Archpriest Konstantin Ostrovsky, Dean of the Churches of the Krasnogorsk District, Rector of the Dormition Church in Krasnogorsk
It is natural for a person who has begun church life to look around in the temple, eventually get to know other parishioners, and then make friends with families or companies. Not everyone is equally inclined to such communication, but very many are, and such communication in itself is not bad. With the rector of the temple or another priest, personal relationships may also arise over time (and this is natural).
Sometimes everything develops as if by itself, and then there are no questions. And sometimes there are questions, the word "community" is in the air. What is this? Questions arise not only among novice Christians, but sometimes also among priests who have served in the parish for more than one year. What is the meaning of the parish community?
different meanings
One term "parish community" refers to several essentially different church phenomena, and this difference should not be overlooked, so as not to cause confusion.
According to the Charter
Firstly, according to the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, "a parish is a community of Orthodox Christians, consisting of clergy and laity united at the temple." And further it is said that the parish is under the direction of the priest-rector appointed by the diocesan bishop. In this sense, a parish is a community by definition.
Father and child
Secondly, the community is called the spiritual father, together with his spiritual children. The father knows his children, directs their spiritual, and partly their life in general. Children, meeting near the priest, get to know each other; with his blessing, they are engaged in some joint good deeds; he participates in resolving their problems and disputes. If the priest is a rector, then such a community can apparently almost coincide with a parish. But, of course, this is something other than a community in the first sense. Such communities, as is known, exist, and the range of their spirituality: from holiness to falsity and almost demonism.
But spirits are different. What spirit unites our community? Holy Spirit? Or not at all? Or even an evil spirit? The answer to this question is important for every member of the community, and even the spiritual father is obliged to put it before him and honestly answer it.
Penitential family
The righteous elder Alexy (Mechev) had a community, a “repentant family,” as he called it, a unique phenomenon associated with his personal, exceptional spiritual gifts. He was a spirit-bearing elder, had a special gift to see the souls of people, while he was an amazingly warm person, people felt good with him.
And so they gathered around their truly spiritual father, a community was created; there was a joint pastime, and mutual assistance, and circles, and social work, but the center was a personal inner spiritual life: prayer, struggle with passions - under the guidance of the holy elder.
Are there many such communities? Of course, there are few, and there always have been and will be few, as geniuses in music are rare, although there are many good musicians, as well as honest priests. To set ourselves the task of creating a spiritual community, a “repentant family,” as on Maroseyka, is insane pride or, at best, a lack of spiritual experience.
Righteous Alexy (Mechev) himself, by the way, by no means set himself the task of creating a “repentant family”; In general, for the first eight years he served in an empty church, then people began to gather.
The main thing is to establish a service
And this is just a model for us: the main task of the rector is to organize worship in the church. Including requirements. They are sometimes treated with some kind of disdain, but after all, the trebes consist of prayers and sacred rites. I remember when I served in the Far East, there were very few priests, and the demands of the authorities were great, sometimes they served for several weeks with no days off at all. Of course, I was very tired, at first I internally grumbled, but then I somehow thought: “What's wrong, I will serve another prayer service or memorial service, because this is a prayer to God.”
Too dry is also bad
But somehow I don’t want to be limited to statutory dryness either. After all, the first (statutory) definition of a community also fits the situation when the rector comes to the service a couple of times a week, performs certain obligatory actions and leaves; does not communicate with parishioners outside the Liturgy, treb and superficial confession before communion; the employees are not friends with each other, the parishioners do not know each other. It shouldn't be like that.
I would like the relations of the clergy with employees and parishioners, and all of them among themselves, to be informal, deep, sincere. It is precisely such a parish that we agree to call a true community. ( This is the third type after the statutory and senile.)
I want to create a community. Why?
If I want to create a community, it is useful to think: why and why? Maybe out of a determination to do God's will in this. Or maybe out of pride: I created a true community. Maybe out of love for big companies, because alone or in a family it is dreary. Maybe out of pity, out of a desire to help bored or distressed people pass the time Orthodoxally and spiritually. Let each of us see what foundation he is building upon.
And another question: if I strive to guide people spiritually, does it not turn out that I, as it were, say to them with the words of Christ: “ Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened» (Matthew 11, 28)? After all, this already resembles the Antichrist.
And on the same subject. In the epigraph to Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" it says: "In order to find everyone, call together and bind with a single black will ..." Doesn't this happen in a good, apparently pastoral intention?
I think it often goes like this. People are lonely at work, lonely in the family, lonely without God in their souls, and they want to get rid of loneliness - in the parish. And the priest, unfortunately, also happens to be lonely and empty, and he also wants to get rid of this feeling, creating around himself a unanimous and unanimous community (with himself, by the way, at the head). Thus, between the two electrodes of loneliness, an arc of community can ignite (a kind, intelligent, charming priest shines on his spiritual children), and then everyone becomes warm. This in itself is not bad, it is only important to know and remember that this warmth is spiritual, the fruit of our activity is spiritual, virtues are spiritual. Sincerity in the communication of people is necessary, just as bread is necessary to support earthly life, but for eternal life, another is needed - Heavenly Bread.
Of course, it is nice when an atmosphere of love reigns in the parish: everyone is friendly, welcoming, helping each other. That's the way it should be. But let's not deceive ourselves and call our sweet spiritual experiences and relationships the fulfillment of Christ's commandment about love for one's neighbor. Only by fulfilling the first commandment to love God (we are before that, as from earth to heaven), a person can truly love his neighbor according to the second commandment.
our love
Our love for each other, even the most ardent, sincere, sacrificial, until we are filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, is just human affection. And this is good, this is an image of love, but one should not confuse an image with a prototype. And we have an example of the fulfillment of the second commandment, everyone knows it, this is Christ crucified on the cross. He was not in love with us, was not attached to anyone or anything, He was not dependent on us. And, by the way, He did not receive reciprocity from us. But for the sake of our salvation from the eternal loveless emptiness, so that we could be united with Him in Divine love, Christ took upon himself a painful death. This was the fulfillment of the second commandment - to love your neighbor as yourself, and not what we tend to look for, or even ascribe to ourselves in our communities.
Is a community possible in the Church, but not a parish?
On the one hand, yes, of course. Orthodox people have always communicated with each other and gathered in a variety of communities, sometimes officially, and often unofficially.
If we talk about monasticism, then, in the past, monasteries used to grow out of unofficial communities of spiritually minded and striving for the monastic feat of the laity, and in our time such cases are known. But it is so rare and unique that there is no point in discussing it.
If, however, what is meant is the establishment of a church community in the world, but not gravitating towards monasticism and not a parish, then the question of goals arises. If the goals are external (for example, charity or helping drug addicts), then this is a fairly common thing. Well, good.
If joint religious activity is supposed, but not organized, it is also not a question. Well, we got together, talked, read something spiritual, prayed before eating, drank tea… Well, together with the priest… Well, the priest is a confessor for all participants in the tea party… A good deed: both useful and comforting.
If someone wants to organize religious activity, but outside the church hierarchy, then the question is: why? Do not want to bow your neck under the yoke of the church authorities? Of course, hierarchy is a kind of yoke. And sometimes it’s hard to obey a holy father or bishop, and even more reluctant, and even more so - not a saint. And you want to lead, but he himself, although a priest, is not a rector and you will not wait, sometimes, for the rector. Or you want to lead, but you don’t want to take the dignity (that means, you yourself fit into the hierarchy and obey it). Or canonical obstacles do not allow one to take the dignity. Or a woman wants to “steer” spiritually (the path to the priesthood is also closed).
Let the man who has given himself over to the thought of creating a community in the world, not a parish community, but some kind of special one, think about the true motives of his intention. And if the intention is from God, then with God! And if our passions are hidden under the guise of pious activity, then let us not inflame them, but fight them.
Problems of the "Big Family"
Wider circle - weaker connection
“Our parish is a big family.” - In response to such a statement, one can notice that either the family is not very large, or not very large. In the countryside, if a priest treats his parishioners warmly, a parish-family, thank God, is not uncommon. And in a large city parish, it turns out to be impossible to maintain warm sincerity in relations between the clergy, employees and permanent parishioners - there are no friendly companies of a hundred people, especially of several hundred.
From the point of view of eternal salvation, the lack of spiritual warmth in a large community is not a cause for grief. After all, no one regrets that, along with elite hospitals for a dozen patients, there are hospital complexes with many hundreds of beds. The main thing is that doctors are kind and knowledgeable.
It is the same in church life: there are small cozy communities, and there are huge populous parishes. The main thing is that both there and there Christians pray to God and unite around the Eucharistic Chalice so that they fulfill the commandments of love for God and neighbor. Then the rest won't matter much. But, if you want spiritual relationships at the arrival, then the multiplicity, of course, creates a problem.
The priest must insist
In relations with employees, it is often difficult for the abbot to maintain warm relations, because sometimes he is obliged to make strict remarks, demand the fulfillment of his instructions, and even punish his subordinates for wrongdoing.
It is clear that those people who, in communion with the confessor, seek spiritual benefit or even cut off their will for the sake of the will of God, will be much less tempted if they find themselves in obedience to the confessor also as a boss. And those who, in communion with a confessor, seek mainly consolation, will be tempted more.
The rector-confessor faces a difficult task: to be both a demanding boss and a loving father. This task can be solved for him only to the extent that he himself seeks the fulfillment of the good and saving will of God regarding his children, and not spiritual consolations. But it must be said that most of us are weak. For this reason, it is difficult and, as a rule, impossible to combine abbotship and clergy.
There are not enough places for their own, there are not enough places for their own
For spiritual relationships, some kind of joint activity is necessary. The field of parish activity can be quite wide (depending on the talents of the rector and the circumstances), but not everyone, even the most pious and worthy parishioner, can find a suitable occupation at the church (for a variety of objective reasons). This is on the one hand.
And on the other hand, parish needs usually make it necessary to hire employees of suitable qualifications, but not necessarily those of their own liking and spirit. What can you do? If there is not, say, a pious bricklayer, one has to hire one who is. Something needs to be done. It turns out that some or even many employees simply work in the temple, as they would work in a factory, but even seeing this, how can you make them feel that they are somehow not their own for the rector? But can such people be considered members of the community?
Family comes first
Spending a lot of time in a parish and carrying out constant obedience there is far from possible for all even the most pious and spiritually minded permanent parishioners, especially for families. But the fact that a family person has more household chores than a non-family person is normal. It is not normal for a Christian from a family to run to a parish. For him, the family is the place of his ministry, even if it is not easy there, the husband or wife does not go to church, does not believe in God. Moreover, it is necessary to work, to establish relations, and not to run away from the “infidels” to “our own”.
The basis is not friendship, but service
The concept of a parish as a large family can fully work when the community is not numerous and consists of completely church people, between whom warm friendly relations exist. But in general, friendship in the spiritual life is an unstable foundation.
Many years ago, when I first came to the parish, everything was boiling, seething, a lot of people, young people, ran in, some began to live on the territory of the temple, many liked it, and I encouraged it, I liked it too. And it was a big sobering for us when one of the leaders of the community suddenly returned to drugs, and the other took to drink - both after a long break.
It was a terrible, but the truth of life, not a dream of how glorious we are, how good we are together, but the truth that we are all relaxed people, bound by passions, on the verge of spiritual death. As in a hospital, it is not important that there are flowers on the windows and the doctor smiles at everyone, but that he treats them well. Smiling is also good, but in essence the doctor's love will be manifested in the fact that he will be attentive to the sick, will improve his qualifications - in short, will do everything possible to make the patients recover.
I understood this, and now in the first place I put not relationships, but service. By the way, the relationship did not become worse because of this, but only, I would say, dried up, became not so sincere. And thank God! One should not try to develop soulfulness in oneself, but one should try, with God's help, to open up for the action of Divine grace.
For this we come to the temple, where we are united by the Cup of the Lord, from which we all take communion. Among the parishioners there are big bosses, and workers, and scientists, and cleaners - well, what kind of friendship can there be? Anything can happen, of course, but we are now talking not about what happens, but about the structure of parish life. But the Eucharistic Cup unites all of us.
Our dry charter is right
Parish - Body of Christ
Now I understand that our dry Charter is right. This parish is a community of Orthodox Christians united by joint participation in worship. And if this seems small to us, then this is how low the mountains seem from a great distance: the mountains are high, but we are far from them.
In our time, usually at the great entrance, the priest proclaims: “May the Lord God remember you and all Orthodox Christians in His Kingdom ...”, but in the Missal - pay attention - it says differently: “All you Orthodox Christians ...” Each parish community, having gathered at the Liturgy and is the whole Church. And emotional relationships can develop in different ways, they are not the essence. The main thing in the parish community is the Body and Blood of Christ. For the sake of unity with God, both I and my parishioners must rush to the temple of God.
At the same time, someone is called to carry out a sacred service in the parish, someone - some other, and someone only takes part in the sacraments - this, by and large, does not matter.
It is an incorrect assumption that only those who participate in “parish activities”, and not only receive communion once a week, can be a full-fledged member of the parish. If, say, there are several children in a family, the mother takes care of their upbringing, and the father works all day at the factory to feed the family, if these people try to live like a Christian, and they go to church only on Sundays for the sake of communion, then what is it? bad? It is wrong to think that if some parishioner in our church does not work, then he is somehow defective. Experience shows that this is not the case at all. We have parishioners who go to church only for services, outwardly pious and inwardly trying to live like a Christian, struggling with their passions, trying to pray with all their might. Why should they not be considered members of our community?
The clergy and employees are also a community
People who in the parish under the leadership of the rector do something for the glory of God (not necessarily without a salary, but for the glory of God) also make up the parish community (this is another meaning: the clergy and parish employees). The rector needs to be able to somehow not ruin this community, but also not turn it into a close-knit sect of the Orthodox rite along with him.
So God put me to serve, I serve. God sent someone with me to carry out the parish ministry, we carry out this ministry together. Christ, when the Mother of God and the brothers wanted to go to him, but the people did not let him in, said: “Whoever does the will of My Father in Heaven, that is My brother, and sister, and mother.” To paraphrase these words, we can say that when someone does a single thing with me, that is my brother, and sister, and mother. At the same time, it must be remembered that the priest should pay no less attention to his home church than to the parish. Everyone - all the attention! But this is a separate big topic.
Human relationships develop in different ways, someone may be the most important employee, but there are no close relationships. Well? They read about the war in books - there is one company, next to it, they hold the front. Maybe we are not friends with the neighboring captain, maybe I am a chatty person, and he is a silent man, but we are doing a common thing; when necessary, we help each other, we sacrifice our lives for each other - this is not always the case, but it should be so.
Fraternal prayers
Sometimes special prayer services are held in parishes for employees or for spiritual children. This is a common and good thing. For example, you can arrange a prayer service with employees before starting some important work on the temple. If one of the spiritual children of some priest falls ill, and the friends of the sick person (also spiritual children of the same father) ask the spiritual father to serve a prayer service for health, it is very good. The same applies to other requirements.
But I had this experience in the nineties. Our parish community at that time was a large group of friends, and I decided, in order to introduce an additional ecclesiastical quality into the community life, to organize "fraternal prayers" once a week, gathering an hour before the general evening service. However, over time, it became noticeable that many of our company go to "fraternal prayers" reluctantly, but other parishioners, having heard about such services, on the contrary, gradually pull themselves up. It became clear that prayer is not at the center of our relationship. And the question arose about “other parishioners”: are they not my own for me?
Parish Mutual Aid
One priest once said that in the parish where he grew up, if one of the parishioners became seriously ill, he would call the rector, and he would notify the members of the community and ask them to help the sick person if possible. This, of course, is wonderful.
But it is better if, even without a call to the priest, there is a brother or sister who is ready to help. It's good when a confessor organizes mutual help, but it's even more important to teach people to treat each other like a Christian, without waiting for a hint. It is better when people simply help each other in case of need, but when fraternal mutual assistance is not enough, they turn to the rector, and he resolves the issue. But it’s better when it doesn’t come to “solving the issue”.
Visiting parishioners
How close should a priest communicate with parishioners? Call up, meet, or is it all just within the walls of the temple? I think that we are all different - for someone it develops naturally, and people benefit. I know one old, very intelligent, charming and pious priest, who is also well educated in the world - an artist, an architect. Spiritual children often invite him to visit.
And for someone, communication with parishioners may develop differently, but this does not mean that it is worse. There are things that cannot be taught at all, these are gifts that, if any, a person should use them for the glory of God. And if not, then no. But that means there are other gifts. For example, I know one priest: good morals, a prayer book, an icon painter, a very quiet person, he has no friends except his wife - well, that's good.
One priest said that he lives in an ordinary multi-storey building, and with him in the same entrance, a few floors below, lives a parishioner who confesses with him, and in the next entrance there also lives a parishioner who confesses with him, moreover, every week. But he never visited either one or the other. Not very emotional, of course. And, on the other hand, if there is no common cause, there is no obligation to communicate, serious friendship has not developed, but there is no habit of having small talk, is it really necessary to force communication out of yourself? The father is busy at work every day from morning to evening, he tries to devote any free minute to his family. He serves his neighbors as a confessor and is grateful to them that they do not invite him to visit, but give him a rest.
Fathers come and go - the Fatherland remains forever
Even when a community has been headed by a true shepherd for many years, with his departure (death, transfer) it usually soon disappears or changes its character radically. The parish as an administrative unit can, of course, be preserved, but ... it's not the same. How to avoid it?
Should it be avoided? Indeed, it is the communities that have developed around spiritually and spiritually gifted shepherds, when for whatever reason they lose this father, experience a severe crisis and usually soon cease to exist (at least as a community of spiritual children). If there is a successor to the father, one more generation, so to speak, can last.
Here, as an example, we can again recall the arrival of Nikola in Klenniki on Maroseyka in Moscow. The Righteous Elder Alexy (Mechev), even before his departure to the Lord, made Archpriest Sergius (Mechev), his son, a cleric of the same church, a future Hieromartyr, his successor. And the community survived because there was a recognized successor of the spiritual father. And after the arrest of Father Sergius, there was no longer a successor, and the temple was closed, and the community, although it held out for a long time, but, of course, could not survive. Now the parish has been restored in the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, and the memory of the then Marose community is sacredly honored, although now, of course, there is a different community there.
But there is nothing terrible or even bad in the fact that communities of spiritual children, as a rule, do not survive after the death of a spiritual father. People, including saints, come and go, but the Church remains forever. We will honor our mentors, pray for them, obey them. And left without a leader, let us not lose heart, because God will never leave with his instruction those who want to live according to the will of God.
Fragment from the book "Red Gate"
Why are parish communities falling apart?
Should joint activities unite parishioners or, on the contrary, be the fruit of their solidarity? Should the rector strive to ensure that all parishioners would certainly be friends and know each other well? What should be at the foundation of the community so that the parish does not fall apart in one moment?
When I became the rector in Krasnogorsk, many young people gathered in the temple, I was in a kind of delight ... Now I recall with shame my delight. By the grace of God, the parish did not fall apart, and one priest, whom I respect very much, at one time, everything collapsed, everyone abandoned him. Because it was based not on the spiritual, but on the spiritual. Then new people came, now he has a different community.
We didn’t get to that, everything somehow turned sour by itself, and then straightened out. Because initially the community was based on friendship, not service.
And friendly relations are an unstable foundation in the spiritual life.
I did not hide it - I said and I say that Founding a Community in Service, Not in Relationships. I am appointed to serve, someone carries out his ministry with me (I mean by no means only the clergy) - this is what a parish community is.
The service may not be as bright... For example, what is special about a driver or a plumber? But both can feel like members of the community. And what kind of relationships will develop, such will develop - this is not the main thing. The main business of the parish is to provide worship services.
This does not mean that I am against some kind of parish work.
But parish social activity should not be the fruit of our inventions, but the fruit of our liturgical unity and pastoral care of the parishioners.
Then, if people have a desire and ideas, let them work, my job is not to interfere, help, support.
Children's music teachers came to the temple - the Children's Church Music School was created. A young priest appeared, getting along well with the youth - this activity began to boil. But charitable activities in the hospital developed (we had two nursing nurses), and then fell apart - one went to the monastery, the other graduated from the institute. What can you do?
In addition, many young men and women married among themselves. And a family person has more worries around the house, and this is normal.
It is not normal when a person from the family runs to the parish.
Archpriest Konstantin Ostrovsky, rector of the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk, dean of the churches of the Krasnogorsk district, has 4 sons and 6 grandchildren. Three sons followed in his footsteps, and one chose the monastic path and today is already a bishop, rector of the Kolomna Seminary. Father Konstantin told Batya about what he considers most important in raising children, how a family copes with life's difficulties, about his family and about the separation of the roles of husband and wife.
Roles - male and female
- Father Konstantin, you grew up without a father from the age of ten. Felt that there is not enough male education?
I realized this already in hindsight. Mom and grandmother raised me with love, but, of course, the fact that there was no man in the house, except for me, a boy, is not very good. It is important that the child sees the good, orderly relationships of the parents, the boy is an example of paternal behavior, the girl is maternal, and when the family is incomplete (no matter for what reasons), there is no such example. Then it can be compensated - everything is possible for God.
I think that in my life this was compensated by God Himself at the moment of churching. My ideas about how a family should be built have changed dramatically. Her inviolability, the obedience of children to parents, the division of roles entered my soul so deeply, as if I had grown up in such a family, although I had never seen anything like it, and had not read anything about it anywhere. But it became clear to me that the husband is the head of the family, everyone should obey him, he should provide for the family, and the wife should do housework. True, her fourth pregnancy was difficult, and then I had to do a lot of housework, but I explained to her: I help you not as a husband, but as a brother.
- And it happens that the wife usually cooks, but the husband has his own signature dishes, which he does not trust her.
Particulars don't matter. If the father prepares pilaf or dumplings, this is a family ritual.
I want to clarify that I am not imposing anything on anyone. Moreover, I do not want someone to conclude from my words that his wife should leave work. My wife is not a fan of social activities, it was organic for her not to work, but to take care of children, and we both agreed that the main thing for children is home education. I think that it is more natural: the husband is the leader, he is responsible for the family (in every sense: material, mental, spiritual), and the wife is a reliable rear, she supports her husband and takes care of the children. But if a husband forcibly puts his wife at home, it will not do anything good.
And when both spouses work, come home in the evening, the wife cooks dinner, and the husband watches TV or sits at the computer, this is ridiculous. Even greater absurdity, and this also happens when a husband is unemployed, does not lift a finger to find at least some kind of job, and does nothing about the housework, while his wife earns money, and is “obliged” to serve him. This should not be.
I'm just saying how I think it should ideally be. How I did it is another question - I do not want and cannot boast. It's just very important to understand that we are different, and I began to guess about this only at the institute. We were taught that all people are the same, men and women have only anatomical differences. In this sense, the Soviet upbringing was liberal - the idea that there are no other differences is popular both in the West and in the USA. True, there are other equally important differences. We are equal before God, because we are all created in His image and likeness, but not only adult men and women have different psychology, but also boys and girls. Therefore, in life we have different roles, and in the family.
- In raising children, you probably also had a division of responsibilities?
I was in the service - first an altar boy, then a priest, and my wife spent all the time with the children, and she was never bored with them. Now it is fashionable to talk about self-realization, so she saw her self-realization in the upbringing of children, and I am happy that our ideas about female self-realization coincided with her.
All the years of my altar service, our common spiritual father, Archpriest Georgy Breev, paid for our dacha at the 43rd kilometer in the summer, I went to the service from there, spent my holidays there, and then I could devote more time to them. And when we lived at home in Moscow, I took the children to church for liturgy 2-3 times a week.
- At the dacha, did you play football, badminton with them, went fishing, picking mushrooms?
Almost not. Since I myself am not an athlete (except that in my youth I was engaged in classical wrestling), not a fisherman and not a mushroom picker, I could neither introduce my sons to fishing, nor keep them company in games. But it happened, of course, to run around with them, to tinker.
Did you have any idea what you should definitely teach them as future men? Many believe that no matter who the boy later becomes, no matter how brilliant his abilities in mathematics, languages or music, he, as a man, must be able to do something with his hands, and also stand up for himself in order to protect the weak if necessary. .
All this, of course, is good, but I could not teach them any trade, because I myself am not handy. The crane could change, but nothing more. And the ability to stand up for yourself, if you have character, will come by itself.
Like all parents, we probably made some mistakes, but I think that in general we raised our sons well, since they grew up to be real men: they can stand up for themselves and feel responsible for their families. The elder chose monasticism, he is already a bishop, rector of the Kolomna Seminary, this is also a huge responsibility.
Keep in the Church: upbringing, will, Providence
You have already said more than once that by nature you are a crusher, and especially in the neophyte period, you sometimes went too far, you even decided that children do not need fairy tales.
Neophyte excesses were. Indeed, I decided that neither children nor adults need anything spiritual, only spiritual things are needed. When Father George found out about this, he explained to me that if a child is not Sergius of Radonezh or Seraphim of Sarov, he also needs healthy spiritual food, including fairy tales, to prepare for life.
As for pressure on children in general, it is more difficult to talk about it now than it was 10-15 years ago. The atmosphere in society has changed, and these changes affect the church environment. Previously, people more easily perceived thoughts about obedience, about paternal authority, about the admissibility of severe punishments. Many do not understand the difference between "to make the child feel good" and "for the child to be good." And these are different goals and they involve different means.
To make the child comfortable, you need to do without demands, obediences, punishments - just negotiate. And at work, the boss, if he wants his subordinates to feel comfortable, must negotiate with them. And such an approach can give visible success ... But external. And the philosopher Konstantin Leontiev wrote that external pressure is useful for the spiritual life of the people. To whom is it, external pressure, pleasant? No one, but it is useful for educating the will, patience, humility. And the child is all the more useful when something is demanded of him.
There are, although not so often, children who are soft, compliant - it would seem that nothing can be demanded of them, there is no need to force them to do anything. But how then will the will of the child, the ability to humble, forgive, be formed? There is always a danger of going overboard. It's like in weightlifting - if a person is overloaded, he will get injured, he may even become disabled, but if he is underloaded, he will remain weak. The upbringing of will, courage without exactingness, without some kind of pressure is impossible.
But in the spiritual life, pressure is of little use. It is possible and necessary sometimes to demand from a child the fulfillment of some spiritual orders, but it is impossible to demand prayer and love. Of course, if the family is a church, the child is included in the Orthodox tradition for the time being: he observes fasts, goes to church with his parents, confesses, takes communion, reads the morning and evening rules with them. While our children were small, they enjoyed reading, and the older they got, the less they liked it. (And it can be hard for us to stand in the service, attention is scattered). But while they lived together, the rule continued.
Once, my wife and I argued. She says: we taught them the rule, but we did not teach them how to pray. And I say that everything is exactly the opposite: they didn’t teach the rule, but taught to pray. All of them remained believers. And she agreed with me. Here a very deep and important paradox appeared, which by no means refers only to our educational experience: external pressure always causes protest, but at the same time it can have a life-giving effect on the soul.
And your three sons became priests. One of the biggest problems in believing families today is that children grow up and leave the Church. How to keep them?
No way. I like Pasternak's line: "But to be alive, alive and only, alive and only to the end." Parents can be to blame when they don’t take care of their children - they throw them at grandmothers, at circles and sections, or, as often happens in our time, they simply give them an iPad in their hands so that, on the one hand, they don’t have to worry where the child is, with the other, he did not interfere with them doing their own thing. The father abandons the family - it is also his fault. And if the father and mother try to raise children, this is their merit. And when parents are believers, there is some kind of church way at home, children join it, but this also does not guarantee anything.
Children's religiosity passes, and a person must make a choice himself, and making it is not easy. As far as I understand, it is impossible to help this, you can only not interfere with your pressure, not injure a person. But even with the most reasonable behavior of parents, there are no guarantees. When the calling grace touches the human heart, only the Lord knows. Of great importance are the will of man and the providence of God.
The way I raise my children also matters, but more for the salvation of my soul. Parental education is the soil, the seed is the will of the person himself, and the sun and rain are from God. Everyone should try, but everything is in the hands of God.
- And you also do not see your merit in the fact that three sons followed in your footsteps?
I am very glad, as, I think, any father rejoices if he does what he loves, and then his sons also choose this business. As soon as I began to go to church, I immediately fell in love with the priesthood, I wanted to serve myself, and it didn’t matter whether it was in a cathedral or in a rural church. My dream did not come true right away, but when the children were still growing, it was not surprising that they liked the father's ministry. But mother and I did not have the intention to raise them as priests. Still, the priesthood is a personal vocation, so the Lord called three; if he calls a fourth, and he will serve.
Until recently, two served with me, and even now they are abbots in our deanery. Well, the eldest, after much deliberation - he consulted both with me and with Father Georgy Breev, went to the Lavra to see Father Kirill (Pavlov), talked with him - chose monasticism. I am pleased that my three sons serve, but I understand that it was the Lord who called them.
Live a shared life
You can guess that you lived very modestly, and in the nineties, when they were all still children and teenagers, a strong stratification began in the country, the rich appeared. Have they ever grumbled that one of their peers has something that they do not have?
I don't remember them ever being upset about this. It seems to me that a lot here depends on the attitude of the parents themselves to their financial situation. We really lived modestly (and when I was an alarnik, just for alms - both the priests and the parishioners helped), but we never considered ourselves deprived.
In their self-esteem, boys are guided by their mother, girls - by their father (I read about this in Freud, but, in my opinion, this is a common opinion in psychology). If a mother is upset by the way her son looks, he begins to complex, and if the mother likes the boy, he feels confident. It was important for both of us that the children were dressed according to the season, and we never even thought about being fashionable or unfashionable, better or worse than neighboring children, classmates. As a result, they didn't care.
You were ordained in Khabarovsk, you and your family moved there, but then your sons started having health problems due to the climate, and your wife returned to Moscow with them, and you stayed in Khabarovsk for another year. Such a long separation is always a test for the family.
I didn't have a choice. If I had returned to Moscow then, I would have been banned. Perhaps forever. I don’t know what to do to a man whose wife in such a situation makes a row, demands that he immediately return home, otherwise she will divorce. God had mercy on me - my wife supported me, she understood that I could not leave the service. I sent them money, my mother helped in any way she could.
And more importantly, we wrote letters to each other every day. There was no Skype at that time, long-distance calls are expensive, so they rarely called each other, and they wrote letters and, accordingly, received them every day. And it helped us to maintain constant spiritual communication.
As a priest, you are probably often told about family difficulties and troubles? What do you see as the main problem of the modern family, fatherhood?
I will not say that any specific problems of paternity are highlighted. As for common problems, I see a desire for comfort in almost everyone, and even many church people do not have a sense of the family as a whole. It's not that they don't love each other - most Christian families, thank God, do not fall apart, but the feeling of a family as a small church, which, like the Church itself, as a parish, is arranged in the image of the Kingdom of Heaven, is a rarity today. A Christian family is called a small church for a reason - it also has its own way of life, its own hierarchy, obedience, common prayer, and a common meal. Now they live under the same roof, but each with his own life, many even pray separately. And common life is very important.
Bishop Konstantin of Zaraisk (Ilya Konstantinovich Ostrovsky) was born on August 3, 1977 in Moscow in the family of a priest.
In 1994 he graduated from high school and the Children's Church Music School at the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk.
In 1990-1995 he performed various obediences in the Dormition Church in Krasnogorsk.
In 1995 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1999.
In 1999 he entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 2003.
In 1997-2002, he served as a subdeacon under Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna.
On January 6, 2001, he was tonsured a monk by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna with the name Konstantin, in honor of Hieromartyr Konstantin of Bogorodsky.
On February 15, 2001, he was ordained by Metropolitan Yuvenaly to the rank of deacon, and on December 2, 2002, to the rank of priest with the laying of a loincloth.
In 2002-2012, he performed the obedience of Vice-Rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary (hereinafter referred to as KDS) for educational work.
From 2003-2012 he directed the KDS Choir.
In 2003–2006 and from 2012 to the present, he has been performing the obedience of a member of the Diocesan Council of the Moscow Diocese.
In 2004, he performed the obedience of the Secretary of the Liturgical Commission of the Moscow Diocese. In 2012, he was dismissed from the post of secretary of the commission and remained in its composition.
In 2005, he was appointed chairman of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the Moscow Diocese and a member of the Coordinating Council for Cooperation between the Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region and the Moscow Diocese.
In 2006 he was awarded the pectoral cross.
In 2009-2012 he performed the obedience of the choir director of the clergy of the Moscow diocese.
In 2011, he was appointed head of the Missionary Catechism Courses of the Moscow Diocese.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of July 26, 2012, he was elected Bishop of Zaraisk, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese and appointed Rector of the KDS.
On July 29, 2012, he was elevated by Metropolitan Yuvenaly to the rank of archimandrite. On July 31, the naming was made, and on August 12, the consecration to the bishop. The consecration was performed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Metropolitan Varsonofy of Saransk and Mordovia, Archbishop Gregory of Mozhaisk, Archbishop Eugene of Vereya and Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk.
In 2013, he was appointed Chairman of the Attestation Commission of the Moscow Diocese and Head of the Biblical and Theological Courses named after St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Moscow Diocese.
In 2014, he defended his Ph.D. thesis at the Moscow Orthodox Theological Academy on the topic “History and teachings of the Church of the Last Testament sect (Vissarion’s sect).”
In 2014, by the decision of the Holy Synod, he was included in the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church and was appointed a member of the Theology Commission and the Commission on Spiritual Education and Religious Enlightenment.
In 2014, he was appointed co-chairman of the Coordinating Council for interaction between the Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region and the Moscow Diocese.
In 2015, he was elected Vice-President of the Association of Teachers of Spiritual and Moral (Orthodox) Culture of the Moscow Region.
Education:
- 1999 - Moscow Theological Seminary.
- 2003 - Moscow Theological Academy (candidate of theology).
Scientific works, publications:
- History and teaching of the "Church of the last testament" (Vissarion's sect) (Ph.D. thesis).
Awards:
Church:
- 2000, 2010, 2013 - Metropolitan letters;
- 2003 - medal of St. Sergius of Radonezh I class;
- 2008 - Order of St. Innokenty of Moscow III Art.;
- 2008 - commemorative medal "1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'";
- 2011 - medal of the Moscow diocese "For sacrificial labors" II class;
- 2012 - anniversary medal "In memory of the 200th anniversary of victory in the Patriotic War of 1812";
- 2014 - patriarchal anniversary badge "700 years of St. Sergius of Radonezh".
- 2017 - medal of the Moscow diocese "For diligent service" 1st class.
- 2018 - medal of the Moscow diocese "For educational work" 1st class.
Secular:
- 2005 - sign of the governor of the Moscow region "Thank you";
- 2007 - sign of the governor of the Moscow region "For labor and diligence";
- 2010 - certificate of honor from the Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region;
- 2014 - gratitude of the Governor of the Moscow region.
Which is better: pray or play? Of course, pray. But due to human weakness, we all, both adults and children, play a lot, children even need it.
FOREWORD
At the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, there is a Children's Church Music and Sunday School. In order for our children to play good, not evil games and sing good, not bad songs, every year at Christmas and Easter we arrange concert holidays for them, in which all of them are both spectators and participants. And we prepare for performances in advance, learning songs and staging performances in our theater "Paterik". That's where this book came from.
The plots of most of the plays are wholly or partly borrowed from the Fatherland by St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov and the Prologue.
Our schools are free, but they require a lot of money, and the Assumption Church itself is being restored. Therefore, we would be happy to make your feasible donations, which can be made on account 000701302 in the Krasnogorsk branch of Sberbank No. □7808, account number 269164200, BIK 044651269, TIN 502400983-7, Assumption Church (for a church school).
exemplary idol
LEADING. It happened fifteen hundred years ago. Three monks were walking through the desert and their spiritual father, Abba, was with them.
1st MONK. Heat.
2nd MONK. Yes, the sun is still high. You can't hide from him anywhere.
3rd MONK. Look, I see some building!
THE FIRST TWO MONKS. Where? Where?
3rd MONK. Over there, from behind the hill, you can see the roof
2nd MONK. What kind of roof is this? You just liked it!
3rd MONK. Yes, the roof, I'm sure.
1st MONK. Maybe the roof...
2nd MONK. You yourself are both roofs!
3rd MONK. How are you not ashamed to swear?
1st MONK. I am not a roof.
3rd MONK. Now the abba will catch up with us; we will ask him what to do.
ABBA. What are you arguing about, brethren?
2nd MONK. Abba, my brother thought he saw the roof of some building.
3rd MONK. Roof and more roof!
1st MONK. Maybe we should go and have a look?
ABBA. Of course, you have to look.
1st MONK(the rest). Here! They heard the abba praised me. (To himself.) So I'm worth something.
ABBA. Stop it. Let's go soon.
LEADING. Only just before sunset, the monks reached their goal - in front of them was an abandoned pagan temple.
1st MONK. Well well…
2nd MONK. So this, brothers, is an idol temple. You see, and the statue is standing.
3rd MONK. Only it has long been abandoned. Previously, pagans lived here.
2nd MONK. How do you know everything?
3rd MONK. Yes, I am.
1st MONK. Be quiet, ava is coming.
ABBA. Abandoned temple. This is exactly what we need.
3rd MONK. Somewhere here and water nearby.
2nd MONK. Water - okay, the main thing is a roof over your head.
ABBA. You know what, brethren, I see: we have neither peace nor patience. Let's do it like this. We will live in this temple for one day from morning to evening, but in complete silence. And whatever I do, you don't tell me anything, and if you want, ask me in the evening.
3rd MONK. Forgive us, abba, we will do as you bless.
1st MONK. By itself.
2nd MONK. Forgive us, we will be silent.
LEADING(his speech is illustrated by actions). In the morning, when the brethren woke up, they were surprised to see that their abba was throwing stones at the statue. "Abba, what are you doing?!" - the brethren wanted to shout, but restrained themselves, because they promised to remain silent until the evening. For half a day, the abba threw stones at the statue, and from noon until evening he bowed to her and welcomed her. “Probably our abba has lost his mind!” - the brethren wanted to shout, but restrained themselves, and when evening came, they rushed to him with questions.
3rd MONK. Why did you throw stones at the statue and then bow to it?
2nd MONK. Have you now become a heathen that you worship idols?
1st MONK. What are you, right?
ABBA. Listen to me. I did all this for a reason, but for your correction. Remember: when I threw stones at the statue, did she take offense at me?
2nd MONK. No, I didn't get offended.
ABBA. Or started arguing with me, or taking revenge on me?
3rd MONK. We didn't notice anything of the sort.
1st MONK. I did not see.
ABBA. And when I bowed to the statue, did it accept praise?
MONKS. No, there was nothing.
ABBA. Were you proud?
MONKS. No ... Yes, the statue stood like a statue.
ABBA. So, my beloved brethren: if you want, like this statue, not to respond to insults and not to accept conceited praise, then let's live here together, humble ourselves and pray to God, and if you don't want, then here are the four doors in this temple, let's go each to your side.
3rd MONK. Yes… Thank you, abba, you enlightened us.
2nd MONK. Well, well, we thought!
1st MONK. Here's a statue for you! Exemplary idol!
Your prayer is not enough
LEADING. In one monastery there was a holy abbot, a loving father for his monks and very merciful to the poor. He always prayed to God to enter the Kingdom of Heaven together with the brethren of the monastery. And then one day...
GUEST (abbot). Bless, father.
IGUMEN. God bless you.
GUEST. Happy holiday!
IGUMEN. And you too, brother. You seem to be from a neighboring monastery, aren't you?
GUEST. From there. The rector sent me to remind you, father, and all your brethren, what awaits you on our patronal feast.
IGUMEN. We'll come, we'll definitely come. The brethren are already gathering. (Monks.) Hurry brothers. You go ahead, and I will finish my business and hurry after you.
LEADING. And the monks went to the neighboring monastery for the feast.
1st MONK. What is it ahead?
2nd MONK. Someone is on the road.
3rd MONK. Now come on, let's figure it out.
Approach the lying beggar.
1st MONK. What's wrong with you, brother?
BEGGAR. I was going to the monastery for a feast, but now I fell ill and I can’t go further myself.
2nd MONK. Poor fellow. And what, no one was with you?
BEGGAR. No, I walked alone.
3rd MONK. You must be hungry?
INSIDE. I haven't eaten or drunk anything since yesterday.
2nd MONK. It's a pity we don't have a wagon with us, otherwise we would have helped you.
1st MONK. Sorry, we're in a hurry to celebrate.
3rd MONK. I wish you all the best, goodbye.
LEADING. And the brothers hastened to the monastery. Meanwhile, their spiritual father, having finished his business, followed them and met the same beggar on the way. After questioning him, the abbot was surprised:
IGUMEN. Didn't monks pass here recently?
BEGGAR. They passed, talked to me and left, they said that they did not have a wagon.
IGUMEN. Can't you, brother, go with my help?
BEGGAR. I can't even sit.
IGUMEN. I have to carry you.
BEGGAR. Father, this is impossible, because you are already old. Better, when you reach the village, send people after me.
IGUMEN. No, brother, let me take you on my shoulders, and with God's help we will slowly get there.
LEADING. And the old abbot carried the beggar on his shoulders. At first he felt a great heaviness, but then he suddenly noticed that his burden was becoming lighter and lighter.
IGUMEN. What's going on with your brother? (Turns around.) Disappeared!
kind word
LEADING. One elder was walking through the desert with a young monk and got tired.
MONK. Something, abba, you're barely dragging yourself. So we'll never get there.
OLD MAN. I have become old ... I can not go faster. You go ahead, and I slowly follow you.
MONK. Okay, let's not delay.
LEADING. The elder fell behind, and the young monk went ahead and suddenly met an idol priest.
MONK. What kind of image is this? Where are you taking her?
PRIEST. Who is this image? Am I?
MONK. You - of course, and I meant your deck.
PRIEST. What deck? This is my god!
MONK. You are the deck, and God is your deck!
PRIEST. Ah well?! It is for you! It is for you!
LEADING. The priest beat the monk and left him lying on the road, while he himself went further and met the elder.
OLD MAN. Good afternoon, good man!
PRIEST. Good afternoon, what did you find good in me?
OLD MAN. I see that you are working, carrying your god, and work is a good deed.
PRIEST. How do you - a Christian - say that carrying an idol is a good deed?
OLD MAN. Until now you believed that he is God and served him, and now you have come to know that he is an idol, so leave him.
PRIEST ( throws an idol). So you said a kind word to me, and my soul changed, and another monk scolded me, and I'm afraid - did I kill him?
OLD MAN. Let's hurry to him, he needs help.
LEADING. The elder and the priest found the young monk sitting on the road.
MONK. Oh ho ho! (Holds his head.)
OLD MAN. What, brother, hurts?
MONK. I bear my sins.
PRIEST. Forgive me brother.
MONK. And it's you? Came to kill me?
PRIEST. No no! Let me wash your head and the pain will subside. (Wipes the monk's head with a sponge.)
MONK. Yes, it's easier for me. (To the priest.) What happened to you? Didn't you just beat me up?
PRIEST. When I, enraged by your words, almost fell into murder and ran along the road, this old man greeted me, and his kind word shocked me. Now I am no longer an idol priest, but a Christian!
MONK(old man and priest). Fathers! Help me get up! You have taught me an invaluable lesson.
OLD MAN. Which lesson?
MONK. Here it is: an evil word makes the good ones evil, but a good word makes the evil ones good!
ALL GOOD. An evil word makes the good ones evil, and a good word makes the evil ones good!
Fall - rise!
LEADING. All of us, Orthodox Christians, revere spirit-bearing elders, but not every white-haired gray-haired monk has a true spiritual experience. In one monastery there was an abbot, a man of a strict life, but inexperienced in the spiritual struggle, and there was a zealous novice, on whom the demons brought a heavy temptation.
NOVICE(by himself). I can't take it anymore! Passion seized me, the soul - like melted. I want to drop everything and go out into the world! But what about the salvation of the soul? I'll go and consult with the abbot.
NOVICE(abbot). Father, I am overwhelmed by sinful thoughts, they advise me to leave the monastery.
IGUMEN. What?! Yes, how can you? Do you live in this holy place and have such thoughts? There is no salvation for such a sinner. Get out of here, son of perdition!
LEADING. The novice left the monastery in despair and went to the city, having decided to give up monasticism. But God sent him a spiritual elder to meet him.
OLD MAN. Brother, where are you going?
NOVICE. To the wedding.
OLD MAN. On what?
NOVICE. To yours!
OLD MAN. You're wearing monastic clothes!
LEADING. And the novice told the elder what had happened to him.
OLD MAN. Don't despair, brother, nothing terrible happened. Drive away incoming thoughts with prayer, and do not consider them, endure sorrows and find peace. Return to your cell, God is merciful.
NOVICE. Thank you father, you have resurrected my soul. I wish I could always consult with you.
OLD MAN. Come any time.
The novice, joyful, leaves.
OLD MAN. What, however, is the abbot! He has lived to gray hair, but he does not know how the ascetics of passion are tormented!
LEADING. And the elder prayed to God for the admonition of the hegumen. Then God allowed the demon to attack the old but inexperienced abbot, and he felt an unbearable burning of passion in his soul and body.
IGUMEN. What is it with me? No no! I do not want and I will not! No, I want! Will! (She throws off her cassock, puts on a hat with a flower, a jacket, pours cologne on her beard.) I'll run to the village and get married!
He is met by an old man.
OLD MAN. Where are you going, father?
IGUMEN. Don't hold me!
OLD MAN. Where are you? And what clothes are you wearing?
IGUMEN(swallowed by shame, quietly). Let it go.
OLD MAN. What a disgrace!
IGUMEN. A shame.
OLD MAN. Didn't a novice come to you in the morning?
IGUMEN. Came.
OLD MAN. How hard you were on him! He drove him out of the monastery, drove the young brother to despair.
IGUMEN. Now I myself am in despair.
OLD MAN. What are you worth? Tell.
IGUMEN. Worthy of hell.
OLD MAN. So, keep your mind in hell, but do not despair. Take this crap off of you. Dress appropriately. (He dresses the abbot in a cassock and skufya.) Go to your monastery and remember these words: "Keep your mind in hell and do not despair." Let `s together:
IGUMEN AND THE OLD MAN. Keep your mind in hell and do not despair.
Spell
LEADING. Once upon a time there lived a kind man, and his wife died, and there were no children before.
WIDOWER. My soul yearns, finds no place for itself, nothing in this world is sweet to me. Where to go, what to do? It's time to lay hands on myself.
PRIEST. Good afternoon.
WIDOWER. Bless, father.
PRIEST. God bless you. I hear you killing yourself, but in vain. Now you see for yourself that everything earthly is fragile, but you need to think about the salvation of the soul. Go, brother, to the monastery, where you will find peace.
WIDOWER. Right! I will find peace.
LEADING. And the widower entered the monastery. He really liked it there, everyone comforted and welcomed him. So a month or so passed.
WIDOWER. I rested my soul, how good it is in the monastery! I want to embrace the whole world with love! (Inadvertently strikes a passing monk with his hand.)
MONK. Are you crazy?! Not only does he live for nothing, he also fights!
WIDOWER. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.
MONK. We comfort him here, and here he is! (Exits.)
WIDOWER. How I was deceived! So, they don't like me here. We must go to another monastery.
LEADING. And he went to another monastery. There he was received very well, they gave him a shovel…
ECONOMY. Dig a little, and we'll call you for dinner.
WIDOWER ( yourself). Yes, already after noon, how much will you dig up before lunch? (Dig, dig, dig...) Something I work and work, the sun has already set, but they don’t invite me to dinner. (to a monk.) Hey, brother, how long before dinner?
MONK. Yes, lunch has long passed, did you overslept or what?
WIDOWER. How did you sleep?! They told me: "We will call you."
MONK. Who said?
WIDOWER. Economy
MONK. Well, ask him.
WIDOWER. Honest Father, why didn't they invite me to dinner? I worked here until night without eating.
ECONOMY. Did you work? What a job! Only the whole yard was mangled. You'll dig tomorrow before lunch, then we'll talk.
WIDOWER. So I will leave you completely, since such an attitude!
LEADING. And he went to the third monastery. And there, as in the previous ones, he made friends with some monks, while others offended him.
WIDOWER. Why should I leave again?
LEADING. And he thought hard.
WIDOWER. So I will run away from everywhere - there will be no good. Here's what I'll do. (Does what the leader says next.)
LEADING. He took a sheet of paper, wrote a few words on it, put the paper in a bag and attached it to his belt. And in the future, when someone offended him, he took out his note, read it and calmed down.
1st MONK. What kind of note does he have?
2nd MONK. Interesting. Before, it happened, he would start swearing - you couldn’t stop, he was angry for whole weeks, but now he reads his piece of paper and immediately calms down.
1st MONK. Why would it?
2nd MONK. And you don't even know?!
1st MONK. No.
2nd MONK. Yes, he is a wizard! He's got a spell in there!
1st MONK. Spell! So it is necessary to tell the abbot, let him punish him or expel him.
LEADING. They told the abbot about everything, and he promised to look into it. At night, when everyone was asleep, the abbot crept up to the brother who had a note, read it and put it back into the bag. (The leader's words are illustrated by actions.) In the morning he summoned the brethren of the monastery.
IGUMEN. Brethren! Brethren! Come here everyone. This brother confused us all with his actions: he has some kind of note on his belt, with which he calms himself. They say it's a spell. (Widower.) Brother, give me a note.
WIDOWER. No no! I can't, honest father!
IGUMEN. Brethren, hold him! Give me his spell, now we will find out how the monk dies his soul. (The monks take the note by force and give it to the abbot.) Listen all; here is what is written here: “No matter how offended I am, no matter what happens to me, I will endure everything that God sends me to the end.” Let us ask forgiveness of the brother whom we have grieved, but may each of us have such a note in our hearts.
Lies to the rescue
STEP ONE
NOVICE. So, father, we moved to a new cell.
MONK. Did you bring all your things? Didn't forget anything?
NOVICE. Everything seems to be. Now I'm going to close the old cell and check it again.
MONK. Fine. And who is it coming?
NOVICE ( peers). Some unfamiliar old man. Yes, he is with us...
An old man approaches with a staff and a knapsack over his shoulders.
OLD MAN. Peace be with you, brethren.
MONK AND NOVICE. We accept with peace.
MONK. Where are you from?
OLD MAN. I am coming from a far country. Our monastery was destroyed by the barbarians.
MONK. Horrible!
OLD MAN. Many of the brethren were killed, and the rest dispersed in all directions.
NOVICE. So you were left without any shelter?
OLD MAN. See for yourself.
The novice looks questioningly at the monk.
MONK. Brother, we have just moved into a new cell.
OLD MAN. Happy new home to you.
MONK. But the old one is not bad at all. If you want, live in it as long as there is a need.
OLD MAN. May the Lord reward you with mercy for mercy!
NOVICE(old man). Come on, I'll accompany you.
The novice and the elder leave.
ACT TWO
The monk and the novice are busy with housework.
NOVICE. This old man has been living with us for only two weeks, and already the whole district knows about him.
MONK. What they found in him, I do not understand.
NOVICE. He is said to have a gift for consoling and giving advice.
MONK. You talk less, otherwise here I am with a broom! (Swings.)
NOVICE(falls off chair). Oh! What's happened?!
The pilgrim enters.
PILGRIM. Peace be with you, brethren.
The novice rises from the floor, and the monk hides the broom behind his back.
MONK AND NOVICE. Peace to you too, brother.
PILGRIM. Could you tell me where is the cell of the new elder, to whom everyone goes for advice?
MONK(raising the broom menacingly). For what advice? What cell?! He has no cell of his own!
The pilgrim leaves.
NOVICE. What happened to you, father?
MONK. You are a novice, and shut up! We've been living here for a hundred years...
NOVICE. Fourteen.
MONK. Who cares! Why doesn’t anyone come to me, but why do entire villages go to this stranger? Let him go back to where he came from. Go and tell him to vacate the cell tomorrow!
ACT THREE
The novice approaches the cell of the elder, wants to knock, but hesitates.
NOVICE(to himself). No I can not! How can such a good old man be driven out of his cell? So what to do? Lord, understand!
The elder opens the door and goes out to the novice.
OLD MAN. Who's talking here? Ah, it's you, dear brother! Come in please. How is your abba?
NOVICE. My abba is doing well, he sent me to ask about your health and whether you are comfortable in your cell?
OLD MAN. Give him my regards and thank you for your mercy. Come join me for a meal.
ACT FOUR
On the stage on the left - the cell of a monk, on the right - the cell of an old man. The novice goes from cell to cell.
MONK. Well? Told him?
NOVICE. Said. He asks to wait a bit until he finds a new cell.
MONK. Tell him I won't wait!
NOVICE(old man). My abba asks if you need anything?
OLD MAN. Thank God I have everything. The main thing is a roof over your head, and visitors bring food.
NOVICE(monk). Abba, the elder gathers things and asks to be patient for an hour.
MONK. Tell him that in an hour I will come and drive him out of my cell with a staff.
NOVICE(old man). Father, my abba is coming to visit you, I beg you, go out to meet him and bow!
ACT FIVE
An angry monk with a staff goes to drive the old man out of his cell, and he, cheerful, comes out to meet him and bows.
OLD MAN. Oh, how glad I am to see you, beloved brother!
MONK(shocked). What?..
OLD MAN. How pleasant is your coming to me. I thank you for your greetings and for your cell. May the Lord reward you with a heavenly abode for this earthly one. (Pointing to the cell.)
MONK(quiet). I do not understand anything.
The novice carefully takes the staff from him and puts bread in his hands.
OLD MAN. Blessed are your gifts, bring them yourself into your cell, in which you sheltered me, a wretched wanderer. (to a novice.) And you come in, beloved brother. Share a meal with me.
ACT SIX
The monk and the novice leave the cell of the elder.
NOVICE. How well we ate.
MONK. Yes. All this is strange. Did you convey my words to the old man? (The novice is embarrassedly silent.) Confess: passed or not?
NOVICE. Forgive me, abba, out of love for you, I spoke to him not evil, but kind.
MONK. Your love has overcome my anger, my son. The word of the Savior has truly come true on you: "Be wise as serpents, and simple as doves."
Let's fight
LEADING. We all know how hard it is to get rid of from bad habits that we have. But it also happens vice versa: a good habit owns a person and keeps him. In the desert, in the same cell, two elders lived for many years, and they succeeded in gentleness so much that they completely stopped quarreling. And one of them thought...
1st MONK. Here, brother, how many years we have been living together with you and have never quarreled. And I heard that all people quarrel among themselves.
2nd MONK. Yes. They say everyone fights. But then, they say, they reconcile.
1st MONK. So I’m thinking: isn’t it better for us to quarrel too, and then make up?
2nd MONK. I do not know what to say.
1st MONK. Otherwise, if we continue to live without quarrels, we can fall into pride.
2nd MONK. Yes. Terrible thing! And nothing else, when a good person becomes proud, □- God will correct him. And if such a sinner as I,□- then complete destruction.
1st MONK. So let's fight just in case.
2nd MONK. Come on if you need to. How are we going to fight?
1st MONK. Well, for example, do you see the pan? I will say: “She is mine”, and you will say: “No, she is mine”, so we will quarrel. Started! (Picks up a bowl.) This pot is mine!
2nd MONK. No, she's mine.
1st MONK(quiet). Pull towards you. (Loud.) No, mine.
2nd MONK(pulls awkwardly). My.
1st MONK. This pot is mine.
2nd MONK. And if it's yours, take it for yourself.
LEADING. And they could not quarrel, and it was not necessary. Their good habit has overcome the wrong thought!
Let's make it up
STEP ONE
GARDENER(plants a flower and admires it). Ah, what a glorious flower! Finally, he has grown up, now I will plant him in the garden ... Oh, how cute, how I like him!
Tolik appears, reading a book with enthusiasm, stumbles upon a gardener and accidentally steps on a flower.
GARDENER. Ay! What's happened?!
TOLIK. Oh sorry!
GARDENER. I'm sorry, what?! You trampled on my favorite flower!
TOLIK. Well, I'm sorry, I told you.
GARDENER. He said! Yes, look what you've done! (Raises the flower and addresses it with tenderness.) My little one…
TOLIK. Well, he's pissed off.
The gardener defiantly turns away, Tolik leaves in annoyance.
ACT TWO
Tolik meets a friend and stumbles upon him, as before on a gardener.
BUDDY. Hey Tolik!
TOLIK. Oh hi!
BUDDY. Are you so gloomy?
TOLIK. Yes, he quarreled with the gardener, stepped, you see, on his favorite flower! Received from him, of course, warm words! Well, he couldn't help himself. And I wanted to take communion tomorrow ...
BUDDY. We'll have to ask for forgiveness, but how to take communion?
TOLIK. Yes, I already immediately asked ... Should I go again?
BUDDY. Go, of course. And that is impossible without reconciliation!
TOLIK. Well, I'll go. Pray that I don’t trample all the beds there. (Copies the gardener.)"My little one"...
ACT THREE
The gardener plants the same flower again.
TOLIK(dry.) Hello.
GARDENER. What else?
TOLIK. I came to ask your forgiveness, otherwise you were angry with me ...
GARDENER. How can you not be angry? Came running like a rhinoceros, trampled my favorite flower!
TOLIK. That you all swear because of some flower! And I still apologize to him!
Leaves.
GARDENER. Go where you came from!
ACT FOUR
Tolik goes thinking and again runs into a friend.
BUDDY(laughs) Well, you're a slacker. You go, you don't see anything. Reconciled with the gardener, then?
TOLIK. Yes, what is there ... It only got worse.
The priest approaches them.
FRIEND AND TOLIK. Father, bless.
PRIEST. God bless you.
BUDDY. Father, help Tolik.
PRIEST. What is it?
BUDDY. The gardener does not want to reconcile with him.
PRIEST(Slice.) Did you ask him for forgiveness?
TOLIK. Yes, I asked a hundred times! I accidentally stepped on a flower for him, and he loosened up, scolded me! I do not know what to do. And I need to make peace, and I don’t want to see him.
PRIEST. Is that how they reconcile! You yourself are mad at him. First you forgive the gardener and realize your guilt. Repent for not being insulted. Repent in pride.
BUDDY(interrupts.) In, accurately, in pride!
PRIEST(continues.) In inattention. Think, after all, you trampled on his favorite flower.
TOLIK. Yes, of course it's my fault.
BUDDY(Slice.) Well, do you understand? (to the priest.) I told him, father, this all the time.
PRIEST. And if you are in the right mood in your soul, then God will dispose your brother to make peace.
TOLIK(joyfully). I'll give him a new scoop.
BUDDY. And I have a bucket of fertilizer. Do you want ladies?
PRIEST(Tolik). That's right, give me something. Well, let's go, let's go...
ACT FIVE
One gardener.
GARDENER. In vain I insulted Tolik. Of course, he's a bungler, but he didn't step on the flower on purpose.
Tolik arrives.
TOLIK. Forgive me, I'm really to blame.
GARDENER(joyfully). And forgive me!
TOLIK(holds out a scoop). Here, take this as a gift from me.
GARDENER(cuts the flower). And I give you my favorite flower. Look how handsome!
A friend runs.
BUDDY. Well, have you reconciled? Long time ago! (To the audience.) I told them!
Wise Jeweler
JEWELER. Children, children! Get on the ship. Rather, sooner.
1st MATROS. Who is this handsome?
2nd MATROS. Yes, this is a rich jeweler. Moves with his children to his homeland. Jewelry - a whole chest. (Junge.) What are you spinning under your feet!
1st MATROS. Come on, I'll give you a flick. (Beats.)
CABIN BOY. Oh how it hurts!
1st MATROS. Do not scream. Here's more for you!
2nd MATROS. Get it from me too.
JEWELER. Come on guys, stop it! Don't touch the boy. You have an apple on you, baby, carry this bag to the cabin.
LEADING. The ship set sail. At night, the cabin boy accidentally overheard the conversation of the sailors.
1st MATROS. Hey, brother, maybe we need this jeweler? ..
2nd MATROS. Yes, and I think. Dad overboard ... And where are the children?
1st MATROS. Is it possible to separate children from their father? (Laugh.)
CABIN BOY(by himself). Horrible! They want to kill this kind person, and even with children. We must warn him soon!
Jung knocks on the jeweler's cabin.
CABIN BOY. Mister, sir! Open up!
JEWELER. What's happened?
CABIN BOY. The sailors found out that you had great wealth and conspired to kill you and your children. Take care, sir.
JEWELER. That's how you tell the captain!
CABIN BOY. I'm afraid he'll join them if he finds out. I don't know how to help you.
JEWELER. Thank you, good boy. Go to sleep, otherwise the sailors would not notice you and guess. Run Run. (On my own.) What to do? Lord, enlighten me! (Crying.)
SON OF THE JEWELER(wakes up). Oh, someone is crying... Dad, what happened?
JEWELER. They want to kill us.
SON. For what?
JEWELER. For gems. For this chest in which they lie. They want to throw us into the sea, and take the chest for themselves. Yes, it would be better if he disappeared!
SON(knows how to do it). Dad! Do you remember how you read to us in the Patericon about Fathers Paisios and Anuv?
JEWELER. And… about the brothers of the Monk Pimen?
SON. Yes.
JEWELER. So what was the story?
SON. Well, do you remember how Paisius, the younger brother of the Monk Pimen, found a jug of gold?
PAISY. ABOUT! Gold! For a long time I wanted to move away from Abba Pimen and live separately. Let's leave him with Abba Anuv, otherwise Pimen keeps praying, praying - there is no life from him! (Anuvu.) Abba Anuv, look what I found!
ANSW. What is this? Gold?
PAISY. Yes, gold! Let's leave Abba Pimen and buy ourselves a separate cell.
ANOS(to the side). It was the devil who sent money to Paisios to destroy us. But with God's help, we will overcome temptation. (Paisia.) All right, brother Paisios, let's build ourselves a cell across the river. Get your things and let's go. Let me take the gold.
LEADING. The river had to be crossed over a rickety bridge.
PAISY. Be careful Father Anuv, the bridge is shaking.
ANSW. How not to drop money into the river ... Oh, oh ... Oh! (Drops the jug of gold into the water.) We are poor, poor, there is nothing for us now to build a separate cell.
PAISY. Don't grieve, brother. What can you do? It must be the temptation. Let's go back to Abba Pimen...
ANSW. And thank God!
LEADING. They returned and lived since then in peace and harmony.
JEWELER. I get your point, son. It is better to lose earthly wealth than eternal life. Yes, and temporary life is more precious than gold.
SON. It seems that it was already dawn, the sailors were running around the deck.
JEWELER. Call the cabin boy.
CABIN BOY. What, sir?
JEWELER. Are those sailors you were talking about on deck now?
CABIN BOY. Yes, sir, but come out, don't be afraid; during the day, in front of people, they will not touch you.
JEWELER. Wonderful! Children, get ready, let's go for a walk on the deck! (Takes up the chest. On deck, he speaks loudly, drawing attention to himself.) Look, children, what precious stones! Here is all of our wealth!
SON(also deliberately loud). Is there anything left in the cabin?
JEWELER. Everything is here! Be careful, children, do not push, otherwise I will drop the chest! Oh oh!
Drops the chest overboard. The sailors, who had been carefully watching what was happening before, gasp.
JEWELER'S CHILDREN. Chest, chest!
JEWELER. Our trunk has sunk!
SON. But they are alive!
Adventures in the Egyptian desert
LEADING. At the court of the Byzantine emperor there was a certain worthy husband, a Christian, who always told the truth to everyone's eyes, for which, naturally, they did not like him.
WORTHY HUSBAND. Troubles surrounded me from everywhere. I see the wrath of the Lord on me. The wife is poisoned, the house is burned down, what can I expect in the future? (Two courtiers appear without noticing him.) Oh! My enemies are coming. (Hides.)
1st COURT(conversation continues). When will we finally end it? His truthfulness is unbearable!
2nd COURT. He accused me of stealing in the presence of the emperor, I was sincerely grateful to him
1st COURT. Well, yes, his wife was poisoned. I hope her soul is in heaven.
2nd COURT. The only pity is that he himself is still on sinful earth. There is no place for such a good one!
1st COURT. They say his house burned down at night.
2nd COURT. Really? But what about himself?
1st COURT. He slept in the garden arbor and remained alive.
2nd COURT. Here's how? But still, I think he will soon meet his wife in heaven. Listen! What if he's a traitor?
1st COURT. Thought is always fresh! Will have to follow him. This is what nobility leads to! Traitor! (Both leave.)
WORTHY HUSBAND. Horrible! They won't rest until they kill me! What to do? Run immediately. Where? For a long time I have been thinking about the desert ... Now it's time! Farewell, perverted world!
LEADING. And he, secretly leaving the imperial court, went to Egypt, disguised himself as a hunter and, with a bow over his shoulders, went into the desert to a certain great old man.
FUGITIVE(approaches a group of monks having dinner). So this great old man! He, they say, is the strictest ascetic and eats only bread and water. (Sniffs.) But what is that smell? (Old man.) Bless, father.
OLD MAN. God bless you.
FUGITIVE(embarrassed). How tasty you cook, better than in city monasteries. I didn't expect this at all in the desert.
OLD MAN. Don't be embarrassed, brother. I see you are dressed like a hunter... Draw your bow. (The fugitive draws his bow slightly.) Stronger. (Still pulling.) Even stronger...
FUGITIVE. If you pull too hard on the bow, it will break.
OLD MAN. This is how it is in the spiritual life. You need to fight your passions, work on yourself, but sometimes you need both rest and consolation.
FUGITIVE. They told me the truth, father, about your discretion. Take me to your monastery.
LEADING. The elder took the fugitive to the monastery as a novice and settled him in his cell.
NOVICE(sweeping the floor). Everything is met, met, met... When will the spiritual life begin? Then soak wheat and whip baskets ... No, that's not how I understand monasticism! Monasticism is an angelic image, and here you become like a beast, not an angel! (Throws the broom. The old man enters.) Father, I have decided! I renounce everything earthly, so I leave your cell and live in the desert like an angel. (Quickly exits.)
OLD MAN. Just think, he went into the night without warm clothes, without food, without fire ... Ah, youth - ardor and inexperience. But God is merciful. I think he will be back soon. However, you need to teach it.
LEADING. At night, the novice froze and, unable to withstand the cold, began to knock on the door of the cell.
NOVICE. Father, father! Let me in!
OLD MAN. Get away, damned Satan! My novice has become like angels, and he does not need a cell.
NOVICE. It's me, your follower. (Teeth chattering.) I'm dying from the cold.
OLD MAN. Angels do not experience cold. You demon, don't embarrass me.
NOVICE. I am not a demon or an angel, I am a man, take pity for the sake of Christ and forgive my infirmity.
OLD MAN (opening the door). Well, since you are not an angel, but a weak person, then come in. And now you, I hope, understand that if we need food and clothing, we must also work for them.
LEADING. Once an old man and a novice were walking along the road.
NOVICE. Oh, what is this? (Raises handkerchief.) Father, I found a handkerchief!
OLD MAN. So what?
NOVICE. If you bless me, I'll take it for myself.
OLD MAN. Did you put it here?
NOVICE. No.
OLD MAN. How do you want to take what you didn't put in?
NOVICE. But this is a trifle, a handkerchief.
OLD MAN. And Christ said in the Gospel: “He who is faithful in a little and is faithful in much, but he who is unfaithful in a little is unfaithful and in much.”
NOVICE(throws the handkerchief angrily). Well, let it lie!
OLD MAN. Don't get angry, child.
NOVICE. What can I do with myself?
OLD MAN. Be patient and pray.
NOVICE. But where can you get it, patience, in a monastery? One annoying, then the other! (Kicks the handkerchief with his foot.) We still need to go to the desert!
OLD MAN. You've already tried.
NOVICE. I'll try again, otherwise you won't get along with people of sin. Goodbye.
OLD MAN. Save him, Lord!
LEADING. And the novice began to live alone in the wilderness.
NOVICE(sings). I now live alone, over the passions of the master ... Now I have no one to be angry with, I will pray to God in silence, keeping peace of mind. Here's the well, let's get some water... (Does what he says.) Let's collect one bucket ... put ... now another ... (The first bucket is overturned.) Oh bad luck! What it is?! Will have to pick up again... (While picking up the first bucket, the second set is turned over.) Well, what is it! Turned over again! No, I'll show you! (He puts down the first bucket and, nervously, picks up the second. The first is turned over.) Oh! So you will perish! (In anger, he throws both buckets into the well. He comes to his senses.) What have I done?! There are no more buckets ... And, most importantly, I went into the desert so as not to be angry, and here you are. The old man must be right. I will return to him with a guilty head. It can be seen that passions do not leave us anywhere, and we must fight them.
LEADING. The novice returned to the monastery to overcome his passions under the guidance of the elder.
NOVICE. Father, forgive me for my self-will. Now I will listen to you in everything.
OLD MAN. Is everything correct? Did you think well? And then you will grumble, as before.
NOVICE. No, father! I want to cut off my sinful will and do everything you say!
OLD MAN. Will you do it right?
NOVICE. Yes.
OLD MAN. See this dry stick?
NOVICE. I see.
OLD MAN. Stick it in the ground, right here. (Acolyte sticks in.) Every day come morning and evening and water it. Whoever tells you anything, answer that you expect fruits from this tree.
NOVICE. Bless, father.
OLD MAN. God bless you.
LEADING. And the novice began to water the dry stick every morning and evening.
1st MONK. This brother must have been ill. (The novice is watering the stick at this time.)
2nd MONK. Brother, what are you doing?
NOVICE. I water the tree.
2nd MONK. What for?
NOVICE. I hope to bear fruit from it.
1st MONK. I think you've overheated in the sun. It's not a tree, but a dry stick!
NOVICE. It is better to water a stick for obedience than to do your own will for the destruction of the soul.
LEADING. So three years passed. And one morning...
OLD MAN(sees that the novice is watering the stick, and the fruit is growing on it). Brother! Look!
NOVICE. Where will you bless, father?
OLD MAN. Look, your tree has borne fruit!
NOVICE. God bless.
OLD MAN. Brethren! Brethren! (The monks arrive.) See the miracle?
MONKS. We see! We see!
OLD MAN(plucks fruit). Brethren, I call on you all: eat the fruits of the tree of obedience.
NOVICE. What happiness, father, that God has led us into the wilderness and is showing us His miracles! But how are people saved in the world? I remember my life at court and those who surrounded me. Terrible! Does everyone die?
OLD MAN. No, child, it's not. And the laity achieve holiness, not just the desert dwellers. Many years ago this happened to me. Thoughts began to come to me and praise for a strict life. I did my best to drive them away with a prayer and one day I heard a voice from God: “You have not yet reached the spiritual measure of a digger living in Alexandria.”
LEADING. And the elder told the novice about his meeting with the holy digger.
OLD MAN. Peace be with you, true servant of God.
DIGGER (stops digging). And peace be with you, father. What truth did you find in a layman, having come from the holy wilderness?
OLD MAN. God sent me here, and for God's sake tell me about your exploits. How are you spending your life?
DIGGER. I have nothing to tell you, father. I don't know any good deeds.
OLD MAN. But how do you work? Show me.
DIGGER. Well, how? I collect earth in a shovel (shows) and say, "God loves all people," and then I discard the earth (shows) and I say: "Only I am worthy of eternal torment."
OLD MAN. Truly great is your work!
DIGGER. What is great here? Only the pay is great.
OLD MAN. How much are you being paid?
DIGGER. I get two coins a day, with one I buy bread for myself, and the other I give to the poor.
OLD MAN. Brother, this is the true way! “God loves all people, only I am worthy of eternal torment” - this is the saving arrangement of the mind.
NOVICE. So, father, do we struggle in vain in the wilderness, since the worldly digger has surpassed us by living in the city?
OLD MAN. No, child, it's not. Here I will show you an example. I'll push you, just don't fall. (Pushes the novice, he almost falls. So several times.) Was it hard for you to resist?
NOVICE. Wow.
OLD MAN. It is just as hard for a Christian to resist in the world - there are temptations all around. And in the desert there are no temptations, only demons and our pride, but this is also in the world with us.
NOVICE. Does everyone just have to go their own way?
OLD MAN. Everyone needs to carry their own cross.
TOGETHER. And thank God for everything!
Don't rush and don't be lazy
LEADING. There was one kind boy Vitya who sincerely believed in Christ and decided to fight his passions.
VITYA. Yes, I have many passions: both pride, and envy, and gluttony! (Calls mother.) Mother!
MOTHER. What, son?
VITYA. Don't cook chicken for me anymore, I'll eat bread and water.
MOTHER. Are you sick, honey?
VITYA. Mom, don't you understand? I decided to conquer the passion of gluttony. I will eat little and nothing tasty.
MOTHER. OK my love. (To the side.) Ah, poor child!
LEADING. Vitya courageously took up fasting and until the evening he ate only bread and drank water. Morning has come.
VITYA(wakes up). What does it smell like? Meat pies? No! It's finished! After all, he asked my mother not to give me delicious food. Mother!
SISTER(included). Mom went to the store for sauce. And these are pies on the table.
VITYA. And right on the table ... Why did they put it? (Picks up napkin.) And one pie is broken; anyway, it's no good - eat it. (Fights with himself.) Eh! (Eats.) Didn't resist! Gluttony has conquered me! (Eats all the pies with chagrin.)
LEADING. Frustrated, Vitya ran out into the street and met a friend.
FRIEND. Hello Vitya!
VITYA. Hello.
FRIEND. Are you so gloomy? Something happened?
VITYA. Pray for me brother. Passions conquer me. Only yesterday I decided: “I will not indulge in gluttony. Only bread and water, and they are not enough. And this morning I ate meat pies.
FRIEND. This is because you relied on yourself, on your strengths, but you must put all your hope on God and expect success from God in every business.
VITYA. Great idea! How did this not occur to me before?! Well, now hold on, passions!
LEADING. Vitya ran home inspired by the hope of an early victory over his passions. He constantly whispered a prayer, asking God for help.
MOTHER. Vitenka, will you eat soup?
VITYA. I only eat bread and water.
MOTHER. This is your favorite, with meatballs...
VITYA(to the side). How it smells! (He pinches his nose, shouts to his mother.) I told you I won't eat!
MOTHER. Well, maybe leave until the evening?
VITYA. Are you tempting me on purpose?! (He snatches the plate from his mother and throws the soup out the window.) Here's your soup!
SISTER(drenched in soup, she eavesdropped under the window). Oh what's going on!
MOTHER(covers face with hands). Vitya, what's wrong with you?!
VITYA(comes to his senses - stands with his head down). I don't know myself. Sorry. (He mechanically takes a pie from the table and eats it. Everyone leaves, he remains alone.) Nothing happens ... Passions control me, it's useless to fight.
LEADING. Downcast, Vitya left the house and went to church, indulging in thoughts of despair. In the courtyard of the temple he met a priest.
VITYA. Bless, father.
PRIEST. God bless you. How are you?
VITYA. I'm not doing well.
PRIEST. Something happened? Mom got sick or sister?
VITYA. My soul hurts. Can't fight my passions; it is clear that I am the son of perdition.
LEADING. And Vitya told the priest everything that happened to him these days.
PRIEST. In vain, brother, you are so upset. Bring me the ladder, it's over there. (Vitya brings.) Try, Vitya, to jump straight to the top step. One, two, jump!
VITYA (jumps). Of course, you can't jump from the spot. If only with a running start to try?
PRIEST. I do not advise you to take a run, you can break your head. How to get to the top step? Which step should you climb first?
VITYA. Well, yes, you need to get on the bottom step.
PRIEST. It is the same in the spiritual life: you need to start small and grow gradually, step by step, and not rush, like you, at once to great deeds.
VITYA. Why shouldn't I fast at all and fight my passions? Of course, my weakness has already manifested itself, there is nothing to do ...
PRIEST. Well, you already put your hands down. There is no reason to be discouraged! Just start not from the big, but from the small: do not offend your mother, observe the usual fasts. Here, listen to the story from Fatherland.
LEADING. One day, the father sent his son to clear a piece of land from stones.
FATHER. Go, son, to our distant wasteland, clear it of stones, otherwise it is unsuitable for crops.
SON. Okay father, I'll do anything.
LEADING. And the son went to a distant wasteland.
SON(kicks a rock). Ege-ge ... How many stones ... (Looks around.) And what a big plot ... Yes, here I can’t manage even in a year. I'll lie down while I sleep. The morning is wiser than the evening.
LEADING. So a whole month passed. The son, seeing the neglected land, did not dare to start work and then wandered around the site, gasping, then lay down under a tree and slept. Finally, the father himself came there to see how things were going.
FATHER. What is it I see? The plot is not cultivated at all... Where is my son? Son-o-ok!
SON(rises from under the tree, sleepy). Who was it that called me? Oh, is that you, father?
FATHER. Why didn't you work the land, son?
SON. You see, the site is very rocky, I did not dare to take up the job.
FATHER. Son, if you cleared as much land in a day as you occupied with your body during sleep, then the entire area would have already been processed.
PRIEST. You see, Vitya, there is no need to rush or lose heart, but gradually, stone by stone, cleanse your heart of passions.
VITYA. And then we will ascend step by step to heaven.
TOGETHER. God willing.
After Service
The priest sits on a bench, listens, but does not participate in the conversation for the time being.
1st parishioner. What a great service!
2nd PARISHMAN. Yes, if you pray in our church, you will get a charge for the whole day. Really, Ning?
NINA(wife of the 2nd parishioner). Certainly! I don't want to leave the church.
PARISHOLDER 1. Especially when you pray with attention... But it's hard to keep such a mood.
NINA. Where there! You come home - business, worries ...
2nd PARISHMAN. Come on! What are the concerns? The renovation has already been done...
NINA. You, of course, have no worries, and from morning to evening I spin like a squirrel in a wheel. Only in the temple and rest your soul.
PARISHOLDER 1. Still, you need to try to keep the mood.
NINA. What a mood!
2nd PARISHMAN. And how are you going to save it?
NINA (priest). Father, you tell us.
PRIEST. And what to say?
PRIEST. It's very simple, children: no need to talk nonsense.
ALL. Father. We won't do it again!
Vanyukha - Tsarevich John
LEADING. In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, Vanyukha lived and was a good guy. Yes, he had three friends: Zhirko, Zhadko and Vazhnukha. And so these friends annoyed him that they didn’t give him life at all.
For example, Great Lent has come. Vanyukha thinks:
VANYUKHA. I will pray! I'll fast! I will never eat ice cream and go to church more often.
ICE CREAMER. Ice cream is very tasty! Buy ice cream!
VANYUKHA. No! No! Great post is coming. I won't!
FAT. Come on, Vanyukha. Just eat a small piece.
VANYUKHA. But what about the post?
IMPORTANT. So this is for the uncultured, and you, Vanyukha, are a cultured guy.
ICE CREAMER. Ice cream is running out! Buy soon! The last ice cream!
HARDLY. Hurry up and buy, Vanyukha, otherwise look out, the girl is running. Now your ice cream will buy.
LEADING. That's how they've always been. As soon as Vanyukha is about to do a good deed, Zhirko kindles voluptuousness in him, Zhadko - greed, and Vazhnukha - pride. They completely confused Vanyukha.
GIRL. Give me three packs of ice cream.
ICE CREAMER. Three are gone, there is one pack left.
VANYUKHA. Well, it's good that I didn't get it.
FAT, GREAT and IMPORTANT. You came early, this is your ice cream!
Vanyukha rushes to the ice cream maker, the girl grabs the ice cream and runs away.
LEADING. The girl ran away with ice cream, Vanyukha followed her. He ran along the streets and along the streets, along the streets and along the back streets. A girl ran out of the city - and into the thicket. Vanyukha is behind her.
VANYUKHA. Oh, where did I go? And there is no girl with ice cream ... All skinned ... Oh! The whole body hurts. And friends have gone somewhere ... (She staggers and falls asleep, leaning against a tree.)
LEADING. And it always happened with them: Zhirko, Zhadko and Vazhnukha Vanyukha will be driven to sin, but in trouble they will be abandoned.
VANYUKHA(wakes up). Where am I? Dark Forest... How did I get here? A! I remember...
ANGEL(in the form of an old man). What, Vanyukha, is it bad for you? Do you know what your name is? You are not Vanyukha, but Tsarevich John. And your friends are not friends at all, but robbers. When you were a little boy, they lured you out of the royal palace...
IMPORTANT. John! How pretty! You are the smartest and best boy.
HOT. Come to us, we will give you candy.
HARDLY. We have a lot of sweets in reserve!
ANGEL. You believed them, but they stole you and told you that they were your friends.
JOHN. Yes, now I remember.
ANGEL. Return, prince, to your Father.
JOHN. But where is he? How to find the way to Him?
ANGEL. Here look. (Pointing to Prayer.) This is your bride, her name is Prayer. If you love her, she will connect with you. And whoever unites with the Prayer, she will lead him into the royal palace.
JOHN. Let's go soon!
ANGEL. Don't rush, listen more. Zhirko, Zhadko and Vazhnukha will not leave you so easily, they will again try to take possession of you. Don't be afraid of them, but don't listen to them either. Here is your spiritual sword - the Word of God, do not let go of it and do not forget your bride Prayer.
JOHN. And who are you, good man?
ANGEL. I am your guardian angel. And also know, Prince John, that you can enter the royal palace of your Father only if you find your sisters: Purity, Simplicity and Humility.
JOHN. Where can I find them?
ANGEL. Seek and you will find. But, most importantly, do not forget about your bride - Prayer.
LEADING. And the guardian angel became invisible. Seeing a path in front of him, John with Prayer went along it.
JOHN. That's how great! Now I have a spiritual sword and Prayer is with me. I am not afraid of anything, I will overcome all enemies and enter the palace of my Father.
LEADING. So he talked to himself, and the Prayer departed from him.
FAT. Oh, Vanyukhushka, how emaciated you are, how you were torn off. You don't feel sorry for yourself at all!
JOHN. Get away from me, Zhirko, I have no time.
FAT. No, lie down, rest, don't go anywhere, have pity on yourself.
JOHN(tries to leave). Let it go!
HARDLY. Yes, how are you going? And the house, and the economy? Have you thought about retirement, Vanyukha?
JOHN ( wielding a sword). Scripture says, "Trust in the Lord!"
IMPORTANT. Well done, Vanya! You are a brave and mighty warrior!
JOHN(lowering the sword). Repeat what did you say?
All three rush at John and begin to tie him up.
HARDLY. All right, got it.
FAT. Now you won't leave us!
(All three laugh.)
IMPORTANT."Mighty Warrior"! Where is your sword? Now we will cut off your head.
JOHN. I'm dying! I'm dying! I forgot about prayer… Lord, help me!
Prayer appears, unties John and drives away Zhirko, Zhadko and Vazhnukha, who, hissing, crawl away.
JOHN. God bless! (Takes the sword from Prayer's hands.) I'll go look for my sisters: Purity, Simplicity and Humility. But how can I recognize them?
ANGEL. But get acquainted.
PURITY. I am Purity. Every time you conquer voluptuousness, I get closer to you.
SIMPLICITY. And I am Simplicity. As long as you trust in God, you are truly my brother, but when you trust in your own understanding, you lose me.
HUMILITY. And I am your third sister - Humility. Fight, John, with pride, and I will always be with you.
JOHN. Come quickly to the Father in the palace!
ANGEL. Let's go. But the road will be long and difficult.
PURITY. After all, Zhirko is still alive.
SIMPLICITY. And Zhadko is still alive.
HUMILITY. And Vazhnukha is still full of strength.
ANGEL. And in you, brother Tsarevich John, there is still a lot from the former Vanyukha.
PRAYER. So hold your sword tight; do not leave me, Prayer. Be faithful to God unto death, and He will give you the crown of life!
Everyone sings:
Save, O Lord, your people,
And bless your inheritance
Giving victory to the opposition,
And Yours keeping by Your Cross residence.
Fire victims
LEADING. Once upon a time there were two poor widows. One of them was greedy and the other kind. If someone used to ask: "Give me some water to drink," good milk and bread will also take him out and say:
GOOD WIDOW. Peace be with you, good man. Eat for Christ's sake and pray for me.
LEADING. And the greedy widow will pour half a mug of water and even grumble:
GREAT WIDOW. They walk and walk here, begging for water. So all the water will soon be drunk and the air will be exhaled!
LEADING. To a good widow, it happens, and a bunny will come running ...
BUNNY. Grandmother, grandmother, I hurt my paw, help me.
LEADING. She will bandage his paw and even treat him with a carrot.
BUNNY. Thank you, grandma. May God reward you for your kindness.
LEADING. And the greedy widow did not like people, and even more so animals.
GREAT WIDOW. If I see where a bird or an animal is, I just want to throw a stone at them. I just got weaker, more and more I get into myself.
LEADING. So they lived in their huts, each in its own way, until one day ...
WANDERER ( knocking on J hell widow). Peace to this house! ( Pause.) Is there anyone alive here?
GREEDY WIDOW ( from outside the door). There are so far. What do you need?
WANDERER. I, mother, collect old things for the victims of the fire. Will you give something for the sake of Christ?
GREAT WIDOW. Old things you say? I don't have old things.
WANDERER. So, can you donate new ones?
GREEDY WIDOW(to the side). Look, give him new ones! (To the wanderer.) I never had a new one.
WANDERER. Well, mother, so you won’t give anything to the victims of the fire?
GREEDY WIDOW (to the side). So he won't get rid of me at all. (To the wanderer.) Here's a new boot for you!
LEADING. The wanderer sighed and went to the house of another widow.
WANDERER. Peace to this house!
GOOD WIDOW. We accept with peace! Come on, good man.
WANDERER ( enters, baptized on the image). I, mother, collect old things for the victims of the fire. Will you give something for the sake of Christ?
GOOD WIDOW. How not to apply! Open up your bag. (The Stranger opens.) Here's my old sheepskin coat, and here are the felt boots, here's the saucepan, and take a new sheepskin coat ...
WANDERER. You yourself, mother, what will you be left with?
GOOD WIDOW. I, my dear, will stay with God, but the poor victims of the fire must be helped, because they have lost all their good. Collect everything that is in the house, as much as it will fit into your bag.
LEADING. The good widow gave away everything she had in her house, leaving only the image of the Mother of God. And the wanderer, who collected fire victims, left with all the goods of a good widow and one galosh, which another widow gave him. But as soon as he stepped outside the threshold, the sky became overcast, thunder boomed, lightning flashed terribly and hit the houses of both old women. The houses immediately caught fire, and the widows only managed to jump out themselves in what they were. (The good widow runs out with the image in her hands). The houses quickly burned down, and the storm ended.
WANDERER. Here, mothers, how it turned out. No wonder I asked you to file for the victims of the fire. Accept, good sister, your goodness. Take yours too, poor thing. Forward there will be science for you and all: what we regret to give to God will perish forever, and what we sacrifice for the sake of Christ will remain with us forever.
Easter Bun
1st LEADING. Once upon a time there lived a poor grandfather and a woman.
2nd LEADER. Very poor.
1st LEADING. They didn't have a chicken.
2nd LEADER. Oh, it wasn't.
1st LEADING. She didn't lay their eggs.
LEADING(together). Ine could they bake an Easter cake!
2nd LEADER. Grandpa Babe says:
GRANDFATHER. What, dear, should we break the fast at Easter?
WOMAN. Oh, I don't know, honey. After all, our flour has long since ended.
GRANDFATHER. Come on, woman, let's not lose heart, but pray to God that we sweep the barn, scrape the barn; maybe at least it will pick up a bun.
1st LEADING. So they did: they swept the barn, scraped the barrels, kneaded the martyr in water, salted it with a teardrop.
2nd LEADER. They thanked God.
1st LEADING. They baked a lean bun and put it on the window.
LEADING(together). Get cold until morning.
2nd LEADER. And in the morning Kolobok woke up before anyone else.
KOLOBOK. Something grandparents can not hear. Sleep go. They messed with me yesterday, even overslept mass. I’ll sway to the church while they sleep, I’ll sprinkle holy water at the priest’s, at least I will console the old people with this.
1st LEADING. Kolobok jumped off the windowsill to the ground and went to the church. Yes, not on the road, but straight through the forest. The wolf is facing him.
WOLF.
KOLOBOK. What are you, Wolf, because I'm not yet consecrated. It is swept along the barn, scraped along the barrel, mixed with water, salty with a tear, but not yet consecrated. Wait for me here.
BEAR. Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Man, I'll eat you.
KOLOBOK. What are you, Bear, because I'm not yet consecrated. It is swept along the barn, scraped along the barrel, mixed with water, salty with a tear, but not yet consecrated. Wait for me here.
FOX. Happy holiday, Kolobok. How far have you gone, my sweetheart?
KOLOBOK. I, Lisa, am in a hurry to go to church.
FOX. Where, sweetie? I didn't hear something.
KOLOBOK. Sprinkle holy water in the church of God.
FOX. I became somewhat deaf. Come closer to me, my postnenky, closer.
KOLOBOK. I, Lisonka, am in a hurry to go to church, to sprinkle holy water at the priest, and you wait for me here.
2nd LEADER. Kolobok rolled into the church and immediately to the priest. He sprinkled himself with holy water, and the priest asked him:
BATYUSHKA. Where, Kolobok, is your red testicle?
KOLOBOK. I don’t have a red testicle, father. My grandparents are poor.
BATYUSHKA. Here, take it, Gingerbread Man, take the testicles to grandpa and grandma.
1st INDUSTRIAL. And then the parishioners heard the conversation, they gave the Gingerbread Man a whole basket of testicles.
2nd LEADER. Gingerbread man rolls back through the forest straight, and a wolf, a bear and a fox meet him.
BEASTS. Happy holiday to you, Kolobok, with the upcoming Resurrection of Christ! We will have something to break the fast for Easter!
KOLOBOK. What you, animals, unreasonable! After all, I’m lean: I’m swept through the barns, scraped through the barrels, mixed with water, salted with a tear. How are you going to get on with me?
BEASTS. What are we to do then?
KOLOBOK. Take a red testicle here, and as the mass departs at night, you will break your fast.
BEASTS. Well, thank you, Kolobok! Say hello to grandpa and grandma!
1st LEADING. Kolobok ran home.
GRANDFATHER AND GRANDMA. Where have you been, Kolobok? We were very worried about you!
KOLOBOK. I, grandparents, was in the church, sprinkled with holy water and brought you red testicles. There will be something to break the fast for Easter!
Gifts of Artaban
Based on the story of the same name by an unknown author, "Orthodox Conversation", No. 10–12, 1992.
LEADING. In the days of King Herod, when the Savior of the world Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem, a star that had never been seen before suddenly lit up in the sky. She shone brightly and slowly moved towards Palestine. Seeing her, some wise men understood that this was a sign of God: somewhere the great King of kings was born. They decided to find Him in order to worship and serve Him, and for this they agreed to gather in one place and follow the wonderful star in a single caravan.
Among the Magi was the great Persian sage Artaban. He wanted to donate all his property to the newborn King and therefore sold everything he had, and with this money he bought three precious stones: a sapphire, a ruby and a pearl, which he intended to put at the feet of the great Infant, because he loved Him with all his heart, although and never saw it.
ARTABAN(looking at the star). Here it is, the sign of God! The King of kings is coming to us from heaven, and soon, Lord, I will see You!
LEADING. Artaban went to the gathering place of the Magi. He left early and was not afraid to be late, but suddenly he saw a seriously ill man lying on the ground by the road.
ARTABAN. What should I do? You cannot leave your neighbor without help. But if I delay, I will not be in time for the gathering place and will not bow to the newborn King. (Hesitates.) I'll go! (The patient groans. Artaban stops.) God is great! You know how I aspire to You, but didn't you give the commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself"? Can I walk by and not help a person in need?
LEADING. Artaban stayed, and after a while the patient came to his senses, he felt better.
SICK. Who are you? For whom should I pray to God until the end of my days? And why is your face so sad?
ARTABAN. I, the Persian sorcerer Artaban, hurried to meet other sorcerers in order to follow the wonderful star of the King of kings together and bow to Him. But now I am late for the meeting and will not be able to bring my gifts to the Son of God.
SICK. Don't be sad, benefactor. I am Jewish. It is predicted in the sacred books of my people that the King of Truth, the Anointed One of God, will be born in the Jewish city of Bethlehem. Hurry there.
ARTABAN(jumping up). Thank you for your advice. Goodbye.
SICK(after him). Farewell, my dear benefactor.
LEADING. Artaban was forced to turn back because he was late for the meeting place and had to prepare himself for the journey. In those days, travel was difficult, dangerous and expensive.
ATABAN. You will have to sell one stone to equip the caravan. But the main thing is not to be late to the Tsar.
LEADING. Artaban was in a hurry. And now he is finally in Bethlehem.
Artaban is knocking at the house. A woman comes out with a baby in her arms.
ARTABAN. Peace to your home. I'm looking for the Magi who came from the East. Did you see them, what house did they go to?
WOMAN. Yes, recently there were travelers from the East, they were looking for some kind of Mary from Nazareth, they called her the mother of the great King. I don’t know where they went afterwards, and I didn’t see Maria with her son. They are said to have fled to Egypt.
Shouts behind the scenes: “Save yourself! Herod's soldiers kill babies."
WOMAN. O good man! Save my son and God will save you. (Guards burst in.)
GUARD(to a woman). Come here baby. Herod ordered the death of all the children in Bethlehem.
ARTABAN(to the guard.) Listen, you'd better take this ruby and tell me you didn't find the baby. (The warrior takes the ruby and hides.)
WOMAN. May God bless you, good man, and may the King of Truth reward you with mercy for your mercy.
ARTABAN. Lord, forgive me! Out of pity for these people, I gave away the precious stone intended as a gift to You. Will I ever see Your face? Don't know. But I will seek You to give away the last thing I have left - a beautiful pearl.
LEADING. For thirty-three years Artabanus searched everywhere for the King of kings, and finally a rumor reached him that a man had appeared in Judea, performing great signs and wonders, and that many believed in Him as the Son of God.
ARTABAN. Finally, I will find You, bow down and bring my gift!
LEADING. And here he is in Judea. Easter holiday. With a crowd of pilgrims, Artaban reaches Jerusalem and is surprised to notice a lot of people coming from the city.
ARTABAN (to a passer-by). Where is all this people going?
PASSERER. Do not you know? Mount Golgotha. Jesus of Nazareth, who called himself the Son of God, is being crucified there today.
ARTABAN. Again, again, I'm late! But, perhaps, I will still have time to bow to Him hanging on the cross.
Goes. Towards the guards lead the girl, she rests. Seeing Artaban, he grabs him by the edge of his clothes and screams.
YOUNG WOMAN. Help me, good man, have pity on me!
ARTABAN. What's the matter?
YOUNG WOMAN. My father died without repaying the debt, and I will be sold into slavery if no one gives money.
ARTABAN. Such, apparently, is the will of God. (Gives her a pearl.) This pearl is enough to pay the debt. Be free and pray for me.
LEADING. At this time, thunder struck, the earth shook and the sky darkened. Some houses began to collapse, heavy tiles fell from the roof of one of them and smashed Artaban's head. He fell, bleeding. The girl leaned over him.
YOUNG WOMAN. He dies, and his face is bright and joyful. It's like he's talking to someone.
ARTABAN. Lord, when did I see you thirsty and give you drink, starving and feed you? For thirty-three years I have been looking for You and have not found You, and I could not bow down to You, my King.
Saint Nicholas
LEADING. In ancient times, a husband, a wife and a little son sailed along the Dnieper in a boat. The mother accidentally dozed off and dropped the child into the water, and when she woke up, it was already too late - the boy drowned. His parents were horrified, but, being believers, they did not give in to despair, but began to pour out their grief in prayer. Soon they reached the city of Kyiv and suddenly heard strange news: in the church of Hagia Sophia, an unknown living baby was found, and at the same time all wet. Immediately the husband and wife rushed to the church and recognized in the found child their drowned son. He was lying under the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker... Nicholas the Wonderworker... This was the same saint to whom the grieving parents turned to with a prayer from the bottom of their hearts. He heard them and performed a miracle - he saved a drowned boy from death. Our story will go about the life, miracles and good deeds of St. Nicholas.
LEADING. In the same city with St. Nicholas lived a man who was once rich, but then fell into poverty and despair.
FATHER. Oh what should I do, what should I do?! We have been starving for three days already, and I cannot look at the suffering of my unfortunate daughters!
1st DAUGHTER. Father will have to sell us into slavery.
2nd DAUGHTER. We have nothing more to hope for.
3rd DAUGHTER. Still, I hope in God and pray for His help.
LEADING. This conversation was heard by St. Nicholas, he took pity on the unfortunate people.
NIKOLAY. I must help them immediately. I have money, gold. I will give it to the poor girls so that their father can marry them off.
LEADING. Knowing that the former rich man would be ashamed to accept alms, Nikolai secretly threw him a bag of money.
FATHER. What is this? Gold?! Where? Who brought it to me? (Catches up with Nikolai.) Nicholas, are you? We will never forget you, and God will reward you with mercy for mercy.
LEADING. After several years, in the city of Myra, the capital of the Lycian region, the archbishop died and it was necessary to choose a worthy Christian in his place. To this end, all the bishops of Lycia gathered in Myra and earnestly prayed to God to reveal His will to them.
1st BISHOP. Lord, show us a man worthy to become an archbishop!
2nd BISHOP. Help us, Lord!
LEADING. And an angel of God appeared to them and said to make the archbishop of the one who first comes to church in the morning, and called the name of this person - Nicholas. And just at that time Saint Nicholas lived in the Lycian Worlds, he distributed all his property to the poor, and no one knew him. He visited the temple of God every day and came there before anyone else. That is what happened this morning.
NIKOLAY(to the bishop). Bless, lord.
1st BISHOP. God bless you, child. Tell me your name.
NIKOLAY. Nicholas is my name.
1st BISHOP. Say it again, darling!
NIKOLAY. Nikolay.
1st BISHOP. Brethren! Hurry over here! (Bishops appear.) Here is the man indicated by God, he will be the archbishop of the World of Lycia.
LEADING. So Nicholas became an archbishop, or, what is the same thing, a saint. He zealously cared about the salvation of the souls of the people entrusted to him by God, but their bodily needs were close to the loving saint. When a severe famine occurred in the Lycian Worlds, Nicholas appeared in a dream to a merchant in Italy and ordered ships with wheat to be urgently sent to the Worlds to sell it to the people. Thanks to this miracle, many people were spared from starvation.
There was such a case with him. Nikolai briefly left his city. And suddenly…
1st CITIZEN. Lord, come back soon!
2nd CITIZEN. Save the innocent, condemned to death!
3rd CITIZEN. The ruler was bribed by evil people, and tomorrow the unfortunate slanderers will be beheaded.
1st CITIZEN. If you were in the Worlds, the ruler would not have dared to commit such villainy.
NIKOLAY. We're leaving immediately! Lord, help us make it!
LEADING. With God's help, the saint and his companions reached the place of execution in time.
RULER... The verdict is final. Cut off all three of their heads!
The executioner swings. Nicholas stops him.
NIKOLAY. Stop!
CONDEMNED. Thank you Father Nicholas!
ALL THE PEOPLE. They are not to blame for anything!
NIKOLAY (ruler). God will punish you for your unrighteous government. You must take care of the welfare of your neighbors, and not indulge in covetousness. Repent, or eternal torment awaits you.
LEADING. But the ruler did not repent, and after a short time, again bribed by criminals, he slandered three pious people before the king, who were imprisoned and were soon to be betrayed to torment and death.
1st PRISONER. There is no one to intercede for us before the king.
2nd and 3rd PRISONERS. Oh, woe to us, woe!
1st PRISONER. Oh, if St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia were here, he would help us out.
2nd and 3rd PRISONERS. Oh, he would have saved us!
1st PRISONER. God, God! Send your saint Nicholas to help us, because everything is possible for you!
2nd and 3rd PRISONERS. God Nicholas, help us!
LEADING. And indeed, help came in a completely unexpected way. Saint Nicholas appeared to the Tsar in a dream.
NIKOLAY. Release innocent prisoners immediately. Look! If you do not obey, then troubles will befall you in this life and in eternity - God's punishment!
TSAR(lying down). Who are you and why are you talking to me like that?
NIKOLAY. I am Nicholas, the protector of the unfortunate and the quick helper of those who call me.
TSAR(waking up). What was this terrible and strange dream? Who is this Nicholas? I will hasten to the prisoners and question them. (Goes to the prisoners and wakes them up.) Wake up and answer me. I saw in a dream a man named Nikolai, who strictly demanded to let you go free. Who is he?
2nd PRISONER. This is the Archbishop of Mir Lycian.
1st PRISONER. He is the intercessor of all the innocent suffering, and God, for the love of his neighbor, gave him the great power of miracles.
TSAR. I thank God for the mercy that He did not allow me to commit injustice. You are free, but I ask you: go to the Lycian Worlds, bow from me to St. Nicholas and ask him to pray for me.
Everyone sings the song "Saint Nicholas".
Saint Nicholas
We praise you, Saint Nicholas,
For demons, a terrible thunderstorm,
Paradise found with great love,
He showed us the rule of faith.
With compassion you pleased God,
Always stood for the offended,
Protected the innocent from death
There is a bright star in the sky of Truth.
Your innumerable miracles
God glorified you with them.
With them you gladdened the heavens,
And we sing to you, loving.
On March 13, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna made an archpastoral visit to Kolomna. On that day, in the Church of the Three Hierarchs of the Kolomna Theological Seminary, Vladyka Yuvenaly officiated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and performed the ordination of a deacon for a student of the KDS, reader Pyotr Rogozhin. He was co-served by the rector of the KDS, Bishop Konstantin of Zaraisky, the dean of the city of Kolomna and the Kolomna district, Bishop Peter Lukhovitsky, teachers and students ...
Anniversary of the repose of Archbishop Gregory of Mozhaisk
On February 25, a memorial service was held at the Bobrenev Monastery for Archbishop Gregory of Mozhaisk. On this day, the Divine Liturgy in the Feodorovsky Church of the monastery was led by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna. His Eminence was co-served by the vicar bishops of the Moscow Diocese: Bishop Tikhon of Vidnovsky, Bishop Roman of Serpukhov, Bishop Konstantin of Zaraisk, Bishop Peter of Lukhovitsky, Archpriest Mikhail Yegorov, Secretary of the Moscow Diocesan Administration, deans of the Church…
Christmas in Kolomna
On January 8, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna led the celebration of the Nativity of Christ in Kolomna. The day began with Divine Liturgy at the Tikhvin Church on Cathedral Square in the Kolomna Kremlin. Vladyka Metropolitan was co-served by Bishop Tikhon of Vidnovsky, Bishop Roman of Serpukhov, Bishop Konstantin of Zaraisky, Bishop Peter of Lukhovitsky, Archpriest Mikhail Yegorov, secretary of the Moscow Diocesan Administration, deans and clergy of the Moscow diocese. For Liturgy...
Divine Liturgy at the Bobrenev Monastery
On December 26, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna paid a visit to the Bobrenev Monastery. On the day of his 53rd anniversary of his episcopal consecration, Vladyka Metropolitan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Feodorovsky Church of the monastery. Metropolitan Yuvenaly was co-served by: Archimandrite Nestor (Zhilyaev), honorary rector of the Trinity Church in the village of Nazaryevo, Odintsovo district, archimandrite Irinarkh (Denisov), secretary of the Moscow…
Meeting of the clergy and laity of the Moscow diocese
On December 20, the skating center Kolomna, chaired by Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, held a meeting of the clergy and laity of the Moscow diocese. The meeting was attended by the vicars of the Moscow diocese, Bishops Vidnovsky Tikhon, Serpukhov Roman, Zaraisky Konstantin, Lukhovitsky Peter, members of the Diocesan Council, deans, chairmen and secretaries of the Diocesan departments and commissions, abbots and abbesses of monasteries, rectors of parishes, clergy of the Moscow diocese, ...
Memorial Day of St. Philaret in Kolomna
On December 2, celebrations were held in Kolomna dedicated to the day of memory of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. With the blessing of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, this morning the dean of the churches of the city of Kolomna and the Kolomna district, Bishop Peter Lukhovitsky, consecrated the foundation stone of the church in honor of St. Philaret in the Kolychevo microdistrict and led the Divine Liturgy in the Tikhvin Church ...
Filaret Readings at the Kolomna Theological Seminary
On November 29 at the Kolomna Theological Seminary, within the framework of the XVI Kolomna Municipal Christmas Educational Readings, Filaret Readings were held on the theme “Youth: Freedom and Responsibility”. The event was opened by the rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary, Bishop Konstantin of Zaraisk. At the readings, creative and research works of students of grades 7-11 of the schools of the Kolomna City District and the Orthodox Gymnasium of St. Philaret of Moscow were presented. Diplomas and...
Opening of the XVI Kolomna Municipal Christmas Readings
On November 28, the skating center "Kolomna" hosted the opening of the XVI Kolomna Municipal Christmas Educational Readings, held jointly by the Education Department of the Administration of the Kolomna City District and the deaneries of the churches of the city of Kolomna and the Kolomna District. The deputy head of the city administration P. N. Rodin, the rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary, Bishop Konstantin Zaraisky, the head of the education department of the administration of L.…
City procession in Kolomna
On November 4, on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and on National Unity Day, a traditional religious procession took place in Kolomna. With the blessing of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, the Divine Liturgy at the Dormition Cathedral in Kolomna was officiated by the rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary, Bishop Konstantin of Zaraisky, and the dean of the churches in the city of Kolomna and the Kolomna District, Bishop Peter Lukhovitsky, co-serving…
Meeting of the Coordinating Council in the Department of Education of the Kolomna City District
On September 19, a meeting of the Coordinating Council for interaction between the Department of Education of the Kolomna City District and the deaneries of the city of Kolomna and the Kolomna District was held. The meeting was attended by the rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary, Bishop Konstantin of Zaraisky, Dean of the Churches of the city of Kolomna and the Kolomna District, Bishop Lukhovitsky Petr, Head of the Department of Education L. N. Lunkova, Assistant Dean of the Churches of Kolomna, Rector of the Assumption…
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Meeting of the Coordinating Council in the Department of Education of the Kolomna City District
