| Archive His Holiness Patriarch Kirill takes part in the celebrations on Mount Shipka on Bulgaria’s Liberation Day 3 March 2018 year 16:54 On 3 March 2018, a commemorative ceremony marking the Liberation Day in Bulgaria took place on Mount Shipka. The 140 th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria was celebrated under the auspices of the head of state. Among those who participated in the ceremony were Mr. Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria; Mrs. Tsveta Karayancheva, President of the National Assembly of Bulgaria; as well as other statesmen, diplomats, public figures and many other people of all ages who gathered together at the foot of the Monument of Freedom on Shipka, with flags of Bulgaria and Russia in their hands. Attending the celebrations were His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria, as well as hierarchs and clergymen of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and members of the official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said a litiya for the repose of the souls of Emperor Alexander II and all the Russian and Bulgarian commanders and soldiers, and all the archpastors, priests, monks, nuns and laypeople who had laid down their lives for the faith and liberation of the Bulgarian land. Addressing all those present, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said, in particular: “Today, celebrating the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke, we have offered prayers for the repose of the souls of the Russian soldiers and the Bulgarian militiamen who died as heroes, defending Shipka. It was on the most dramatic moments of the War of Liberation. “According to the Word of God, ‘greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (Jn 15:13). And thousands of soldiers and officers of the Russian army gave their lives to save the people, with whom they were bound up by the common holy Orthodox faith. Inspired by the faith, they ‘became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight’ (Heb. 11:34). Having shown an outstanding fortitude, courage and bravery, those warriors of Christ bought with their own blood the liberation of the ancient Christian country from the bitter, five-centuries-old non-Christian yoke.” |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation DECR chairman congratulates Patriarch of Bulgaria on the anniversary of his enthronement Natalya Mihailova 24 February 2014 February 24, 2014 Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, sent the congratulatory message to His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria. The text is given below: Your Holiness: I wholeheartedly congratulate you on the anniversary of your enthronement as the Patriarch. You continue the labours of your predecessors, the late lamented Patriarchs of Bulgaria, Maxim and Cyril, and give all your strength for the sake of spiritual revival of the Bulgarian people, Your teach the shepherds and the flock the truths of the holy faith of the fathers, love to God and the neighbour by your inspired primatial words and by your own life. This difficult ministry, which does not lack ‘Christ’s affliction for the sake of his body, that is, the church’ (Col 1:24), is being invisibly lightened by the prayers of God’s saints, including St. Sergius of Radonezh, the heavenly patron of the Moscow Theological Academy. For some years you were and still are a member of this spiritual family. Russian Orthodox bishops and clerics, with whom you offered ‘a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name’ (Heb 13:15), remember Your Holiness and love you. That is why your participation in the celebration of the 1025 th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’ was for us a delight and blessing. On this day solemn for you and for the whole Bulgarian Orthodox Church, I prayerfully wish you good health, audacity in prayers for the destiny of Bulgarian Orthodoxy and God’s almighty help in your Patriarchal ministry. With respectful love in the Lord, + Hilarion Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk Chairman |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Synaxis of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches-Message Natalya Mihailova 10 March 2014 Synaxis of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches (Phanar, March 6-9, 2014) Message In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Through the grace of God, the Primates of the Most Holy Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, to the Orthodox faithful throughout the world, all of our Christian brothers and sisters as well as every person of goodwill: we extend God’s blessing and our greeting of love and peace. “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 1.2-3) 1. Having convened by the grace of our compassionate God, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, at the Phanar, from March 6-9, 2014; having deliberated in fraternal love on matters concerning our Holy Church today; and concelebrating in the Patriarchal Church of St. George on the glorious occasion of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we address you with these words of love, peace and consolation. Inasmuch as our One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Orthodox Church dwells in the world, it also experiences the challenges of every age. Faithful to Holy Tradition, the Church of Christ is in constant dialogue with every period of time, suffering with human beings and sharing their anguish. For “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and to the ages” (Heb. 13.8). The trials and challenges of history are especially acute in our days, and Orthodox Christians cannot remain uninvolved or indifferent to them. This is why we have assembled “together in one place” (Acts 2.1) in order to reflect on the problems and temptations facing humanity today. “There is fighting without and fear within.” (2 Cor. 7.5) These Apostolic words are also valid for the Church today. |
| The Church is deeply alarmed by the ongoing violence against the population of the Middle East and persecutions of Christians who are being tortured and driven out of their homes. Churches are being destroyed and shrines are being desecrated there. We are praying today for the peaceful settlement of the armed conflicts in the region. The Orthodox Church has been always performing her salutary ministry, preaching Christ Crucified and Resurrected to those far and near. We all, archpastors, clergy, monastics and laypeople, are called to bear this witness in life and word. May the God of peace Who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (cf. Heb 13:20). Amen. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog The Message of the Sacred Bishops’ Council to the clergy, monastics and all the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church Natalya Mihailova Beloved in the Lord all-honorable Fathers, God-loving Monks and Nuns, dear Brothers and Sisters: The Sacred Bishops’ Council which took place in the city of Moscow on February 2-3, 2016, sends to all of you the apostolic greeting – may grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus ... Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. |
| The mission of our Church is: to make these theandric virtues-asceses the methods of life for the people, to weave the Christ-like theanthrophic virtues into the soul and life of the people. In this lies the salvation of the soul from the world and from all soul-corrupting, homicidal, atheistic movements and worldly organizations. Against the “educated” atheism and the gentlemanly cannibalism of contemporary civilization, we must array Christ-bearing personalities, which with the meekness of a sheep will be victorious over the excited passions of the wolves, and with the innocence of doves will save the soul of the people from the cultural and political stench. We must counteract cultural asceticism-which takes place in the name of the rotted and deformed European man, in the name of atheism, of civilization, of the antichrist-with ascesis in the name of Christ. For this reason the main obligation of our Church is to create Christ-bearing ascetics. The voice which must be heard in it today is: Go back to the Christ-bearing ascetics, towards the Holy Fathers! Go back to the asceses and virtues of the Holy Fathers! Go back to the virtues of Saints Anthony and Athanasios, of Saints Basil and Gregory, of Saints John Chrysostom and Damascene, of Saints Sergei and Seraphim (the Russians), of Saints Savva, Prochor and Gabriel (the Serbs), and others! Because these theanthropic asceses-virtues created Saint Anthony, Saint Gregory and Saint Savva. And today, only the Orthodox asceses-virtues are capable of sanctifying every soul and the soul of our whole people, because the theanthropic purpose is eternal and unalterable, and its means are also eternal and unalterable, because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). Here is the difference between the human world and the world of Christ: the human one is finite and temporal, while Christ’s is unalterable and eternal. Orthodoxy, as the unique bearer and guardian of the perfect and all-radiant Person of the God-man Christ, is realized exclusively with the theanthropic-Orthodox means, the ascetical virtues in grace, not with means lent by Roman Catholicism or |
| Вопрос о будущей жизни в Ветхом Завете, хотя не прямо, рассматривается также во многих хороших немецких комментариях, при толковании тех мест Св. Писания, которые относятся к этому вопросу. Большинство ветхозаветных толкователей пришли к заключению, что учение о будущей жизни у евреев следовало историческому развитию, в котором ясно можно различать известные периоды. Заалыиютц (Ideen zu einer Geschichte der Unsterblichkeit bei den Heb raern – Сооб- ражения относительно истори учения о бессмертии у Евреев) различает четыре периода в истории этого вопроса. Но г. А. Ган, издатель Введения в ветхозаветные книги, делит историю этого учения на 6 периодов: 1-й период патриархов, в который вера в будущую жизнь несомненно существовала. Энох не умирает. Патриархи отправляются к своим отцам, что никак не может относиться исключительно к месту их погребения. Иаков видит лестницу от земли до небес (Сравните, что говорить ап. Павел в послании к Евреям, XI, 13). 2-й период, – время Моисея. Моисеево законодательство не задавалось целью говорить о будущей жизни. Оно ограничивается запрещением вызывать души усопших и заклинать их. 3-й период, к которому относятся книга Иова и большая часть псалмов Давида. Это – период сомнений, который Ган характеризует, выражением: futurarum rerum desperatio – (состояние отчаяния относительно будущей жизни). 4– й период пророков. Мессия, которого прежде представляли земным царем, теперь является царем, который должен избавить людей от греха; в тоже время, видимо, зрела идея о победе над смертью . 5– й период Вавилонского плена. В этом периоде, особенно у пророков Иезекиила и Даниила, просвечивает идея воскресения тел. 6– й период, следующий за Вавилонским пленом. В этот период вера в будущую жизнь подвергается влиянию философского учения о бессмертии души, которое занесено было к евреям из Александрии. Бэтчер к Геверник историю учения о будущей жизни делят только на два периода, которые разделяются Вавилонским пленом. В первом периоде вера в будущую жизнь еще смутно сознается; во втором уже является вера в воскресение. |
| Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered, and being made perfect He became the source of salvation to all who obey Him (Heb 5.8–9). Disobedience to God and His Son Jesus Christ is the source of all sin. Refusal to submit to God in all things is the cause of all sorrow and death. Those who hear the Gospel and fail to enter into the eternal rest of God, do so only “because of disobedience” (Heb 5–6, cf. Deut 4.29–31 ). In the Orthodox spiritual tradition, obedience is a basic virtue: obedience to the Lord, to the Gospel, to the Church ( Mt 18.17 ), to the leaders of the Church (Heb 13.7), to one’s parents and elders, to “every ordinance of man” ( 1Pet 2.13 , Rom 13.1 ), “to one another out of reverence for Christ” ( Eph 6.21 ). There is no spiritual life without obedience, no freedom or liberation from sinful passions and lusts. To submit to God’s discipline in all of its human forms, is the only way to obtain “the glorious liberty of the children of God” ( Rom 8.21 ). God disciplines us as His children out of His great love for us. “He disciplines us for our good, that we might share His holiness” (cf. Heb 12.3–11). Our obedience to God’s commandments and discipline is the exclusive sign of our love for Him and His Son. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.… If a man loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come and make our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me ( Jn 14.21–24 ). Patience To be obedient in all things to God requires the virtue of patience. Saint Paul lists this virtue as one of the “fruits of the Spirit” ( Gal 5.22 ). Christ Himself in His humble obedience to God was exceedingly patient. To be patient literally means to suffer and endure. It means to wait on the Lord through all tribulations and trials with courage and hope. It means to put up with ones self and others, growing gradually in the grace of God through the daily effort to keep His commandments and to accomplish His will. Only those who are patient, according to Christ, bring forth fruit from the seeds of God’s Word that are sown in their hearts. |
| Did not one God make her? d Both flesh and spirit are his. e And what does the one God f desire? Godly offspring. d 2.15 Or Has he not made one? e 2.15 Сп: Heb and a remnant of spirit was his f 2.15 Heb he He единый ли Бог сделал её? d И плоть, и дух – Его. e А чего желает Единый Бог f ? Богоугодного потомства. d 2.15 Или Не сделал ли он единым? е 2.15 Конъектура; в евр. тексте: и остаток духа был его f 2.15 Евр. текст: он Для основного текста, как мы видим, выбраны варианты 3, 4, 7, 13, 16. Почти ни в чем эта интерпретация не совпадает с нашей. В сносках даны варианты 1 и 5. Вот более свободный современный перевод NIV: Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. 2 .15 Or But the one who is our father did not do this, not as long as life remained in him. And what was he seeking? An offspring from God He сделал ли Господь их единым? Плотью и духом они – Его. И почему едины? Потому что Он искал богоугодного потомства. 2 .15 Или Но единственный, кто был нашим отцом, так не поступал, пока в нем оставалась жизнь. Чего же он искал? Потомства от Бога. Здесь в основном тексте избраны варианты 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15. В сноске приводится перевод, основанный на совершенно других вереиях: 1, 4, 8, 12 и, как и в основной версии, 13 и 15. Наконец, один из самых свободных английских переводов, CEV: Didn " t God create you to become like one person with your wife? And why did he do this? It was so you would have children, and then lead them to become God " " s people. 2 .15 Didn‘t ... wifë One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Не сотворил ли Бог тебя так, чтобы ты стал одной личностью с твоей женой? И почему Он так сделал? Для того, чтобы у вас были дети, и чтобы привести их потом к тому, чтобы они стали Божьим народом. 2 .15 Не... с женой: Одно из возможных значений трудного др.-евр. текста. Примечание не дает никаких альтернативных версий, а решение для основного текста определяется вариантами 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 16. |
| Pan-Orthodox Council: The Sacrament of Marriage and Its Impediments Source: DECR Communication Service January 28, 2016 The document is approved by the Synaxis of the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches on January 21 – 28, 2016, in Chambesy, with the exception of representatives of the Orthodox Churches of Antioch and Georgia. It is published by the decision of the Synaxis of the Primates. 1. Orthodox marriage 1) The institution of the family is threatened today by such phenomena as secularization and moral relativism. The Orthodox Church asserts the sacral nature of marriage as her fundamental and indisputable doctrine. The free union of man and woman is an indispensable condition for marriage. 2) In the Orthodox Church, marriage is considered to be the oldest institution of divine law since it was instituted at the same time as the first human beings, Adam and Eve, were created (Gen. 2:23). Since its origin this union was not only the spiritual communion of the married couple – man and woman, but also assured the continuation of the human race. Blessed in Paradise, the marriage of man and woman became a holy mystery, which is mentioned in the New Testament in the story about Cana of Galilee, where Christ gave His first sign by turning water into wine thus revealing His glory (Jn. 2:11). The mystery of the indissoluble union of man and woman is the image of the unity of Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:32). 3) The Christ-centered nature of marriage explains why a bishop or a presbyter blesses this sacred union with a special prayer. In his letter to Polycarp of Smyrna, St. Ignatius the God-Bearer stressed that those who enter into the communion of marriage “must also have the bishop’s approval, so that their marriage may be according to God, and not after their own lust. Let everything be to the glory of God” (Poly. 5).The sacred nature of the God-established union and its lofty spiritual content explain the Apostle’s affirmation: Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure (Heb. 13:4). That is why the Orthodox Church condemned any defilement of its purity (Eph. 5:2-5, 1 Thes. 4:4, Heb. 13:4ff). |
| Although the Old Testament services were instituted according to the command of God Himself (Exodus 25:40), still they served only as “the example and shadow of heavenly things” (Heb. 8:5). They were done away with as “decayed and grown old” and near to “vanishing away” (Heb. 8:13) with the institution of the New Testament, which was sanctified by the holy Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Divine services of the New Testament consist not in constant sacrifices of calves and rams, but in the prayer of praise, thanksgiving, and petition, in the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, and in the bestowing of grace in the Holy Mysteries. However, Christian prayer has also various outward actions. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself did not avoid the outward manifestations of prayer and sacrifice actions: He bowed the knee, fell on His face and prayed; He raised His hands and blessed; He breathed and said to His disciples: “Peace be to you;” He used outward actions when healing; He visited the Temple in Jerusalem and called it “the house of My Father:” “My house shall be called the house of prayer” (Matt. 21:13). The Apostle also did all these things. Spiritual worship must be accompanied by bodily worship, as a result of the close bond and mutual influence of soul and body. “What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” ( 1Cor. 6:19–20 ). A Christian is called to glorify God not only with his soul and in his body, but everything surrounding him also he must direct to the glorification of the Lord “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all for the glory of God” ( 1Cor. 10:31 ). One should sanctify by prayer not only oneself but also that which we make use of “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” ( 1Tim. 4:4–5 ). |
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