Priest Igor Sharov: The Gospel is the spiritual foundation of our life. Parish of the Church of the Epiphany

The gospel is the main sacred book for all Christians, since it is the living word of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is in the Gospel that the earthly life and ministry of the Savior, His sermons and instructions to people, miracles, passions, redemptive death for all mankind and the subsequent miraculous Resurrection from the dead are described. In total there are four Gospels written by the apostles of Christ - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All together, as a whole, they are part of the second major part Holy Scripture(Bible) - .

Traditionally, the Gospel is read in churches during divine services, as well as during the celebration of the sacraments. However, the temple is not the only place where you can and should read this book, it is also vitally important for Christians to turn to it in their private, home religious life. In this regard, especially among novice believers, the question often arises - how to read the Holy Gospel at home correctly?

How to read correctly?

In answering this question, several defining moments can be singled out, which are pointed out by both the holy ascetics of God and well-known contemporary clergymen.

Firstly, reading the gospel at home should be serious and conscious with some training and mood. It is important to understand that in the hands is a sacred book, the very Revelation of God, and therefore every word in it must be treated with the utmost care.

second moment, especially in answering the question - how to read the Gospel at home for a beginner? - This, of course, is faith in what you read. In fact, this book has been read and is being read not only by Christians, and even not always by believers in general. At the same time, everyone who reads the Gospel is looking for something important for himself personally. However, Christians must read the Word of God with full faith in what it tells, otherwise, according to the word of the Apostle Paul: “ and our preaching is in vain, and faith is also in vain..."(1 Corinthians 15:14). This also applies to the description of miracles, and other various events from the life of Christ, and especially His glorious Resurrection from the dead. And, of course, it is important to support such a reading with an appeal to the interpretations of the holy fathers. In this case, it will become easier to understand many of the gospel episodes.

Another important point – Reading the Gospel should be regular, systematic. Of course, it is good to turn to the Word of God in any need, difficult or joyful events in life, but Christians are called to turn to it constantly. That is why one should try to open the Holy Gospel as often as possible, preferably daily.

How to read the Gospel every day?

Answering the question - how to read the Gospel every day at home? - it is worth noting that such reading should be logically built. Let you read little by little, but these small parts should logically begin and end. One of the most common types of gospel reading is this is from the first (from Matthew) to the fourth (from John) at least one chapter per day. And there may be another option, for example, one chapter in the morning, afternoon (if possible) and at night. Upon completion of reading the entire Gospel, one must again return to its beginning - thus, a holistic perception of what has been read is formed and consolidated in a person.

In addition, there are specific patristic advice on reading this holy book. So, according to the saints, believers need to include the reading of the Gospel and other books of the New Testament in their home prayer rule. For example, two chapters from Acts and one chapter of the Gospel per day. But in general, as noted above, different variations are possible here, based on the capabilities and internal needs each specific person.

Another frequently asked question is how to read the gospel great post Houses? In this case, in addition to the main recommendations, several more points can be noted. Firstly, during Great Lent, the reading of the Word of God must be strengthened, that is, reading more than usual. Secondly, we can pay more attention to the description of the last days of Christ's earthly life - His sermons, His trials, passions, death on the cross, Resurrection. This reading is especially appropriate for Holy Week.

It also matters how Orthodox person reads the Holy Gospel at home - standing or sitting. In this case, again, there is different tips. Of course, ideally, you need to read the holy book while standing. So, for example, Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy in his book “The Law of God” recommended reading the Word of God while standing, crossing himself once before and three times after reading. However, even if a person reads the Gospel while sitting, which is generally not forbidden, then it must be done with reverence (without crossing one's legs, etc.), seriously and consciously, without being distracted by extraneous topics. In general, on this topic, one can cite the well-known words of St. Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow: “ It is better to sit and think about God than standing - about the legs.».

Prayer before reading the Gospel at home

“Rise in our hearts, O Lord of mankind, your incorruptible light of theology, and open our eyes mentally, in your gospel sermons understanding, put fear in us and your blessed commandments, so that carnal lusts are all right, we will go through spiritual life, all, even to pleasing Yours is both wise and active. You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, Christ God, and we send glory to You, with Your Father without beginning and the All-Holy, and the Good, and Your Life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen".

Prayer after reading the Gospel at home (you can also refer to it before reading)

“Save, Lord, and have mercy on Your servants (names) with the words of the Divine Gospel, which are about the salvation of Your servant. The thorns of all their sins have fallen, Lord, and may Thy grace dwell in them, burning, cleansing, sanctifying the whole person in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Conversation with the cleric of the temple Life-Giving Trinity in Starye Cheryomushki by priest Igor Sharov on the air of the Soyuz TV channel

- On the air of the Orthodox TV channel "Soyuz" the program "Conversations with the priest." In the studio Alexander Sergienko. Our guest is the cleric of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Starye Cheryomushki, Priest Igor Sharov. Today we will talk about Orthodox literature. First of all, a question. Father, there is the Bible, but at the same time there are also the works of the Holy Fathers. The question is, why are they needed, if there is a Bible?

Without humility one cannot comprehend the truth

– There is a strong opinion that the Gospel cannot be understood immediately, that a person who has just discovered the Gospel cannot immediately penetrate it, he is not yet ready to accept it, because his soul still does not see God enough and is not sufficiently trained to fulfill the commandments of God. A person does not yet have sufficient humility to comprehend all the truths that are written in the Gospel. And the writings of the Holy Fathers serve as a kind of preparation for reading the Gospel. They teach how the Gospel should be understood, interpreted, and fulfilled.

- That is, the language of symbols in which the Gospel is written is very difficult for an unprepared person, - do I understand correctly?

- Yes. Because the gospel has a depth that no one, even a very educated person, can immediately draw out. This depth is comprehended in proportion to our spiritual life. And for each spiritual age the Gospel is revealed in its own measure. But it is important to understand the Gospel correctly: if you understand it incorrectly, you can not only harm yourself with such unreasonable reading, but also damage your faith, disrupt your spiritual life to a large extent. I even came across a case where a person who began to read Old Testament, just became an unbeliever. He read it without interpretation, without first reading the Gospel, and he had the following opinion: what kind of people are they who kill each other, how do they live in general, and how can they be understood and accepted? And it caused him the strongest internal protest. And it all happened because a person had not previously delved into the study of the Gospel and the Bible, and such a superficial reading plus interpretations from one's own mind led to a loss of faith. And so that this does not happen to you, the Gospel must be read, prepared accordingly.

– Father, there are many works of the Holy Fathers. How not to get lost in the abundance of books? How to determine the work of which holy father to choose?

– As St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) advises, in particular, we must choose a reading that suits our way of life. And this has a deep meaning: why should the laity read in depth about hermits and monks? Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but spiritual reading should somehow be reflected in our lives. We must draw from there something effective for our life. Otherwise, all reading will be of little use.

From simple to complex

- Father, call - the Belgorod region is in touch.

- I have the following question regarding the interpretation of the Gospel: chapter six of the Gospel of Luke, says Christ: “Do not judge and you will not be judged, do not condemn and you will not be condemned” - that is, these two concepts are separated: condemnation is understandable, but what kind of judgment then it is said - about the worldly, about the state? And the second question, according to the Epistle of the Apostle Paul, is not clear here: “The mystery of lawlessness is already at work, only it will not be completed until the one who now restrains is taken from the midst.” Who is "holding now"?

– We must not forget that the Gospel is not interpreted from the point of view of everyday life, everything here has a deep spiritual meaning. As for condemnation, this, of course, is not a state court. We may not judge anyone, but for some reason we may be condemned by the court, we may be given an unfair sentence, and we will consider that the Gospel is not telling the truth in this regard, because we did not judge anyone, but we are condemned. Therefore, here the words "do not judge" and "do not condemn" refer to the spiritual side. So, the Monk Seraphim said that non-judgment is half of salvation. The spiritual gaze of a person who condemns is directed to external events, to some people, and this does not allow a person to look inside himself. And therefore, he cannot see the sinful ulcers and vices of his soul and begins to consider himself a righteous person who has the right to judge others. Of course, such a person is condemned by God; just as he judged those around him, so those around him will judge him, and the righteous Judgment of God will be performed on him in the same way. Here is the interpretation here.

As for the “holding now”, there are various interpretations. And at the same time, it is recognized that each of them has the right to exist. The holy fathers often gave interpretations depending on who came to them; they applied a slightly different shade of interpretation to different people. And here one of the interpretations is this: as long as the Holy Spirit is present in believing people, he prevents the Antichrist from coming and reigning this son of iniquity. Since the Holy Spirit holds him and binds him, he cannot deceive people so boldly, and when the Holy Spirit leaves the human soul, when people forget God, stop praying, going to the temple of God, then nothing will prevent the Antichrist from coming and seducing all the people who for their apostasy from God they will be subject to this deceit.

- The next call is again from the Belgorod region.

—Batiushka, the goal of any Christian is to acquire the Holy Spirit. And the holy fathers wrote about this, and it is confirmed by their experience personal life. Why should the laity read other literature, and not the biographies of the holy fathers? I believe that only the holy fathers should be read, and the rest should be brushed aside.

– In many respects I agree with you. As regards the fundamental truths of the faith, the fundamental principles of the Christian life, of course, the main authority for us should be the holy fathers. On the other hand, not always the holy fathers can be perceived by a modern person. Therefore, many collections, compilations, and some adaptations have been written. And modern authors, depending on their spiritual level, their understanding of the Scriptures, compile and publish books. They, too, can and should be read. The writings of the holy fathers must be read regularly, very carefully, and meditated on in order to better perceive them. It is imperative to understand the difference between our time and the time of the holy fathers. Therefore, many people who are just starting to get acquainted with Orthodox faith, one cannot forbid reading books that are written by modern authors: many of them are written piously and can be instructive and useful, become such a transition to serious reading and perception of the holy fathers.

- The next call is from the Yaroslavl region.

- We can follow the rule here Reverend Seraphim who always read the gospel while standing. But he said that a weary person can read the Psalter while sitting. Of course, if a person is healthy and pious, it is useful for him to read the Gospel while standing, because it is difficult to fall asleep when reading while standing. But it happens that very busy people read the Gospel in transport, and those who are sick, and lying down. It is impossible to give unambiguous recipes for all occasions. Of course, one must treat the reading of the Gospel with reverence; before reading, one must pray that the Lord would reveal to us the truths that are contained there. Because a simple external reading of the Gospel, although interesting and informative, will not give the fruit that should be. The fruit should be such that we should read this Gospel as if with our own life. First, regularly study and know it. One can cite the following example: the Monk Pachomius the Great knew the Gospel by heart and demanded the same from his disciples. The gospel is a treasure that we always have with us, which we can draw from memory at any moment: in life there are many different situations- a person is sick, he cannot read, because he has problems with his eyesight, or he is in a place where there is no Gospel, and so a person always “has” the Gospel with him, which he can mentally open and read.

Of course, for our time this is hardly achievable, and yet, while reading the Gospel, we should try to draw its deep meaning. Because the gospel is the spiritual foundation of our lives, which is always fulfilled and can never be changed.

– Is the order in which the Gospels are read important?

- St. Ignatius says this about it: do not think that the order of placement - begins with the Gospel of Matthew, and ends with the Gospel of John - is arbitrary. This order is necessary for reading, because the Evangelist Matthew teaches how to correctly fulfill the commandments, and the Evangelist John explains the truths that have already been revealed to people who are to some extent enlightened by the Spirit.

It is believed that every Christian should read the Gospel daily. But life is different. Someone has enough time to read prayers, and the Gospel, and the holy fathers, and a lot of other literature. And there are people who are busy from morning to evening with important urgent matters, and they may not even have enough time for prayer. Therefore, everyone should apply all these pious exercises to his life individually. Exists general rule, but just as a person does not exist for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for a person, so the rule of prayer, the Gospel, the reading of the holy fathers - all this should be creatively applied by us ourselves in our life.

We must read the gospels all in a row - we read one gospel, the second, the third, the fourth, and then we return to the beginning and read it again, and this is how we always read it. Surprisingly, a person notices: his spiritual vision deepens. It would seem, how many times can you read the same book? But the Gospel is completely different, it is a Divine Revelation, so every time we read it, we discover something new. Because it has great spiritual power.

By the gift of the Holy Spirit

- How do you interpret what you read?

– Only in accordance with the interpretation of the holy fathers. These were people who interpreted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We cannot interpret it that way, no matter how hard we try. As, for example, Protestants try to interpret the Gospel, their interpretation is unacceptable to us, because they do not interpret it by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, from the historical point of view, from the point of view of their education, their experience of studying the text, they have a lot to say. But in their interpretations it is impossible to choose the spiritual grain that would suit us. And since they do not have the Holy Spirit, they cannot interpret the Gospel either. And no simple scholar will interpret the Gospel, because it is interpreted by life itself, it is interpreted by the gift of the Holy Spirit. And when a person acquires humility, becomes spiritually mature, the Gospel is revealed to him. And we always rely on the authority of the Holy Fathers, as Ecumenical Councils instructions were given in the canons that everyone understands the Gospel only according to the interpretation of the holy fathers. And whoever rejects this interpretation rejects the gospel as well.

- A call from Orenburg.

- Father, let's say I need to discover some truth in the New Testament, can I, having opened this book, ask God Himself a question and get an answer? What will it be: fortune telling or is it still the answer to the question of truth?

– When we study the experience of people who lived before us, we see that this happened. People, having prayed earnestly, opened the Holy Scriptures and received an answer to their questions. But you need to understand that this happened only in the most extreme situations, when it was impossible to resort to the advice of an experienced person, when there was no confessor nearby. In our life, such situations are very rare, and if we guess according to the Gospel, I think it will be simply impious.

– By the way, wouldn’t it be a manifestation of laziness if a person, not wanting to read the interpretations, to understand, constantly turns to the priest for help?

– If a priest is able to explain the entire Gospel, then why not? But I know that priests are usually quite busy with the affairs of the service, and most likely they will not be able to explain in detail all the passages of the Gospel that are incomprehensible to us. On the other hand, there are now many literatures and records where the gospel is expounded. The problem here is that we must still adhere to the classical interpretation and the interpreter must be a person whom we trust.

– Call from Cheboksary; let's listen to the question.

– My husband has been going to church for a long time, we read the Bible at home, and everything that is not clear to me, he explains, because he has already read a lot of literature. Are we doing the right thing?

- Quite right. It happens very rarely that a husband and wife or other members of the family equally come to faith, have the same opportunity to read the Gospel and interpretations. Most often it happens that one of them has gone more along the path to God, along the path of understanding faith, so it is quite natural that he will explain something to others. Thank God you are doing just that.

– When we read the Holy Fathers and the Gospel, we partake of the Spirit that is contained in them. Each word and composition carries a certain spirit, while reading, we adopt this spirit, and it lives in us. The meaning of our entire spiritual life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. When we partake of some false works about faith, we perceive the spirit of lies. And this spirit not only destroys our world order, but even one thought can destroy a person, kill his faith. This is extremely dangerous.

We are listening to a call from Podolsk.

– My question is this: if the holy fathers who participated in the Council of Nicaea in 325 were almost unlucky, and they would not accept, say, canon 19, which prohibits further interpretation of the interpretation, to which holy fathers, to which canons we would you bond then?

- You can argue for a very long time: what would happen if it happened like this? But you know, the whole history of the Holy Church is under the guidance of God. There were also critical moments when, for example, St. Basil the Great remained the only Orthodox bishop in the entire East, but managed to unite like-minded people around him. And then the heresy of Arianism was condemned at the Council. It must be understood that all canons, all interpretations were given, of course, for a reason, but by the Providence of God, the Holy Spirit. Each decision of the Council sounds like this: "Desire the Holy Spirit and us." I think that such an alternative view of history is wrong. Let us suppose that if this Council had not adopted this rule, it would have been adopted at another Council. And this is an indication of precisely the fact that the holy fathers in the canons tried to designate certain boundaries for us. They did not say that these limits are temporary, nowhere is it written that these canons can change over time. Yes, by condescension to a person, they can somehow relax. And in all severity, the penance rules are practically inapplicable in our time, when a person was excommunicated for many years for mortal sin from Communion, sometimes from church communion. But the main spirit is still preserved in them, and we must observe it. This is the immutability that is often mistaken for conservatism, many people criticize it: let's, they say, come up creatively from the standpoint of our time, cancel some of the canons, change the rest, there will be what suits us, and we will all live by them. But we are not holy fathers to rule the canons. They themselves, having given them once, did not dare to correct them, but we will correct them? This will be renovationism, and from this our spiritual life will come to a complete decline and be completely destroyed.

- Next call - Kursk is in touch.

- Father, the question is this: we read the Holy Gospel, so then you need to immediately read the interpretations of the holy fathers? How to do everything correctly so that it is for the benefit and for the good of the soul?

– This is a very good question. Indeed, when a person opens the Gospel for the first time, the first thing to do is to stock up on interpretation. One of the classic interpretations is that of Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, which is already a thousand years old, but it has not become outdated. It is built on the basis of the interpretations of Chrysostom, but if we start reading the interpretation of Chrysostom, this is a huge number of volumes. And for a modern person who is always busy with something, this is simply unbearable work. And the blessed Theophylact made excerpts, grouped everything very well, processed and gave an interpretation of almost every verse of the Gospel. Perhaps this interpretation is not entirely clear to modern man, but simpler interpretations can be used. And then, knowing the interpretation of the chapters of the Gospel, you can already read the Gospel itself. At the same time, you will understand its meaning and do not sin against the truth when you read it. Otherwise, of course, it is very dangerous, especially for people who are far from the Church. We often meet people who literally catch us by the sleeve on the street and start quoting from different places; they may know a lot by heart, but they have a very peculiar understanding of the Gospel, which often borders, I'm not afraid of this word, with some kind of nonsense. These people themselves are damaged in their spiritual life, and if we listen to such people, we will certainly be damaged too. Therefore, we need to know the interpretation that gives us Orthodox Church and then we will be firmly on our feet.

Conversation with the cleric of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino, priest Kirill Shevtsov, on the air of the Soyuz TV channel - On the air of the Orthodox Soyuz TV channel, the program "Conversations with the priest." In the studio Alexander Sergienko. Our guest is the cleric of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino, Priest Kirill Shevtsov.

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You can learn about the life of Jesus Christ from a series of writings called the Gospel. It talks about the life of the son of God, about his deeds on earth. The New Testament of the Bible consists of four parts. But before reading one of the sections, the church recommends reading a prayer. You can read the Scriptures at home, the main thing is to believe in what you are reading.

Prayer before and after reading the gospel: how to read the gospel correctly?

The gospel is nothing but the Good News. By reading this holy book, a person gets a unique opportunity to know God and love him. Therefore, while reading it, it becomes possible to be freed from sin and be punished for it.

In the gospel, it is possible to single out several main provisions.

1. What surrounds us includes people, created by the Creator - God.
2. God is holy and has no sins.
3. People should obey God, as he is their creator.
4. For what has been done, eternal punishment awaits a person.
5. Avoid punishment, perhaps with the help of good deeds.
6. Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
7. Trusting relationship between Jesus Christ and mankind. Willingness to follow him under any circumstances.

How to read the gospel at home and when to read prayers?

The gospel is not a simple book, but a sacred one. Therefore, in order to get the maximum benefit from it, you need to do it right. In order to pray before reading, you need to follow some basic rules.

1. Take this matter seriously. In the event that you take a holy book, then you must sincerely believe what is written there. At unbiased attitude to reading proper results will not be obtained.
2. Man's desire to study the Bible. A person must want to read the holy book, otherwise he will not understand what is written there. The gospel is holy scripture, the book is not fiction.

You can read the holy letter alone or in a group of people, but must read the prayer. Prayer before reading the gospel can be addressed for your loved ones or relatives. It is worth noting that, picking up a holy book, it is worth reading at least one chapter. In this case, do not interrupt in the middle of the text. You need to read it all the way to the end!

Many who want to understand the gospel with all their heart, outline the essence of what they read, highlighting for themselves important points. By church rules the gospel is read only while standing. But at home, it is best to take the position that will allow you to escape from extraneous matters and immerse yourself in the essence of Holy Scripture. If a person listens to the gospel in the temple, then he should give up.

How to read the gospel and when?

The church recommends praying daily. But in order for the study of the holy book to be successful, it is recommended ask for a blessing in church from your spiritual mentor. The best ways to study the holy book for yourself can be:

• Daily reading one chapter a day.
• Reading scripture according to Orthodox calendar. Daily, looking through what chapter today, read in the church, and study it.

The first way is optimal for those who do not know the basics of gospel history. But at the same time, it will take a lot of time to read one chapter. The second option is optimal for understanding the scripture. The next time a person comes to the temple, he will carefully and consciously listen to what the clergyman says.

But in order to avoid additional misunderstanding of what they are reading. It is best to know the historical moments. The Church recommends reading additional church literature that presents the correct interpretation of God's scripture. Recommended reading of the following ecclesiastical explanations.

1. Interpreter from John Chrysostom.
2. Interpretation from Theophylact of Bulgaria.
3. It is recommended to read Bishop Mikhail Luzin, as well as Averky.
4. Authoritative is the explanation of Professor Alexander Lopukhin.

After reading the first two authors, it may seem that the interpretation is unclear and inaccessible to common man. The clergy suggest that you first read Seraphim Sloboda, and only after that proceed to the study of Chrysostom and Bulgarian. For a better understanding of the gospel, it is recommended to study it in your own language. After all, Church Slavonic is sometimes considered difficult to understand.

How to read a prayer before and after the gospel at home and when?

In order to correctly understand what you read in the word of God it is recommended to read a prayer before and after reading. It is worth noting that the desired result will not come immediately. You will need to spend enough time on this issue. To better understand the gospel, you need to start living according to the commandments of God.

Many note that when reading the gospel, there is no realization of what is being read, and one does not always want to continue what has been started. Church leaders note the story of Ignatius Brianchaninov about a disciple. He long time read the Gospel and did not understand what he was reading. Then he came to his teacher with questions, what to do if you read and do not understand anything?! The teacher answered him that the word of God purifies the thoughts of a person and his life. Therefore, reading the gospel is necessary for self-purification. In addition, it is important to be aware of which book you are holding in your hands. You need to pray before and after reading the holy book at home. To read the gospel at home, it is best to ask for blessings in the church.

Many priests give some recommendations so that the effect of reading prayers and scriptures can be enhanced. By applying simple rules, you will be able to achieve purification in a fairly short time and allow you to improve your life. The main thing in this is faith in what you read and faith in God. Consider the main advice that the church offers.

How to read prayers for yourself and for loved ones and when?

The gospel is an integral part of the basis of the life of a Christian person. There is a lot of spiritual literature that the church recommends. But the first source and foundation, is the word of God which should constantly resound in the heart of a person. That is why it is necessary to read the gospel and prayers daily and without fail.

Even in antiquity there was a tradition of reading the gospel. It may be different. People perceive the holy book in different ways, and everyone chooses for himself how best to say a prayer and how best to read the holy book. Some begin to read the sacred words a chapter a day. Others, on the contrary, read only passages that sound in the Divine, following the church year.

Many recommend reading three chapters of the New Testament and one chapter of the Gospel after prayer a day. Some people still practice to read two chapters from the Apostle, and then pray. In addition, the main rule of a Christian is to read the psalter. You need to read one kathisma a day or one of the parts. At the same time, it is necessary to read not depending on the needs of the human heart. Each of us can find a few minutes to read one or more chapters of Scripture.

Prayer in a person's life and when to read it?

In addition, priests insist that a person's life should pass under the read. Seraphim of Sarov, argued that the human mind should revolve around writing. That is, everything that a person reads is deposited at an unconscious level. The Bible can be reread several times a day, and with each reading a new meaning will be revealed.

In the event that a person begins the day with prayer and reading the scripture, then during the day he will definitely use in practice what was conveyed to his heart. In order to receive spiritual benefit, you will need to constantly remember what has been read. And also make every effort in order to embody in life what was said by God.

Pray before and after anything. V prayer word you can find prayers that must be said before starting to read the holy book. But if it is not possible, then you can ask God for blessings in your own words. In addition, you should ask him for understanding and help in any other matters. And especially in the awareness and understanding of the Holy Scriptures.

In addition, the church insists that a righteous person read the Old Testament daily. Despite the fact that the Old and Old Testament is quite difficult to read. They can be accepted and understood with special interpretations. You can find out which interpretations are best for you from your mentor in the church. Ignorance of the Old Testament, as a basis, it is not possible to understand what the New Testament is about.

The person may be offered different ways to read the Old Testament. The simplest one is reading from start to finish. You need to do this calmly and not dwell on any details. Especially when it comes to the history of the Jewish people. If it is possible to skip this part, then this will be optimal for you. But despite this, you will need to fully study the old part of the holy book.

It is up to you to decide for yourself whether you need constant reading of the Old Testament daily. It is worth noting that it is advisable to read it from beginning to end. Because there is a lot of useful and edifying. In addition, a person can learn a lot of instructive things from this. Many Christians admire what is written in the old part of the sacred book.

It is worth noting that before each reading of the Old and New Testament it is recommended to read a prayer. The main thing in this is that between the Old and New Testaments you can draw a line between the soul of man and God. At the same time, there are wonderful images that can help a person take the right path and explain what he should not do.

The Old Testament is an instructive part of life in which you can find your own special meaning. But over time, this part of the old book becomes uninteresting to a person. At the same time, a Christian can draw a lot of useful things from it. The Old Testament has a positive effect on each of us.

Prayers, reading a holy book- this is what a believer should do daily. Therefore, before embarking on the true path and immersing yourself, it is recommended to come to church and ask for a blessing from a mentor in this matter. He will help, as well as give advice on how to act in a given situation, and also direct you on the right path. Be sure to read the prayer before and after reading the gospel so that the understanding of the scripture goes better.

Recently, students of the faculty of journalism of a prestigious Moscow university were given an optional task: to read one Gospel, the shortest and simplest in presentation - from Mark. Three out of ten completed the task. And they admitted that they had difficulty "wandering" through the text and ... did not understand anything!
The gospel really remains a difficult and incomprehensible reading, even for church people. Why? Does it speak of a reality that is already infinitely far from us? Or - it simply does not fit into a person and therefore never simple reading will not be? And how much is it necessary to read it when there are spiritual books more “digestible”?
We talk about these topics with the rector of the church of St. Mitrophan of Voronezh in Moscow by Archpriest Dimitri Smirnov.

Why is God silent?

Father Demetrius, why, in your opinion, is the Gospel read so little? Was it always like this, or is it a modern phenomenon?

The gospel was always read by a few. For the rest it was preached by the Church. Since Gutenberg and Ivan Fedorov appeared, dozens began to read it. Ever since the Gospel was translated from Church Slavonic into Russian in early XIX century (and in Europe much earlier Luther translated from Latin into German) - hundreds of people began to read. Of the millions of living! ..
The gospel was something not in every temple. Only cathedral churches had the Gospel, and it was a very rare, expensive thing, valued as a shrine: it was decorated with gold, silver, precious stones kept like the apple of an eye. During the robbery, the Gospel was necessarily stolen, taken to another principality, because there was no price for it: there are unique illustrations, and it was copied by hand - the result of many years of work of a learned monk. It was impossible for anyone to have the Gospel at home. Not every prince could have!

- These are technical difficulties. What about content?

Due to the fact that a person lives in a completely different element, the Gospel remains Terra incognita, an unknown land for the majority. It has always been so.
Only for "prepared" modern people, and for those whose minds and hearts are salted with love for God, it can be of interest. People who are simply given such a task - read! - you need to motivate with something else: for example, “you will get an A” or “we will give you a lot of money”. Some additional incentive is needed. Mankind has sunk so deep into sin that salvation from sin becomes completely uninteresting. Moreover, even for people who go to the Church: it is much more interesting for them to establish relationships with their daughter-in-law or get a job. Only in a specific need does a person understand that he needs God.

Have you had to deal with the fact that even church people cannot understand what they read, cannot “pull through” this text?

Many times! I had to ask: what do you understand? Most not only did not understand, but could not even say what they read about ...
The point is also that modern people not "sharpened" for spiritual literature. Until the 18th century, the Russian people were closer to the perception of spiritual literature, since there was no other.
Now the gospel is available physically, it is read much more, people are showing curiosity. But usually a person is able to master a maximum of ten pages, and then he will get so bored with it ... You have chosen a very correct term: “to wade through”. A person pushes and pushes and stops pushing… Because the Gospel is simply alien to him. How is it “sharpened”, “polished” from morning to evening? “Live healthy”, “Fashion sentence”, “Let them talk”. This is his level - clip. Even philosophy, Russian poetry is already too hard for him. Modern man- a very shallow creature.

Photo by Hendadz. freshphoto.ru

- and understandable, more modern language statements, in your opinion, will not solve the problem?

Someone keeps saying that the liturgy should be translated into understandable language. I don't think it will change anything at all. Even if the language is understandable, a person will not be able to adequately perceive the New Testament realities. “A sower went out to sow” - he will understand this. And what does this mean, it will take years to reach him.
The gospel is a very complex text. In the sense that he is extremely saturated spiritually. The spiritual meaning of the Gospel is so voluminous that it is very difficult to understand it adequately. Even those people who are "trained" and used to listen, memorize, analyze - students or recent students. There are many layers in every passage of the Gospel. Therefore, it has been introduced into consciousness for centuries, including through other books. In Russia, instead of a sermon after the service, they read the Prologue, the Explanatory Gospel - such books that served as the basis of piety.
And if people today through the Church went to the text of the Gospel, through ecclesiastical interpretation, then for them it would begin to open, of course.

- The remoteness of modern realities from the realities of ancient Galilee significantly interferes with understanding?

People get in the way! We must also take into account that we are in a terrible noise: radio, television, the noise of car engines, constant chatter - and this all interferes with a person. And in order to perceive the Gospel, one needs silence and readiness to hear the answer. The Lord is silent because man does not listen!

And because he doesn't need an answer?

Often, yes. How many times have I watched it. A man comes, almost crying, asking something. You begin to answer, but he does not hear. He keeps talking and explaining things. Often people come to talk, not to hear something. Although the genre seems to be dialogue, but in reality there is no dialogue ...
It happens that there is a very good mentor, but the person is not ready to listen. My wife once observed such a picture: a group of young people came to the temple towards the end of the service - to baptize their children. And there was an old man. Moreover, the elder is real - not artificial, which is the majority now. And confessed. People approached him, got on their knees, told him something. And here is a young guy with a child in his arms and says: “Wow! Is this grandfather still thinking something? He looks - indeed, outwardly the picture is strange: blind eyes, an arched back, his nose touches his knees, they say something to him and it is not clear whether he hears or not ... And this guy, based on his experience, says: “Is this grandfather something does he even think at all?" Yes, the old man was then 86 years old - maybe the grandfather of this guy at that age did not understand anything. But this “grandfather” “thought” something that a lot of people went to listen to him, consult with him ...

Reach with your mind?

No need. Not necessary at all! Let them not read. But at least let them buy it. So as not to run far when you want to read. Maybe at night you want - so as not to wait until the morning.

Is it true that in order to understand the Gospel one must not only know the text, but church tradition reading it?

It is necessary.

- Why is it impossible to understand it outside of tradition?

Because a person will interpret what is read from the wind of his head, this will turn into a purely mental problem. Which is of little interest and does not bring much benefit. If a person sees the Gospel through the spiritual experience of the holy fathers, his inner, spiritual hearing will be rebuilt. And then he can use it, to distinguish truth from lies.

- Going to a bible circle, gospel study group is an acceptable option?

If the bible circle is brewing in its own juice, then it won't do any good either. It needs to be led by a person who is inside the tradition and can direct and explain. Because the Orthodox tradition goes from mouth to mouth, from heart to heart. This must be grasped - it is impossible to skip over this experience. Although theoretically - it is possible. For example, they told me about a man who, listening to records, figured out what vocals are. But he is the only one, and it is desirable for the rest to have a mentor who will teach them vocals.

- If such a person has not met ... Is it necessary to have a mentor in getting to know the Scriptures?

No one owes nothing to nobody. First, it depends on the way the Lord leads the person. Secondly, from what the person himself wants and what he can do. Everyone lives their own life, and you can’t adjust it to some ready-made model.

Often a modern educated person wants to reach everything with his own mind, without prompting, without mentors…

For this you need to have a mind. This is the first. And secondly, you need to have problem-solving skills. If a four-year-old boy is asked to add two eight-digit numbers, he will not be able to do this task. Why? He doesn't know how to do it. He can say four times: “I want to decide!”, But the maximum that he will do in the end is to come up to grandfather and ask: “Grandfather, add these numbers for me!” Grandfather will fold him, then show him more simple examples how two-digit numbers are added, then - as three-digit ones. "Understood?" - "Understood". - “Can you do four-digit numbers yourself?” - "No ..." But - grandfather can help! Dad has no time, but grandfather will help.

On Self-Coercion and the Inquisition

There are well-known components of a person's church life: fasting, prayer, participation in the Sacraments, etc. What place should the reading of the Gospel occupy here?

In the Church people are told about desirable things. And useful. Prayer rule in the form in which it exists - and it has existed for the third hundred years (before that they read the Psalter or the Book of Hours) - it is very desirable. But the Church only recommends.
You can give someone an opportunity, but you can't force them to use it. Why did Metropolitan Filaret (Drozdov) and his commission translate the Gospel into Russian? In order for people to have the opportunity to hear the voice of Christ the Savior through him. Our role is advisory: to create conditions and give advice. We never had an Inquisition in the Church.

The Church cannot force, but isn't it about self-compulsion? It is sometimes said that the gospel is good to read, even if you don't understand it at first. That it, like the word of God, in itself has some kind of beneficial effect on a person ...

On the one hand, reading like a parrot, without understanding anything, of course, is of little use. It's more of a bodily exercise.
On the other hand, we encourage children to memorize poetry. And the text itself, learned by heart, it can work in the future. Like a parable. The Lord told a parable, a person formed an image in his soul, he remembered this image. And the image begins to work in a person, and then the person begins to comprehend it.
But still he needs to understand: for example, who is a Samaritan, how he met a wounded man, how he put him on a donkey, how he was taken to a hotel - he must imagine and remember all this. But, unfortunately, people cannot even retell the gospel parables.
However, if a person constantly reads - in circles, every year, then in the third, fifth year he will more or less remember the content, learn it. And then you can, appealing to his memory, tell something about it. This is the work of the Church. The service itself is so arranged: it is a constant reminder of the Gospel. During the year, the whole Gospel is "lived" in the temple. This is an absolutely brilliant invention from the point of view of pedagogy! I have been serving for forty years and never cease to be amazed at the perfection of that organism which is called worship. It is gospel-centric.

Photo by Andrada Radu

And yet, quite often, the words of the Gospel at the service cannot be made out... According to the canons, can't a priest turn his face to the parishioners at the moment of reading?

Yes, even sit sideways or lie down in a sun lounger! If you read the Gospel and you can't hear it, this is an absurd situation. It's the same as if the announcer came into the studio, turned off the microphone and let's talk in a whisper ...
Either you need to speak loudly, or you need to turn around, or stand in the center of the temple under the dome, or turn on the microphone. After all, speech exists so that people can hear it. Everything else is absurd.

Are there any universal recommendations on how to read the Gospel? Father John Krestyankin, for example, advised to read one chapter of the Gospel every day, two chapters from the apostolic epistles. Someone reads from conceptions - passages that are read on this day during worship in the temple ...

There are several ways. You can also just read in a row. A person himself determines: how he better fits on his mind, on his heart, so he reads. But this can only be assessed in practice. And there is no need to regulate everything.
I have never read two chapters of a message in a row in my life. I read from beginning to end, because at the same time I was preparing for a sermon. I have always liked how what is written in the Apostle usually fits perfectly with the Gospel text for the same day. It just mesmerized me! different authors, different time writing these books, and suddenly - such a wonderful unity!

There must be some kind of systematic reading, or even here there is absolutely no need for regulations: is there a mood - a person reads, no - does not read?

What is our task? Christians have a completely different task of life than worldly people - to submit their lives to the will of God. Not the mood. If you wait for inspiration, mood, then you simply won’t have time to become a Christian…

About proteins, fats and carbohydrates

Looking back at your pastoral experience, do people come to you with questions about the gospel? Or is it only with everyday, "applied" questions?

No, according to the Gospel, there are also questions. But they are usually very similar. There are passages in Scripture that you can't understand on the fly. For example, everyone is very worried about the fate of the withered fig tree - now it’s already smaller, but before it was very worried: how bad, “unenvironmentally friendly”, mercilessly Christ acted in relation to nature! ..

A lot is included in food. You can drink tea with jam and eat all the time. But you will not last long on such a diet. Because in addition to carbohydrates, a person needs proteins. The gospel is like protein, it is the main food. And so you need everything: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and trace elements.

In the middle of the 20th century, the book The Master and Margarita was published. It aroused many people's interest in the gospel. Or the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar": some testify that they came to faith by listening to it. Is it possible to create such things to introduce the Gospel to a wide audience not ready to read the original source?

Sometimes it happens. They say that an apple fell on Newton's head, and he thought about the law of universal gravitation after that. But this does not mean that if the apple bombardment is arranged, then people will understand the whole cosmogony. In the same rock opera, after all, there is a distorted Gospel. And how many people "stuck" on it and did not go further?
But the Lord, of course, reaches a person in different ways. And those too.

- But it would seem that the Gospels were not written by the most learned men and were written for everyone ...

It is for everyone. Everyone's perception of the gospel is different.
There was such a case a very long time ago - 1700 years ago. One young man was looking for a spiritual life, came to an old man and said: “I want to learn the spiritual life!” He replies: “Good. Let's open the Psalter." And he reads the first psalm: "Blessed is the husband, who does not go to the advice of the wicked ..." He says: "That's it, thank you, that's enough." And leaves. But it turns out it's not gone forever. He comes after 20 years and says: “I tried to fulfill this one commandment that I heard.” He spent 20 years learning what this commandment was about and how to fulfill it!
It's like a pearl necklace: pearl after pearl is strung until a necklace is obtained. One commandment was his measure. But he fulfilled it and moved on. And another person may think that he knows everything, talk about everything, but do not understand the most important thing. And then it affects a person's life, it is not the reading itself that changes it, but only the acceptance of the Gospel in the heart. And even this does not affect, but the depth of this acceptance.

A torn leaf that changed lives

- What determines the depth of this acceptance?

From love to God.

Love for God is brought up through the fulfillment of the commandments? It is difficult to come to Church and immediately say: “I love God”…

Anything happens. And then love is not an abstract category, not some kind of mental thing, it is a state of mind. The mind may try to figure it out, but love is a given. A person even perceives it as something sent down from above, and not something that he worked out with his head, worked out with some exercises.

- And you can love the Gospel in this way?

I think that one can fall in love with the Gospel only by reading it, knowing it. The deeper you go, the deeper you love.

Is it not possible to suppose that this penetration, this love, is hindered by fear? The gospel sets a very high bar, and a person sees with horror how much he falls short of it ...

On the one hand, the bar is high, and on the other hand, God's condescension to man is very visible in the Gospel. And it gives courage. And then Christ said that perfect love casts out fear. I understand what is associated with fear. Very clear and very close. But the fact that love casts out fear also becomes clear to me.

Photo by Ekaterina Solovieva

- In your pastoral practice, were there people who believed in God through reading the Gospel?

Everything was. We had a guy studying at the seminary, we took the entrance exam together. They ask him one thing, another, and he says: “I don’t know anything. I never had any books either. I just stood at the bus stop and saw a piece of paper, picked it up…”. And he takes out this piece of paper, unfolds it. And this is one page from the Gospel. He read it, memorized it and went to enter the seminary!
And he was accepted. He graduated from four courses, got married and ... died. We buried him: 50 priests, headed by the bishop, buried him.
He was only about 30 years old. This seminarian wanted to learn the gospel, and he did. At the very best educational institution, which at that time was in Russia. The Lord took him, found him ready. This is a unique path. And so - everyone has different things in life ...
The Lord is extremely merciful to every person. In general, this grace is even impossible to describe! He fiddles with everyone, “puts something in” for everyone: where he lays straws, where he sends a person to meet him, where there are some circumstances. And this is how it “babysits” with every soul. Therefore, our participation here is minimal. But still, it should be.
There is no need to despair because people do not read the Gospel. Anyone who wants to not only read it, but can even translate it from the Syriac language. I recently met a man who translated a thick 16th-century Jewish treatise into modern language. And this treatise has not been reprinted at all since then. That man needed it, and he did it. Awesome! He is one for everything the globe owns this text.
Like scientists: one climbs into the cage to the animals, the other - into the microworld, the third - into space, the fourth - into the word ... If only there was a desire!
The Lord is merciful to everyone. But only those who wish enter the Kingdom of Heaven...

Photo by Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov - Igor Lileev