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.

Angels are depicted on icons, as a sign of their spiritual beauty and strength, in the form of beautiful young men with wings. Wings mean that they quickly fulfill the will of God. On Church Routine and Behavior in Church Why Should We Not Eat Before the Service? "Those who go to the divine service having eaten," writes St.

John of Kronstadt, voluntarily impose upon themselves an unnecessary and harmful burden and stifle their hearts for prayer in advance, blocking the access to it of holy thoughts and holy sensations. One must be extremely careful not to eat before the service. It must be remembered that the Kingdom of God is neither food nor drink (Romans 14:17), i.e. God cannot reign in that heart which is burdened with gluttony and drink" [4].

If a stranger in church offers a prosphora, should I take it or is it better to refuse? One can kindly and politely refuse prosphora or kutia, since some give for suicides who died in unbelief or from drunkenness (drunk), for whom it is sinful to pray. Is it possible after night defilement (in a dream)

Go to church in the morning, venerate the icons, take holy water, prosphora? It is necessary to read prayers from desecration, otherwise it is a sin to go to church, venerate icons, take Epiphany water and prosphora. Approaching the Holy Mysteries, repent of this to the confessor at confession. Here a distinction is made: from what did the desecration originate? Is it your fault (

I ate too much, slept for a long time and on a soft, warm place, condemned someone, etc.) or through the fault of the devil, who made you sleep in order to prevent you from receiving Communion or to defile you altogether. In general, it is up to the confessor how best to deal with the defiled. Should you dress when you go to church, in your best clothes, or walk around sloppily dressed? From the lives of the ascetics we learn that they wore decent, but not luxurious clothes when visiting church.

Is it possible to enter the church during the service through the side entrance, if it is convenient, or only through the central (main) entrance? It is possible, depending on the circumstances. Is it allowed to venerate the church paintings, outside or inside, and when is it better to do so? There are many icons for kissing, and paintings (frescoes)

It is good to bow down and pray for them. On the eve of Communion Day, some say that after eight o'clock in the evening you should not eat. Is there any rule in this regard? Those who abstain from eating before Communion in the evening do well. But according to the rules, from 12 o'clock at night, you can no longer eat or drink anything.