| Туманное утро во Франции, урожай тыкв из США, прогулка с малышами в Царском Селе Самое красивое время года в подборке фотографий со всего мира 1. Олень на рассвете. Деревня Городиловичи, Белоруссия 22 октября 2017 года Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty 2. Путешественники наслаждаются теплым осенним днем в Швейцарии 12 октября 2017 года Denis Balibouse/Reuters 3. Орво, Франция 17 октября 2017 года Stephane Mahe/Reuters 4. Тыквы выставлены на продажу на ярмарке Maple Acres в Пенсильвании 17 октября 2017 года Matt Rourke/AP 5. Солнце садится за виноградником Остховен недалеко от Страсбурга, Франция 17 октября 2017 года Christian Hartmann/Reuters 6. Дети играют в листве в городе Алма-Ата, Казахстан 13 октября 2017 года Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters 7. На ярмарке Maple Acres в Пенсильвании 17 октября 2017 года Matt Rourke/AP 8. Китайские фермеры убирают урожай риса в восточной провинции Цзянсу 23 октября 2017 года AFP/Getty 9. Птицы на закате в Канзас-Сити, США 18 октября 2017 года Charlie Riedel/AP 10. Вид с воздуха на кукурузные поля в штате Висконсин, США 25 сентября 2017 года CC BY-SA PJ Nelson 11. Двухлетняя девочка и ее мама гуляют по туннелю из деревьев на старой римской дороге неподалеку от городка Халнакер в Великобритании 16 октября 2017 года Dan Kitwood/Getty 12. Силуэты дубовых листьев на фоне солнца во Франции 16 октября 2017 года Loic Venance/AFP/Getty 13. Человек идет через утренний туман в Лионе 12 октября 2017 года Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty 14. Женщина гуляет с малышом в Царском Селе 17 октября 2017 года Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty 15. Парк Хумлегорден, Стокгольм 18 октября 2017 года Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty 16. Осенние деревья в Висконсине Фото сделано с помощью дрона 17 октября 2017 года CC BY-SA PJ Nelson 17. Пара фотографируется напротив стены, увитой плющом, в Лондоне 16 октября 2017 года Carl Court/Getty 18. Солнце поднимается над статуей Христа во Франции 17 октября 2017 года REUTERS/Christian Hartmann 19. Осеннее утро в швейцарской деревне |
| In Memory of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste—A.D. 320 Commemorated March 9/22 Icon of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste The names of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste are Acacius, Aetius, Aglaius, Alexander, Angus, Athanasius, Candidus, Chudion, Claudius, Cyril, Cyrion, Dometian, Domnus, Ecdicus, Elias, Eunoicus, Eutyches, Eutychius, Flavius, Gaisus, Gorgonius, Helianus, Heraclius, Hesychius, John, Lysimachus, Meliton, Nicholas, Pholoctemon, Priscus, Sacerdon, Servian, Sisinus, Smaragdus, Theodulus, theophilus, Valens, Valerius, Vivanus, and Zanthias. When the pagan Licinius ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire (307-323 AD), it was his evil intent to eliminate Christianity from the lands under his control, and especially, for fear of treason, among the troops. One of his supporters was a cruel man by the name of Agricola who commanded the forces in the Armenian town of Sebaste, in what is now eastern Turkey. Among his soldiers were forty devout Christians who wielded equally well the sword of battle and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). These men formed an elite bodyguard. When it came to Agricola's attention that they were Christians, he determined to force them to renounce their' faith and bow down to the pagan gods. He gave them two alternatives: " Either offer sacrifice to the gods and earn great honors, or, in the event of your disobedience, be stripped of your military rank and fall into disgrace. " The soldiers were thrown into jail to think this over. That night they strengthened themselves singing psalms and praying. At midnight they were filled with holy fear upon hearing the voice of the Lord: " Good is the beginning of your resolve, but he who endures to the end will be saved " (Matt. 10:22 ). The next morning Agrricola summoned them once again. This time he tried to persuade them by flattering words, praising their valor and their handsomeness. When the soldiers remained unmoved, they were again thrown into prison for a week to await the arrival of Licius, a prince of some authority. |
| Christ is not calling us to reject our life, but to sanctify it: to bring every aspect of our life to the service of the kingdom, to remember that the goal of Christian life is theosis—a union with Christ and ascension of our nature to the right side of the Father, not shop-osis—a union with groceries and ascension to the nearest shopping mall. In today’s Gospel reading (Matt. 6:22-33), Christ urges us not to be anxious about our lives and bodies—what we shall eat, drink, or wear (25). But how can this be, if we must eat and drink, and clothe ourselves? Are we not earthly beings, who are bound by laws of biological existence? Do we not come from our forefather Adam, who is dust (Gen. 3:19), and as he was so we also are (1 Cor. 15:48)? This is true; we are descendants of Adam, and find ourselves in a fallen state. We sustain our lives by devouring the created world, we wrap out bodies in that which is corruptible, our soul draws its inspiration from the lusts and desires of our bodies, and our spirit feeds on the passions of the soul. This is the order of life that has become habitual to us, but it is not natural for us; God did not create us for such an existence. Christ came to restore our nature, to lift us out of the fallen state, and to give a new and original order to our lives. Our spirit must now find nourishment in God, the source of being; our soul must be inspired by things divine, even as the spirit draws it to God; even our bodies must not live “by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4; RSV here et passim ), that is to say, by Christ Himself, Who is the Word of God; and instead of our old corrupt nature, we must now put on new nature (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10)—Christ Himself (Gal. 3:27). And as He is, so we also are (1 Cor. 15:48). Finding the basis of our being in the things of this temporal world, we mold our lives in accordance with that which is not the source of being, and today is, “but tomorrow is thrown into the oven” (Luke 12:28). By being anxious about corruptible things, in other words, by treating them as treasure, as something that has worth, we unite our hearts to corruption; for where our treasure is, there our heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). |
| Concerning the Two Most Important Commandments in the Law Saint Luke Archbishop of Simferopo Of the three Gospel readings which you have heard today, I especially wish to draw your attention to the first, for it is of utmost importance for all Christians, and for every human being who loves God. So, listen: “And one of them, a lawyer, sought Him and asked, saying: ‘Teacher! What is the chief commandment in the Law?’ Jesus said to him: ‘Love the Lord the your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your understanding. This is the first and chief commandment; the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. In these two commandments all of the Law and the Prophets are contained. " ” (Matt.22:35-40) Remember, remember that in these two most important commandments in all of the law, all is contained: all the Prophets, all of the Law, all of our faith. It is extrememly important for every youth, for every young person, who is just setting out upon his life, to think deeply over the purpose which he is setting for himself in life, to think about the paths to the fulfillment of this purpose, about how he will construct his life, what profession he will choose, so that it might be pleasing to God. Both he and his parents must make the extremely important and difficult decision as to his life’s path. And you know how frequently people make mistakes in this choice; you know how often both parents and young people forget those other most important words of the Lord Jesus, which you are hearing now: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will love the one and hate the other, or he will cleave to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matt. 6:24) “Mammon” is a Syro-chaldean word which personifies all the goods of life, and money especially. And you hear that it is impossible to serve two masters. Everyone must choose either to serve God or to serve mammon. But parents often prefer the service of mammon for their children, arranging their lives with money as the most important goal — and the young people choose the service of mammon. |
| Скачать epub pdf On the nature of conscience Once an impoverished woman stole something in a store and carried it away. No one saw her. On her way home a disturbing feeling gnawed at her peace of mind. She had to return to the store and replace the stolen item, after which she returned home feeling relieved. There are countless similar examples of people being compelled to do not what they want but what is right. Every person is familiar with his inner voice which on occasion accuses and oppresses him, and on occasion brings him joy. This small subtle voice, an inborn feeling, is called conscience. Conscience by its nature is a spiritual instinct, which more clearly and quickly differentiates between good and evil than does the mind. He who listens to the voice of his conscience will never regret or be ashamed of his behavior. In the Holy Scripture conscience is also called «heart.» In the Sermon on the mount the Lord Jesus Christ compared conscience to the «eyes» by which a person can evaluate his moral condition (Matt. 6:22). The Lord also compared conscience to a «rival» with whom a person must come to terms before he presents himself at God " s Judgment (Matt. 5:25). The word «rival» stresses the main attribute of conscience: to oppose our evil desires and intentions. Our personal experience convinces us that this inner voice, called conscience, is not under our control but expresses itself spontaneously in spite of our will. In addition, just as we cannot persuade ourselves that we are full when we are hungry or that we are rested when we are tired, similarly we cannot convince ourselves that our behavior is correct when our conscience tells us otherwise. In the words of Christ regarding the «indestructible worm» ( Mark 9:48 ), the Fathers of the Church see the guilty conscience that will punish sinners in the future life. The Russian poet A. S. Pushkin very vividly described these torments in his dramatic play «Miserly Knight:» " Conscience – A sharp clawed animal, which scrapes the heart; |
| Craig S. Keener The call. 21:15–23 SOME SIGNS IN THE FOURTH GOSPEL yield to explanatory discourses (5:6–9 with 5:19–47; 6:11–13 with 6:32–70; 9:6–7 with 9:39–10:18), and 21:1–14 follows this pattern. After Jesus provides fish for his followers, he summons their leader to continue to provide for his followers; as in Markan tradition, Jesus calls Peter to fish for people, so here he plays on Peter " s fishing from a different angle. Peter " s call ultimately involves following his Lord in martyrdom (21:18–19). The beloved disciplés call was different from Peter " s and might not involve martyrdom (21:21–22). Barrett helpfully suggests that Peter " s role is pastoral whereas the beloved disciplés is as a witness; 10929 in this case, the Gospel may be framed by John the Baptist (1:19–36) and the beloved disciple (21:20–24) as narrative models of witness. The shift to the beloved disciple then provides the transition for closing the Gospel on the note about that disciplés testimony (21:24–25). Feed My Sheep (21:15–17) Just as Jesus fed his disciples here (21:9–14), so Peter is to feed them after Jesus departs. This involves not so much physical nourishment as the bread of life (6:26–27). It is, however, noteworthy that Jesus invites Peter to feed others only after Peter has himself first eaten (21:15); just as Peter had to accept Jesus» washing before he could serve the Lord (13:8–10), he had to eat his mea1. 1. Peter " s Role Brown suggests that this passage, being redactional, allows Peter a more pastoral role than elsewhere in the Gospe1. 10930 Yet the portrait of Peter " s pastoral role here is hardly incompatible with the rest of the Gospel; it can either add to it or complete it. Thus onés view on Peter " s role here may depend on onés prior assumptions concerning whether the chapter is a later addition from a different hand; it cannot be used as evidence in making that decision. It is true that Peter " s calling receives little emphasis elsewhere in the Gospel; but if one does not start with the assumption that John 21 belongs to a different hand than the rest of the Gospel, this apparent difference stems from an argument based on silence. Explicit mention of Peter " s special call (as opposed to merely his special prominence as an outspoken disciple or his intimacy as one of the three closest disciples) is rare in the Synoptics except for Matt 16and Luke 22:32, both of which discuss it in the same context as Peter " s failure. |
| Holy Eucharist The central place among the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church is held by the Holy Eucharist - the precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The central place among the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church is held by the Holy Eucharist – the precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In modern times the Holy Eucharist is celebrated in the Orthodox Church at the following Liturgies: 1. The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom – the usual Liturgy of Sundays and Weekdays. 2. The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great – celebrated on the Sundays of Great Lent and certain Feast Days. 3. The Liturgy of St. James the Brother of the Lord – celebrated on October 23 (St. James’ Day) in certain places only (e.g., Jerusalem). 4. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts – celebrated on Weekdays of Great Lent and Holy Week. (At this Liturgy there is no consecration of the Holy Gifts, but rather Communion is given from the Gifts consecrated on the previous Sunday – hence Pre-sanctified.) The Savior Himself said, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst… If any one eats of this bread he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh (John 6:35,51). At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and give it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body’. And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’ (Matt. 26:26-28; cf. Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-13; 1 Cor. 11:23-30). This institution of the Eucharist by our Lord is the means whereby we become united with Christ and with each other as a church, for, as St. Paul says, the goal of every Christian is to grow up in every way into Him Who is the head, into Christ, from Whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied – makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love (Eph. 4:15-16). This is so since Christ is the head of the Church, His body, and is Himself its Savior (Eph. 5:23). We become part of the Mystical Body of Christ by our communion of the Holy Eucharist. As St. Paul says: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor. 10:16-17). |
| Holy Matrimony The Image of the Most-holy Trinity, and, except in certain special cases (such as monasticism, for example), he is not intended by God to live alone, but in a family situation. Just as God blessed the first humans, Adam and Eve, to live as a family, to be fruitful and multiply, so too the Church blesses the union of a man and a woman. In the theology of the Orthodox Church man is made in the Image of the Most-holy Trinity, and, except in certain special cases (such as monasticism, for example), he is not intended by God to live alone, but in a family situation. Just as God blessed the first humans, Adam and Eve, to live as a family, to be fruitful and multiply, so too the Church blesses the union of a man and a woman. Marriage, however, is not a state of nature, but is rather a state of grace, and married life is a special vocation (no less than the special calling of monasticism), requiring a gift or charism from the Holy Spirit – this gift being conferred in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. That Holy Matrimony has divine sanction comes no less from the words of the Lord Himself, Who says: Have you not read that He Who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh [Gen. 2:24]? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder (Matt. 19:5-6). The Holy Apostle Paul sees this mystical union of husband and wife as reflecting the mystical union of Christ with His Church: Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, His body…. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her…. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the Church, because we are members of His body…. This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church… (Eph. 5:22-25, 28-30, 32). |
| Today the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast Day of Theophany or Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. People were leaving their sinful cities–cities full of noise, dirt, passion, intrigue, rat race, lack of meaning and purpose, desperation, disease, poverty, and excess–and walking out to the Jordan River, to the one crying in the wilderness, to be baptized by him, to be washed of their iniquities, to be cleansed of their transgressions in all their sins. They entered the river spotted and blemished with sin, and the waters took their filth upon themselves. If their sins were akin to dry leaves floating on the surface of the river, they would be carried by the current down toward the Dead Sea and mix there with the ancient sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, making the sea even more salty, more bitter, more dead. When Christ came to be baptized, John, according to the Gospel, was hesitant: “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” (Matt 3:14) John not only realized that the greater could not receive a blessing from the lesser, but He who Himself is the very “kingdom of heaven which is at hand,” had no need to repent or to confess His sins ( cf. 3:2, 6). Some teach that when Christ insisted on being baptized “for thus it becometh to fulfill all righteousness” (3:15), He acted according to our human nature which He took upon Himself and showed an example to all who would follow Him, to affirm that, although truly God, He was also truly man. the righteousness of the Old Covenant is faithfulness to it. Christ came “not to destroy the law, but to fulfill” (5:17)–to fill it with meaning, with purpose, with Himself, to full-fill it in Himself. In the days of Joshua, when faced with the presence of God, the waters of the Jordan “which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far [off]” (Jos 3:16). “The sea saw [the presence of the Lord], and fled: Jordan was driven back” (Ps 114:3). How could the waters touch Him, who “placed the sand for the bound of the sea”? (Jer 5:22) How could they dare wash over the One whose name is “the Lord of hosts… the Holy One of Israel” (Isa 47:4)? |
| John is calling his audience to a full confession of resurrection faith: Jesus is God in the flesh, and therefore his claims cannot be compromised, for synagogue or for Caesar. John will settle for no faith less secure than this. Further, while Thomas " s faith by sight is accepted, the faith without sight expected of John " s audience is greater (20:29; cf. 2Cor 5:6–7 ; 1Pet 1:8 ). It is grounded in the beloved disciplés testimony sampled in the Gospel (20:30–31), confirmed to hearers by the Paraclete (15:26–16:15). 10778 E.g., Ellis, Genius, 297–98; Minear, «Functions.» The «signs» include the resurrection chapter (esp. 20:27, 29) but also the rest of the «signs» in this Gospel (with, e.g., Lightfoot, Gospel, 336). 10779 E.g., Aeschines Timarchus 196; Cicero Fin. 5.32.95–96; Or. Brut. 40.137; Polybius 39.8.3; Dionysius of Halicarnassus Demosth. 32; Thucyd. 55; Musonius Rufus 6, pp. 54.26–56.11 (esp. 54.26; 56.7–11); Aelius Aristides Fifth Leuctrian Oration 43–44; Rhet. Alex. 36,1443b.l5–16; 1444b.21–35; 37, 1445b.21–23; Hippolytus Haer. 10.1; Anderson, Rhetorical Theory, 181–82; less fully, cf. Matt 28:18–20; Rom 16:17–19 . Of course, open or abrupt endings also appear, as in Mark 16 (see our comments on Mark 16:9–20 above, on the resurrection tradition). 10780 E.g., Isaeus Estate of Cleonymus 48, out of fifty-one paragraphs. Often they come at the conclusion of the proofs, though this might be near the work " s end (Cicero Quinct. 28.85–29.90), possibly relevant here; they could also conclude a section (Xenophon Hel1. 3.5.25, ending book 3; 4.8.19, ending only some events; Polybius 2.71.7–10, esp. 2.71.7–8; Cicero Fin. 3.9.31; Quinct. 19.60). 10781 Aeschines Timarchus 111. After his closing summary (Polybius 39.8.4–6), Polybius adds only closing comments (39.8.7–8). 10782 Achtemeier, «Miracle Workers,» 176. Even if redactional, Homer " s claim that Aeneas would rule the Trojans (Il. 20.303–308) is pre-Virgil and virtually invited the sort of development one finds in Virgil Aeneid. 10783 E.g., Valerius Maximus 2.7.5; 3.8.ext.l; Musonius Rufus 10, p. 78.22. Epideictic bards might also complain that time provided the only limit on their praises (Pindar Nem. 4.33–34; O1. 2.95; Pyth. 4.247–248; cf. Heb 11:32). In many oral genres, one should limit onés examples (Menander Rhetor 2.4, 393.25–30). 10787 Dionysius of Halicarnassus Thucyd. 55; Isaeus 19–20; Demosth. 42,46, 58; Lit. Comp. 11. More detailed discussion might await another occasion, but he needed to use most wisely the space that he had (Demosthenes 32; Isaeus 14); he wanted to avoid wasting the reader " s time (Demosthenes 40). |
|
|
