardians of the teaching.

What do the words of Jesus Christ mean: "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)? These words mean: through Me, as Jesus Christ said, they come, they come to Me, they abide in Me. For when we come to Him, we also come to the Father, and come to know by means of an equal, Him to Whom He is equal, and are united by the Holy Spirit, that we may be eternally united to the supreme and unchangeable good.

What is the meaning of the words: "Unworthy of the passion of this present time for the glory that desires to be manifested in us" (Romans 8:18)? This means: let the world rage, let it strike us with both tongue and weapons. Whatever he does, is it great in comparison with what we will get? Everything that rebels against the name of Christ, if it can be overcome, is tolerable, and if it cannot, it contributes to the speedy receipt of a reward, so that the end of temporal evil borders on the acceptance of eternal good.

Who, besides God, is depicted on holy icons? In addition to God, we depict the Mother of God on holy icons. But we should pray to Her not as God, but as an intercessor for us before Him, close to God. It is noteworthy that the image of the Mother of God, painted by the Lord's disciple, the Apostle Luke, has survived to our time.

There is a legend that the Mother of God, seeing Her image, said: "My grace and that of My Son will be with this icon." We pray to Her and believe that for the sake of Her prayers, God forgives us a lot and helps us in many ways. What is revealed to mankind about the holy Angels? In the beginning, when there was neither the visible world nor man, God created the holy Angels.

Angels are spirits incorporeal and immortal, like our souls, but God has endowed them with powers and abilities far greater than ours. Their minds are more perfect than ours. They always fulfill the will of God, they are sinless, and by the grace of God they have been so confirmed in doing good that they can no longer sin. At baptism, God gives every Christian a guardian angel, who invisibly protects a person in all his earthly life from troubles and misfortunes, warns against sins, protects him in the terrible hour of death, and does not leave him even after death.