Is it possible to step into the same river twice when the relationship has come to naught? Can I go to church during my period? Video: can women enter the temple on critical days

Many people know that they do not enter the same river twice. But there is at least one feeling that proves that the impossible is possible! And it is called love. Love pushes people to do unimaginable, strange and unusual things. It gives a person the opportunity to go forward. But sometimes you have to go back to figure out where to go next. Wherever a person moves backward or forward, its plus is that it moves! After all, everyone knows that movement is the main source for the continuation of life. Why are people so afraid to go back, to enter the same river twice? Because their life is riddled with stereotypes and fears. They are afraid to go against the public, they are afraid to be misunderstood not only by the people around them, but also by the person for whom they come back.

But all the same, there are such daredevils in the world who go for it, because they love so much that they do not see another way out of this situation. Many do not understand them and even condemn them.

But how do those who nevertheless enter the same river twice argue? It's very simple. Firstly, they realize that if they do not try to return their love, then in the future they will regret it for the rest of their lives. Secondly, an attempt is not torture, but thirdly, so that someone does not speak, but a person has the right to make a mistake, as well as a second chance. Those who knock on a closed door still have a chance that it will be opened again, and they use this opportunity and go to the end.

Even if the second attempt is unsuccessful, the person will know that he has made every effort to turn the tide.

It is difficult to dispute the fact that a person who goes for this has the courage and is most likely a real romantic who believes in miracles, and in the power that is hidden in such a feeling as love.

A person who dares to step into the same river twice, with all his being believes in the best and by his example confirms that no matter how hard it is, sometimes it is possible and necessary to return to the past. Because there is no future without the past.

In addition to all this, on the way to this river, a person grows up, because he overestimates, reconsiders his views on the past. While he returns, he also has time to think and understand exactly where he made a mistake on the first attempt and what needs to be done in order not to repeat it again.

In this case, it is important to try to achieve someone again, clearly realizing that without this person the white light is not pleasant to you, that you really love him. A positive attitude and belief in the best are very important here.

In such a situation, it is important at the very beginning of the path to be very clear for yourself that everything may not end as well and rosy as you would like. So, you need to be ready to let go of the one you love, no matter how hard it is for you. And let go in peace, with love, and not with anger and despair in your soul. After all, if you love someone truly, then you always wish him only good, even if the one you love wants to go forward without you.

It is widely believed that it is strictly forbidden for a woman with menstrual bleeding to enter the temple, and in addition to pass the sacrament. Is this really so? And what is the reason for so many disagreements around this issue? Nobody can give an exact answer to it. In any books and other sources there is no mention and confirmation that such a ban exists. But still they secretly try to adhere to it. Even the clergy cannot provide uniform information. There are many interpretations around this issue with different opinions.

As it was before?

In the most ancient part of the Bible - the Old Testament, it was said that “unclean” people should not enter the temple. This category included:

• patients with leprosy;
• everyone who suffers from purulent-inflammatory diseases;
• people who defiled themselves by touching a decaying body (corpse);
• women with physiological bleeding.

It was believed that one should not visit the temple under any of these conditions.

An interesting fact: at a time when mothers who gave birth to a boy were admitted to church 40 days after giving birth, a girl - after 80.

What do they think now?

Under the New Testament, adjustments were made to the list of people who should not go to church. Although certain restrictions for women have not gone anywhere. The ban on visiting the temple by women during menstruation began to be motivated by considerations of hygiene.

It has always been believed that the temple is a holy place, and blood should not be shed on its territory. Previously, there were no reliable hygiene products for protection, so for women during their menstruation, church attendance was prohibited.

There is another opinion why a woman cannot attend the temple with her period. Who is to blame for the expulsion of the human race from the Gardens of Paradise? On a woman. This is probably why female representatives were not allowed to God. Apparently, so as not to remind of old misconduct. For this reason, during menstruation, as well as for forty days after the birth of the baby, until the postpartum bleeding ends, the woman is not allowed to enter the temple.

To date, there is no reasonable prohibition on female temple attendance during menstruation. There are chapters in the Covenant in which the disciples spoke out that the desecration of faith brings evil that comes from the heart of a person, and not physiological secretions. In the New Testament, the main emphasis is placed on the inner spirituality of a person, and not on natural processes that do not depend on him.

Is it forbidden for a woman to go to church during her period?

Human blood cannot be shed in the temple. If, for example, a person in a church cuts a finger and the bleeding begins, he must leave it until the blood stops. Otherwise, it will be considered that the holy place was desecrated, and it became necessary to re-illuminate it.

It can be concluded that during menstruation, if you use high-quality hygiene products (pads, tampons), you can go to church, since there will be no shedding of human blood. At the same time, the opinions of the clergy on this matter differ, some even contradict each other.

Some people think that women with menstrual bleeding have no place in the church. You can enter, read a prayer and leave. Others, adherents of more radical views, say that it is strictly forbidden for women to attend church during their periods. However, there are those who assure that menstruation should not influence behavior in any way, that nothing needs to be changed in church life during this period, you need to continue reading prayers, lighting candles, confessing and receiving communion.

Proponents of both views can provide evidence of their own judgments, although they can be challenged. Those who support the first opinion are largely based on information from the Old Testament, saying that in ancient times women with bleeding should have stayed away from the people and the church. But they cannot provide clear explanations of why this should be so. Because in those days, women had a fear of staining the holy place with blood due to the lack of the necessary hygiene products.

The adherents of the opposite opinion assure that even then women went to church. For example, the Greeks (this is their difference from the Slavs), did not carry out the illumination of the church, respectively, no desecration could occur. In these places, women, even during physiological excretions, could venerate the icons and did not change anything in their ordinary church life.

It was often noted that this physiological process is not the woman's fault. And yet, in ancient times, women in Russia avoided going to church these days.

Some of the saints made statements that nature gave women a generous gift, endowing them with this unique ability to cleanse the body. They argued that the phenomenon was created by the Almighty, therefore, there can be no talk of dirt and uncleanliness.

It would be wrong to deny the female sex at the temple during menstruation, relying on the data from the Old Testament. If you carefully and deeply study the church, you can come to the conclusion that the ban on visiting the temple during menstruation is already morally outdated.

What should you do after all?

Girls are allowed to visit the temple on all days. If we take into account the opinion of a larger number of clergy, and with menstruation, this can be done. But it would be better these days to refuse the sacrament of baptism and wedding. It is advisable, if possible, not to touch crosses, icons and other shrines. In addition, the church calls on these days not to confess and not receive communion.

Video: can women enter the temple on critical days

O. Oleg : - A sports festival is approaching in Kolomenskoye. And I will ask my brother Vladimir to tell us about how this event will take place this year.

V.Nosov: - It is very joyful that for the sixth time in the Kolomenskoye park-museum in Moscow there is a cultural and sports festival "Orthodoxy and Sport", which this year will be dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Tsar Nicholas II Romanov. As usual, we try to make this holiday very widespread. It will begin with a prayer service. The event itself was blessed by Patriarch Kirill. Traditionally, it begins with a prayer service at the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye. The service will be headed by Bishop Guriy. Archpriest Oleg Vorobyov from the Danilov Deanery will serve him. Other clergy are priests who serve in the Church of the Kazan Mother of God in Kolomenskoye itself. The program is, as always, very busy. After the prayer service, the 42 km marathon will start immediately. There will be distances of 10 and 5 km. A lot of sites will start working. It will be a boxing tournament, boxing training, mixed martial arts, and many others. The fair will work. There will be many active zones. God grant that the weather in Moscow was good. So that on this day as many people as possible come and have a good rest, show something to their children and grandchildren. Traditionally, I express my gratitude to all the radio "Radonezh", which provides informational support to the event. I remember the story of 2013, when you and I also consecrated this event. My grandmother arrived, she accompanied her grandson to the army. And she asked him to give parting words. We talked with a young guy, it was joyful to see him at our event in a few years. In general, it would be nice to attend such events more often, a young man should go in for sports, develop physically.

O. Oleg : - By the way, the last Russian Tsar was a very athletic person. Extant video footage reveals that he was engaged in different kinds sports.

V.Nosov: - We will have a press area where priests will perform. I would like to touch upon this topic. So that the name of the event does not become a formality, but so that we can really raise topics related to the king.

Question: - Why will the Jews accept Antichrist as the Messiah, what prompts them to accept him? Another question. According to the Old Testament, the bosom of Abraham referred to hell or how should we understand it?

O. Oleg : - If we talk about the Jewish people, the Apostle Paul wrote that the hardening in Israel took place "partly until the time when the full number of the Gentiles entered." He wrote about this in the letter to the Romans. And the prophet Zechariah in chapter 12 verse 10 says: “And on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem I will pour out the spirit of grace and tenderness, and they will look upon Him, whom they pierced, and will weep for Him, as they weep for their only-begotten son, and mourn as they grieve for their firstborn. On that day there will be a great lamentation in Jerusalem, like the lamentation of Gadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land will mourn, every family apart: the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Simeon apart, and their wives apart. All other tribes - each tribe apart, and their wives apart. " That is, the hardening in Israel occurred partly until the time when the full number of the Gentiles, ready for salvation, entered, and then, when the door of salvation is closed for the Gentiles, it will open for the remnant of Israel. As the apostle Paul writes, "all Israel will be saved." This does not mean all of Israel, but the remnant that will live in last times... First, indeed, they will accept the Antichrist, they will be the apostles of the Antichrist, and then, through the preaching of the Prophet Elijah, they will turn to Christ. The prophet Malachi already speaks about this, chapter 5, verse 6: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to children and the hearts of children to their fathers, so that when I come, I will not smite the earth with a curse. " That is, the prophet Malachi was predicted that the prophet Elijah would come. And he will come just to return Israel to the faith of the fathers, to the faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Their faith was in the coming Messiah, because God told these patriarchs that in their seed (meaning only Christ) there would be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth.

V.Nosov: - I am interested in what will seduce the Orthodox, because it is known that even the elect will be deceived?

O. Oleg : - Yes, we, the Slavs, should be less concerned with the Jewish question, we should be more concerned with the Slavic question. It is he who is paramount for us. Talking about Jews all the time ... The second question is about afterlife... If we talk about the bosom of Abraham, the fathers wrote: "as heaven is far from the earth, so the hell of sinners is far from the bosom of Abraham." Although it was in the underworld before Christ brought everyone out of there. However, this is a slightly different hell. We see the description of this bosom of Abraham in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, when Abraham says that "between us and you there is a great gulf." The bosom of Abraham is those who died in faith in the coming Messiah, in Christ. These are the righteous. They weren't on fire. They even consoled themselves. Everyone was there until the coming of Christ.

Question: - On the Internet, the Orthodox speak about the Orthodox, the priests about the priests. How acceptable is this?

O. Oleg : - I believe that if a priest is "leaked" on some Orthodox site, then this site cannot be called Orthodox. It is completely unacceptable when people show aggression towards non-Orthodox, and sometimes towards Orthodox. Let's see what Genesis chapter 13, verse 7 says. “And there was a dispute between the shepherds of Abram's cattle and between the shepherds of Lot’s cattle; both the Canaanites and the Perizei lived then in that land. " Why such a clarification? It means that when believers are in conflict with believers against the background of these Canaanites and Perrezees, then this is a great danger for the people of God. The Church already has enough enemies. And if we, to the delight of these enemies, will conflict with each other in an open space - this is unacceptable. You just have to be sick to project such conflicts on the Internet. See what it says further: “And Abram said to Lot: Let there be no strife between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we are relatives; Is not the whole earth before you? separate from me: if you are to the left, then I am to the right; and if you are to the right, then I am to the left. " Now, if a person does not like the arrival, you can go to another. The same is with the monastery. If a person behaves aggressively in the information space, where there are those who equally badly treat the Orthodox, then these are playing along with these Canaanites and Perzees. This is spiritual immaturity. Damage.

V.Nosov: - Today, unfortunately, a large number of people are witnessing church conflicts that concern only Orthodox believers.

O. Oleg : - This is the case of the church court, the ruling bishop of this or that diocese, but not the case of individual individuals who allow themselves such information outbursts.

Question: - Second Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 12, line 7 ff. “And so that I would not be exalted by the extraordinary revelations, I was given a thorn in the flesh, the angel of Satan, to depress me, so that I would not be exalted. Three times I prayed to the Lord to remove him from me. But the Lord told me: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will much more willingly boast of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am complacent in weakness, in grievances, in needs, in persecution, in oppression for Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong. " Explain, please, what weaknesses are we talking about and how you can be strong in weakness?

O. Oleg : - Chrysostom writes: “I know that some consider it bodily weakness; but this is not so, not so - and he calls the people who opposed him the angel of Satan, because this Satan is a Hebrew word; it means adversary. Thus, Paul calls the tools of the devil and the people who serve him his angels. Why, they will say, is added: flesh? Because the flesh was scourged, but the soul was light, excited by the hope of future blessings; The intrigues of the enemies did not touch his soul and did not crush his inner thoughts, but reached only the flesh, and this war could not penetrate inside. Since the flesh was torn apart, scourged, bound - it was impossible to bind the soul, ”he says:“ I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan, ”implying temptation, sorrow, persecution. The Apostle Paul endured persecution not only from the Jews, but also from the false brethren, who rebelled against him, being Christians themselves. There was such Alexander Mednik, who muddied the water was Diatref, who loved to be exalted among Christians. These people, although they called themselves Christians, could not stand the Apostle Paul, and he suffered a lot from them. The apostle writes that in Ephesus he fought with beasts. It means that there were his opponents, and he got it hard. But there are other explanations that he had some kind of ailment. Out of respect for Paul, some ancient exegetes said that he had vision problems. But I don't think that was the case, because the thorn in the flesh is something else. Perhaps there was some temptation that the apostle wanted to overcome in himself. He prayed that the Lord would deliver him from him, but for the sake of the extraordinary revelations that Paul had, the Lord left him this temptation so that Paul would not be exalted. Abba Sysoy writes in "Philosophy" that God sometimes sends us temptations, trials, even falls, but with one goal: so that we understand that we cannot live without Him. And Paul could have a reason for exaltation - he was very popular among many Christians. Chrysostom directly calls it "the harp of the Holy Spirit." And in order to somehow restrain his human ambitions, the Lord sent him temptations.

V.Nosov: - What is heavier? To endure temptations from outsiders or from insiders?

O. Oleg : - It's harder from their own. Any person wants to be loved, and he himself wants to love. In our fellowship, we, as it were, use the benefits of Christian love. And when someone starts to attack us, or we attack - this is outrage, a mentally healthy person cannot do that. Christians should be careful about one another, because otherwise it will be revealed that we are not entirely spiritual, but rather, on the contrary, carnal. The Apostle Paul writes about this. Are we not carnal if there are divisions between us? "Because you are still carnal." For if there is envy, quarrels and disagreements among you, are you not fleshly? And are you not acting according to human custom? For when one says: "I am Pavlov," and the other: "I am Apollos," are you not carnal? Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? They are only ministers through whom you believed, and moreover, since the Lord has given everyone. I planted, Apollos watered, but God raised; therefore both the planting and the watering are nothing, but God is growing everything. But the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers, and you are God's field, God's building. " It is completely unacceptable when factions arise between Christians. In any case, there is a danger that people will be carried away by such passions, and the zone of passions is a zone of demonic aggression against us.

Question: - Is it possible to enter an Orthodox church without covering yourself with a headscarf if a choir festival is taking place there?

O. Oleg : - We know that during prayer a man should not cover his head, but a woman should. When people gather for worship, there is a dress code that must be adhered to. But in Russia it was also accepted outside the prayer life for this custom to be observed. Pious women cover their heads with a headscarf, this is a sign of the power of a husband over his wife. And the relationship between a husband and wife is an icon of Christ's relationship with the Church. As it is said, "And you husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church." In Russia, a woman who took off her headscarf was told that she had gone wild. That is, it was considered indecent. As well as it was considered indecent for a man to grow his hair too long. And even there are rules of the Ecumenical Council that clerics must cut their hair in the established order, because a man who grows his hair dishonors his head, and a woman without a headscarf in public dishonors her. The Apostle Paul writes with a certain sarcasm: if a woman does not want to wear a headscarf, let her have her hair cut bald. Bearing in mind that God gave a woman a natural veil, it was customary to grow long hair. The girl could appear without a headscarf, this is a sign for the angels. Angels are omniscient. When an angel sees a woman with her head uncovered, he realizes that this is the one who does not have a husband with her head over her.

Angels are also helpers in matchmaking. There is a book in which the Archangel Raphael helped solve issues related to family life, that is, he was engaged in matchmaking. Therefore, we must not conform to this age, as the apostle writes. Paul. To adapt to the norms of behavior in this world, where women are not just without headscarves, but in general they are soaring - what, then, does it mean for us to go to church in a half-naked form, or what, to go? And the headscarf on the head of both women and girls is beauty, chastity. The Apostle writes that the adornment of a woman is not an entanglement of hair, but a humble spirit before the Lord.

V.Nosov: - But in Greece there is no such tradition - for women to cover their heads at divine services.

O. Oleg : - I'm worried about the Greeks, they came up with a lot of their own.

V.Nosov: - And we are glad to see that our believing women stand out favorably in comparison with the Greek, who are too secularized.

Question: - To what extent can a bishop call heretics brothers if he congratulates them, for example, on Easter or Christmas? Is this acceptable?

O. Oleg : - Acceptable. Open the word of St. John Chrysostom "On statues". There he writes that in relation to heretics we should behave like caring brothers, literally. And to show brotherly love towards the lost. Because if we communicate with these people with some other feeling, then we will not in any way contribute to their return to the true faith. Chrysostom repeats more than once that such people should be treated like brothers. And there is nothing wrong with that. Those who hold a different point of view, most likely do not read the holy fathers and do not know the church teaching in relation to the lost. The New Testament says, "Give an account of your trust with due meekness and reverence." That is, if a person does not have this, then it is better not to approach him. Then you will show not the Christian image of faith, but your anger, irritation, painful emptiness. This is the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor, when one person is exalted over another. And Herman of Alaska wrote about the pagans, about the Indians: I am a caring nanny for the peoples there, who cares about understanding them. Chrysostom also writes: "And do not say such heartless words that I have nothing in common with them (heretics) for this is devilish insensibility and satanic inhumanity." Chrysostom writes that we have nothing in common only with the devil. We have a lot in common with everyone living on earth. One Heavenly Father, we inhabit one earth, we eat the same food. Therefore, when our bishops address people: “brothers and sisters,” it means that they want to reach out to their hearts. By the way, the apostle Paul, when he preached to the Jews, he said: men, brethren. Although the gap between Judaism and Christianity is more significant than the gap between Orthodoxy and Baptism. It is much smaller.

Love is the most powerful weapon. Abba Dorotheos writes that you cannot even approach a person with words of reproof if you do not have words of correction for him. In this case, a person will voice his attitude towards these people, and this has nothing to do with Christianity at all.

Question: - Father, you knew such Mikhail Klyuchnikov, a man who did a lot of missionary work, preached among the Hare Krishnas. Now he has left the Church. We also have those who preached and left, who went to Islam, who elsewhere. How to explain the essence of this phenomenon? Is it possible to return them to the Church?

O. Oleg : - The apostles write, they were with us, but they were not ours. And the fact that they left, through this it was revealed that they were not ours. When a person imitates Orthodoxy, this is one thing. And when it is in essence it is different. Orthodoxy is a way of life, it is not just a collection of knowledge, ideas, beliefs. It is a great misfortune for a person when he does not live in accordance with the ideals of his own beliefs. Some kind of abnormal duality - to understand that one must keep the commandments, but do nothing in this direction! We must pray for such people. There have been cases in the history of the Church when entire communities fell away from Orthodox unity, but then somehow returned. Blessed Augustine contributed to the return of entire communities that deviated from the true faith, but then found the way of salvation.

Why do people go to Islam? It seems to them simpler and clearer. To be an Orthodox Christian, you need to use some effort of faith and action. And there are lazy people who cannot master the Bible, for them this text is too heavy. They want it easier. This has more to do with the characteristics of the flesh than the spirit. In Scripture, the apostle Paul refers to the concept of heresy to the works of the flesh. Therefore, when a person leaves the faith of his ancestors, there is nothing good in this, he finds himself in a state of internal emigration, he will always remain a stranger among his own and his own among strangers, and there he will not be able to manifest himself.

V.Nosov: - When it comes to taking missionaries, does it matter if the person has spiritual leadership?

O. Oleg : - What does missionary mean? If this is a diocesan missionary, then it is always a priest. If the synodal one, even more so. There are amateur missionaries, like amateur theater, for example. But these are amateurs, and we still have to see if it was a mission, and what they preached there. Maybe yourself? Missionary is a loud definition. A person must have an appropriate theological education and qualifications. It has been said: How to preach if you are not sent? The church should delegate to a person the right to be called a missionary. And if a person simply declares himself a missionary by the fact of his inner drive, then you have the name “as if alive, but you are dead”.

V.Nosov: - Father, you take a blessing from the abbot of the church where you serve for every trip.

O. Oleg : - Not only. But I also take a blessing from the vicar, Vladyka Panteleimon for trips, and write reports addressed to His Holiness. This is the order. We are not acting on our own. This is unacceptable in the Church.

Question: - The Gospel says that you need to preach. I have friends who are very far from the Church, is it bad if I tell them something like that?

O. Oleg : - This is not a sermon, this is a testimony. Lay people can testify about their faith, more - by their lives. And you can talk to them on spiritual topics, but this does not mean that you are a missionary and make some kind of apostolate. No. And we are obliged to testify. Especially what the Lord has changed in our lives. For example, like a Samaritan woman. She met Christ, but she did not become His apostle. She told everyone what Christ had told her, and only then the whole village came out to meet Christ, then He entered this sectarian village of the Samaritans, spent two days there, and many converted. That is, we can all testify that the Lord has created in our lives. And if we talk about a special ministry, apostolic, missionary, here the principle of how to preach, if not sent, works. The Lord sent the apostles to preach. But we do not see that he sent myrrh-bearing women to preach. However, they testified of faith in the Resurrection of Christ even to the apostles themselves. Therefore, lay people witness. And who is this missionary who preached and then went to Islam? It is clear that this is just an amateur.

Question: - One of the Ecumenical Councils excommunicated the hierarchs who separated from the Church on the grounds that they re-baptized already baptized heretics. The council called them Luciferians, that is, followers of the devil. In fact, they were followers of Lucifer, bishop of Cagliari (Sardinia). It was he, the staunch fighter for the Cathedral, who spoke at VI century against the Arians, relying on the 68th apostolic canon. When, within the framework of his community, he re-ordained those who were ordained by the Arians, he was not excommunicated from the Church. And when he separated from the Church, because the Church was very gentle towards the Arians, then he was excommunicated. His followers remained Orthodox. So they are not followers of the devil. And second, you said that Abraham's bosom is in hell. And in the Lenten Triodion it is written that this is an image of the future Kingdom.

O. Oleg : - The Church, no doubt, had the conciliar practice of receiving the baptism of the Arians and receiving their ordination. And the private opinion of this bishop does not mean anything at all. They did not accept baptism only when the very form of baptism was distorted. In this case, then these people were baptized. And what you say about Abraham's bosom is the Catholic teaching about Limbo. It has nothing to do with Orthodoxy. Take the icon of the Resurrection of Christ, on it we see how Christ leads out of Hell and King David, and Abraham, and other Old Testament righteous. This is reality. To admit the thought that Abraham's bosom was like a state of absolute goodness in a certain paradise is an anti-Christian thought. Because you can enter the true paradise of sweetness only through the merits of Christ the Savior through His Holy Blood. The Old Testament people could not deserve paradise by any of their righteous deeds. We know that the prudent robber was the first to enter paradise, who finds paradise empty. And church tradition teaches that neither Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob - no one was the first. And when Christ preaches in hell, when He shone the radiance of the Divine on hell, He brought out those souls that were there. Obviously, they died in the hope of the coming of Christ. This hope did not leave them. So no need to fantasize. On the whole, it is necessary to read more attentively into the liturgical texts, into dogmatic definitions. If we talk now about people who have died, then they are neither in hell nor in paradise. They are either on the threshold of hell or on the threshold of heaven. And the logic of the patristic is as follows: since a person sinned in the body, then he will answer together with the body. Or a person has put in the first fruits of repentance, living in the body, he will also enjoy in the body. So now there is still neither the fullness of suffering, nor the fullness of bliss. But at the same time, the truly Old Testament righteous were in the underworld, and their condition was fundamentally different from the condition of those who did not expect Christ, but lived an unbridled life. But the fathers say the punishments in hell will vary. As in the Kingdom of Heaven, someone will be called lesser, someone greater by grace. Because God is just. And none of the wicked, even in hell, will be offended beyond the measure that he really deserves.

Question: - What does the potter's land mean for the burial of strangers - after all, they were buried in caves? What does kosher mean?

O. Oleg : - Potter's land is an allotment of land where there could be caves. That is, this is a plot, not soil. And kosher is something that is approved by the rabbinical court when a Jewish rabbi decides that something is permissible or not. But it doesn't matter to us. We know that food is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer. The Word of God establishes what we Christians can and cannot eat. And prayer sanctifies any food that we have on our table. Christians are forbidden to eat blood. When there was an apostolic council in Jerusalem, they decreed there not to observe anything like the Jews, since the laws of kashrut are very complex. And to abstain only from fornication, strangulation and blood. This is confirmed by the rules of the Councils and the Holy Fathers. If a person does not medical indications blood transfusions are different, for the commandments were given not for death, but for life.

For us, the concept of modest and lean matters.

V.Nosov: - Father, returning to the conversation about missionary work, about what a layman can and cannot, what would you advise as homework, what you should know Orthodox Christian? Where can I find your lectures?

O. Oleg : - My lectures can be found on the Internet, on the website of the radio "Radonezh", on the website "Azbuka Vera". Download, use. I allow my lectures to be disseminated for the glory of God.

Question: - If the Old Testament people were in hell, then where will the prophet Elijah take everyone on a fiery chariot? It was written in heaven. You said that now the souls of the dead are between heaven and earth, neither in hell nor in heaven. There is such a film "Mortal Memory". He makes me doubt that the souls of the modern dead toil between heaven and earth.

O. Oleg : - No, they do not toil. Demons live between heaven and earth. And the souls of the departed are either on the threshold of hell or on the threshold of paradise. This is the official teaching of the Church, which was proposed by the Eastern patriarchs. With regard to the exceptional cases of the taking of the prophet Elijah to heaven, this only confirms the rule. The destroyer of hell is only Christ. Look carefully at the icon "The Resurrection of Christ" and you will see it. There is a black abyss under the feet of Christ, from where He leads souls. There is no need to change the icon in the traditional sense of these issues. Outside of Christ, we cannot even find the hope of salvation. Orthodox Church teaches that all men have sinned. Even the Most Holy Virgin Mary, although she did not have personal sins, had original sin on herself, which is inherited from her parents. And She, too, needed the atoning Blood of Her beloved Son. And there is an ancient legend that She was baptized in a Christian way by the Apostle Paul himself, who, as you know, went to Jerusalem and there met with the most famous among Christians and had fellowship with them. I recommend that you look at the dogmatic teachings of the Church, teachings on dogma, so as not to be in illusions. And the exceptions only prove the rule.

And then Elijah, for example, was taken to heaven alive, he did not know death. They will have death when, in the days of Antichrist, he descends to earth, he will be put to death by him.

God save you all!

Sometimes it happens that, tired of a hopeless, painful, dead-end relationship, you decide to part with your partner, and if you do not run away from him across three seas, then at least delete his number from your contact list, block it in Viber, FB and Vkontata. It would seem that they parted, now live and rejoice. But here there is a risk of falling into the trap of memory, which helpfully begins to slip pleasant memories of the time when you were together.

And now, after some time, you suddenly begin to realize that you made a mistake, and make a new decision - to return to your former soul mate. We bring to your attention some "myths", belief in which fuels our desire to renew the broken relationship.

"This time everything will be different"

Everything flows, everything changes, and, of course, everything will be different. But it should be borne in mind that, most likely, in this case, "differently" means - not better, but worse than it was before. As a rule, after returning, partners notice each other's merits even less than before parting, and more and more “fixate” on shortcomings and negative aspects. They remember and meticulously calculate the wrongs inflicted on each other, but they rarely try to correct them and change attitudes for the better.

"He has become completely different"

Belief in miracles is, of course, very nice, but people do not change so easily and so quickly. Therefore, it is unlikely that your partner, during your absence from his life, abandoned the habits that annoyed you before, and replaced them with pleasant virtues. To change, a person needs a good reason, a great desire, strong motivation and hard work on himself. So, before running back, you need to ask yourself the question: does your partner have at least one reason to change in the direction you need?

"He knows me like no one else"

Well, yes, that's exactly how it is. He really knows about you, if not everything, then a lot. But how can knowing that you are confusing doormen and Swiss, or that you have dreamed of having a raccoon all your life, and you were constantly given hamsters, can this time make your relationship happier than it was before? After all, this knowledge has not helped you to maintain a relationship once.

"Every next one is worse than the previous one"

From the scenario, according to which "everyone around is bad, and how can you find someone better among them?" must go out without fail. Otherwise, you voluntarily condemn yourself to painful, based on the fear of being alone, and not on mutual love, relationships. The solution is actually simple: never compare your current partner with your ex, especially when you first meet. Because ninety times out of a hundred, the ex will seem better, this is an illusion that you created yourself. Perhaps because of the fear of entering a new relationship.

"What-no, but mine"

The most common myth and the most common mistake in a relationship is the belief that even if the partner is "so-so", but his own and has long been accustomed. Who knows if someone will meet better, but here, albeit nightmarish, boring, joyless, but really stable and familiar relationship. This is a quirk of the human brain, which perceives losses more sharply than gains. For example, it seems more attractive to ride a hare in an electric train than to find the same 30 rubles on the street, although in both cases we are dealing with the same amount. The same principle works in relationships. But is it better to live your whole life with someone who doesn’t seem to be really needed than, even if not now, but in a year or two or three, to meet a person next to whom “happiness” will cease to be just a word?

"Dating websites? This is not for me"

For some, registering on a dating site is like catching some kind of infection. Such a preconceived attitude deprives you of the opportunity to meet new people, have a good time and, at least, stop sighing for your ex, and this is already an achievement. In addition, we would not be so dismissive of virtual dating, because according to statistics, only 37 percent of those who meet on the Internet stop communicating after the first date. The remaining 63 percent, in our opinion, is a very promising figure.

"Let's stay friends"

Friendships between exes tend to be unsustainable. Because in the end it still turns out that it was an attempt by one of the partners to regain "his", which, in principle, is absolutely normal. But a sincere desire to be friends with ex-lovers may indicate a mental disorder. There is something to think about, isn't it?

"Maybe I'm exaggerating?"

It also happens, especially if the reasons for your breakup were not entirely dependent on you: your relatives were actively against it, or the job involved living in different cities. Perhaps, in this case, it really is worth trying again. But, alas, as a rule, the reasons for the breakup are more serious, for example, the partner's alcoholism or his betrayal. This can no longer be considered an exaggeration. This is the most objective reason for parting.