Orkse Orthodox culture 1 lesson. Andrey Kuraev Fundamentals of Orthodox culture (Textbook for fourth grade)

Goal and tasks electives are formulated, achieved and decided in the context of the national educational ideal, which represents highest goal education, a moral (ideal) idea of ​​a person, on whose upbringing, training and development the efforts of the main social actors of the state, family, school, traditional religious and public organizations are directed.

Orthodox culture is an internal and organic phenomenon: it captures the very depths of the human soul and is formed along the paths of living, mysterious expediency. In this way it differs from civilization, which can be assimilated externally and superficially, and does not require the fullness of spiritual participation. Therefore, a people can have an ancient and refined spiritual culture, but in matters of external civilization (clothing, housing, communications, industrial equipment, etc.) show a picture of backwardness and primitiveness. And vice versa: a people can stand at the last heights of technology and civilizations, but in matters of spiritual culture (morality, science, art, politics and economics) experience an era of decline.

From this one distinction it is clear which Christianity was of exceptional importance in the history of culture. It introduced into the culture of mankind a certain new, grace-filled spirit, that spirit that was supposed to revive and revived the very substance of culture, her true nature, her living soul.

The creation of Christian culture is a task set before humanity two thousand years ago and not resolved by it. This task cannot be solved by one era, by one people, by one generation, once and for all, because every era and every people and each generation must strive to resolve it in its own way, achieving and not achieving in its own way.

Tasks:

• Education of citizenship, patriotism, respect for human rights, freedoms and responsibilities.
• Upbringing moral feelings and ethical consciousness.
• Fostering diligence, a creative attitude to learning, work, and life.
• Formation of a value attitude towards health and healthy image life.
• Fostering a value attitude towards nature and the environment.
• Fostering a value-based attitude towards beauty, forming ideas about aesthetic ideals and values.
• Introduce the basic dogmatic provisions of the doctrine of the Orthodox Church.
• Provide the main information from the history of the Orthodox Church.

The program is designed to work with children 6-8 years old for 1 year. Classes are held once a week for 1 hour - 33 hours per year.

Conditions for effective implementation of the program:

• correct selection of methods, principles, forms of work;
• student team cohesion;
• cooperation and co-creation of teacher and students;
• professional growth of the teacher, his need to realize his creative potential

Expected Results

By the end of the training, students should:

• know 2-3 authors of spiritual poetry;
• know biblical history, norms of Christian ethics, Orthodox traditions and customs of Kuban;
• be able to distinguish church music from secular classical music;
• be able to see beauty in the world around you; distinguish between the concepts of “man-made beauty”, “beauty not made by hands”, “spiritual beauty”;

Educational and thematic plan

1st year of study

1. Introductory lesson (1 hour)
Introducing children to the goals and objectives, content of work. What will we study? Who are we, where are we from? How are they alive? (The concept of Orthodoxy as the religion of the Russian people.)
God is the Creator of the world.

2. Biblical history (6 hours)
Reading a children's bible. Introduction to the “Gospel. Lives of the Saints" (for children). Prophet Moses.
Ten Commandments.

3. Active Orthodox monasteries in Russia (4 hours)
Acquaintance with active monasteries in Russia. The beauty of Orthodoxy. Bell ringing.
Temple. How to pray. What do we see in the church?
Practical work (making a collective panel “Orthodox Monastery”)

4.History of icon painting (4 hours)
Construction of the temple. Icons.
Weekly and daily church circle. Worship.
Kazan icon Mother of God. Miracle-working icons of the Mother of God.

5. Christmas celebrations (3 hours)
Christmas holiday.
Candlemas. The Child Jesus in the Temple.
Prophet John the Baptist. Epiphany. Sacrament of Baptism.

6. Spiritual poetry (3 hours)
Man and the world around him. Works about the beauty and perfection of nature, about man’s relationship to the world around him.
Holidays and customs of my people. Stories and poems about Orthodox holidays: Christmas, Easter, Intercession Holy Mother of God, Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Annunciation, etc.; O folk traditions and customs associated with them; about the rite of forgiveness; about posts.
Save your soul. Stories, poems, fairy tales and proverbs about kindness, self-sacrifice, love, mercy, about inner and outer beauty, about ways to correct a bad deed.
He who honors his parents never perishes. Stories, poems, fairy tales, proverbs about family relationships. Works about mother.
Knowledge and work will grind everything. Works about the benefits of work and knowledge.
Gospel parable about the sower and the seeds. Introduction to Church Slavonic literacy.

7. Orthodox holidays (4 hours)
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
The Savior's Suffering on the Cross and Resurrection.
Easter holiday.
Great Martyr George the Victorious.
Ascension. Feast of the Holy Trinity.

8. Signs and Wonders (4 hours)
Miracles of Jesus Christ. Taming the storm. Walking on the waters. Feeding five thousand people.
Proverbs. Parable of the Sower.
Parable of the Prodigal Son.

9. About superstitions. (3h)
Warnings against so-called signs, when omens about happy circumstances in our lives are derived from the most unimportant cases. Warnings against fortune telling or divination. Warnings against the use of objects that do not contain anything medical and, due to their properties, cannot have any influence on our well-being and happiness.

10. Sacraments. Sacrament of repentance. (1 hour)
Parable of the Good Samaritan.
What should an Orthodox person be like? Examples from the lives of saints.
How should an Orthodox person behave?
Sin. Confession. Sin and repentance.
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.

11. Final lesson (1 hour)
Demonstration of achieved results.

Forms and methods of control:

– pedagogical observation;
– testing;
- performance creative tasks(drawing up oral and written stories, questions for quizzes, students selecting illustrative material for assignments, preparing drawings);

Methodological support

Teaching children the basics of Orthodox culture should become one of the most important areas in the school’s activities.

Theoretical classes are conducted mainly in the form of a story or conversation using didactic material and technical training aids.

In order for classes to be interesting and knowledge to be well absorbed by children, in addition to theoretical classes, there should also be practical ones, where students could reveal themselves.

In the 1st grade, it is proposed to introduce children to the most vivid and accessible events from the Old and New Testaments (the creation of the world, the flood, Joseph and his brothers, the Nativity of Christ, the miracles of the Savior, etc.). And also give an idea of ​​the main provisions of the Orthodox faith: introduce the temple, prayer, icon. At this stage, it is necessary to awaken children’s interest in Orthodoxy; the teacher’s story should excite the child’s soul.

To work effectively with this program, it is necessary to take into account psychological characteristics junior schoolchildren. The following methodological conclusions follow from this:

• Due to the fact that in younger schoolchildren involuntary attention predominates, and their perception is based primarily on emotions, it is advisable to use those events from the Old and New Testaments, from the lives of saints, the history of the Church, etc., which may be most interesting to children and will cause an emotional reaction in them - for example, younger schoolchildren will be interested in hearing about the childhood of saints;
• Since younger schoolchildren have an involuntary imagination, it must be directed towards recreating a given image. For this purpose, the technique of verbal illustration can be used;
• various reproductions, as well as icons, used to conduct the lesson can become a support for the development of visual-figurative thinking;
• To develop verbal and logical thinking, it is necessary to ask questions in lessons to establish logical connections between events and actions. To do this, you can ask, for example, the following questions: what prompted this person to do this? What could this lead to?

Material and technical equipment

• TCO (tape recorder, video recorder, multimedia);
• Audio, video cassettes;

Literature for children:

1. Children's Bible. "Vedo." Volgograd. 1990
2. “Gospel” Lives of saints for children. BAO. DONETSK.2006

Literature for teachers:

1. I.A.Ilyin"Basics Orthodox culture» Publication of the Brotherhood of Rev. Job Pochaevsky. Munich, 1990
2. Bible.
3. V.G.Doctorov"Heavenly patrons of Christians." Minsk. "Belarus" 1990
4. “I’m going to class in elementary school: the foundations of Orthodox culture: A book for teachers” - M.: Publishing House “First of September”, 2001.

Lesson 1 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Russia is our Motherland

You will learn

How rich is our Fatherland?

What are traditions and why do they exist?

Not everything in life can be chosen by a person himself. I can't choose my parents. I can't choose the language in which my mother sang lullabies to me. I can't choose my homeland.

First I am born. Then I find out that my homeland is called Russia. That it is the largest country in the world. That Russia is a country with an ancient history.

From the first days of my life I have been surrounded by family and friends. Gradually their circle expands. Relatives, friends, neighbors... And one day the understanding comes to me that in addition to my house, my yard, my street, my district, my city, there is also My Country.

These are millions of people who do not know me personally. But our lives have a lot in common. And we all depend on each other in some way.

Fifty years ago, an unknown pilot took off above the earth. But the news of his flight filled our entire country with joy. And now we proudly say: we are compatriots of Yuri Gagarin, the world’s first cosmonaut.

We experience Russia's victories as our own victories. And Russia’s troubles are no strangers to us either.

What unites us? United Motherland. This is common land. General history. General laws. Mutual language. But most importantly - shared values, spiritual traditions. A person remains a person as long as he values ​​and disinterestedly cares about the person close to him, other people, and the interests of the people and the Fatherland.

You receive both your homeland and valuables as a gift from previous generations. Values ​​live in spiritual traditions. Outside of tradition, they die, like a plant that is pulled out of the soil. The source of values ​​is understood in different ways.

Believers are convinced that people receive their values ​​from God. God gives people a moral law - knowledge about right life, about how to avoid evil, fear and disease and even death, not to harm others, to live in love, harmony and agreement with people and the world around us.

People who do not adhere to a particular religion believe that values ​​are the most important knowledge about life, which younger people receive from older ones, and those from even older and more experienced generations. This transmission of values, or tradition, occurs within the family. Remember, your parents often tell you that you should dress appropriately for the weather, maintain good hygiene, and avoid dangerous situations. Why? Because if you do not follow these simple rules, your health may be at risk. This happens not only in the family, but also in society. Values ​​are simple rules of social behavior. They warn us against relationships with people that can cause pain and suffering. Like parents, older generations take care of younger ones and pass on their spiritual experience, received by them, in turn, from previous generations.

No matter where values ​​come from, all people are convinced of their exceptional importance for life. Without values, a person’s life depreciates and loses meaning.

The main value of Russia is people, their life, work, culture. Essential Values human - family, Fatherland, God, faith, love, freedom, justice, mercy, honor, dignity, education and work, beauty, harmony.

To discover these and other values, you need to enter a certain spiritual tradition. Spiritual traditions allow a person to distinguish between good and evil, good and bad, useful and harmful. A person who follows these traditions can be called spiritual: he loves his homeland, his people, his parents, treats nature with care, studies or works conscientiously, respects the traditions of other peoples. A spiritual person is distinguished by honesty, kindness, curiosity, hard work and other qualities. The life of such a person is filled with meaning and has meaning not only for himself, but also for other people. If a person does not follow these traditions, then he has to learn from his mistakes.

Our Fatherland is rich in its spiritual traditions. Russia became so big and strong precisely because it never forbade people to be different. In our country it has always been considered natural that its citizens belong to different peoples and religions.

You have chosen to study one of the greatest spiritual traditions of Russia. Other children, whose families are closer to other religious or secular traditions that exist in our Fatherland, will get acquainted with their culture. The life of Russia and each of its citizens is based on the diversity and unity of great spiritual traditions. Carefully study your family's traditions. Don’t forget to share the values ​​you receive with other people - the more you give, the more you receive. Remember that different people may have different shrines and you need to be careful not to offend another person. The shrines of another person may seem incomprehensible to you at first, but you cannot trample on them. You will discover these values ​​in the future.

The boy caressed the rays,

All bathed in light,

The flames of the sun kissed

On the parquet.

I accidentally stood in a circle

Sunshine.

And the boy suddenly cried

In three streams, like a child.

What's wrong with you? - I asked.

He said: - I saw

You stepped into the sun

Sunny was offended.

I kissed him

And now I already know:

If the beam fell on the floor,

I'm not attacking.

(Alexander Solodovnikov)

Questions and tasks

Consult with your parents, with other adults and name several traditions accepted by your family in other families.

What values ​​underlie family traditions?

Important Concepts

Traditions(from lat. Tradere - convey) – something that has great importance for a person, but not created by him, but received from his predecessors and will subsequently be passed on to younger generations. For example, the simplest ones are to congratulate family and friends on their birthday, celebrate holidays, etc.

Value– something that is of great importance for an individual and society as a whole. For example, Fatherland, family, love, etc. – all these are values.

Spiritual traditions– values, ideals, life experience, passed on from one generation to another. The most important spiritual traditions of Russia include: Christianity, first of all Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, secular ethics.

Lesson 2 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Orthodoxy and culture

You will learn

What does a person put into culture?

What thoughts does religion convey?

Word culture came from Latin language. At first, this word meant something that was grown in the garden, and not something that sprouted in the field. Culture is something that does not exist in the wild.

Today the word culture is understood more broadly: it is generally everything that man has created. What a person changes in the world through his work is culture. By working, a person changes not only the world, but also himself (for example, he becomes more caring and less lazy). And therefore, the most important thing in culture is the reasons why a person decides to act exactly like a person, and not like an animal or a machine.

Why does a person act this way and not otherwise? How do people distinguish between good and evil, truth and untruth? The answers to these questions can be found in the world of culture.

Culture accumulates the experience of human successes and failures. Through culture, this experience is transmitted from one people to another. People create culture. And then this culture creates the living conditions of other people, influences the way they think and feel, the way they communicate and work.

People learn from each other not only at school. We learn to make friends, stand up for the truth, and love our loved ones not only in lessons. And this is also part of the culture.

How to celebrate a state or folk holiday? How to welcome a guest to your home? How to organize a wedding or cope with a loss loved one? These are also cultural issues. People absorb these rules, norms, and customs from the first day of their lives. A person usually does not choose his own culture. He is born in it, breathes in it, grows in it.

There are areas of culture that are common to all people or to the entire country. But there are also differences in folk cultures.

In the 17th century, the Arab traveler Pavel Aleppo arrived in Russia. Here are some features of our culture that struck him:

IN holidays everyone rushes to church, dressed in their best clothes, especially women... People pray in churches for six hours. All this time the people are standing on their feet. What endurance! Undoubtedly, all these people are saints!

Liquor shops remain closed from Saturday to Monday. The same is done during major holidays.

Even peasants are called by their patronymics.

People like brown bread more than white bread.

The wife, having brought the food, sits down at the same table with the men.

And even rules that are common to everyone can be explained differently by people. For example, all people condemn lying. But one will explain: “don’t lie, so that they don’t lie to you in return.” And another will say: “don’t lie, because God sees every lie.” The first explanation will be given by a person who adheres to secularism, i.e. non-religious culture. The words of another express the position of a person living in a religious culture.

Religion are the thoughts and actions of a person who is convinced that human mind not alone in our world. Religions say that next to and even above man there is an invisible intelligent and spiritual world: God, angels, spirits... For many people, this belief becomes so deep that it determines their behavior and their culture.

The majority of citizens of our country call themselves Orthodox. The origins of Russian culture in the Orthodox religion. For example, Russian word" Thank you " – This is an abbreviated utterance of the wish: “God save (you)!” Every time you say “thank you,” you sometimes even unconsciously turn to God.

INSERT Into the collection of the Russian language

The word Orthodoxy is a translation of a complex Greek word orthodoxy. The first of the Greek roots is familiar to you from the word spelling. Ortho means “faithful, correct.” Here's the word doxa V Greek has two meanings. The first is “teaching”, “opinion”. The second is “glorification.” So the word orthodoxy, like the word Orthodoxy, has another connotation: “correct faith”, “correct teaching”. Christians believe the teachings of Christ to be true. Therefore the expression Orthodox Christian more precise than just a word Orthodox.

BOX This is interesting

On Easter everyone kisses, saying “Christ is risen!”

Muscovite trade is tough, it's trade well-fed people. They say little when trading. When you try to bargain, they get angry. The price is the same throughout the market.

When we entered the hospital, the bad smell made it impossible to stay in this room to look at the patients. The king approached each sick person and kissed his head, mouth and hands - and so on until the last.

(From the notes of Paul of Aleppo, 17th century)

God gave you his calling,
He gave you a bright destiny:
Preserve the property for the world
High sacrifices and pure deeds;
To preserve the holy brotherhood of the tribes,
Life-giving vessel of love,
And the wealth of fiery faith,
Both truth and bloodless trial.
Oh, remember your high destiny,
Resurrect the past in your heart
And hidden deep in it
Interrogate the spirit of life!
Heed him, and all nations
Embracing my love, -
Tell them the mystery of freedom,
Shed the radiance of faith upon them!
(Alexey Khomyakov, 1839)

1. What are culture and religion? What is the connection between them?

2. What does it mean to be Orthodox person?

4. What features of Russian Orthodox culture of the 17th century, which so amazed the Arab traveler, are still alive? Which of the mentioned traditions are no longer seen? Is it good?

THIS IS INTERESTING

Capital letter

If we talk about gods in the plural (for example, when we retell legends and myths), then in this case we write this word with a small letter.

If believers speak or mention God as the Creator of our world, the word God is written with capital letters. This also applies to pronouns. If a line is written like this: “Then He said,” then it is immediately clear that this is about God. Or: “the man turned to the One Who...”.

And my dark gaze brightened, And the invisible world became visible to me, And from now on the ear hears, What is elusive to others. And with a prophetic heart I understood that everything born from the Word*, Rays of love all around, longs to return to it again; And everywhere there is sound, and everywhere there is light, And all the worlds have one beginning, And there is nothing in nature that does not breathe love. (Alexey Tolstoy, 1852)

* The word with a capital letter is God

Questions and tasks:

1. Why is God called the Creator?

2. Why do people compare God's love for man to the love of a father for his children?

3. Can Vanya be called a religious person? How did his religious beliefs manifest themselves in his actions?

4. Ask your parents and other adults to tell you about Orthodoxy. Think about the question together: What does it mean to be an Orthodox person?

Lesson 4 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Orthodox prayer

You will learn:

What is Orthodoxy

What does the word grace mean?

Who are the saints

About prayer Our Father

Word Orthodoxy This means the ability to correctly glorify God, that is, to pray.

People call God their Lord (Master). Therefore, they turn to God not with demands, but with prayer. And therefore turning to God is called prayer.

Prayer is the opposite of magic. If a person believes that he knows certain spells and formulas that will impose his will on the spirits or God, then he has taken the path of magic or witchcraft. In all world religions this is considered an unworthy and dangerous path.

Orthodox people have three types of prayer.

The most common prayer is request. “Give it, Lord.”

A prayer-request is a request from God for help and various benefits. Most often they start with everyday goods: health or success.

But, becoming wiser, a person begins to ask God for other, spiritual benefits. He asks to get rid of cowardice, despondency, laziness, irritability... This is a request for protection.

There is also a request for spiritual gifts: the believer asks God for an increase in intelligence and love. And also about God making people feel His closeness more often.

A rarer prayer - thanksgiving. Rare because people ask rather than thank. Having received what we want, we often forget to thank. So it is in the relationships of people among themselves, and in the relationships of people with God.

The highest prayer is doxology. In such prayer, a person simply experiences the joy of his meeting with God and rejoices. Moving on to the doxology, in Orthodox churches they often sing: “Hallelujah!” ("God bless").

When saying such a prayer, a person does not think about his own interests. It is unselfish joy that is the strongest and purest. You can enjoy a new toy or thing. But there are reasons for joy that cannot be taken home. Is it possible to take away a beautiful sunset, a rainbow, the smell of fresh greenery after the rain, or the trill of a nightingale?

An Orthodox person can pray alone or with other people. He can pray silently and out loud, in reading and in singing. He can pray in any language. He can pray anywhere and in different circumstances: both in joy and in trouble.

If a person prayed sincerely and correctly, he, as the experience of Orthodox culture says, touches God with his heart and changes internally. The action of God that changes a person is called grace(“good, good gift”). People who, under the influence of grace, have changed so that faith, hope, and love flow from their hearts and actions are called saints.

Orthodox people are convinced that God communicates with people through His grace. Grace works in the hearts of people, purifying them and leading them to holiness. Therefore for Orthodox words and the actions of holy Christians are very significant. The acts of God's grace embodied in good deeds and words of wisdom thousands of Orthodox saints together are called Orthodox Tradition (word tradition in Russian it means the same thing as the word tradition in Latin).

In the fairy tale about the Snow Queen, Gerda prayed at the moment when her path was blocked by an ice army. More precisely, Gerda began to read “Our Father.”

This is a very famous prayer, the name of which is derived from its first words. It sounds like this in full:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, be hallowed your name, Thy kingdom come, may Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

This is how the prayer sounds in the ancient Church Slavonic language, which is still accepted in the Orthodox world today.

The first word of this prayer is “Father.” This is the word “father” that is familiar to us. But in the ancient Church Slavic language there was a vocative case. So the word father in the vocative case it became “father”. In Russian, only the words “God” and “Lord” have retained these old forms of the vocative case (“God!” and “Lord!”).

God is called Father because it is a family-like, warm and simple address.

The word "izhe" means "which".

“Esi” means “you are.”

“In Heaven”, that is, in “Heaven”. This is not the sky on which clouds float and in which stars are visible. In prayers Sky- this is an indication of God or the very angels who came to the aid of Gerda. The expression “Heavenly Father” clarifies which Father the person praying is addressing: not the earthly Father who gave him the body, but the Heavenly Father, the Creator of his soul.

"Hallowed be Thy name." Here the person says that the name of God is sacred to him, that is, extremely dear.

"Thy kingdom come." A person says to God: “Let Your love and Your peace reign in my heart, I am ready to do Your will.”

“Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth.” A person trusts God: “You, God, who know everything better than me, fulfill Your plan for me and for the whole world!”

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Today- "Today". Bread is food. But in the word vital, the prefix “na” means “over” and indicates that the prayer asks for something more. Daily bread is what supports not only the body, but also the soul. Another meaning of the word urgent is necessary; something you can’t live without even a day.

“And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.” This is not about monetary debts. A person asks to forgive him, and for this he himself forgives those who were guilty before him.

“And do not lead us into temptation.” Temptation is when you want to do something bad. This is a choice in a situation where the easy and the right, the good and the profitable, the honest and the convenient do not coincide. This means that the prayer asks that there be fewer such cases in his life when he can make a mistake and choose evil.

"Deliver us from evil." Sly means “deceitful”; here it is a designation of evil and evil spirit(“trolls” in Andersen’s fairy tale). This is a request for protection from evil. Evil must be pushed away from oneself, and one must not allow oneself to even agree with it in thoughts or dreams.

Now that we know what it sounds like orthodox prayer, you need to understand which prayer is considered incorrect. It is wrong to wish evil and pain on other people in prayer.

Inset. The shortest prayer:

Lord have mercy!

“Have mercy” is a word with the same root as the words “mercy”, “have mercy”, “alms”. This is not earned wages or deserved reward. A pardon is asked by someone who knows his guilt, knows that if his actions were assessed by a soulless machine, he would be convicted. But he asks a person (God, king, president, director, teacher, mother...) to act above the law. Only love can be above the law. And above justice there can only be mercy.

Of all the prayers I know,

I sing in my soul or read out loud,

What a wondrous power it breathes

Prayer "Lord, have mercy."

One request in it, not much!

I only ask for mercy from God,

To save me with His power,

I cry out “Lord, have mercy.”

(Folk spiritual verse)

In a difficult moment of life

Is there sadness in my heart:

One wonderful prayer

I repeat it by heart.

Like a burden will roll off your soul,

Doubt is far away -

And I believe and cry,

And so easy, easy...

Mikhail Lermontov “Prayer”

Questions and tasks:

1. What does the word “pray” mean?

2. The main treasure of Russia is its forests, oil, cars, diamonds, people (choose the correct answer)

3. Consult with peers, parents, and other adults about whether there are gifts that cannot be seen and touched? Is it possible to give a person good mood? Give examples of such joy.

4. Which of the following words can be attributed to the idea of ​​“Heaven” in prayer: cloud; dawn; Kingdom of God; space; angel; galaxy?

5. Explain how you understand the meaning of the word tempt.

6. There is an expression “know how” Our Father", that is, very firmly and accurately. Ask your parents what they think you should know "how to Our Father».

7. Do you think it is possible to live life without trials and difficulties? Why are they sent to people?

Lesson 5 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Bible and Gospel

You will learn:

Who are Christians

What is the Bible

What is the Gospel

Orthodox people are Christians.

Christian- a person who has accepted the teaching Jesus Christ.

Christianity- This is the teaching of Christ. And Jesus lived two thousand years ago... More precisely, from the day of His Nativity the years of our calendar began to be counted. The date of any event indicates in what year from the Nativity of Christ it occurred.

There is a book that tells about how people waited for the birth of Christ, how He was born, how he lived and what He taught people. This book is called the Bible.

Word Bible in ancient Greek it is ordinary word and it means “books” (hence the word library). But when this word is written with a capital letter, then modern languages it means one, the holy book of Christians. True, this Book itself consists of 77 books.

Old Testament

The 77 books of the Bible were written over the course of a thousand years by people of different generations.

First and b O The majority of the Bible consists of 50 books. Together they are called " Holy Bible Old Testament."

Word covenant means "alliance, agreement." This refers to the union of God and man. People need this union in order to face adversity and trials with confidence. Even if it was very difficult for a person, he remembers that God is his ally and does not stray from the path of good.

The books of the Old Testament were written prophets. It was believed that these were people who had a special gift - the ability to hear what God was telling them. This gift is called "prophecy", and a person who has this gift from God - prophet. Prophecy reveals to people God's view of the past, present and future.

God's covenant with the prophets is called Dilapidated, that is, “ancient” or “old”. Several centuries after the lives of those prophets to whom the Old Testament was given, the New Testament appeared.

The time of the Old Testament is a time of waiting for the coming of Christ. Naming Christ means God's chosen one, marked with God's seal-anointing. In biblical antiquity, prophets poured oil on the head of the king when he was enthroned. This was considered a sign of God's blessing. But at the end of history, the people of the Old Testament were waiting for a special Anointed One (Christ). True, some people believed that Christ would simply be a great ruler. And others hoped that Christ would bring people closer to God.

It was through Jesus Christ who came into the world that the New Testament was given.

GOSPEL

The life, words and deeds of Jesus Christ are described in those biblical books called Gospel. Translated from Greek gospel means "good news".

The Gospel and other books of Christ's disciples constitute the “Holy Scripture of the New Testament.” 27 books of the New Testament were written by the first disciples of Jesus Christ - apostles(literal meaning of the word apostle- messenger).

The books of the Old Testament are written in Hebrew, and the books of the New Testament are written in ancient Greek.

Christians read the Bible both in church and at home. Much about it is unclear at first. After all, in order to understand holy words, you yourself need to be at least a little holy (there is an ancient rule: “like is known by like”). In addition, for a comprehensive understanding of biblical texts, one must have a good knowledge of the history of ancient peoples, as well as their languages.

There are many parables in the Bible. According to the plot, these seem to be household ones, life stories, but in each of them one must find a moral lesson.

Another difficulty in reading the Bible is that in ancient manuscripts there were no spaces between words, no punctuation marks, no differences between capital and small letters. In addition, the Hebrew text recorded only consonants. The reader himself must guess which vowels should be inserted where. For example, the Bible says that the prophet Moses had “krn” coming from his face. If you read “karan” you get the word rays, light. If you insert other vowels, you get “keren” - horns. Due to the fact that some readers mistakenly chose the second option, Moses is often depicted in paintings with horns.

All bible books considered sacred by Christians; they are seen as God's message to people. This means that both God and man together created biblical text. From man - questions to God, features of speech and construction of a particular book of the Bible. From God - inspiration, thoughts, content of Scripture. Sometimes even a direct appeal from God to people, that is, revelation.

Revelation they call such moments when something very important and previously inaccessible suddenly becomes obvious to us. Sometimes people suddenly discover the beauty of nature. Sometimes people open up to each other. Poets, writers and artists created their own best works in a state of inspiration, that is, in a state when something beautiful was revealed to them. Christians talk about the revelation of God to people:

God can reveal himself to people through conscience.

God can reveal himself through other people who promptly suggested something or warned for some reason.

God can be revealed through the beauty of the world: after all, if our world is so beautiful, then it means that its Creator is also beautiful.

God can reveal himself through the circumstances of life. Let's say a person really wanted to acquire something, but every time the desired goal eluded him. In such cases they say “it means it’s not fate” or “it’s not God’s will.”

But there was also a revelation of God to people, which through one person was addressed to everyone, and therefore it had to be written down.

Christians consider the Bible to be such a “revelation of God.” The Bible's story unfolds from the creation of the world to the prophecy of its end. The most important and most difficult pages of the Bible speak about the life and teachings of Christ.

Christians consider Jesus Christ not just a prophet, but the Lord who inspired the prophets. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who gave the “Our Father” prayer to people, which is why it has a second name – “The Lord’s Prayer.” The apostles, having heard this prayer from Jesus, wrote it down in the Gospel.

BIBLE STORIES The Judgment of King Solomon

Two women came to King Solomon. They argued among themselves about whose son the baby they brought was. Each of them claimed that she was the mother of the baby. The king, having listened to them, commanded: let the sword cut the child in two, and then each of the women will get an equal half of what they are arguing about... One woman angrily said: “Let it not be for me or you, cut the baby!” The second one screamed in pain: “Give her this child alive, but don’t kill him!”

The first woman agreed with the king's proposal. However, it was she who Solomon condemned. He ordered the child to be taken away from her and given to the woman who was ready to part with the child in order to save his life.

The Evangelist Luke has a calf (his book emphasizes the sacrifice of Christ, and the calf is an image of sacrifice);

John - eagle (symbol of heights of thought);

Matthew - a man (his book especially emphasizes the human suffering of Christ);

Mark is a lion (this Gospel talks a lot about the miracles of Christ, that is, about His supreme royal power over the world).

Questions and tasks

1. Why is the Bible called “The Book of Books”? What parts does it consist of?

2. How the word is translated Gospel?

4. Choose the correct answer:

a) The Gospel is part of the Bible.

b) The Gospel is not included in the Bible.

5. What does the word “covenant” mean? What is new about the relationship between God and man in the New Testament?

6. How did Solomon understand who the child’s mother was?

7. How do you understand what revelation is? Are there revelations in our ordinary life? How are they different from religious revelation?

8. Who are Christians?

Lesson 6 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Preaching Christ

You will learn

What Christ Taught

What is the Sermon on the Mount

What treasure can't be stolen?

Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Despite the fact that the words of Christ were spoken almost 2000 years ago, they are important for a person of any time.

ABOUT REVENGE

You were offended, hit, called names - this happens often. How to proceed? Give back, take revenge?

And Christ taught: “Do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” Very few people have been able to live their lives in accordance with this advice of Christ. But if these few people did not exist, if everyone always took revenge for themselves, our world would become less humane.

If you respond with evil to evil, evil will grow. To prevent all life from turning into a war of all against all, someone must courageously give up protecting their petty interests and stop accumulating grievances. It is the renunciation of revenge that puts a limit to the growth of evil. That's why even martial arts masters say that “The best fight is the one that was avoided!”

The world at the time of Christ glorified victorious emperors and great warriors. Christ revealed to man the richness of his inner world. He said: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”

You can crush everyone while moving to the pinnacle of power. The whole world will be afraid of such a “hero”. But there, at the top, he will be very cold because he is surrounded only by fear and hatred. It is better for a few people to know about you and love you, than for the whole world to be afraid of you.

ABOUT WEALTH

Christ did not advise seeing the goal of life in enrichment: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where no moth destroys and where thieves do not steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

“Treasures in Heaven” are the good that man has done, but which God always remembers. Such a treasure cannot be stolen. Your money or phone may be stolen. But the good deed you have done will remain yours forever.

The Gospel connects spiritual treasures with “Heaven” because God does not allow the soul to disappear. Even if the body that the soul controlled has ended its life, the soul remains. But she brings her “bait” (good and bad) to Heaven - before the face of God.

Earthly riches and joy are not the same thing. If a person is seriously ill, no amount of wealth will bring him joy.

Christ taught as no one before Him: “Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you that even King Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them! Don't say: what should we eat? or what to drink? or what to wear? Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Don’t worry about tomorrow: each day’s worries are enough.”

Anyone who understands these words as permission to do nothing, not work, not study, will be wrong. It’s just that sometimes worrying about your tomorrow prevents you from acting humanely today. Like, if I stand up for the weak today, I might incur the wrath of someone big and strong. Such a person decides: in order for me to feel good tomorrow, I will live today according to the saying “my hut is on the edge.”

This is false wisdom. You cannot refuse to fulfill your human duty today for the sake of tomorrow's fears or hopes.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT

These words were spoken by Christ in Sermon on the Mount. One day Christ ascended a small mountain so that the people who came to Him could better hear His voice. Many were surprised deep meaning and the beauty of the spoken words and became disciples of Christ. It was they who later recorded this sermon in the Gospel.

But Christ told people not only about how they should treat each other. He also spoke about the relationship between God and people. He called to every person: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

He said that, having loved God, the soul can become close to Him here on earth: “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Christ gave people a joyful experience of God. Grace, the Holy Spirit in the Gospel is called the Comforter, that is, the one who brings comfort and joy even in trouble. The Comforter, according to the word of Christ, “will be with you forever,” that is, during the life of the apostles and in all subsequent centuries of earthly history, but, in addition, beyond it, that is, in Divine eternity. This Comforter “the world neither sees nor knows; and you know Him, for He will be in you.” This is not about a book or a package, but about an internal change in a person. If it happened, then, according to the word of Christ, death, having touched the body, will not touch the soul: “He who believes in Me will not see death forever.”

COVENANT OF CHRIST

Previously, religious preachers talked about what sacrifices people should make to God or gods. And the New Testament spoke about the sacrifice God Himself makes for people and for people. Christ did not just talk about such a sacrifice, He Himself became this sacrifice.

Christ said that God loves people and Himself became a man in order to be with them. God becoming man is Jesus Christ. He said that he came into the world not to subjugate and punish people, but to serve people.

Some people considered this an insult to their faith in God. In their opinion, God could not have performed such a miracle and become so close to people. They declared Christ a criminal and began to seek His execution. Christ did not shy away from judgment.

BOX How Christ's Love Healed People

One day, when Christ was teaching people, they brought to Him a paralyzed (“relaxed”) man. But the house where Christ taught was crowded with listeners. And even outside, there were so many people standing at the windows and doors that it was impossible to carry a stretcher with a sick person. Then the relatives of the paralytic climbed onto the roof of the house, dismantled the roof, and lowered the stretcher into the hole right at the feet of Christ. And He, seeing such faith of theirs, said to the paralytic: “Child, your sins are forgiven you. Get up, take up your bed and go to your house.” And then the previously motionless man stood up, took the stretcher on which he was lying, and went to his house, praising God.

QUESTIONS and tasks:

1. Why did the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ receive such a name?

2. Re-read the story about the Sermon on the Mount again. What wealth do Orthodox Christians consider true and eternal?

3. What exactly increases in the world as a result of revenge: good or evil? Explain your answer.

4. Orthodox books depict a cross. Christians wear a cross (“cross”) on their chest. For Christians, is this a decoration, a talisman or a sign, a reminder? If a reminder, then what?

Lesson 7 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Christ and His Cross

You will learn:

How God became man

Why did Christ not evade execution?

The symbolism of the cross

INCARNATION

The Bible emphasizes that God is invisible. God has no body and no boundaries. No time can show God His beginning and His end.

But, as the Gospel tells us, one day God united with Himself an ordinary human body and a human soul. He became human. Why? Because God is love. He created people and loves them. And when they love someone, they try to be closer to their loved one. Therefore, God, who loves people, decided to become one with us. And for this He became a man.

After all, God is free. He created nature and He gave it laws. Therefore, the laws of nature have no power over Him. He can do anything – including becoming not only God.

Christians say: “God became incarnate in man.” Everything that was always characteristic of God remained with Him. But now God was born as a man: He made everything that is characteristic of man His own. Christians call this a miracle embodiment(from the word flesh).

This is how the Nativity of Christ happened more than 2000 years ago. God became the God-man. The God-Man was born and began to be called Jesus Christ.

As God, Christ worked miracles, but as a man He rejoiced and suffered, ate food and starved, and even cried from the loss of friends. Having gone through the entire path of human life, God entered the world of human death.

It seems that this is impossible for God. After all, where God is, there is eternal life and there is no place for death. And yet Christ suffered death. He allowed Himself to be crucified on Golgotha.

Golgotha ​​is a small mountain on the outskirts of Jerusalem (the capital of Judea), on which criminals were crucified. There were no trees on it, and its top was round, resembling top part human head. Hence the name of this mountain: the word Calvary means " frontal place" IN figuratively influenced by the gospel word Calvary came to mean suffering, reproach, supreme and sacrificial service to the truth.

WHY DID CHRIST DIED?

How does the Gospel explain that the Immortal God, having become incarnate in Christ, died? If an immortal died, it means that He Himself renounced His invulnerability to death. He Himself voluntarily accepted the cross. Christ needed death in order to go through human death. Just like walking through a door to find yourself behind it, in a new space. People died both before Christ and after Him. But before Christ, death gave people only emptiness and coldness. Now God decided to enter the world of death Himself, so that a person who crosses the threshold of death would meet not emptiness, but the love of Christ behind this threshold. So that death is followed by joyful immortality (“Kingdom of God”, “Kingdom of Heaven”).

Christ wanted to bring the gift of bright immortality to all people - even to those who tried and executed Him.

SACRIFICE OF CHRIST

The Gospel says that Christ could amaze the whole earth with His miracles and convince everyone that it was in Him that God became man. But He didn't.

When He was arrested, He did not allow either the angels or the apostles to protect Him. He did not argue with His judges. If He had convinced them otherwise, then the meeting between Life (and God is Life) and death would not have taken place, and death would not have been crushed in its very depths. Therefore, He allowed Himself to be executed, to be crucified on the cross.

The Gospel conveys Christ’s answers to His judge, Pontius Pilate:

“Pilate said to Jesus: Where are you from? But Jesus did not give him an answer. Pilate says to Him: Do you not answer me? Don’t you know that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You? Jesus answered: You would not have any power over Me if it had not been given to you from above... I lay down My life in order to take it again. No one takes it away from Me, but I myself give it. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.”

That's why Cross of Christ began to be perceived by Christians not only as an instrument of torture and execution, but also as a sign of God’s love for people. As a reminder of this, Christians wear a cross on their chest.

CRUCIFIXION

Crucifixion is the most terrible execution invented by people. Two wooden beams were placed on top of each other. Hands were nailed to one of them, legs to the other. Then the cross was raised above the ground, and the person hung on these nails for hours. Every move he made caused him pain. Even if he wanted to breathe, he had to move, rise. And then his hands moved around the nails that pierced them. It’s the same as if the executioner stuck a knife into the victim’s body and then said: “If you want to breathe, for every breath you take, turn the knife in your wound!” This torture lasted several hours, or even days...

They put a supposedly royal crown on Christ’s head. But it was woven from thorn branches. Therefore, the needles of the “crown of thorns” tore His skin. Already when Christ died, a Roman soldier pierced His chest with a spear. Then the body of Christ was taken down from the cross and buried in a stone tomb (cave) at the foot of Golgotha.

SYMBOLISM OF THE CROSS

On Orthodox cross There are three cross bars.

The upper one, above the head of Christ, symbolizes the tablet with the inscription INCI, which was on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. These are the initial letters of the phrase “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” “Nazarene” - because His childhood was spent in the city of Nazareth in the country that today is called Israel. The word “king of the Jews” comes from the false verdict that people passed on Him, accusing Him of wanting to carry out a revolution and become king in ancient Judea.

The hands of Christ were nailed to the middle crossbar, and His feet to the lower one. It is skewed because two more people were executed along with Christ. They really were criminals. One began to mock Christ: they say, if you are God, then perform a miracle and come down from the cross, stop your execution. Another asked to stop the mockery: “we were judged fairly, but He did nothing bad.” This repentant thief was to the right of Christ, to whom he asked: “Remember me when you come into Your Kingdom!” The robber who ended his life in a stream of abuse was on the left.

Therefore, the crossbar on the cross of Christ is raised to the right side and lowered to the left. This is a sign that the “prudent thief” repented and went upward, to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the one who did not even try to change at the moment of death ended his life in baseness.

For crosses installed above churches, the lower crossbar is sometimes supplemented or replaced with a crescent. In this case, the cross takes on the shape of an anchor. An anchor is a sign of confidence and firmness. The temple is then perceived as a ship taking people away from the threat, and its bell tower as a mast.

A Child lies in a manger.

A mother's face is tender.

The oxen hear in their sleep

A faint child's cry.

He will not come in a flash of thunder,

Not in the glory of earthly victories,

He will not call kings friends,

He will not call princes to the council -

With Galilean fishermen

Forms the New Testament.

He won't let anyone suffer,

Prisons are not prohibited,

But Himself, with outstretched arms,

He will die in mortal agony.

(Alexander Solodovnikov)

* (Before meeting Christ, the apostles were fishermen on Lake Galilee)

From the Bible. Words of the executed Christ:

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! how many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to!.. Father! forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

Questions and tasks

1. What do the words mean? embodiment, God-man?

2. Explain why, according to Christians, God became a man?

3. Explain why the cross, an instrument of torture and evidence of the suffering of Christ, became a symbol of God’s love for people?

4. Examine the cross, draw it, explain each component of its parts.

Lesson 8 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” EASTER

You will learn:

— That Sunday is not only a day of the week

— What is Easter

— How to celebrate Easter

The story of Christ does not end with His execution. After all, He told Pontius Pilate that He had the power to take up His life again. Therefore, the Gospel tells us that after the crucifixion Christ returned to life - he was resurrected.

A word you know Sunday associated specifically with Jesus Christ. Ancient Slavic root chair means to live, shine, sparkle. Resurrection is the day of renewal of life.

The disciples and friends of Christ were amazed at how His body had changed. They said that the body of Christ became radiant, as if “airy”, not subject to the force of earthly gravity. He could instantly appear and disappear, pass through walls and closed doors.

Christians believe that one day the same thing that happened to Jesus Christ will happen to them. They too will be resurrected. Once a passer-by addressed a boy who had never heard anything about Christians on Easter Day: “Brother, Christ is risen!” The guy was confused. He didn’t quite understand what they were telling him and what was expected of him. But he realized that he was told (wished) something good. And so he replied: “And the same to you!” And he was right. Because, in fact, the most important thing that a Christian would want for himself is that his life, even after passing through death, would still continue with resurrection. As it was in the life of Christ.

The name Jesus means "God saves." Christ is called Savior(Savior) because He went to the cross to save people.

What threatened people then? The same as today: death, loss of soul, loss of God.

The evil that people did before the crucifixion of Christ, at the moment of His execution and in all subsequent centuries, that is, all the evil that was, is and will be in human history, Christ challenges to battle. He “takes away the sins of the whole world.” Christ takes upon Himself all the worst consequences that the sins of people could cause. The Bible says that a person's death is a consequence of his sin. Christ, in Whom there was no sin, could not become a prey for death. Therefore, having accepted death, Christ broke it in Himself and conquered. And he rose again.

For Christians, this means that people, following Christ, will not forever remain captive to death. One day, having passed through the silence of the grave, they will rise again, just like Christ.

In nature, Christians see many images reminiscent of Easter. For example, a caterpillar that suddenly stops feeding on leaves and temporarily turns into a seemingly dead cocoon. But there, in the cocoon, unnoticed by those around her, wings grow. And one day she will fly out of it like a free butterfly.

RUSSIAN EASTER

The Russian people named their weekly holiday in honor of the resurrection of Christ. Especially solemnly celebrated is that spring Sunday, which is called Easter (literally the word Easter in Hebrew means “transition”, “deliverance”).

To celebrate Easter, people gather in churches. The most solemn part of the festive service is Easter midnight. The priest carries a cross, and people with icons and lit candles walk around the temple (this is called a “procession”) and sing joyful Easter hymns.

The main Easter hymn goes like this:

“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs!” (translated into modern Russian: “Christ rose from the dead, having conquered death by his death, and first gave life to those who died!”

On Easter everyone greets each other with a friendly kiss. This is called “making Christ.” He said “Christ is Risen”, gave an egg - and three kisses on the cheeks. In response to “Christ is Risen!” It is customary to answer: “Truly he is risen!” Moreover, children are allowed to shout these words very loudly even in church.

The main gift of this holiday is an Easter egg. A seemingly lifeless and motionless egg hatches new life– that’s why it became a symbol of the Sunday holiday. Christians paint eggs, paint them in different colors and then give it to friends.

We have a lot of friends, we also need to prepare enough gifts. There are many people to congratulate. And that’s why Orthodox Christians don’t go to cemeteries on Easter Day. The celebration of life is for the living.

After the night Easter service, Christians begin the feast. People who take their faith seriously prepare for this holiday for a long time. Almost two months before Easter, Orthodox Christians fast: they do not eat meat, eggs, or milk. However, the post of a Christian consists not only of this. Even during the Great Patriotic War, when there was a shortage of food, the Church reminded believers that fasting must be observed. It’s just that he can manifest himself not in refusing milk, but in helping even hungrier people and accepting refugees into their homes. And today, during fasting days, Christians try to have less fun and devote more time to prayer and other good deeds.

But on Easter - a feast on the mountain! Colored boiled eggs and Easter cakes are served on the table ( sweet bread, similar to a cupcake) and a curd dish, which is named after the holiday - Easter.

Since they prepared for Easter for forty days, they also celebrate it for forty days in a row.

Throughout the week after Easter night, the entire festive service is repeated in the morning, and children can also participate in the procession “ procession" Moreover, it is during these Easter days that the children have the opportunity to create the loudest sound of their lives. They can strike a real huge bell. In many churches, during the first seven days of Easter, access to the bell tower is open, and anyone (including children) can go up and ring the bells.

Every year Easter falls on different dates. The time of this holiday is determined as follows: the day is taken as the starting point spring equinox(this is when long winter nights became shorter and their duration became equal to the duration of daylight hours - March 21). Then people look at the night sky and wait for the full moon (so that the moon is not a crescent or a semicircle, but a full circle). And the Sunday that follows this first spring full moon is called Easter. The symbolism of this decision is clear: spring is the time of victory of life and light. After the spring equinox, the day becomes longer than the night. But the night of the full moon is the brightest. Just as the reviving world of nature at this time is flooded with life-giving light, so Christ’s Easter fills souls with its light.

BOX Christ is Risen!

Everywhere the gospel is buzzing,

People are pouring out of all the churches.

The dawn is already looking from the sky...

The snow has already been removed from the fields,

And the rivers break from their shackles,

And the nearby forest turns green...

Christ is risen! Christ is risen!

The earth is waking up

And the fields are getting dressed!

Spring is coming, full of miracles!

Christ is risen! Christ is risen!

(Apollo Maikov)

QUESTIONS and tasks:

1. How do you understand why Jesus Christ is revered as Savior?

2. How do Christians connect their destiny with the resurrection of Christ?

3. How do Christians greet each other on Easter?

4. What does the main Easter hymn sound like?

5. What does Christian fasting consist of?

Lesson 9 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Orthodox teaching about man

You will learn:

When the soul hurts

What is the “image of God”

In Orthodoxy, reflections on man and reflections on God are intertwined. A person believes in God. What does God Himself believe in? Christians believe that God believes in man. God trusts man and therefore gives him freedom. He invested in a person enormous opportunities for growth. Moreover, this growth cannot be measured in centimeters.

The sacrifice of Christ, like everything connected with the world of religion in general, cannot be understood unless a person looks inside himself. This is the world of his soul.

SOUL

The body walks, runs, chews. The soul thinks, dreams, believes, loves.

The soul is so different from the body that sometimes it rejoices even if the body is in pain.

Imagine: in your house there is a chest that is forbidden to you. There parents keep some very valuable and very interesting things. One evening, when your eyes were already drooping from fatigue, your father suddenly suggested to you: let’s go and help you sort out the chest. And there they were: photographs of my grandmother’s wedding. Great-grandfather's orders. His letters from the front. Your first hair. Old coins that you won’t see anywhere anymore. The favorite doll of the girl who later became your mother...

Everything was so interesting - your legs even went numb because you were afraid to move again while listening to your father’s stories. And my eyes completely refuse to open. The body is tired. He's not feeling well. And the soul rejoices. She discovered amazing world family legends. She felt her connection family history with the history of the Motherland.

And sometimes the soul hurts, even if the whole body is healthy. It is conscience that tells a person: “You are wrong about this!”

Word soul came from the word breathe. The person's breathing is not visible. But if there is no breath, there is no life.

The soul is also not visible. But since the soul has its own reasons for pain and joy, it means it exists.

So, let me introduce you. You are. There is your body. And there is your soul. You must learn to live together.

It is the soul that makes a person human. Such properties of the human soul as freedom, the distinction between good and evil, creativity and thought are absent in animals.

Christians believe that man is so different from animals because these differences were given to him by God.

God Himself is free – and He also gave freedom to man.

God is Love - and He gave people love.

God is reason - and He gave people the ability to think.

God is the Creator - and He gave people the ability to create.

Together, these gifts of God to man make up the whole world. That's what it's called - inner world person. Christians call reason, freedom, love, and creativity “the image of God in man.”

It is not easy to realize that the soul exists. It is even more difficult to understand the reasons and goals of her aspirations. You have yet to understand what the soul really needs and what hurts it.

The soul absorbs many impressions. And it itself gives rise to many different thoughts and feelings. Are they all good? Maybe some desires and thoughts need to be driven away from yourself? Can they be a threat? A foolish child can reach out to a hot iron with his hand. But even an adult can strive with all his heart for something that will cripple his life and soul. And if a thought begins to spin in your head: in order to be praised, I’ll probably tell a lie to a friend... Do you think it would be fair to accept such a thought and fulfill it, or drive it away?

Our inner world or soul has an amazing property: the soul becomes richer the more it gives to other people. Anyone who has done good to another person has become kinder and more joyful himself. And the one he helped became kinder. And the whole world became kinder.

A familiar children's verse sings about this: “Share your smile - and it will come back to you more than once!”

A verse written a hundred years ago by a nun from the Moscow Novo-Devichy Convent is about the same thing:

Wherever your heart tells you to live -

In a noisy light or in rural silence -

Spend without counting and boldly

You are the treasures of your soul.

Don't look, don't expect a return,

Do not be embarrassed by evil mockery.

Humanity is still rich

Only a guarantee of goodness all round.

What is called here “mutual guarantee of goodness” can be expressed by the motto: one for all and all for one.”

“THINK ABOUT YOUR SOUL!”

The baby first learns to control his body. Then he will have to learn to live in peace with his soul and conscience all his life. If a person does not know about his soul, if he feeds it with hatred, envy, betrayal, irritability, the soul becomes poorer... Illnesses of the soul can increase. Your bike is missing. Bitter loss. How to soften it? There is no money to buy a new one yet. Cry day and night about your loss? Want to find and beat a thief? If you start to suspect everyone, your soul will become cloudy and it will get even sicker. So you can end up without a soul at all. And this is much worse than being left without a bicycle. Therefore, instead of regretting a lost thing, Christians say: “God gave - God took!” You can also say: “let it go to someone who needs it more than me!” In this case, the loss will turn into a gift. And your soul will feel better.

If a person acts against his conscience over and over again, then in the end he becomes soulless. The worst thing is when a person loses himself. Not a hair or a tooth or even a hand, but just yourself. There are abandoned houses. There are abandoned cars. And there are also dead souls. Man simply forgot that he has a soul. He is used to brushing his teeth. But I forgot about the soul.

Therefore, wise people often call: “Think about your soul!”

With the most varied turns of fate, it is worth first of all to ask the question: what will happen to my soul? Will she enjoy the joy obtained through shameful means?

Orthodox prayer:

My soul, my soul, arise, write it down!

From the Bible:

“And God said, Let the earth produce wild beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And so it became. And God said: Let us make man in our image, and let them have dominion over the beasts and over all the earth. And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. And God created man in His own image; male and female he created them. And God blessed them and said to them: Be fruitful and fill the earth and subdue it.”

Questions and tasks:

1. Is there anything in our world that cannot be touched or seen?

2. How do you understand the expression “human inner world”?

3. How does the Bible teach us about the origin of the soul?

4. What thoughts do you think should be driven away from yourself? A thought begins to swirl in your head: in order to be praised, I’ll probably tell a lie to my friend... Do you think it would be fair: to accept such a thought and fulfill it, or to drive it away?

Lesson 10 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Good and evil. Conscience

You will learn

About clues of conscience

— How to correct errors

In Orthodoxy good- this is what:

Helps the growth of a person's soul;

Helps other people;

Makes God happy.

Evil– that which removes one from these good goals. At the word evil in Orthodoxy there is a synonym: sin.

Sin is an unkind feeling, thought or deed. Sin contradicts the voice of conscience. Sin and crime are not the same thing. Every crime is a sin, but the state does not consider every sin a crime.

A person is pointed out to his sin not by a policeman, but by his own conscience. After all, any bad deed of yours always has a witness: your soul.

PETER'S DENIAL

The Gospel tells how one of Christ’s closest disciples, the Apostle Peter, ran away at the moment of the Teacher’s arrest. All night he hid people. Finally, one woman took a closer look at him and said: “So he always walked with this arrested Jesus!” Peter began to deny: “I don’t know what you’re saying.” He took a few steps, and again people shouted: “Yes, that’s right, this one was with that criminal!” Once again Peter denied, even swearing that he did not know Jesus. An hour later he had to swear the same thing again. So in one night he denied Christ three times.

And then the rooster crowed the dawn... And Peter remembered that even in the evening Christ told him words that turned out to be a prophecy: “Truly I tell you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Then Peter courageously answered: “Even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You.” Now, at the crow of the rooster, Peter remembered this prediction of Christ and began to cry with bitter shame. In these tears his soul was renewed. From now on he will not be afraid of anything, he will preach the teachings of Christ and for this he will be executed.

When a person betrays or renounces those who love him, the soul cannot rejoice. Even reason can sometimes justify such an act. He may whisper: “Well, nothing depended on you! It will be better for everyone! No one will know anything, and you will feel good!”

Conscience protects a person from these crafty “wise councils.” For honest man the pain of conscience is more important than any arguments. By the way, the word sin possibly comes from the word warm; burn: conscience awakens from sin and begins to burn the soul.

THE WORK OF CONSCIENCE

Having invested conscience in man, the Creator entrusted it with two tasks:

Before making a choice, conscience tells you what a person should do.

After a mistake, conscience triggers like an alarm: “You can’t do that! Get better!”

Conscience has a very important feature: if you forget about the wounds it inflicts, they will never heal. Even after many years, conscience can remind you of past untruths. For example, the joy you get from an interesting trip may disappear because your conscience suddenly brought up something from the depths of your memory that you don’t want to remember.

Therefore, the most important thing in a person’s life is to be in harmony with his conscience. You must be able to hear it and act on its prompts, correcting your past mistakes.

Some people simply try to forget their own weaknesses.

Remember the song of Gena the crocodile from the famous cartoon:

Maybe we offended someone in vain,

The calendar will close this sheet.

We are in a hurry to new adventures, friends!

Hey, speed up, driver!

It turns out that you can not attach importance to other people’s tears: the day will end, everything will be forgotten by itself, a new day will come with new entertainment and adventures!

In fact, if conscience begins to annoy our memory and mind, then we can only turn to one medicine. It's called - repentance.

REPENTANCE

Repentance(or repentance) is a change in the assessment that a person gives to his actions. That action of yours, which you previously saw as good, funny, witty, even necessary, now you evaluate as stupid, dishonest, cowardly.

The first step of repentance is agreement with the protesting cry of your conscience.

The second step in repentance is a revolution in your aspirations.

Repentance is not at all like admitting your math error. Gena the crocodile's song is good in relation to those mistakes that happen in school notebooks. I realized that I was wrong - it’s okay, keep studying... But when we're talking about about evil deeds, when repenting, you must not only admit your mistake, but even get angry at it. A repentant person hates his recent action. Pushes him out of her life and out of her heart. He even cries.

Imagine: a boy threw a cobblestone at someone else's window. And for a whole half hour he proudly told all his friends about his “feat.” And half an hour later she moved into this yard “ ambulance" And the doctors ran to the same apartment with the broken window. It turns out that shards of broken glass hit the face of a child who was sleeping by the window... And now the recent “hero” is ready to give everything in the world - just so that this “feat” of his would not happen. What he was proud of now became for him a reason for the deepest shame and disgrace.

Following a change in self-esteem, an external change must also occur. Fix yours past mistake business. Find the opposite of the sin committed.

Stole? - Give it back.

Lied? - Find the strength to tell the truth.

Are you being greedy? - Give it to me.

Did you say an evil word? - Ask for forgiveness.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to correct the evil caused by action... But if such an opportunity still exists, we must hurry to do good.

Christians also have a third means of repentance: prayers of repentance to God. The simplest of them is “Lord, forgive me!”

And you also need to know that not all repentance helps. Sometimes people pretend to be doing exercises. But in fact they only depicted a couple of movements. And who did they deceive? Myself.

This is how some people fake repentance. They think that they can quickly say “Sorry, Mom” or “Sorry, Lord!” - and you can rush to new adventures. Just as you need to do exercises until you sweat, so you need to repent sincerely, and sometimes to the point of tears.

But after such tears comes joy. After all, now there is no longer a shameful secret between the soul, conscience, God and friends.

BOX Holy Thoughts

If you are sick and are looking for healing, then first of all take care of your conscience. Do everything she says - and you will find benefit

(Saint Mark the Ascetic).

The door of repentance is always open and it is unknown who will enter it first - whether you are the one condemning or the one condemned by you (St. Seraphim of Sarov).

QUESTIONS and tasks

1. There is a half-joking definition of a person: “a person is an animal that can blush.” Explain it.

2. What are the two most important matters of conscience?

3. Are the two expressions related: unscrupulous person And dead soul.

4. Why is repentance called medicine for the soul? How does it heal?

5. What are the stages of repentance?

Lesson 11 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Commandments

You will learn

— What do murder and theft have in common?

— How envy extinguishes joy

Some people have a sensitive conscience, others not so much. So that people have a clear basis by which to distinguish between good and evil in their actions and intentions, there are commandments. The commandments are written in the Bible, which says that they were given to people by God.

The Bible says that more than three thousand years ago, the prophet Moses and his people saw Mount Sinai smoke and shake. But this was no ordinary earthquake. Moses climbed to the smoking Sinai in order to meet God there and receive commandments from Him. Moses spent 40 days on a peak engulfed in fire. This fire did not burn him because he knew A com of the presence of God. God himself inscribed the commandments on stone slabs (tablets), which Moses brought out of the fire to the people. The people were also amazed that, having returned to them, Moses himself glowed so that rays emanated from his face, although he himself did not notice this change in himself.

God gave Moses the 10 commandments. The first four talk about man's relationship with God. The rest concern relationships between people.

- Honor your father and your mother. Your parents gave you life. Are they really not worthy of at least your respect (“veneration”) for this greatest gift?

Parents help you while you are growing and need their help and care, and then children help elderly and already infirm parents at the end of their lives. Honor is not just polite words, but real support of parents by adult children, including sincere attention and participation.

- Dont kill. You didn’t give life, so it’s not for you to take it away! The commandment speaks not only about bandits. Christ said that even someone who looks at another person with hatred becomes a murderer. After all, if you hate another person, then you already want him to disappear.

- Don't steal. The one who steals is ready to cause suffering to another person. And he doesn’t think about his experiences and difficulties. This means that he considers himself more worthy, better than him. Both the murderer and the thief regard the other person as a hindrance. The only difference is that the thief decides to bypass this obstacle in order to get to the desired item. The killer simply sweeps away this obstacle. But both the murderer and the thief are inhuman.

- Don't commit adultery. That is, do not step over love. Do not betray. This is a commandment about loyalty to someone who loves you and is loved by you. Loyalty to this commandment is the key to preserving the family.

- Do not lie. It seems that lying can help overcome certain troubles and avoid punishment. But this is an illusion. Sooner or later, the deception will be revealed, and its consequences will be much worse than those, the fear of which pushed you to lie. One lie gives rise to another, and over time the liar himself becomes a hostage to his own deception. Folk wisdom reminds us: “You can’t get far with a lie”; “No matter how much the rope twists, the end will be found.” And Christ warned: “There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be known.” Since it is God who gives the commandment prohibiting lying, for a Christian this becomes a reminder that God cannot be deceived. He sees through any deception.

- Do not envy. Envy interferes with joy. They gave you a bicycle. You rejoice in him. And suddenly it turns out that your friend also has a new car - but more expensive and more fashionable. If you allow yourself to envy, the joy that you already had will immediately fade in its black rays. Envy knows no bounds. There will always be someone who seems to have a better life than you. The old woman from Pushkin’s fairy tale became both a noblewoman and a queen, but even this was not enough for her... You know what happened next.

Questions and tasks:

1. Is there a connection between the words: commandment, reserve, reserve?

2. What special reason do Christians have for not lying?

3. Why do you need to overcome envy? What helps in the fight against it?

4. "A kind-hearted person." What synonyms can you think of?

Lesson 12 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Mercy

You will learn:

How is mercy different from friendship?

Who is called "neighbor"

One of the most beautiful words in the world is the word mercy. It speaks of a heart that And loves, loves and regrets.

Love comes in different forms.

She can be joyful. When meeting a loved one, your face lights up with a smile and happiness.

But there is love with a tear-stained face. This is how it happens when meeting someone else's misfortune. More precisely, love tells you: there is no such thing as someone else’s misfortune! Just a minute ago this person was even a stranger to you. But you learned about his grief - and could not remain indifferent.

If you see a hungry person, there is no need to evaluate him - whether he is “good” or “bad”. You need to feed the hungry simply because he is hungry, and not because he is your friend.

PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

Jesus Christ was once asked: what is the most important among the many commandments? He said: the most important thing is love for God and man. " Love your neighbor as yourself" And then He was asked a difficult question: “Who is my neighbor?” In fact, there is no person who does not love anyone. But many people say: “I love those who love me, that is, my family and my friends. These are my neighbors (close ones).”

Christ answered the question asked of Him with the parable of the Good Samaritan:

A certain man was attacked by robbers, beaten and robbed. Passers-by remained passers-by. They passed by. Each of them, at the sight of a bloody man, told his conscience that he was in a hurry, that he had very important things ahead of him - and walked away. But one visitor, who did not even speak the local language very correctly, stopped. The wounded man froze. After all, just recently he and his friends were making unkind jokes about this visitor. Will he really take revenge now?.. And a passer-by bent down, bandaged the wounds, took the wounded man to the hotel and paid for his treatment.

Relatives and fellow tribesmen did not see their neighbor in the beaten man and passed by. But the visiting stranger was able to treat him as his neighbor.

The parable of Christ means: near- the one who will not leave you in trouble. And further a neighbor is someone who needs your help. If a person is in pain, it doesn’t matter what language he speaks, what faith or skin color he has. All people's blood is the same color.

Even if this person is personally to blame for you, you still need to forget your grievances in the moment of his trouble and give him a helping hand.

You cannot act according to the principle: “As you treat me, so I will treat you!” or “Serves you right! Get what you deserve!”

Merciful forgiveness is higher and nobler than just retribution.

Mercy reminds us that there are minor troubles, and there are real misfortunes. Someone once tripped you up - and now you got a new bump and a portion of ridicule. It is unpleasant. But time passed - and this someone himself stretched out comically on a banana skin thrown by someone. Yes, so badly that he injured his leg and could not get up on his own. This is a problem. Can you forget that step? Can you help but be happy about his misfortune? Can you come over, help him, call a doctor?

It’s not easy to get over your long-standing and seemingly just grievances. But this is the highest of the calls of Jesus Christ: “ But I say to you: love your enemies" But if a person accepts the gracious power of Christ, then he can do this too.

One day, a doctor and a priest were discussing how they could help the prisoners. The priest said that it should be hard in prison so that criminals remember the gravity of their guilt. And the doctor reminded that innocent people are also in prison. The priest did not agree: their guilt was proven in court. The doctor objected: what about the innocently convicted Jesus? Have you forgotten about him?.. The priest fell silent. And then with a sigh he said: “Doctor, you are wrong. When I said this nonsense, it was not me who forgot about Christ. At that moment Christ forgot about me.”

A person can learn mercy. If you perform acts of mercy (for example, caring for the sick or younger, selflessly offering your help...), then these acts will eventually change your heart, making it more humane.

The frog's eyes are very unusual: they see only movement and do not notice stationary objects. The frog sees the flight of a mosquito. And she sees grass and stones if she moves on her own. This is how our conscience works: if a person does not work and does not help anyone, then his conscience becomes increasingly blind. A person ceases to see meaning in his life.

ALMS

One of the works of mercy - m silt. This is helping another person out of pity for him. Christ said: “Give to everyone who asks you.” And Saint Dorotheos explained: when you gave alms, you increased the amount of good in the world. But the poor man whom you helped received only a tenth of the good you produced. good deed. The rest of the good you did to yourself. After all, this makes your soul brighter.

The great Russian historian V. Klyuchevsky described alms as a meeting of two hands. One expresses a request For Christ's sake, the other one serves in the name of Christ. The historian says it is not easy to decide which of these hands brought more good. The philanthropist saw with his own eyes the human need that he alleviated, and his heart softened. And the one who received alms knew for whom to pray. “A beggar feeds on a rich man, and a rich man is saved by the prayer of a beggar,” they said in the old days. This daily, silent, thousand-armed alms daily poured streams of goodness into human relationships. She taught the rich to see people in the poor, and taught the poor to hate the rich.

At the end of the 16th century, Saint Juliana (Ulyana) lived in Murom in a noble noble family. When she was a girl, she sewed dresses and other clothes from scraps and gave them to the poor. When Ulyana got married, she did not take money from her husband or his rich parents. She continued to help the entire area by sewing for the poor for free. Hungry times have come to Rus'. And Ulyana, who had previously eaten very moderately, suddenly began to ask for more and more food. The mother-in-law was perplexed: “before, you didn’t eat much at all, but what are you eating now?” But in fact, Saint Juliana secretly took away food and distributed it to the hungry. In the end, Ulyana distributed all the supplies. And when there was no bread left in the house, Saint Ulyana of Murom began to bake it from tree bark. Strange, but the beggars to whom she distributed it said that they had never eaten more delicious bread in their lives.

One day, a doctor and a priest were discussing how they could help the prisoners. The priest said it should be hard in prison so that criminals are reminded of the gravity of their guilt. And the doctor reminded that innocent people are also in prison. The priest did not agree: their guilt was proven in court. The doctor objected: what about the innocently convicted Jesus? Have you forgotten about him?.. The priest fell silent. And then with a sigh he said: “Doctor, you are wrong. When I said this nonsense, it was not me who forgot about Christ. At that moment Christ forgot about me.”

The priest was Saint Philaret of Moscow. When he said unmerciful words, he felt that grace had left his soul. And so he stopped, repented and agreed with the doctor... And from then on the shackles were removed from the prisoners.

A passerby saw a young man who was clearly planning to throw himself from the bridge into the river and commit suicide. A passerby detained him with an extremely inappropriate question: “Tell me, perhaps you have money with you?” The surprised young man replied:

Yes, I have…

But it seems that they will no longer be useful to you?

Perhaps…

And if so, then maybe you will go to that poor house and leave the poor people the money you no longer need?

The young man agreed. He left and never returned to the bridge. The moment he gave away his wallet, his heart was filled with joy greater than that of those who accepted his gift. He understood the meaning of his life.

(according to V. Martsinkovsky)

Questions and tasks

1. Read an excerpt from Pushkin’s poem:

And for a long time I will be so kind to the people

That I awakened good feelings with my lyre

What's in my cruel age I praised freedom

And he called for mercy for the fallen

In what sense do you think Pushkin used the word fallen? (Fallen? Defeated? Sinned?). Explain expressions fall from grace, fall into sin?

2. Is it possible to charge a fee for compassionate help?

3. What do you need to do to become merciful?

4. Create own definition: “My neighbor...(continue yourself).

Lesson 13 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Golden Rule of Ethics

You will learn:

— The main rule of human relations

- What's happened non-judgment

Imagine that the wind has risen outside and is blowing dust and debris into your face. Will you really open your eyes wider? Of course not. And if in your company they began to gossip about one of your mutual and currently absent acquaintances... What benefit does what you hear? And if next time they also gossip about you behind your back...

Christ said: “So in everything that you want people to do to you, do so to them.”

This rule is usually called golden rule of ethics.

It sounds different: Don't do to others what you wouldn't want for yourself. If you don’t want those who pretend to be your friends to gossip about you in absentia, restrain yourself from gossiping about them.

In order not to trust gossip, it is important to know that the gossiper very often transfers to another person the dirt that lives in himself; he attributes to others what he himself is guilty of.

Imagine: late at night man walking around town. Someone looked out of one window and said: “Why is he coming so late? This must be a thief! From another window they thought about the same passer-by: “This is probably a reveler returning from a party.” Someone else suggested that this man was looking for a doctor for a sick child. In fact, the night passer-by was in a hurry to go to the temple for night prayer. But everyone saw in him a piece of their world, their problems or fears.

Remembering your own mistakes and shortcomings helps protect yourself from condemnation.

One day people brought to Christ a woman who, according to the laws of that time, should have been stoned to death. Christ did not call people to break this law. He simply said, “Let him of you who has not sinned himself cast the first stone.” People thought about it, everyone remembered something different. And they quietly parted ways.

Judging other people is also bad because it simplifies the world and people too much. But the person is complex. Each of us has strengths and weak sides. One minute's loser may be the next day's good genius. Doesn't this happen in sports? A football player fails in one episode or match, but nevertheless plays brilliantly in other matches.

Here is a man who once did something ugly. Will he never do anything wonderful again? Even the school bully can become a hero. Sometimes this happens right outside the school threshold. At the age of 17 he graduated from school. At 18 he was drafted into the army. At 19, he did something he didn’t expect from himself...

So how can you avoid condemning a person? Non-judgment- this is the distinction between the assessment of an action and the assessment of the person himself. If Sasha lied, and I say, “Sasha lied about this,” I will tell the truth. But if I say “Sasha is a liar”, I will take a step towards condemnation. Because with such a formula I will dissolve a person in one of his actions and put a mark on him.

Evil must be denounced and it must be hated. But a person and his bad deed (sin) are not the same thing. Therefore, in Orthodoxy there is a rule: “Love the sinner and hate the sin.” And “to love a sinner” means to help him get rid of his sin.

BOX Words of Christ from the Gospel:

Judge not, lest ye be judged, for with the same judgment ye judge, so shall ye be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see how to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. So in everything, as you want people to do to you, do so to them.. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Forgive and you will be forgiven.

In the Egyptian monastery where Elder Moses lived (this is not the prophet Moses, but a Christian ascetic who lived one and a half thousand years after the prophet), one of the monks drank wine. The monks asked Moses to severely reprimand the culprit. Moses was silent. Then he took the holey basket, filled it with sand, hung the basket on his back and went. Sand fell through the cracks behind him. The elder answered the perplexed monks: these are my sins that are pouring down behind me, but I do not see them, because I am going to judge the sins of others.

Questions and tasks

1. Name the “golden rule of ethics.” Why is it “golden”?

2. How to protect yourself from judging others? Formulate your own rules.

3. Consider the painting “Christ and the Sinner.” How did Christ protect the woman?

Lesson 14 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Temple.

You will learn:

What do people do in temples

How is an Orthodox church structured?

In an Orthodox church, people are greeted by icons and candles. And priests.

Hello guys. I am priest Alexy. I serve here.

What kind of service is this? - Lenochka asked.

I teach people, I pray to God with them, and I try to help people. I want to be like this candle. Its light stretches upward, but the candle gives its light and warmth to those who are next to it. This is how a person’s life should be: with his soul reaching out to Heaven, and with his deeds helping his neighbors.

Another priest passed by, and in his hand he held a smoking...

Censer! - Vanya whispered.

Why are you smoking in the temple? – Lena couldn’t resist.

Yes, it’s a censer,” Father Alexy confirmed. - The priest performs incense with it. And you're right: the words cense And smoke in ancient times were no different. But now smoke means to produce acrid and smelly smoke, and cense– on the contrary, it means filling the air with fragrant smoke. The chopping reminds us of the same thing as candles: the smoke rises upward, but its fragrance delights those around us. To bow to someone means to show respect. Therefore, the priest censes both in front of the icons and in front of you.

You see, this priest with a censer went to a square table on which many candles were lit. This is a “funeral table”, parishioners call it “eve”. There they light candles and pray for people who have already passed away from earthly life.

Experience unbreakable connection with deceased relatives is an important feature of Orthodox culture.

Prayerful memory is called “remembrance.” The living are remembered in prayers “for health”, and the dead - “for peace”. This is a prayer that God will accept their souls into the Kingdom of Heaven. “Memorial notes” with the names of those who are asked to be “remembered” (remembered) in prayers are given to the priest.

And in all other places of the temple, except eve, people light candles, praying for themselves and for other living people.

Orthodox Christians pray to Christ, angels and saints. Their icons are everywhere in the church. Icon is a picture that depicts a person or event from the Bible or church history.

You can pray without an icon. But the icon helps to collect my thoughts.

You can pray for people and animals. About friends and enemies.

The male part of the 4th grade immediately clarified:

Can you pray for Russia to become the world champion in football?

We can pray. But God knows better than us what is best for our country. You know, even a father may not fulfill his child’s requests. For example, if a child who already has a cold asks to buy him ice cream...

Why do people wave their hands in front of icons?

Haven’t you come across such a proverb in Russian epics and fairy tales - “let’s stand up, cross ourselves, and go, praying”?

When praying, Christians seem to draw an invisible cross on themselves. This means that this person is a Christian and prays to Christ.

If a person places a cross not on himself, but on another person or on an object, it means that he “blesses” him in the name of Christ.

A blessing is a wish for good for oneself, for people and for the whole world, which is combined with a prayer to God that this good will come true. At the same time, Christians usually say - “In the name of Christ...”, “In the name of Christ...”, “God bless...”.

Any Christian can bless. The mother can bless the child before leaving for school. He himself can bless his food. The driver can bless the road ahead when getting into the car.

Well, ahead you see a whole wall of icons. It is called iconostasis. In the center of the iconostasis are doors. They're called Royal Doors(gates). Through them the Gospel is brought to people. And the Gospel is the word of our Christ. For Christians, Christ is the King.

To the right of the Royal Doors is always the icon of Christ.

On the left is always the icon of Mary, the Mother of God...

Wait, Father Alexey! We were told that God is the beginning of all things. How then can He have a mother? So, there was someone else before God?!

We are talking about the Mother of Christ. Christ is not just God. He is God who became man. And your earthly one, human life Christ received from His Mother. How God created Mary. And as the Son of Man, he was born from her. So it turns out that Mary is the Mother of God.

Keep in mind that just as Jesus Christ is one, so He has one Mother. People often say “Our Lady of Vladimir”, “Our Lady of Smolensk”, “Our Lady of Kazan”... Don’t think that every city has its own Mother of God. She is one. These are the names of its different icons. The same Mother of God is revered in different images.

Mary, the Mother of Christ, is also called the Blessed Virgin for the purity of her soul and life.

Therefore, the most famous prayer to the Mother of Christ sounds like this:

“Virgin Mother of God, rejoice! Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among wives and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls.” ( Devo– vocative case of the word Virgo; in wives- among women; the fruit of your womb- baby Jesus; Saved- Savior).

And behind the iconostasis is altar. The priest usually prays there, and without his blessing no one else has the right to enter there.

Is this a secret room?

No, we don't have any secrets. A person just needs to understand that he is not the master of everything and not everything is allowed to him. The ban on entering the altar and many other restrictions that exist in Orthodoxy remind a person that not everything should be sought to be remade according to one’s will. Have you seen trees that are pruned so that they grow upward rather than wider? Also, in any culture there is a system of prohibitions that guide human growth. On this path, primitive desires are melted into higher and more human aspirations. To learn this, you need to be able to listen. You have to be able to stop and give in. We must be able to wait and understand. In general, one must be able to serve God, people, the Motherland and other shrines.

In an Orthodox church, sermons and prayers are conducted in the language of the people where the church is located. The Russian Orthodox Church prays in Yakut, Japanese, English, German, Moldavian, Chuvash, Mari and many other languages. The only exception is Russian. The sermon is conducted in Russian, but the worship service is conducted in the “Church Slavonic language.” This is a very beautiful language, dear to the hearts of Orthodox parishioners. It was this language that preserved the vocative case - Father, God, Virgin... It was the Church Slavonic language that taught Russian writers to compose two-root words: mercy, beneficence, good-heartedness... Church Slavonic language - mutual language for Orthodox Christians in many countries of the world - Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine... The grammar rules for this language, as well as the alphabet for it, were created in the 9th century by the “enlighteners of the Slavs” - the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and their disciples.

Years go by, people lose loved ones.

Old women in the church with a weak hand

Memorial notes are sent out

Where it says at the top: “for the repose.”

They are answerable to memory for everything!

The groom went missing during the war...

All names are in a hurry to connect,

Weave into one unshakable essence, -

A growing list in a long line

A path is made among the leaves...

Behind it lie endless expanses,

Hidden in the distance by a foggy haze...

And he himself serves as a fulcrum

Communication between the dead and the earth.

(Nadezhda Veselovskaya)

Questions and tasks

1. What is an iconostasis? What icons are always present in it?

2. Can an Orthodox Christian pray without an icon?

3. Explain the meaning of the expression “Our Lady of Kazan”.

4. Read Irakli Abashidze’s poem “Bee”:

Blessed by Eternal Nature,

Grace become a living body,

The bee circles for wax and honey

Give back to nature for creation.

Let them forgive me - but neither more nor less

I want to be like a bee

So that my existence grants

Honey for man, and a candle for God.

5. Why do you think there are rules of behavior in various public places?

Lesson 15 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Icon

You will learn:

Why is the icon so unusual?

Why do they depict the invisible?

The temple is filled with icons. Some images are placed on the walls. And others are standing on the floor. These are people. Word icon translated from Greek means “image”.

The Bible says that every person is image of God. That is why a Christian perceives every person as a shrine. That's why people bow to each other. And that is why the priest in the temple burns incense not only on the icons on the walls, but also on living people.

The picturesque icon is noticeably different from the painting. This is because the task of the icon is to show the innermost world of the soul of a holy person (including the God-man Christ).

LIGHT ICON

The saint opened his entire life to God, and, therefore, there was no room left for evil in it. Everything became permeated with light. Therefore, not a single object on the icon casts a shadow. The picture can show the struggle between good and evil in a person. The icon shows what a person will become if he wins this struggle.

The light on the icon appears through the face and figure of the holy man, and does not fall on him from the outside. In an ordinary picture, a person is like a planet. In the icon, every person is a star (1).

Light in general is the main thing in an icon. In the Gospel, Light is one of the names of God and one of His manifestations.

Icon painters call the golden background of the icon “light.” This is a symbol of endless divine Light. And this Light can never be obscured by the back wall of the room. Therefore, if an icon painter wants to make it clear that the action takes place inside a room (temple, room, palace), he still paints this building from the outside. But on top of it or between the houses there is a kind of curtain thrown - “velum” (in Latin velum means sail).

The saint's head is surrounded by a golden circle. The saint, as it were, is filled with light and, having been imbued with it, radiates it. This nimbus- a sign of God's grace, which permeated the life and thought of the saint and inspired his love.

This halo often extends beyond the edges of the icon space. No, this is not because the artist made a mistake and did not calculate the size of his drawing. This means that the light of the icon flows into our world.

Sometimes the saint’s foot steps beyond the boundaries of the icon itself. And the meaning is the same: the icon is perceived as a window through which the Heavenly world enters our lives.

If one day you meet a holy person not in an icon, but in life, you will feel that next to him it becomes light, joyful and calm.

Another one amazing feature icons - there is no clutter on it. Even the folds of clothing are conveyed by straight and harmonious lines. The icon painter conveys the inner harmony of the saint through external harmony.

The icon, unlike the painting, has no background or horizon. When you look at a bright source of light (the sun or a spotlight), you lose the sense of space and depth. The icon shines into our eyes, and in this light every earthly distance becomes invisible.

It is also unusual that the lines on the icon do not converge in the distance, but, on the contrary, diverge. When I look at the world, the further an object is from me, the smaller it is. Somewhere in the distance, even the largest object turns into a tiny point (for example, a star). What then does it mean if the lines on an icon diverge into the distance? This means that I am not looking at the icon of Christ, but Christ from the icon seems to be looking at me.

A Christian, experiencing this, feels himself before the gaze of Christ. And, of course, he tries to remember the commandments of Christ and not break them.

The most striking thing about the icon is the faces and eyes. Wisdom and love appear in the faces. Their eyes convey a state that can be expressed by an old and precise word - “joyful sadness.” In the icon, this is the joy of the saint that he himself is already with God, and his sadness that those whom he looks at are sometimes still far from Him.

ICON AND PRAYER

The first images of Christ that have reached us date back to the second century after the Nativity of Christ. But the rules for writing icons were developed over many centuries.

One of the difficulties in the development of Christian painting was that it was necessary to answer a difficult question: how can icons be painted at all, if the Bible itself emphasizes that God is invisible.

The icon became possible because after the Old Testament came the New. The Gospel says that God, who remained invisible in Old Testament times, was then born as a man. The apostles saw Christ with their own eyes. And what is visible can be depicted.

Christians do not pray to icons. They pray in front of icons. Christians pray to the one they see on the icon.

After all, when you talk on the phone, your words are addressed not to him, but to the interlocutor. In the same way, if a person sees the Apostle Paul on an icon, he does not pray “icon, help me,” but says, “Holy Apostle Paul, pray to God for me.”

By the way, Christians can ask not only saints, but also each other to pray for themselves. A child can ask his mother to pray for him. And adults really believe in the power of children's prayers.

Neither an icon nor a candle prays instead of people. But they remind a person of his calling to become a better person. After all, the icon depicts those people who lived their earthly lives in love. As a rule, it was harder for them than for us. But they were able to remain human. They didn’t betray anyone, they didn’t turn away from anyone. Some saints lived three thousand years ago (Prophet Moses). And some were almost our contemporaries. This means that people of the 21st century can also take this path.

In Orthodoxy this is very clear: any person can become a saint and light. The “Image of God” is in everyone. And God loves everyone equally. So it depends only on the person himself whether he will glow or smoke.

For a believer, the lives of Christ and the saints are so dear that when he sees their images, he at least briefly prays to them. Therefore, we can say that the icon invites people to prayer, and, most importantly, to imitate the life of the saints. That is, to a life in which the main thing is not selfishness, but love.

INSERTION (according to B. Uspensky)

One boy drew a regular children's drawing. At the bottom of the leaf is a house, at the top is a forest. There was a road leading from the door of the house to the forest. But for some reason it looked like the tail of a comet - the further it went, the wider it became. The father had already explained to this boy that in the distance the lines in the drawing should converge and, therefore, the road closer to the horizon (that is, to the upper edge of the sheet) should narrow. But the boy still drew it in his own way. Therefore, his father asked him: “You are in the house yourself, the road, moving away from you, should become smaller!” Why did you draw everything backwards?” And the boy replied: “But the guests will come from there!”

The difference between stars (suns) and planets is that stars themselves generate their light, and planets send into space only the light of the sun they reflect. It's like the difference between a light bulb and a mirror.

Questions and tasks

1. How did you understand what is the difference between an icon and an ordinary painting?

2. How is the concept of “light” related to the Christian understanding of God?

3. Why do Orthodox Christians consider it possible to depict the invisible God?

4. To whom do Orthodox Christians pray when standing in front of an icon?

Lessons of the 16th course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Test assignments

Dear interlocutor!

Ends academic year. It was unusual, since for the first time we made an attempt to travel not into a forest or a museum, but into the innermost inner world of a person - into the world of his soul.

In the title of our course - “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” - the first word is very important for us.

The foundation is the root, that from which everything else grows. The foundations of Orthodox culture are:

Faith in God,

Faith in the teachings of Christ,

Faith in His sacrifice and resurrection;

Bible and Gospel;

The desire to live according to the commandments;

Concern for the purity of your soul and the benefit of your neighbor.

From this root, the common name of which is the Christian Faith, grow the fruits of Orthodox culture, in particular:

Deeds of mercy and heroic deeds Christian;

Majestic temples;

Beautiful icons;

Prayers of Christians for themselves and for others.

In Fifth grade we will continue our conversation.

Now make a small one creative work. Choose one from the topics listed above. Remember how we thought about this in our lessons. In your work, try to explain why you think that this aspect of the faith and life of Christians is important for a person. Describe how a particular belief helps to increase the amount of good in the world.

You can also hold an essay competition on the topic “How do I understand the “golden rule of ethics”?

When preparing work, it is not at all prohibited to seek help from older family members. By the way, if during the holidays you and your family or friends see an Orthodox church, you can go there so that you can take a tour there yourself, using the knowledge that you received in our lessons.

Lesson 17 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Summary lesson

Let's conduct the test lesson in the form holiday project, which will become your test. It’s good if you give each other credit yourself, based on the idea of ​​love that you might have formed as a result of your studies.

You can prepare assignments as part of a group or individually. Some of the tasks require lengthy preparation. Think about how to distribute tasks over time. You may not use some of the tasks we offer, but you have every right to offer your own.

1.Complete the sentences:

a) I understand “Orthodox culture” as...

b) The essence of Orthodox behavior (ethics) for me is the following...

2 Prepare a tour of an Orthodox church

3. Pick a few picturesque paintings famous artists on the gospel theme (not included in our textbook). Share how they relate to the gospel.

4. Create a “package of questions” related to the main problems raised in the study of Orthodox culture. Let each student create their own question, and you select the best ones for the competition.

5. Select pairs of paintings and icons on the same topic. How are they similar and how are they different?

6. Comment on a few of the commandments that are most important to you. Match them or create your own illustrations.

7. Create a small anthology (in your case, a collection of poems) with which you could illustrate our subject.

8. How do the concepts of “soul,” “conscience,” and “repentance” relate? Why is this in Orthodox culture? key concepts? Create a dramatization to illustrate your understanding.

9. Compile a dictionary of new words for you related to the world of Orthodox culture.

10. Conduct a class-concert during the test lesson, including poems dedicated to the concepts that you became acquainted with while talking about Orthodox culture. Create a program and program for the concert. Prepare the presenter. Invite your kind viewers.

And most importantly – help people!

Development of a lesson on ORKSE

Module “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”

Subject:

"Our home is Russia"

Lesson developed

teacher primary classes

E.E. Nikolenko

MBOU secondary school No. 23, Kaluzhskaya st.

year 2012

The purpose of the lesson:

To form children’s ideas about Russia as a common Motherland for all peoples living in it;

To cultivate a sense of patriotism and respect for one’s Motherland.

Lesson objectives:

To give an idea of ​​the unity of the multinational Russian people;

Create conditions for students to understand spiritual and moral values: patriotism, respect for people of other nationalities, goodness, honor, justice, mercy;

To help students feel the unity of the peoples of Russia, the commonality of language, culture, history;

Learn to listen to your comrades and analyze the information they present.

Basic concepts:Russia, Motherland, cultural traditions, human spiritual world, moral values.

Equipment: computer, projector, screen, task cards, colored paper, scissors, recording of the Russian anthem, map of Russia.

Lesson plan:

1. Organizational moment.

4. Work on the map.

5. Discovery of new knowledge.

6. Physical education minute.

7. Working with the textbook.

8. Conversation on what you read.

9. Formation of conclusion.

10. Practical work.

11. Lesson summary.

12. Reflection.

13. Homework.

During the classes:

Epigraph on the board:

Russia is the Holy Motherland,

I love you with all my soul.

Russia - you are the abode of paradise,

I'm proud of this great country.

1. Org. moment.

Today we are starting to study a new subject for you, “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” What we will talk about today, you will find out when you guess keyword lesson.

Use the first letters of the answers to form the keyword.

Slide No. 1.

2. Statement of the topic and objectives of the lesson.

The Russian anthem sounds.

Determine the topic of today's lesson.

How do you understand the topic of the lesson “Our home is Russia”?

Slide number 2.

3. Conversation about the symbols of the country.

What is the name of the country we live in?

Who is the head of our state?

Name the symbols of Russia.

Slide number 3.

One of the main symbols of Russia, like any other state, is the coat of arms and flag. Our coat of arms is very beautiful. It depicts a golden double-headed eagle. Eagle denotes symbol heavenly power: fire, sun and immortality. Our coat of arms appeared a long time ago, more than five hundred years ago.

George the Victorious on the coat of arms of our country symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and the readiness of the entire Russian people to defend and defend their freedom and independence.

Slide number 4.

Do you know what the colors of the flag represent? (White is freedom, blue is the color of faith, red is the blood shed for the Fatherland.)

4. Work on the map.

What Russian cities do you know?

Name and show on the map the capital of our Motherland.

Show our region on the map. What is it called?

What else do we call the Krasnodar region?

Show me the capital of Kuban.

Slide number 5.

Kuban is a small corner of Russia, our small Motherland. There are many poems and songs written about the Motherland. Let's listen to the poem (A student prepared in advance reads the poem by heart.)

Homeland – everyone knows this word from childhood. Homeland begins on the threshold of your home. She is huge and beautiful. And everyone has one. How is your mom. The homeland is the mother of its people. And loving the Motherland means living the same life with it.

This is what Russia is like - Rus', wide and great! And people live everywhere. What do you think, how many people inhabit such a huge country?

According to the latest census data, 143 million people live in Russia. How can they all be called in one word?

All people living in our country can be called Russians. But their nationalities are different. Russia is a single multinational democratic state. It is inhabited by more than 180 nationalities, nationalities and ethnic groups. Yes, many peoples live in our country. And they all make up one friendly family. Russians, Tatars, Chechens, Bashkirs, Chuvash, Ingush and other peoples created their own republics. Russia includes 89 subjects: 21 republics, 6 territories, 10 autonomous okrugs, 1 autonomous region, 49 regions. All of them united into one large state - Russia, or the Russian Federation.

Each nation has its own language, its own customs and its own culture. Therefore, the Russian “Kalinka”, the incendiary “Lezginka” and the Cossack dance sound differently in the vastness of our country.

The population of Russia is large. And all people in our country have equal rights: women and men, young people and old people, people of any nationality and religion.

This is how it is written in the Constitution Russian Federation: “... the state guarantees equality, rights and freedom of man and citizen, regardless of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, property and official status, place of residence, attitude to religion, beliefs, membership of public associations.”

And you must remember this, not humiliate or insult anyone, this is written down... Where? Who remembered?

That's right, in the Constitution. What is the Constitution?

Slide number 6.

5. Discovery of new knowledge.

Problem task:

You have cards with words on your tables. Divide these concepts into two groups, write them down in two columns (bread, happiness, kindness, earth, memories, clothes, love, sun).

Why did you divide it like that?

Slide number 7.

The first column: bread, earth, clothes, the sun - we can see it, touch it, find out what material it is made of, this is the material world.

Second column: happiness, kindness, memories, love - we can feel it, feel it in our souls, this is the spiritual world.

6. Physical education minute.

7. Reading a textbook.Page 4, third paragraph.

The world around us is endless and diverse. Things, objects among which a person lives, natural phenomena - this is the material world. But there is another world - the spiritual. The spiritual world is knowledge and information contained in books, works of art and cinema, relationships between people, etc. At school you get acquainted with this world by studying Russian and foreign languages, mathematics and computer science, literary reading, fine arts and much more. This world is also called the world of culture.

8. Conversation on reading:

What do we call the material world?

What is the spiritual world?

Slide number 8.

The material world is the external world.

The spiritual world is the inner world.

Both in the inner and outer world there is high and low, light and dark, beautiful and ugly, favorable for a person and dangerous for him. There is good and evil, love and hatred, honor and dishonor, mercy and cruelty, truth and lies. A person himself determines what to choose from this, how to feed his soul. And this choice is never easy.

Our lessons will help you learn to understand the inner world of a person. For this purpose, the spiritual world has its own roads. They are called traditions. Our ancestors walked along them.

How do you understand what traditions are? Let's turn to the explanatory dictionary.

Tradition - (from Latin tradition - legend) - the transmission of images and norms of spiritual life, sacred texts, rituals and morality from generation to generation.

Slide number 9.

Cultural traditions are the wealth of our multinational country. A special place among them is occupied by religious cultures and moral and ethical standards. By following them, a person will not get lost in a complex world, will be able to distinguish good from bad, and will learn how to make his inner world clean, bright and joyful.

Since ancient times in Russia, every nation has especially respected family traditions. Large families were especially revered.

9. Formation of conclusion.

Independent reading of the last two paragraphs of the topic.

Find a sentence that can be the conclusion of our lesson.

10. Practical work.

From today's lesson we set off on an exciting journey where we will get acquainted with the cultural traditions of the peoples of our country. Each person is a separate world. Let's imagine this world with our palms. (Trace the palm on colored paper and cut it out. A Whatman paper with a smiling face is attached to the board. Children attach cut out palms from colored paper to their faces.)

11. Lesson summary.

I would like you to always remember that you are citizens of a great country with a rich and glorious history, honor its symbols, and be proud of your country. You are citizens of a multinational country united by the same state symbols. Each person has his own path in life and it depends only on him what his path and his future will be. You are the children of Russia - you are the hope and future of our country. All in your hands!

Our common home is called Russia,

Let everyone feel comfortable in it.

We will overcome any difficulties

And only in unity is the strength of Russia.

12. Reflection.

The teacher prepares in advance a large sheet of paper on which a thermometer is depicted with the “temperature” marks in the class: “friendly”, “warm”, “pleasant”, “zero”, “cool”, “cold”.

13. Homework.

Slide number 10.

Talk to your parents and name a few traditions in your family.

Complete the sentences:

My homeland is...

The most difficult events of my Motherland were...

When I grow up I want...

I don’t want my homeland...

I am grateful to my Motherland for...

Preview:

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Slide captions:

Guess the key word of the lesson? Koloboks hang on a branch, ruddy barrels shine. What kind of crybaby settled by the pond forever. It bathes its branches in it, Who knows this tree? You will recognize the dark blue fruits on the branches. Their flesh tastes juicy and is green in color. Although prickly, but not a Christmas tree, Longer than its needles, And the bark is thin, red, That beauty... It is not fragile at all, But hidden in a shell, If you look into the middle, you will see the core, Of the fruits, it is the hardest, It is called... Berries are not sweetness, But a joy to the eye, a decoration for the gardens, and a treat for the thrushes. ? Russia

OUR HOME IS RUSSIA

Coat of Arms of Russia Russia has a majestic coat of arms. There is a double-headed eagle on the coat of arms, so that He can immediately look west to east. He is strong, wise and proud. He is Russia's free spirit.

White – peace and purity of conscience Blue – the color of the sky, loyalty and truth Red – fire and courage

The yellowing fields rustle and rustle, cheering the heart with their beauty. My native land, The land of happy fate, The land of fathers is my land. I.Barabbas

The Constitution is the fundamental law of Russia. The rights and freedoms of man and citizen - everyone is equal before the law - everyone has the right to life - everyone has the right to housing - everyone has the right to health care - everyone has the right to education

The material world is the external world. The spiritual world is the inner world.

TRADITION is the transmission of patterns and norms of spiritual life, sacred texts, rituals and morality from generation to generation.

I learned that I have a huge country. And the path, and the forest, every spikelet in the field, the river, the blue sky - this is all my dear! This is my homeland, I love everyone in the world! (Poem by S. Orlov “Native”)

Homework My Homeland is... The most difficult events of my Homeland were... When I grow up, I want... I don’t want my Homeland... I am grateful to my Homeland for the fact that...

Presentation developed by: Nikolenko E.E., primary school teacher, Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 23, Kaluzhskaya Station

Lesson 1 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Russia is our Motherland

You will learn

How rich is our Fatherland?

What are traditions and why do they exist?

Not everything in life can be chosen by a person himself. I can't choose my parents. I can't choose the language in which my mother sang lullabies to me. I can't choose my homeland.

First I am born. Then I find out that my homeland is called Russia. That it is the largest country in the world. That Russia is a country with an ancient history.

From the first days of my life I have been surrounded by family and friends. Gradually their circle expands. Relatives, friends, neighbors... And one day the understanding comes to me that in addition to my house, my yard, my street, my district, my city, there is also My Country.

These are millions of people who do not know me personally. But our lives have a lot in common. And we all depend on each other in some way.

Fifty years ago, an unknown pilot took off above the earth. But the news of his flight filled our entire country with joy. And now we proudly say: we are compatriots of Yuri Gagarin, the world’s first cosmonaut.

We experience Russia's victories as our own victories. And Russia’s troubles are no strangers to us either.

What unites us? United Motherland. This is common land. General history. General laws. Mutual language. But most important are common values ​​and spiritual traditions. A person remains a person as long as he values ​​and disinterestedly cares about the person close to him, other people, and the interests of the people and the Fatherland.

You receive both your homeland and valuables as a gift from previous generations. Values ​​live in spiritual traditions. Outside of tradition, they die, like a plant that is pulled out of the soil. The source of values ​​is understood in different ways.

Believers are convinced that people receive their values ​​from God. God gives people a moral law - knowledge about the right life, how to avoid evil, fear and disease and even death, not harm others, live in love, harmony and agreement with people and the world around them.

People who do not adhere to a particular religion believe that values ​​are the most important knowledge about life, which younger people receive from older ones, and those from even older and more experienced generations. This transmission of values, or tradition, occurs within the family. Remember, your parents often tell you that you should dress appropriately for the weather, maintain good hygiene, and avoid dangerous situations. Why? Because if you do not follow these simple rules, your health may be at risk. This happens not only in the family, but also in society. Values ​​are simple rules of social behavior. They warn us against relationships with people that can cause pain and suffering. Like parents, older generations take care of the younger ones and pass on to them their spiritual experience, which they, in turn, received from previous generations.

No matter where values ​​come from, all people are convinced of their exceptional importance for life. Without values, a person’s life depreciates and loses meaning.

The main value of Russia is people, their life, work, culture. The most important human values ​​are family, Fatherland, God, faith, love, freedom, justice, mercy, honor, dignity, education and work, beauty, harmony.

To discover these and other values, you need to enter a certain spiritual tradition. Spiritual traditions allow a person to distinguish between good and evil, good and bad, useful and harmful. A person who follows these traditions can be called spiritual: he loves his homeland, his people, his parents, treats nature with care, studies or works conscientiously, respects the traditions of other peoples. A spiritual person is distinguished by honesty, kindness, curiosity, hard work and other qualities. The life of such a person is filled with meaning and has meaning not only for himself, but also for other people. If a person does not follow these traditions, then he has to learn from his mistakes.

Our Fatherland is rich in its spiritual traditions. Russia became so big and strong precisely because it never forbade people to be different. In our country it has always been considered natural that its citizens belong to different nations and religions.

You have chosen to study one of the greatest spiritual traditions of Russia. Other children, whose families are closer to other religious or secular traditions that exist in our Fatherland, will get acquainted with their culture. The life of Russia and each of its citizens is based on the diversity and unity of great spiritual traditions. Carefully study your family's traditions. Don’t forget to share the values ​​you receive with other people - the more you give, the more you receive. Remember that different people may have different shrines and you need to be careful not to offend another person. The shrines of another person may seem incomprehensible to you at first, but you cannot trample on them. You will discover these values ​​in the future.

The boy caressed the rays,

All bathed in light,

The flames of the sun kissed

On the parquet.

I accidentally stood in a circle

Sunshine.

And the boy suddenly cried

In three streams, like a child.

What's wrong with you? - I asked.

He said: - I saw

You stepped into the sun

Sunny was offended.

I kissed him

And now I already know:

If the beam fell on the floor,

I'm not attacking.

(Alexander Solodovnikov)

Questions and tasks

Consult with your parents, with other adults and name several traditions accepted by your family in other families.

What values ​​underlie family traditions?

Important Concepts

Traditions(from lat. Tradere - transmit) - something that is of great importance for a person, but was not created by him himself, but received from his predecessors and will subsequently be passed on to younger generations. For example, the simplest ones are to congratulate family and friends on their birthday, celebrate holidays, etc.

Value– something that is of great importance for an individual and society as a whole. For example, Fatherland, family, love, etc. – all these are values.

Spiritual traditions– values, ideals, life experiences passed on from one generation to another. The most important spiritual traditions in Russia include: Christianity, primarily Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and secular ethics.

Lesson 2 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Orthodoxy and culture

You will learn

– What does a person invest in culture?

– What thoughts does religion convey?

Word culture came from Latin. At first, this word meant something that was grown in the garden, and not something that sprouted in the field. Culture is something that does not exist in the wild.

Today the word culture is understood more broadly: it is generally everything that man has created. What a person changes in the world through his work is culture. By working, a person changes not only the world, but also himself (for example, he becomes more caring and less lazy). And therefore, the most important thing in culture is the reasons why a person decides to act exactly like a person, and not like an animal or a machine.

Why does a person act this way and not otherwise? How do people distinguish between good and evil, truth and untruth? The answers to these questions can be found in the world of culture.

Culture accumulates the experience of human successes and failures. Through culture, this experience is transmitted from one people to another. People create culture. And then this culture creates the living conditions of other people, influences the way they think and feel, the way they communicate and work.

People learn from each other not only at school. We learn to make friends, stand up for the truth, and love our loved ones not only in lessons. And this is also part of the culture.

How should a state or national holiday be celebrated? How to welcome a guest to your home? How to organize a wedding or cope with the loss of a loved one? These are also cultural issues. People absorb these rules, norms, and customs from the first day of their lives. A person usually does not choose his own culture. He is born in it, breathes in it, grows in it.

There are areas of culture that are common to all people or to the entire country. But there are also differences in folk cultures.

In the 17th century, the Arab traveler Pavel Aleppo arrived in Russia. Here are some features of our culture that struck him:

On holidays, everyone rushes to church, dressed in their best clothes, especially women... People pray in churches for six hours. All this time the people are standing on their feet. What endurance! Undoubtedly, all these people are saints!

Liquor shops remain closed from Saturday to Monday. The same is done during major holidays.

Even peasants are called by their patronymics.

People like brown bread more than white bread.

The wife, having brought the food, sits down at the same table with the men.

And even rules that are common to everyone can be explained differently by people. For example, all people condemn lying. But one will explain: “don’t lie, so that they don’t lie to you in return.” And another will say: “don’t lie, because God sees every lie.” The first explanation will be given by a person who adheres to secularism, i.e. non-religious culture. The words of another express the position of a person living in a religious culture.

Religion- these are the thoughts and actions of a person who is convinced that the human mind is not alone in our world. Religions say that next to and even above man there is an invisible intelligent and spiritual world: God, angels, spirits... For many people, this belief becomes so deep that it determines their behavior and their culture.

The majority of citizens of our country call themselves Orthodox. The origins of Russian culture in the Orthodox religion. For example, the Russian word "thanks" – This is an abbreviated utterance of the wish: “God save (you)!” Every time you say “thank you,” you sometimes even unconsciously turn to God.

INSERT Into the collection of the Russian language

The word Orthodoxy is a translation of a complex Greek word orthodoxy. The first of the Greek roots is familiar to you from the word spelling. Ortho means “faithful, correct.” Here's the word doxa in Greek it has two meanings. The first is “teaching”, “opinion”. The second is “glorification.” So the word orthodoxy, like the word Orthodoxy, has another connotation: “correct faith”, “correct teaching”. Christians believe the teachings of Christ to be true. Therefore the expression Orthodox Christian more precise than just a word Orthodox.

BOX This is interesting

On Easter everyone kisses, saying “Christ is risen!”

The trade of Muscovites is tough, it is the trade of well-fed people. They say little when trading. When you try to bargain, they get angry. The price is the same throughout the market.

When we entered the hospital, the bad smell made it impossible to stay in this room to look at the patients. The king approached each sick person and kissed his head, mouth and hands - and so on until the last.

(From the notes of Paul of Aleppo, 17th century)

God gave you his calling,
He gave you a bright destiny:
Preserve the property for the world
High sacrifices and pure deeds;
To preserve the holy brotherhood of the tribes,
Life-giving vessel of love,
And the wealth of fiery faith,
Both truth and bloodless trial.
Oh, remember your high destiny,
Resurrect the past in your heart
And hidden deep in it
Interrogate the spirit of life!
Heed him, and all nations
Embracing my love, -
Tell them the mystery of freedom,
Shed the radiance of faith upon them!
(Alexey Khomyakov, 1839)

1. What are culture and religion? What is the connection between them?

2. What does it mean to be an Orthodox person?

4. What features of Russian Orthodox culture of the 17th century, which so amazed the Arab traveler, are still alive? Which of the mentioned traditions are no longer seen? Is it good?

THIS IS INTERESTING

Capital letter

If we talk about gods in the plural (for example, when we retell legends and myths), then in this case we write this word with a small letter.

If believers speak or mention God as the Creator of our world, the word God is written with a capital letter. This also applies to pronouns. If a line is written like this: “Then He said,” then it is immediately clear that this is about God. Or: “the man turned to the One Who...”.

And my dark gaze brightened, And the invisible world became visible to me, And from now on the ear hears, What is elusive to others. And with a prophetic heart I understood that everything born from the Word*, Rays of love all around, longs to return to it again; And everywhere there is sound, and everywhere there is light, And all the worlds have one beginning, And there is nothing in nature that does not breathe love. (Alexey Tolstoy, 1852)

* The word with a capital letter is God

Questions and tasks:

1. Why is God called the Creator?

2. Why do people compare God's love for man to the love of a father for his children?

3. Can Vanya be called a religious person? How did his religious beliefs manifest themselves in his actions?

4. Ask your parents and other adults to tell you about Orthodoxy. Think about the question together: What does it mean to be an Orthodox person?

Lesson 4 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Orthodox prayer

You will learn:

– What is Orthodoxy

– What does the word grace mean?

– Who are the saints?

– About prayer Our Father

Word Orthodoxy This means the ability to correctly glorify God, that is, to pray.

People call God their Lord (Master). Therefore, they turn to God not with demands, but with prayer. And therefore turning to God is called prayer.

Prayer is the opposite of magic. If a person believes that he knows certain spells and formulas that will impose his will on the spirits or God, then he has taken the path of magic or witchcraft. In all world religions this is considered an unworthy and dangerous path.

Orthodox people have three types of prayer.

The most common prayer is request. “Give it, Lord.”

A prayer-request is a request from God for help and various benefits. Most often they start with everyday goods: health or success.

But, becoming wiser, a person begins to ask God for other, spiritual benefits. He asks to get rid of cowardice, despondency, laziness, irritability... This is a request for protection.

There is also a request for spiritual gifts: the believer asks God for an increase in intelligence and love. And also about God making people feel His closeness more often.

A rarer prayer - thanksgiving. Rare because people ask rather than thank. Having received what we want, we often forget to thank. So it is in the relationships of people among themselves, and in the relationships of people with God.

The highest prayer is doxology. In such prayer, a person simply experiences the joy of his meeting with God and rejoices. Moving on to the doxology, in Orthodox churches they often sing: “Hallelujah!” ("God bless").

When saying such a prayer, a person does not think about his own interests. It is unselfish joy that is the strongest and purest. You can enjoy a new toy or thing. But there are reasons for joy that cannot be taken home. Is it possible to take away a beautiful sunset, a rainbow, the smell of fresh greenery after the rain, or the trill of a nightingale?

An Orthodox person can pray alone or with other people. He can pray silently and out loud, in reading and in singing. He can pray in any language. He can pray anywhere and in different circumstances: both in joy and in trouble.

If a person prayed sincerely and correctly, he, as the experience of Orthodox culture says, touches God with his heart and changes internally. The action of God that changes a person is called grace(“good, good gift”). People who, under the influence of grace, have changed so that faith, hope, and love flow from their hearts and actions are called saints.

Orthodox people are convinced that God communicates with people through His grace. Grace works in the hearts of people, purifying them and leading them to holiness. Therefore, for Orthodox Christians, the words and deeds of holy Christians are very significant. The actions of God's grace embodied in the good deeds and wise words of thousands of Orthodox saints are collectively called Orthodox Tradition(word tradition in Russian it means the same thing as the word tradition in Latin).

In the fairy tale about the Snow Queen, Gerda prayed at the moment when her path was blocked by an ice army. More precisely, Gerda began to read “Our Father.”

This is a very famous prayer, the name of which is derived from its first words. It sounds like this in full:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

This is how the prayer sounds in the ancient Church Slavonic language, which is still accepted in the Orthodox world today.

The first word of this prayer is “Father.” This is the word “father” that is familiar to us. But in the ancient Church Slavic language there was a vocative case. So the word father in the vocative case it became “father”. In Russian, only the words “God” and “Lord” have retained these old forms of the vocative case (“God!” and “Lord!”).

God is called Father because it is a family-like, warm and simple address.

The word "izhe" means "which".

“Esi” means “you are.”

“In Heaven”, that is, in “Heaven”. This is not the sky on which clouds float and in which stars are visible. In prayers Sky- this is an indication of God or the very angels who came to the aid of Gerda. The expression “Heavenly Father” clarifies which Father the person praying is addressing: not the earthly Father who gave him the body, but the Heavenly Father, the Creator of his soul.

"Hallowed be Thy name." Here the person says that the name of God is sacred to him, that is, extremely dear.

"Thy kingdom come." A person says to God: “Let Your love and Your peace reign in my heart, I am ready to do Your will.”

“Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth.” A person trusts God: “You, God, who know everything better than me, fulfill Your plan for me and for the whole world!”

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Today- "Today". Bread is food. But in the word vital, the prefix “na” means “over” and indicates that the prayer asks for something more. Daily bread is what supports not only the body, but also the soul. Another meaning of the word urgent is necessary; something you can’t live without even a day.

“And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.” This is not about monetary debts. A person asks to forgive him, and for this he himself forgives those who were guilty before him.

“And do not lead us into temptation.” Temptation is when you want to do something bad. This is a choice in a situation where the easy and the right, the good and the profitable, the honest and the convenient do not coincide. This means that the prayer asks that there be fewer such cases in his life when he can make a mistake and choose evil.

"Deliver us from evil." Sly means “deceitful”; here it is a designation of evil and an evil spirit (“trolls” in Andersen’s fairy tale). This is a request for protection from evil. Evil must be pushed away from oneself, and one must not allow oneself to even agree with it in thoughts or dreams.

Now that we know what an Orthodox prayer sounds like, we need to understand which prayer is considered incorrect. It is wrong to wish evil and pain on other people in prayer.

Inset. The shortest prayer:

Lord have mercy!

“Have mercy” is a word with the same root as the words “mercy”, “have mercy”, “alms”. This is not earned wages or deserved reward. A pardon is asked by someone who knows his guilt, knows that if his actions were assessed by a soulless machine, he would be convicted. But he asks a person (God, king, president, director, teacher, mother...) to act above the law. Only love can be above the law. And above justice there can only be mercy.

Of all the prayers I know,

I sing in my soul or read out loud,

What a wondrous power it breathes

Prayer "Lord, have mercy."

One request in it, not much!

I only ask for mercy from God,

To save me with His power,

I cry out “Lord, have mercy.”

(Folk spiritual verse)

In a difficult moment of life

Is there sadness in my heart:

One wonderful prayer

I repeat it by heart.

Like a burden will roll off your soul,

Doubt is far away -

And I believe and cry,

And so easy, easy...

Mikhail Lermontov “Prayer”

Questions and tasks:

1. What does the word “pray” mean?

2. The main treasure of Russia is its forests, oil, cars, diamonds, people (choose the correct answer)

3. Consult with peers, parents, and other adults about whether there are gifts that cannot be seen and touched? Is it possible to give a person a good mood? Give examples of such joy.

4. Which of the following words can be attributed to the idea of ​​“Heaven” in prayer: cloud; dawn; Kingdom of God; space; angel; galaxy?

5. Explain how you understand the meaning of the word tempt.

6. There is an expression “know how” Our Father", that is, very firmly and accurately. Ask your parents what they think you should know "how to Our Father».

7. Do you think it is possible to live life without trials and difficulties? Why are they sent to people?

Lesson 5 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Bible and Gospel

You will learn:

– who are Christians

– what is the Bible

– what is the Gospel

Orthodox people are Christians.

Christian- a person who has accepted the teaching Jesus Christ.

Christianity- This is the teaching of Christ. And Jesus lived two thousand years ago... More precisely, from the day of His Nativity the years of our calendar began to be counted. The date of any event indicates in what year from the Nativity of Christ it occurred.

There is a book that tells about how people waited for the birth of Christ, how He was born, how he lived and what He taught people. This book is called the Bible.

Word Bible in ancient Greek it is a common word and it means “books” (hence the word library). But when this word is written with a capital letter, then in modern languages ​​it means one, the holy book of Christians. True, this Book itself consists of 77 books.

Old Testament

The 77 books of the Bible were written over the course of a thousand years by people of different generations.

First and b O The majority of the Bible consists of 50 books. Together they are called the “Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament.”

Word covenant means "alliance, agreement." This refers to the union of God and man. People need this union in order to face adversity and trials with confidence. Even if it was very difficult for a person, he remembers that God is his ally and does not stray from the path of good.

The books of the Old Testament were written prophets. It was believed that these were people who had a special gift - the ability to hear what God was telling them. This gift is called "prophecy", and a person who has this gift from God - prophet. Prophecy reveals to people God's view of the past, present and future.

God's covenant with the prophets is called Dilapidated, that is, “ancient” or “old”. Several centuries after the lives of those prophets to whom the Old Testament was given, the New Testament appeared.

The time of the Old Testament is a time of waiting for the coming of Christ. Naming Christ means God's chosen one, marked with God's seal-anointing. In biblical antiquity, prophets poured oil on the head of the king when he was enthroned. This was considered a sign of God's blessing. But at the end of history, the people of the Old Testament were waiting for a special Anointed One (Christ). True, some people believed that Christ would simply be a great ruler. And others hoped that Christ would bring people closer to God.

It was through Jesus Christ who came into the world that the New Testament was given.

GOSPEL

The life, words and deeds of Jesus Christ are described in those biblical books called Gospel. Translated from Greek gospel means "good news".

The Gospel and other books of Christ's disciples constitute the “Holy Scripture of the New Testament.” 27 books of the New Testament were written by the first disciples of Jesus Christ - apostles(literal meaning of the word apostle- messenger).

The books of the Old Testament are written in Hebrew, and the books of the New Testament are written in ancient Greek.

Christians read the Bible both in church and at home. Much about it is unclear at first. After all, in order to understand holy words, you yourself need to be at least a little holy (there is an ancient rule: “like is known by like”). In addition, for a comprehensive understanding of biblical texts, one must have a good knowledge of the history of ancient peoples, as well as their languages.

There are many parables in the Bible. In terms of plot, these seem to be everyday, everyday stories, but in each of them you need to find a moral lesson.

Another difficulty in reading the Bible is that in ancient manuscripts there were no spaces between words, no punctuation marks, no differences between capital and small letters. In addition, the Hebrew text recorded only consonants. The reader himself must guess which vowels should be inserted where. For example, the Bible says that the prophet Moses had “krn” coming from his face. If you read “karan” you get the word rays, light. If you insert other vowels, you get “keren” - horns. Due to the fact that some readers mistakenly chose the second option, Moses is often depicted in paintings with horns.

All biblical books are considered sacred by Christians; they are seen as God's message to people. This means that both God and man together created the biblical text. From man - questions to God, features of speech and construction of a particular book of the Bible. From God - inspiration, thoughts, content of Scripture. Sometimes even a direct appeal from God to people, that is, revelation.

Revelation they call such moments when something very important and previously inaccessible suddenly becomes obvious to us. Sometimes people suddenly discover the beauty of nature. Sometimes people open up to each other. Poets, writers and artists created their best works in a state of inspiration, that is, in a state when something beautiful was revealed to them. Christians talk about the revelation of God to people:

God can reveal himself to people through conscience.

God can reveal himself through other people who promptly suggested something or warned for some reason.

God can be revealed through the beauty of the world: after all, if our world is so beautiful, then it means that its Creator is also beautiful.

God can reveal himself through the circumstances of life. Let's say a person really wanted to acquire something, but every time the desired goal eluded him. In such cases they say “it means it’s not fate” or “it’s not God’s will.”

But there was also a revelation of God to people, which through one person was addressed to everyone, and therefore it had to be written down.

Christians consider the Bible to be such a “revelation of God.” The Bible's story unfolds from the creation of the world to the prophecy of its end. The most important and most difficult pages of the Bible speak about the life and teachings of Christ.

Christians consider Jesus Christ not just a prophet, but the Lord who inspired the prophets. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who gave the “Our Father” prayer to people, which is why it has a second name – “The Lord’s Prayer.” The apostles, having heard this prayer from Jesus, wrote it down in the Gospel.

BIBLE STORIES The Judgment of King Solomon

Two women came to King Solomon. They argued among themselves about whose son the baby they brought was. Each of them claimed that she was the mother of the baby. The king, having listened to them, commanded: let the sword cut the child in two, and then each of the women will get an equal half of what they are arguing about... One woman angrily said: “Let it not be for me or you, cut the baby!” The second one screamed in pain: “Give her this child alive, but don’t kill him!”

The first woman agreed with the king's proposal. However, it was she who Solomon condemned. He ordered the child to be taken away from her and given to the woman who was ready to part with the child in order to save his life.

The Evangelist Luke has a calf (his book emphasizes the sacrifice of Christ, and the calf is an image of the sacrifice);

John - eagle (symbol of heights of thought);

Matthew - a man (his book especially emphasizes the human suffering of Christ);

Mark is a lion (this Gospel talks a lot about the miracles of Christ, that is, about His supreme royal power over the world).

Questions and tasks

1. Why is the Bible called “The Book of Books”? What parts does it consist of?

2. How the word is translated Gospel?

4. Choose the correct answer:

a) The gospel is part of the Bible.

b) The Gospel is not included in the Bible.

5. What does the word “covenant” mean? What is new about the relationship between God and man in the New Testament?

6. How did Solomon understand who the child’s mother was?

7. How do you understand what revelation is? Do revelations happen in our ordinary lives? How are they different from religious revelation?

8. Who are Christians?

Lesson 6 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Preaching Christ

You will learn

– What Christ taught

– What is the Sermon on the Mount

– What treasure cannot be stolen?

Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Despite the fact that the words of Christ were spoken almost 2000 years ago, they are important for a person of any time.

ABOUT REVENGE

You were offended, hit, called names - this happens often. How to proceed? Give back, take revenge?

And Christ taught: “Do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” Very few people have been able to live their lives in accordance with this advice of Christ. But if these few people did not exist, if everyone always took revenge for themselves, our world would become less humane.

If you respond with evil to evil, evil will grow. To prevent all life from turning into a war of all against all, someone must courageously give up protecting their petty interests and stop accumulating grievances. It is the renunciation of revenge that puts a limit to the growth of evil. That's why even martial arts masters say that “The best fight is the one that was avoided!”

The world at the time of Christ glorified victorious emperors and great warriors. Christ revealed to man the richness of his inner world. He said: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”

You can crush everyone while moving to the pinnacle of power. The whole world will be afraid of such a “hero”. But there, at the top, he will be very cold because he is surrounded only by fear and hatred. It is better for a few people to know about you and love you, than for the whole world to be afraid of you.

ABOUT WEALTH

Christ did not advise seeing the goal of life in enrichment: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where no moth destroys and where thieves do not steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

“Treasures in Heaven” are the good that man has done, but which God always remembers. Such a treasure cannot be stolen. Your money or phone may be stolen. But the good deed you have done will remain yours forever.

The Gospel connects spiritual treasures with “Heaven” because God does not allow the soul to disappear. Even if the body that the soul controlled has ended its life, the soul remains. But she brings her “bait” (good and bad) to Heaven - before the face of God.

Earthly riches and joy are not the same thing. If a person is seriously ill, no amount of wealth will bring him joy.

Christ taught as no one before Him: “Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you that even King Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them! Don't say: what should we eat? or what to drink? or what to wear? Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Don’t worry about tomorrow: each day’s worries are enough.”

Anyone who understands these words as permission to do nothing, not work, not study, will be wrong. It’s just that sometimes worrying about your tomorrow prevents you from acting humanely today. Like, if I stand up for the weak today, I might incur the wrath of someone big and strong. Such a person decides: in order for me to feel good tomorrow, I will live today according to the saying “my hut is on the edge.”

This is false wisdom. You cannot refuse to fulfill your human duty today for the sake of tomorrow's fears or hopes.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT

These words were spoken by Christ in Sermon on the Mount. One day Christ ascended a small mountain so that the people who came to Him could better hear His voice. Many were surprised by the deep meaning and beauty of the words spoken and became disciples of Christ. It was they who later recorded this sermon in the Gospel.

But Christ told people not only about how they should treat each other. He also spoke about the relationship between God and people. He called to every person: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

He said that, having loved God, the soul can become close to Him here on earth: “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Christ gave people a joyful experience of God. Grace, the Holy Spirit in the Gospel is called the Comforter, that is, the one who brings comfort and joy even in trouble. The Comforter, according to the word of Christ, “will be with you forever,” that is, during the life of the apostles and in all subsequent centuries of earthly history, but, in addition, beyond it, that is, in Divine eternity. This Comforter “the world neither sees nor knows; and you know Him, for He will be in you.” This is not about a book or a package, but about an internal change in a person. If it happened, then, according to the word of Christ, death, having touched the body, will not touch the soul: “He who believes in Me will not see death forever.”

COVENANT OF CHRIST

Previously, religious preachers talked about what sacrifices people should make to God or gods. And the New Testament spoke about the sacrifice God Himself makes for people and for people. Christ did not just talk about such a sacrifice, He Himself became this sacrifice.

Christ said that God loves people and Himself became a man in order to be with them. God becoming man is Jesus Christ. He said that he came into the world not to subjugate and punish people, but to serve people.

Some people considered this an insult to their faith in God. In their opinion, God could not have performed such a miracle and become so close to people. They declared Christ a criminal and began to seek His execution. Christ did not shy away from judgment.

BOX How Christ's Love Healed People

One day, when Christ was teaching people, they brought to Him a paralyzed (“relaxed”) man. But the house where Christ taught was crowded with listeners. And even outside, there were so many people standing at the windows and doors that it was impossible to carry a stretcher with a sick person. Then the relatives of the paralytic climbed onto the roof of the house, dismantled the roof, and lowered the stretcher into the hole right at the feet of Christ. And He, seeing such faith of theirs, said to the paralytic: “Child, your sins are forgiven you. Get up, take up your bed and go to your house.” And then the previously motionless man stood up, took the stretcher on which he was lying, and went to his house, praising God.

QUESTIONS and tasks:

1. Why did the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ receive such a name?

2. Re-read the story about the Sermon on the Mount again. What wealth do Orthodox Christians consider true and eternal?

3. What exactly increases in the world as a result of revenge: good or evil? Explain your answer.

4. Orthodox books depict a cross. Christians wear a cross (“cross”) on their chest. For Christians, is this a decoration, a talisman or a sign, a reminder? If a reminder, then what?

Lesson 7 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Christ and His Cross

You will learn:

– How God became man

– Why didn’t Christ evade execution?

– The symbolism of the cross

INCARNATION

The Bible emphasizes that God is invisible. God has no body and no boundaries. No time can show God His beginning and His end.

But, as the Gospel tells us, one day God united with Himself an ordinary human body and a human soul. He became human. Why? Because God is love. He created people and loves them. And when they love someone, they try to be closer to their loved one. Therefore, God, who loves people, decided to become one with us. And for this He became a man.

After all, God is free. He created nature and He gave it laws. Therefore, the laws of nature have no power over Him. He can do anything – including becoming not only God.

Christians say: “God became incarnate in man.” Everything that was always characteristic of God remained with Him. But now God was born as a man: He made everything that is characteristic of man His own. Christians call this a miracle embodiment(from the word flesh).

This is how the Nativity of Christ happened more than 2000 years ago. God became the God-man. The God-Man was born and began to be called Jesus Christ.

As God, Christ worked miracles, but as a man He rejoiced and suffered, ate food and starved, and even cried from the loss of friends. Having gone through the entire path of human life, God entered the world of human death.

It seems that this is impossible for God. After all, where God is, there is eternal life and there is no place for death. And yet Christ suffered death. He allowed Himself to be crucified on Golgotha.

Golgotha ​​is a small mountain on the outskirts of Jerusalem (the capital of Judea), on which criminals were crucified. There were no trees on it, and its top was rounded, resembling the top of a human head. Hence the name of this mountain: the word Calvary means "frontal place". In a figurative sense, under the influence of the Gospel, the word Calvary came to mean suffering, reproach, supreme and sacrificial service to the truth.

WHY DID CHRIST DIED?

How does the Gospel explain that the Immortal God, having become incarnate in Christ, died? If an immortal died, it means that He Himself renounced His invulnerability to death. He Himself voluntarily accepted the cross. Christ needed death in order to go through human death. Just like walking through a door to find yourself behind it, in a new space. People died both before Christ and after Him. But before Christ, death gave people only emptiness and coldness. Now God decided to enter the world of death Himself, so that a person who crosses the threshold of death would meet not emptiness, but the love of Christ behind this threshold. So that death is followed by joyful immortality (“Kingdom of God”, “Kingdom of Heaven”).

Christ wanted to bring the gift of bright immortality to all people - even to those who tried and executed Him.

SACRIFICE OF CHRIST

The Gospel says that Christ could amaze the whole earth with His miracles and convince everyone that it was in Him that God became man. But He didn't.

When He was arrested, He did not allow either the angels or the apostles to protect Him. He did not argue with His judges. If He had convinced them otherwise, then the meeting between Life (and God is Life) and death would not have taken place, and death would not have been crushed in its very depths. Therefore, He allowed Himself to be executed, to be crucified on the cross.

The Gospel conveys Christ’s responses to His judge, Pontius Pilate, as follows:

“Pilate said to Jesus: Where are you from? But Jesus did not give him an answer. Pilate says to Him: Do you not answer me? Don’t you know that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You? Jesus answered: You would not have any power over Me if it had not been given to you from above... I lay down My life in order to take it again. No one takes it away from Me, but I myself give it. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.”

That's why Cross of Christ began to be perceived by Christians not only as an instrument of torture and execution, but also as a sign of God’s love for people. As a reminder of this, Christians wear a cross on their chest.

CRUCIFIXION

Crucifixion is the most terrible execution invented by people. Two wooden beams were placed on top of each other. Hands were nailed to one of them, legs to the other. Then the cross was raised above the ground, and the person hung on these nails for hours. Every move he made caused him pain. Even if he wanted to breathe, he had to move, rise. And then his hands moved around the nails that pierced them. It’s the same as if the executioner stuck a knife into the victim’s body and then said: “If you want to breathe, for every breath you take, turn the knife in your wound!” This torture lasted several hours, or even days...

They put a supposedly royal crown on Christ’s head. But it was woven from thorn branches. Therefore, the needles of the “crown of thorns” tore His skin. Already when Christ died, a Roman soldier pierced His chest with a spear. Then the body of Christ was taken down from the cross and buried in a stone tomb (cave) at the foot of Golgotha.

SYMBOLISM OF THE CROSS

The Orthodox cross has three crossbars.

The upper one, above the head of Christ, symbolizes the tablet with the inscription INCI, which was on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. These are the initial letters of the phrase “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” “Nazarene” - because His childhood was spent in the city of Nazareth in the country that today is called Israel. The word “king of the Jews” comes from the false verdict that people passed on Him, accusing Him of wanting to carry out a revolution and become king in ancient Judea.

The hands of Christ were nailed to the middle crossbar, and His feet to the lower one. It is skewed because two more people were executed along with Christ. They really were criminals. One began to mock Christ: they say, if you are God, then perform a miracle and come down from the cross, stop your execution. Another asked to stop the mockery: “we were judged fairly, but He did nothing bad.” This repentant thief was to the right of Christ, to whom he asked: “Remember me when you come into Your Kingdom!” The robber who ended his life in a stream of abuse was on the left.

Therefore, the crossbar on the cross of Christ is raised to the right side and lowered to the left. This is a sign that the “prudent thief” repented and went upward, to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the one who did not even try to change at the moment of death ended his life in baseness.

For crosses installed above churches, the lower crossbar is sometimes supplemented or replaced with a crescent. In this case, the cross takes on the shape of an anchor. An anchor is a sign of confidence and firmness. The temple is then perceived as a ship taking people away from the threat, and its bell tower as a mast.

A Child lies in a manger.

A mother's face is tender.

The oxen hear in their sleep

A faint child's cry.

He will not come in a flash of thunder,

Not in the glory of earthly victories,

He will not call kings friends,

He will not call princes to the council -

With Galilean fishermen

Forms the New Testament.

He won't let anyone suffer,

Prisons are not prohibited,

But Himself, with outstretched arms,

He will die in mortal agony.

(Alexander Solodovnikov)

* (Before meeting Christ, the apostles were fishermen on Lake Galilee)

From the Bible. Words of the executed Christ:

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! how many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to!.. Father! forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

Questions and tasks

1. What do the words mean? embodiment, God-man?

2. Explain why, according to Christians, God became a man?

3. Explain why the cross, an instrument of torture and evidence of the suffering of Christ, became a symbol of God’s love for people?

4. Examine the cross, draw it, explain each component of its parts.

Lesson 8 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” EASTER

You will learn:

– That Sunday is not only a day of the week

– What is Easter

– How to celebrate Easter

The story of Christ does not end with His execution. After all, He told Pontius Pilate that He had the power to take up His life again. Therefore, the Gospel tells us that after the crucifixion Christ returned to life - he was resurrected.

A word you know Sunday associated specifically with Jesus Christ. Ancient Slavic root chair means to live, shine, sparkle. Resurrection is the day of renewal of life.

The disciples and friends of Christ were amazed at how His body had changed. They said that the body of Christ became radiant, as if “airy”, not subject to the force of earthly gravity. He could instantly appear and disappear, pass through walls and closed doors.

Christians believe that one day the same thing that happened to Jesus Christ will happen to them. They too will be resurrected. Once a passer-by addressed a boy who had never heard anything about Christians on Easter Day: “Brother, Christ is risen!” The guy was confused. He didn’t quite understand what they were telling him and what was expected of him. But he realized that he was told (wished) something good. And so he replied: “And the same to you!” And he was right. Because, in fact, the most important thing that a Christian would want for himself is that his life, even after passing through death, would still continue with resurrection. As it was in the life of Christ.

The name Jesus means "God saves." Christ is called Savior(Savior) because He went to the cross to save people.

What threatened people then? The same as today: death, loss of soul, loss of God.

The evil that people did before the crucifixion of Christ, at the moment of His execution and in all subsequent centuries, that is, all the evil that was, is and will be in human history, Christ calls to battle. He “takes away the sins of the whole world.” Christ takes upon Himself all the worst consequences that the sins of people could cause. The Bible says that a person's death is a consequence of his sin. Christ, in Whom there was no sin, could not become a prey for death. Therefore, having accepted death, Christ broke it in Himself and conquered. And he rose again.

For Christians, this means that people, following Christ, will not forever remain captive to death. One day, having passed through the silence of the grave, they will rise again, just like Christ.

In nature, Christians see many images reminiscent of Easter. For example, a caterpillar that suddenly stops feeding on leaves and temporarily turns into a seemingly dead cocoon. But there, in the cocoon, unnoticed by those around her, wings grow. And one day she will fly out of it like a free butterfly.

RUSSIAN EASTER

The Russian people named their weekly holiday in honor of the resurrection of Christ. Especially solemnly celebrated is that spring Sunday, which is called - (literally the word Easter in Hebrew means “transition”, “deliverance”).

To celebrate Easter, people gather in churches. The most solemn part of the festive service is Easter midnight. The priest carries a cross, and people with icons and lit candles walk around the temple (this is called a “procession”) and sing joyful Easter hymns.

The main Easter hymn goes like this:

“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs!” (translated into modern Russian: “Christ rose from the dead, having conquered death by his death, and first gave life to those who died!”

On Easter everyone greets each other with a friendly kiss. This is called “making Christ.” He said “Christ is Risen”, gave an egg - and three kisses on the cheeks. In response to “Christ is Risen!” It is customary to answer: “Truly he is risen!” Moreover, children are allowed to shout these words very loudly even in church.

The main gift of this holiday is an Easter egg. A new life hatches from a seemingly lifeless and motionless egg - which is why it has become a symbol of the Sunday holiday. Christians decorate eggs, paint them different colors, and then give them to friends.

We have a lot of friends, we also need to prepare enough gifts. There are many people to congratulate. And that’s why Orthodox Christians don’t go to cemeteries on Easter Day. The celebration of life is for the living.

After the night Easter service, Christians begin the feast. People who take their faith seriously prepare for this holiday for a long time. Almost two months before Easter, Orthodox Christians fast: they do not eat meat, eggs, or milk. However, the post of a Christian consists not only of this. Even during the Great Patriotic War, when there was a shortage of food, the Church reminded believers that fasting must be observed. It’s just that he can manifest himself not in refusing milk, but in helping even hungrier people and accepting refugees into their homes. And today, during fasting days, Christians try to have less fun and devote more time to prayer and other good deeds.

But on Easter - a feast on the mountain! Colored boiled eggs, kulich (sweet bread similar to a cupcake) and a curd dish, which is named after the holiday - Easter, are served on the table.

Since they prepared for Easter for forty days, they also celebrate it for forty days in a row.

Throughout the week after Easter night, the entire festive service is repeated in the morning, and children can also participate in the procession of the cross. Moreover, it is during these Easter days that the children have the opportunity to create the loudest sound of their lives. They can strike a real huge bell. In many churches, during the first seven days of Easter, access to the bell tower is open, and anyone (including children) can go up and ring the bells.

Easter falls on a different date every year. The time of this holiday is determined as follows: the day of the vernal equinox is taken as the starting point (this is when the long winter nights became shorter and their duration became equal to the duration of daylight hours - March 21). Then people look at the night sky and wait for the full moon (so that the moon is not a crescent or a semicircle, but a full circle). And the Sunday that follows this first spring full moon is called Easter. The symbolism of this decision is clear: spring is the time of victory of life and light. After the spring equinox, the day becomes longer than the night. But the night of the full moon is the brightest. Just as the reviving world of nature at this time is flooded with life-giving light, so Easter of Christ fills souls with its light.

BOX Christ is Risen!

Everywhere the gospel is buzzing,

People are pouring out of all the churches.

The dawn is already looking from the sky...

The snow has already been removed from the fields,

And the rivers break from their shackles,

And the nearby forest turns green...

Christ is risen! Christ is risen!

The earth is waking up

And the fields are getting dressed!

Spring is coming, full of miracles!

Christ is risen! Christ is risen!

(Apollo Maikov)

QUESTIONS and tasks:

1. How do you understand why Jesus Christ is revered as Savior?

2. How do Christians connect their destiny with the resurrection of Christ?

3. How do Christians greet each other on Easter?

4. What does the main Easter hymn sound like?

5. What does Christian fasting consist of?

Lesson 9 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Orthodox teaching about man

You will learn:

– When the soul hurts

– What is the “image of God”

In Orthodoxy, reflections on man and reflections on God are intertwined. A person believes in God. What does God Himself believe in? Christians believe that God believes in man. God trusts man and therefore gives him freedom. He invested in a person enormous opportunities for growth. Moreover, this growth cannot be measured in centimeters.

The sacrifice of Christ, like everything connected with the world of religion in general, cannot be understood unless a person looks inside himself. This is the world of his soul.

SOUL

The body walks, runs, chews. The soul thinks, dreams, believes, loves.

The soul is so different from the body that sometimes it rejoices even if the body is in pain.

Imagine: in your house there is a chest that is forbidden to you. There parents keep some very valuable and very interesting things. One evening, when your eyes were already drooping from fatigue, your father suddenly suggested to you: let’s go and help you sort out the chest. And there they were: photographs of my grandmother’s wedding. Great-grandfather's orders. His letters from the front. Your first hair. Old coins that you won’t see anywhere anymore. The favorite doll of the girl who later became your mother...

Everything was so interesting - your legs even went numb because you were afraid to move again while listening to your father’s stories. And my eyes completely refuse to open. The body is tired. He's not feeling well. And the soul rejoices. She discovered the wonderful world of family legends. She felt the connection of her family history with the history of her homeland.

And sometimes the soul hurts, even if the whole body is healthy. It is conscience that tells a person: “You are wrong about this!”

Word soul came from the word breathe. The person's breathing is not visible. But if there is no breath, there is no life.

The soul is also not visible. But since the soul has its own reasons for pain and joy, it means it exists.

So, let me introduce you. You are. There is your body. And there is your soul. You must learn to live together.

It is the soul that makes a person human. Such properties of the human soul as freedom, the distinction between good and evil, creativity and thought are absent in animals.

Christians believe that man is so different from animals because these differences were given to him by God.

God Himself is free – and He also gave freedom to man.

God is Love - and He gave people love.

God is reason - and He gave people the ability to think.

God is the Creator - and He gave people the ability to create.

Together, these gifts of God to man make up the whole world. That’s what it’s called – the inner world of man. Christians call reason, freedom, love, and creativity “the image of God in man.”

It is not easy to realize that the soul exists. It is even more difficult to understand the reasons and goals of her aspirations. You have yet to understand what the soul really needs and what hurts it.

The soul absorbs many impressions. And it itself gives rise to many different thoughts and feelings. Are they all good? Maybe some desires and thoughts need to be driven away from yourself? Can they be a threat? A foolish child can reach out to a hot iron with his hand. But even an adult can strive with all his heart for something that will cripple his life and soul. And if a thought begins to spin in your head: in order to be praised, I’ll probably tell a lie to a friend... Do you think it would be fair to accept such a thought and fulfill it, or drive it away?

Our inner world or soul has an amazing property: the soul becomes richer the more it gives to other people. Anyone who has done good to another person has become kinder and more joyful himself. And the one he helped became kinder. And the whole world became kinder.

A familiar children's verse sings about this: “Share your smile - and it will come back to you more than once!”

A verse written a hundred years ago by a nun from the Moscow Novo-Devichy Convent is about the same thing:

Wherever your heart tells you to live -

In a noisy light or in rural silence -

Spend without counting and boldly

You are the treasures of your soul.

Don't look, don't expect a return,

Do not be embarrassed by evil mockery.

Humanity is still rich

Only a guarantee of goodness all round.

What is called here “mutual guarantee of goodness” can be expressed by the motto: one for all and all for one.”

“THINK ABOUT YOUR SOUL!”

The baby first learns to control his body. Then he will have to learn to live in peace with his soul and conscience all his life. If a person does not know about his soul, if he feeds it with hatred, envy, betrayal, irritability, the soul becomes poorer... Illnesses of the soul can increase. Your bike is missing. Bitter loss. How to soften it? There is no money to buy a new one yet. Cry day and night about your loss? Want to find and beat a thief? If you start to suspect everyone, your soul will become cloudy and it will get even sicker. So you can end up without a soul at all. And this is much worse than being left without a bicycle. Therefore, instead of regretting a lost thing, Christians say: “God gave - God took!” You can also say: “let it go to someone who needs it more than me!” In this case, the loss will turn into a gift. And your soul will feel better.

If a person acts against his conscience over and over again, then in the end he becomes soulless. The worst thing is when a person loses himself. Not a hair or a tooth or even a hand, but just yourself. There are abandoned houses. There are abandoned cars. And there are also dead souls. Man simply forgot that he has a soul. He is used to brushing his teeth. But I forgot about the soul.

Therefore, wise people often call: “Think about your soul!”

With the most varied turns of fate, it is worth first of all to ask the question: what will happen to my soul? Will she enjoy the joy obtained through shameful means?

Orthodox prayer:

My soul, my soul, arise, write it down!

From the Bible:

“And God said, Let the earth produce wild beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And so it became. And God said: Let us make man in our image, and let them have dominion over the beasts and over all the earth. And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. And God created man in His own image; male and female he created them. And God blessed them and said to them: Be fruitful and fill the earth and subdue it.”

Questions and tasks:

1. Is there anything in our world that cannot be touched or seen?

2. How do you understand the expression “human inner world”?

3. How does the Bible teach us about the origin of the soul?

4. What thoughts do you think should be driven away from yourself? A thought begins to swirl in your head: in order to be praised, I’ll probably tell a lie to my friend... Do you think it would be fair: to accept such a thought and fulfill it, or to drive it away?

Lesson 10 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Good and evil. Conscience

You will learn

– About prompts of conscience

– How to correct errors

In Orthodoxy good- this is what:

– helps the growth of a person’s soul;

– helps other people;

- makes God happy.

Evil– that which removes one from these good goals. At the word evil in Orthodoxy there is a synonym: sin.

Sin is an unkind feeling, thought or deed. Sin contradicts the voice of conscience. Sin and crime are not the same thing. Every crime is a sin, but the state does not consider every sin a crime.

A person is pointed out to his sin not by a policeman, but by his own conscience. After all, any bad deed of yours always has a witness: your soul.

PETER'S DENIAL

The Gospel tells how one of Christ’s closest disciples, the Apostle Peter, ran away at the moment of the Teacher’s arrest. All night he hid people. Finally, one woman took a closer look at him and said: “So he always walked with this arrested Jesus!” Peter began to deny: “I don’t know what you’re saying.” He took a few steps, and again people shouted: “Yes, that’s right, this one was with that criminal!” Once again Peter denied, even swearing that he did not know Jesus. An hour later he had to swear the same thing again. So in one night he denied Christ three times.

And then the rooster crowed the dawn... And Peter remembered that even in the evening Christ told him words that turned out to be a prophecy: “Truly I tell you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Then Peter courageously answered: “Even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You.” Now, at the crow of the rooster, Peter remembered this prediction of Christ and began to cry with bitter shame. In these tears his soul was renewed. From now on he will not be afraid of anything, he will preach the teachings of Christ and for this he will be executed.

When a person betrays or renounces those who love him, the soul cannot rejoice. Even reason can sometimes justify such an act. He may whisper: “Well, nothing depended on you! It will be better for everyone! No one will know anything, and you will feel good!”

Conscience protects a person from these crafty “wise councils.” For an honest person, the pain of conscience is more important than any arguments. By the way, the word sin possibly comes from the word warm; burn: conscience awakens from sin and begins to burn the soul.

THE WORK OF CONSCIENCE

Having invested conscience in man, the Creator entrusted it with two tasks:

– Before making a choice, conscience tells you what a person should do.

– After a mistake, conscience triggers like an alarm: “You can’t do that! Get better!”

Conscience has a very important feature: if you forget about the wounds it inflicts, they will never heal. Even after many years, conscience can remind you of past untruths. For example, the joy you get from an interesting trip may disappear because your conscience suddenly brought up something from the depths of your memory that you don’t want to remember.

Therefore, the most important thing in a person’s life is to be in harmony with his conscience. You must be able to hear it and act on its prompts, correcting your past mistakes.

Some people simply try to forget their own weaknesses.

Remember the song of Gena the crocodile from the famous cartoon:

Maybe we offended someone in vain,

The calendar will close this sheet.

We are in a hurry to new adventures, friends!

Hey, speed up, driver!

It turns out that you can not attach importance to other people’s tears: the day will end, everything will be forgotten by itself, a new day will come with new entertainment and adventures!

In fact, if conscience begins to annoy our memory and mind, then we can only turn to one medicine. It's called - repentance.

REPENTANCE

Repentance(or repentance) is a change in the assessment that a person gives to his actions. That action of yours, which you previously saw as good, funny, witty, even necessary, now you evaluate as stupid, dishonest, cowardly.

The first step of repentance is agreement with the protesting cry of your conscience.

The second step in repentance is a revolution in your aspirations.

Repentance is not at all like admitting your math error. Gena the crocodile's song is good in relation to those mistakes that happen in school notebooks. I realized that I was wrong - nothing, study further... But when it comes to evil deeds, when repenting, you must not only admit your mistake, but even get angry at it. A repentant person hates his recent action. Pushes him out of her life and out of her heart. He even cries.

Imagine: a boy threw a cobblestone at someone else's window. And for a whole half hour he proudly told all his friends about his “feat.” And half an hour later an ambulance drove into this yard. And the doctors ran to the same apartment with the broken window. It turns out that shards of broken glass hit the face of a child who was sleeping by the window... And now the recent “hero” is ready to give everything in the world - just so that this “feat” of his would not happen. What he was proud of now became for him a reason for the deepest shame and disgrace.

Following a change in self-esteem, an external change must also occur. Correct your past mistake with action. Find the opposite of the sin committed.

Stole? - Give it back.

Lied? - Find the strength to tell the truth.

Are you being greedy? - Give it to me.

Did you say an evil word? - Ask for forgiveness.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to correct the evil caused by action... But if such an opportunity still exists, we must hurry to do good.

Christians also have a third means of repentance: prayers of repentance to God. The simplest of them is “Lord, forgive me!”

And you also need to know that not all repentance helps. Sometimes people pretend to be doing exercises. But in fact they only depicted a couple of movements. And who did they deceive? Myself.

This is how some people fake repentance. They think that they can quickly say “Sorry, Mom” or “Sorry, Lord!” – and you can rush to new adventures. Just as you need to do exercises until you sweat, so you need to repent sincerely, and sometimes to the point of tears.

But after such tears comes joy. After all, now there is no longer a shameful secret between the soul, conscience, God and friends.

BOX Holy Thoughts

If you are sick and are looking for healing, then first of all take care of your conscience. Do everything she says - and you will find benefit

(Saint Mark the Ascetic).

The door of repentance is always open and it is not known who will enter it first - whether you are the one condemning or the one being condemned by you (St. Seraphim of Sarov).

QUESTIONS and tasks

1. There is a half-joking definition of a person: “a person is an animal that can blush.” Explain it.

2. What are the two most important matters of conscience?

3. Are the two expressions related: unscrupulous person And dead soul.

4. Why is repentance called medicine for the soul? How does it heal?

5. What are the stages of repentance?

Lesson 11 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Commandments

You will learn

– What do murder and theft have in common?

– How envy extinguishes joy

Some people have a sensitive conscience, others not so much. So that people have a clear basis by which to distinguish between good and evil in their actions and intentions, there are commandments. The commandments are written in the Bible, which says that they were given to people by God.

The Bible says that more than three thousand years ago, the prophet Moses and his people saw Mount Sinai smoke and shake. But this was no ordinary earthquake. Moses climbed to the smoking Sinai in order to meet God there and receive commandments from Him. Moses spent 40 days on a peak engulfed in fire. This fire did not burn him because he knew A com of the presence of God. God himself inscribed the commandments on stone slabs (tablets), which Moses brought out of the fire to the people. The people were also amazed that, having returned to them, Moses himself glowed so that rays emanated from his face, although he himself did not notice this change in himself.

God gave Moses the 10 commandments. The first four talk about man's relationship with God. The rest concern relationships between people.

– Honor your father and your mother. Your parents gave you life. Are they really not worthy of at least your respect (“veneration”) for this greatest gift?

Parents help you while you are growing and need their help and care, and then children help elderly and already infirm parents at the end of their lives. Honor is not just polite words, but real support of parents by adult children, including sincere attention and participation.

– Dont kill. You didn’t give life, so it’s not for you to take it away! The commandment speaks not only about bandits. Christ said that even someone who looks at another person with hatred becomes a murderer. After all, if you hate another person, then you already want him to disappear.

– Don't steal. The one who steals is ready to cause suffering to another person. And he doesn’t think about his experiences and difficulties. This means that he considers himself more worthy, better than him. Both the murderer and the thief regard the other person as a hindrance. The only difference is that the thief decides to bypass this obstacle in order to get to the desired item. The killer simply sweeps away this obstacle. But both the murderer and the thief are inhuman.

– Don't commit adultery. That is, do not step over love. Do not betray. This is a commandment about loyalty to someone who loves you and is loved by you. Loyalty to this commandment is the key to preserving the family.

– Do not lie. It seems that lying can help overcome certain troubles and avoid punishment. But this is an illusion. Sooner or later, the deception will be revealed, and its consequences will be much worse than those, the fear of which pushed you to lie. One lie gives rise to another, and over time the liar himself becomes a hostage to his own deception. Popular wisdom reminds us: “You can’t get far with a lie”; “No matter how much the rope twists, the end will be found.” And Christ warned: “There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be known.” Since it is God who gives the commandment prohibiting lying, for a Christian this becomes a reminder that God cannot be deceived. He sees through any deception.

– Do not envy. Envy interferes with joy. They gave you a bicycle. You rejoice in him. And suddenly it turns out that your friend also has a new car - but more expensive and more fashionable. If you allow yourself to envy, the joy that you already had will immediately fade in its black rays. Envy knows no bounds. There will always be someone who seems to have a better life than you. The old woman from Pushkin’s fairy tale became both a noblewoman and a queen, but even this was not enough for her... You know what happened next.

Questions and tasks:

1. Is there a connection between the words: commandment, reserve, reserve?

2. What special reason do Christians have for not lying?

3. Why do you need to overcome envy? What helps in the fight against it?

4. "A kind-hearted person." What synonyms can you think of?

Lesson 12 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Mercy

You will learn:

– How is mercy different from friendship?

– Who is called “neighbor”

One of the most beautiful words in the world is the word mercy. It speaks of a heart that And loves, loves and regrets.

Love comes in different forms.

She can be joyful. When meeting a loved one, your face lights up with a smile and happiness.

But there is love with a tear-stained face. This is how it happens when meeting someone else's misfortune. More precisely, love tells you: there is no such thing as someone else’s misfortune! Just a minute ago this person was even a stranger to you. But you learned about his grief - and could not remain indifferent.

If you see a hungry person, there is no need to evaluate him - whether he is “good” or “bad”. You need to feed the hungry simply because he is hungry, and not because he is your friend.

PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

Jesus Christ was once asked: what is the most important among the many commandments? He said: the most important thing is love for God and man. " Love your neighbor as yourself" And then He was asked a difficult question: “Who is my neighbor?” In fact, there is no person who does not love anyone. But many people say: “I love those who love me, that is, my family and my friends. These are my neighbors (close ones).”

Christ answered the question asked of Him with the parable of the Good Samaritan:

A certain man was attacked by robbers, beaten and robbed. Passers-by remained passers-by. They passed by. Each of them, at the sight of a bloody man, told his conscience that he was in a hurry, that he had very important things ahead of him - and walked away. But one visitor, who did not even speak the local language very correctly, stopped. The wounded man froze. After all, just recently he and his friends were making unkind jokes about this visitor. Will he really take revenge now?.. And a passer-by bent down, bandaged the wounds, took the wounded man to the hotel and paid for his treatment.

Relatives and fellow tribesmen did not see their neighbor in the beaten man and passed by. But the visiting stranger was able to treat him as his neighbor.

The parable of Christ means: near- the one who will not leave you in trouble. And further a neighbor is someone who needs your help. If a person is in pain, it doesn’t matter what language he speaks, what faith or skin color he has. All people's blood is the same color.

Even if this person is personally to blame for you, you still need to forget your grievances in the moment of his trouble and give him a helping hand.

You cannot act according to the principle: “As you treat me, so I will treat you!” or “Serves you right! Get what you deserve!”

Merciful forgiveness is higher and nobler than just retribution.

Mercy reminds us that there are minor troubles, and there are real misfortunes. Someone once tripped you up - and now you got a new bump and a portion of ridicule. It is unpleasant. But time passed - and this someone himself stretched out comically on a banana skin thrown by someone. Yes, so badly that he injured his leg and could not get up on his own. This is a problem. Can you forget that step? Can you help but be happy about his misfortune? Can you come over, help him, call a doctor?

It’s not easy to get over your long-standing and seemingly just grievances. But this is the highest of the calls of Jesus Christ: “ But I say to you: love your enemies" But if a person accepts the gracious power of Christ, then he can do this too.

One day, a doctor and a priest were discussing how they could help the prisoners. The priest said that it should be hard in prison so that criminals remember the gravity of their guilt. And the doctor reminded that innocent people are also in prison. The priest did not agree: their guilt was proven in court. The doctor objected: what about the innocently convicted Jesus? Have you forgotten about him?.. The priest fell silent. And then with a sigh he said: “Doctor, you are wrong. When I said this nonsense, it was not me who forgot about Christ. At that moment Christ forgot about me.”

A person can learn mercy. If you perform acts of mercy (for example, caring for the sick or younger, selflessly offering your help...), then these acts will eventually change your heart, making it more humane.

The frog's eyes are very unusual: they see only movement and do not notice stationary objects. The frog sees the flight of a mosquito. And she sees grass and stones if she moves on her own. This is how our conscience works: if a person does not work and does not help anyone, then his conscience becomes increasingly blind. A person ceases to see meaning in his life.

ALMS

One of the works of mercy is silt. This is helping another person out of pity for him. Christ said: “Give to everyone who asks you.” And Saint Dorotheos explained: when you gave alms, you increased the amount of good in the world. But the poor man whom you helped received only a tenth of the good produced by your good deed. The rest of the good you did to yourself. After all, this makes your soul brighter.

The great Russian historian V. Klyuchevsky described alms as a meeting of two hands. One expresses a request For Christ's sake, the other one serves in the name of Christ. The historian says it is not easy to decide which of these hands brought more good. The philanthropist saw with his own eyes the human need that he alleviated, and his heart softened. And the one who received alms knew for whom to pray. “A beggar feeds on a rich man, and a rich man is saved by the prayer of a beggar,” they said in the old days. This daily, silent, thousand-armed alms daily poured streams of goodness into human relationships. She taught the rich to see people in the poor, and taught the poor to hate the rich.

At the end of the 16th century, Saint Juliana (Ulyana) lived in Murom in a noble noble family. When she was a girl, she sewed dresses and other clothes from scraps and gave them to the poor. When Ulyana got married, she did not take money from her husband or his rich parents. She continued to help the entire area by sewing for the poor for free. Hungry times have come to Rus'. And Ulyana, who had previously eaten very moderately, suddenly began to ask for more and more food. The mother-in-law was perplexed: “before, you didn’t eat much at all, but what are you eating now?” But in fact, Saint Juliana secretly took away food and distributed it to the hungry. In the end, Ulyana distributed all the supplies. And when there was no bread left in the house, Saint Ulyana of Murom began to bake it from tree bark. Strange, but the beggars to whom she distributed it said that they had never eaten more delicious bread in their lives.

One day, a doctor and a priest were discussing how they could help the prisoners. The priest said it should be hard in prison so that criminals are reminded of the gravity of their guilt. And the doctor reminded that innocent people are also in prison. The priest did not agree: their guilt was proven in court. The doctor objected: what about the innocently convicted Jesus? Have you forgotten about him?.. The priest fell silent. And then with a sigh he said: “Doctor, you are wrong. When I said this nonsense, it was not me who forgot about Christ. At that moment Christ forgot about me.”

The priest was Saint Philaret of Moscow. When he said unmerciful words, he felt that grace had left his soul. And so he stopped, repented and agreed with the doctor... And from then on the shackles were removed from the prisoners.

A passerby saw a young man who was clearly planning to throw himself from the bridge into the river and commit suicide. A passerby detained him with an extremely inappropriate question: “Tell me, perhaps you have money with you?” The surprised young man replied:

- Yes, I have…

– But it seems they will no longer be useful to you?

- Perhaps...

- And if so, then maybe you will go into that poor house and leave the poor people the money you no longer need?

The young man agreed. He left and never returned to the bridge. The moment he gave away his wallet, his heart was filled with joy greater than that of those who accepted his gift. He understood the meaning of his life.

(according to V. Martsinkovsky)

Questions and tasks

1. Read an excerpt from Pushkin’s poem:

And for a long time I will be so kind to the people

That I awakened good feelings with my lyre

That in my cruel age I glorified freedom

And he called for mercy for the fallen

In what sense do you think Pushkin used the word fallen? (Fallen? Defeated? Sinned?). Explain expressions fall from grace, fall into sin?

2. Is it possible to charge a fee for compassionate help?

3. What do you need to do to become merciful?

4. Create your own definition: “My neighbor is...(continue yourself).

Lesson 13 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Golden Rule of Ethics

You will learn:

– The main rule of human relations

- What's happened non-judgment

Imagine that the wind has risen outside and is blowing dust and debris into your face. Will you really open your eyes wider? Of course not. And if in your company they began to gossip about one of your mutual and currently absent acquaintances... What benefit does what you hear? And if next time they also gossip about you behind your back...

Christ said: “So in everything that you want people to do to you, do so to them.”

This rule is usually called golden rule of ethics.

It sounds different: Don't do to others what you wouldn't want for yourself. If you don’t want those who pretend to be your friends to gossip about you in absentia, restrain yourself from gossiping about them.

In order not to trust gossip, it is important to know that the gossiper very often transfers to another person the dirt that lives in himself; he attributes to others what he himself is guilty of.

Imagine: a man walks through the city in the dead of night. Someone looked out of one window and said: “Why is he coming so late? This must be a thief! From another window they thought about the same passer-by: “This is probably a reveler returning from a party.” Someone else suggested that this man was looking for a doctor for a sick child. In fact, the night passer-by was in a hurry to go to the temple for night prayer. But everyone saw in him a piece of their world, their problems or fears.

Remembering your own mistakes and shortcomings helps protect yourself from condemnation.

One day people brought to Christ a woman who, according to the laws of that time, should have been stoned to death. Christ did not call people to break this law. He simply said, “Let him of you who has not sinned himself cast the first stone.” People thought about it, everyone remembered something different. And they quietly parted ways.

Judging other people is also bad because it simplifies the world and people too much. But the person is complex. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. One minute's loser may be the next day's good genius. Doesn't this happen in sports? A football player fails in one episode or match, but nevertheless plays brilliantly in other matches.

Here is a man who once did something ugly. Will he never do anything wonderful again? Even the school bully can become a hero. Sometimes this happens right outside the school threshold. At the age of 17 he graduated from school. At 18 he was drafted into the army. At 19, he did something he didn’t expect from himself...

So how can you avoid condemning a person? Non-judgment– this is the distinction between the assessment of an action and the assessment of the person himself. If Sasha lied, and I say, “Sasha lied about this,” I will tell the truth. But if I say “Sasha is a liar”, I will take a step towards condemnation. Because with such a formula I will dissolve a person in one of his actions and put a mark on him.

Evil must be denounced and it must be hated. But a person and his bad deed (sin) are not the same thing. Therefore, in Orthodoxy there is a rule: “Love the sinner and hate the sin.” And “to love a sinner” means to help him get rid of his sin.

BOX Words of Christ from the Gospel:

Judge not, lest ye be judged, for with the same judgment ye judge, so shall ye be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see how to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. So in everything, as you want people to do to you, do so to them.. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Forgive and you will be forgiven.

In the Egyptian monastery where Elder Moses lived (this is not the prophet Moses, but a Christian ascetic who lived one and a half thousand years after the prophet), one of the monks drank wine. The monks asked Moses to severely reprimand the culprit. Moses was silent. Then he took the holey basket, filled it with sand, hung the basket on his back and went. Sand fell through the cracks behind him. The elder answered the perplexed monks: these are my sins that are pouring down behind me, but I do not see them, because I am going to judge the sins of others.

Questions and tasks

1. Name the “golden rule of ethics.” Why is it “golden”?

2. How to protect yourself from judging others? Formulate your own rules.

3. Consider the painting “Christ and the Sinner.” How did Christ protect the woman?

Lesson 14 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Temple.

You will learn:

– What do people do in temples?

– How is an Orthodox church structured?

In an Orthodox church, people are greeted by icons and candles. And priests.

- Hello guys. I am priest Alexy. I serve here.

-What kind of service is this? – Lenochka asked.

“I teach people, I pray to God with them, and I try to help people.” I want to be like this candle. Its light stretches upward, but the candle gives its light and warmth to those who are next to it. This is how a person’s life should be: with his soul reaching out to Heaven, and with his deeds helping his neighbors.

Another priest passed by, and in his hand he held a smoking...

- Censer! – Vanya whispered.

– Why are you smoking in the temple? – Lena couldn’t resist.

“Yes, it’s a censer,” confirmed Father Alexy. - The priest performs incense with them. And you're right: the words cense And smoke in ancient times were no different. But now smoke means to produce acrid and smelly smoke, and cense– on the contrary, it means filling the air with fragrant smoke. The chopping reminds us of the same thing as candles: the smoke rises upward, but its fragrance delights those around us. To bow to someone means to show respect. Therefore, the priest censes both in front of the icons and in front of you.

You see, this priest with a censer went to a square table on which many candles were lit. This is a “funeral table”, parishioners call it “eve”. There they light candles and pray for people who have already passed away from earthly life.

The experience of an inextricable connection with deceased relatives is an important feature of Orthodox culture.

Prayerful memory is called “remembrance.” The living are remembered in prayers “for health”, and the dead - “for peace”. This is a prayer that God will accept their souls into the Kingdom of Heaven. “Memorial notes” with the names of those who are asked to be “remembered” (remembered) in prayers are given to the priest.

And in all other places of the temple, except eve, people light candles, praying for themselves and for other living people.

Orthodox Christians pray to Christ, angels and saints. Their icons are everywhere in the church. Icon is a picture that depicts a person or event from the Bible or church history.

You can pray without an icon. But the icon helps to collect my thoughts.

You can pray for people and animals. About friends and enemies.

The male part of the 4th grade immediately clarified:

– Can you pray for Russia to become the world champion in football?

- We can pray. But God knows better than us what is best for our country. You know, even a father may not fulfill his child’s requests. For example, if a child who already has a cold asks to buy him ice cream...

– Why do people wave their hands in front of icons?

– Haven’t you come across such a proverb in Russian epics and fairy tales - “let’s stand up, cross ourselves, and go, praying”?

When praying, Christians seem to draw an invisible cross on themselves. This means that this person is a Christian and prays to Christ.

If a person places a cross not on himself, but on another person or on an object, it means that he “blesses” him in the name of Christ.

A blessing is a wish for good for oneself, for people and for the whole world, which is combined with a prayer to God that this good will come true. At the same time, Christians usually say - “In the name of Christ...”, “In the name of Christ...”, “God bless...”.

Any Christian can bless. The mother can bless the child before leaving for school. He himself can bless his food. The driver can bless the road ahead when getting into the car.

Well, ahead you see a whole wall of icons. It is called iconostasis. In the center of the iconostasis are doors. They're called Royal Doors(gates). Through them the Gospel is brought to people. And the Gospel is the word of our Christ. For Christians, Christ is the King.

To the right of the Royal Doors is always the icon of Christ.

On the left is always the icon of Mary, the Mother of God...

- Wait, Father Alexey! We were told that God is the beginning of all things. How then can He have a mother? So, there was someone else before God?!

– We are talking about the Mother of Christ. Christ is not just God. He is God who became man. And Christ received his earthly, human life from His Mother. How God created Mary. And as the Son of Man, he was born from her. So it turns out that Mary is the Mother of God.

Keep in mind that just as Jesus Christ is one, so He has one Mother. People often say “”, “Our Lady of Smolensk”, “Our Lady of Kazan”... Don’t think that every city has its own Mother of God. She is one. These are the names of its different icons. The same Mother of God is revered in different images.

Mary, the Mother of Christ, is also called the Blessed Virgin for the purity of her soul and life.

Therefore, the most famous prayer to the Mother of Christ sounds like this:

“Virgin Mother of God, rejoice! Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among wives and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls.” ( Devo– vocative case of the word Virgo; in wives– among women; the fruit of your womb– baby Jesus; Saved– Savior).

And behind the iconostasis is altar. The priest usually prays there, and without his blessing no one else has the right to enter there.

– Is this a secret room?

- No, we don’t have any secrets. A person just needs to understand that he is not the master of everything and not everything is allowed to him. The ban on entering the altar and many other restrictions that exist in Orthodoxy remind a person that not everything should be sought to be remade according to one’s will. Have you seen trees that are pruned so that they grow upward rather than wider? Also, in any culture there is a system of prohibitions that guide human growth. On this path, primitive desires are melted into higher and more human aspirations. To learn this, you need to be able to listen. You have to be able to stop and give in. We must be able to wait and understand. In general, one must be able to serve God, people, the Motherland and other shrines.

In an Orthodox church, sermons and prayers are conducted in the language of the people where the church is located. The Russian Orthodox Church prays in Yakut, Japanese, English, German, Moldavian, Chuvash, Mari and many other languages. The only exception is Russian. The sermon is conducted in Russian, but the worship service is conducted in the “Church Slavonic language.” This is a very beautiful language, dear to the hearts of Orthodox parishioners. It was this language that retained the vocative case - Father, God, Virgin... It was the Church Slavonic language that taught Russian writers to compose two-root words: mercy, beneficence, good-heartedness... The Church Slavonic language is a common language for Orthodox Christians in many countries of the world - Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine... The grammar rules for this language, as well as the alphabet for it, were created in the 9th century by the “enlighteners of the Slavs” - the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and their disciples.

Years go by, people lose loved ones.

Old women in the church with a weak hand

Memorial notes are sent out

Where it says at the top: “for the repose.”

They are answerable to memory for everything!

The groom went missing during the war...

All names are in a hurry to connect,

Weave into one unshakable essence, -

A growing list in a long line

A path is made among the leaves...

Behind it lie endless expanses,

Hidden in the distance by a foggy haze...

And he himself serves as a fulcrum

Communication between the dead and the earth.

(Nadezhda Veselovskaya)

Questions and tasks

1. What is an iconostasis? What icons are always present in it?

2. Can an Orthodox Christian pray without an icon?

3. Explain the meaning of the expression “Our Lady of Kazan”.

4. Read Irakli Abashidze’s poem “Bee”:

Blessed by Eternal Nature,

Grace become a living body,

The bee circles for wax and honey

Give back to nature for creation.

Let them forgive me - but neither more nor less

I want to be like a bee

So that my existence grants

Honey for man, and a candle for God.

5. Why do you think there are rules of behavior in various public places?

Lesson 15 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Icon

You will learn:

– Why is the icon so unusual?

– Why do they depict the invisible?

The temple is filled with icons. Some images are placed on the walls. And others are standing on the floor. These are people. Word icon translated from Greek means “image”.

The Bible says that every person is image of God. That is why a Christian perceives every person as a shrine. That's why people bow to each other. And that is why the priest in the temple burns incense not only on the icons on the walls, but also on living people.

The picturesque icon is noticeably different from the painting. This is because the task of the icon is to show the innermost world of the soul of a holy person (including the God-man Christ).

LIGHT ICON

The saint opened his entire life to God, and, therefore, there was no room left for evil in it. Everything became permeated with light. Therefore, not a single object on the icon casts a shadow. The picture can show the struggle between good and evil in a person. The icon shows what a person will become if he wins this struggle.

The light on the icon appears through the face and figure of the holy man, and does not fall on him from the outside. In an ordinary picture, a person is like a planet. In the icon, every person is a star (1).

Light in general is the main thing in an icon. In the Gospel, Light is one of the names of God and one of His manifestations.

Icon painters call the golden background of the icon “light.” This is a symbol of endless divine Light. And this Light can never be obscured by the back wall of the room. Therefore, if an icon painter wants to make it clear that the action takes place inside a room (temple, room, palace), he still paints this building from the outside. But on top of it or between the houses there is a kind of curtain thrown - “velum” (in Latin velum means sail).

The saint's head is surrounded by a golden circle. The saint, as it were, is filled with light and, having been imbued with it, radiates it. This nimbus- a sign of God's grace, which permeated the life and thought of the saint and inspired his love.

This halo often extends beyond the edges of the icon space. No, this is not because the artist made a mistake and did not calculate the size of his drawing. This means that the light of the icon flows into our world.

Sometimes the saint’s foot steps beyond the boundaries of the icon itself. And the meaning is the same: the icon is perceived as a window through which the Heavenly world enters our lives.

If one day you meet a holy person not in an icon, but in life, you will feel that next to him it becomes light, joyful and calm.

Another amazing feature of the icon is that there is no clutter on it. Even the folds of clothing are conveyed by straight and harmonious lines. The icon painter conveys the inner harmony of the saint through external harmony.

The icon, unlike the painting, has no background or horizon. When you look at a bright source of light (the sun or a spotlight), you lose the sense of space and depth. The icon shines into our eyes, and in this light every earthly distance becomes invisible.

It is also unusual that the lines on the icon do not converge in the distance, but, on the contrary, diverge. When I look at the world, the further an object is from me, the smaller it is. Somewhere in the distance, even the largest object turns into a tiny point (for example, a star). What then does it mean if the lines on an icon diverge into the distance? This means that I am not looking at the icon of Christ, but Christ from the icon seems to be looking at me.

A Christian, experiencing this, feels himself before the gaze of Christ. And, of course, he tries to remember the commandments of Christ and not break them.

The most striking thing about the icon is the faces and eyes. Wisdom and love appear in the faces. Their eyes convey a state that can be expressed by an old and precise word - “joyful sadness.” In the icon, this is the joy of the saint that he himself is already with God, and his sadness that those whom he looks at are sometimes still far from Him.

ICON AND PRAYER

The first images of Christ that have reached us date back to the second century after the Nativity of Christ. But the rules for writing icons were developed over many centuries.

One of the difficulties in the development of Christian painting was that it was necessary to answer a difficult question: how can icons be painted at all, if the Bible itself emphasizes that God is invisible.

The icon became possible because after the Old Testament came the New. The Gospel says that God, who remained invisible in Old Testament times, was then born as a man. The apostles saw Christ with their own eyes. And what is visible can be depicted.

Christians do not pray to icons. They pray in front of icons. Christians pray to the one they see on the icon.

After all, when you talk on the phone, your words are addressed not to him, but to the interlocutor. In the same way, if a person sees the Apostle Paul on an icon, he does not pray “icon, help me,” but says, “Holy Apostle Paul, pray to God for me.”

By the way, Christians can ask not only saints, but also each other to pray for themselves. A child can ask his mother to pray for him. And adults really believe in the power of children's prayers.

Neither an icon nor a candle prays instead of people. But they remind a person of his calling to become a better person. After all, the icon depicts those people who lived their earthly lives in love. As a rule, it was harder for them than for us. But they were able to remain human. They didn’t betray anyone, they didn’t turn away from anyone. Some saints lived three thousand years ago (Prophet Moses). And some were almost our contemporaries. This means that people of the 21st century can also take this path.

In Orthodoxy this is very clear: any person can become a saint and light. The “Image of God” is in everyone. And God loves everyone equally. So it depends only on the person himself whether he will glow or smoke.

For a believer, the lives of Christ and the saints are so dear that when he sees their images, he at least briefly prays to them. Therefore, we can say that the icon invites people to prayer, and, most importantly, to imitate the life of the saints. That is, to a life in which the main thing is not selfishness, but love.

INSERTION (according to B. Uspensky)

One boy drew an ordinary children's drawing. At the bottom of the leaf is a house, at the top is a forest. There was a road leading from the door of the house to the forest. But for some reason it looked like the tail of a comet - the further it went, the wider it became. The father had already explained to this boy that in the distance the lines in the drawing should converge and, therefore, the road closer to the horizon (that is, to the upper edge of the sheet) should narrow. But the boy still drew it in his own way. Therefore, his father asked him: “You are in the house yourself, the road, moving away from you, should become smaller!” Why did you draw everything backwards?” And the boy replied: “But the guests will come from there!”

The difference between stars (suns) and planets is that stars themselves generate their light, and planets send into space only the light of the sun they reflect. It's like the difference between a light bulb and a mirror.

Questions and tasks

1. How did you understand what is the difference between an icon and an ordinary painting?

2. How is the concept of “light” related to the Christian understanding of God?

3. Why do Orthodox Christians consider it possible to depict the invisible God?

4. To whom do Orthodox Christians pray when standing in front of an icon?

Lessons of the 16th course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”. Test assignments

Dear interlocutor!

The school year is ending. It was unusual, since for the first time we made an attempt to travel not into a forest or a museum, but into the innermost inner world of a person - into the world of his soul.

In the title of our course – “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” – the first word is very important for us.

The foundation is the root, that from which everything else grows. The foundations of Orthodox culture are:

- Faith in God,

- faith in the teachings of Christ,

– faith in His sacrifice and resurrection;

– Bible and Gospel;

– the desire to live according to the commandments;

– concern for the purity of one’s soul and the benefit of one’s neighbor.

From this root, the common name of which is the Christian Faith, grow the fruits of Orthodox culture, in particular:

– merciful deeds and heroic deeds of Christians;

– majestic temples;

– beautiful icons;

- prayers of Christians for themselves and for others.

In Fifth grade we will continue our conversation.

Now do a little creative work. Choose one from the topics listed above. Remember how we thought about this in our lessons. In your work, try to explain why you think that this aspect of the faith and life of Christians is important for a person. Describe how a particular belief helps to increase the amount of good in the world.

You can also hold an essay competition on the topic “How do I understand the “golden rule of ethics”?

When preparing work, it is not at all prohibited to seek help from older family members. By the way, if during the holidays you and your family or friends see an Orthodox church, you can go there so that you can take a tour there yourself, using the knowledge that you received in our lessons.

Lesson 17 of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.” Summary lesson

Let's conduct the test lesson in the form holiday project, which will become your test. It’s good if you give each other credit yourself, based on the idea of ​​love that you might have formed as a result of your studies.

You can prepare assignments as part of a group or individually. Some of the tasks require lengthy preparation. Think about how to distribute tasks over time. You may not use some of the tasks we offer, but you have every right to offer your own.

1.Complete the sentences:

a) I understand “Orthodox culture” as...

b) The essence of Orthodox behavior (ethics) for me is the following...

2 Prepare a tour of an Orthodox church

3. Select several paintings by famous artists on a gospel theme (not included in our textbook). Share how they relate to the gospel.

4. Create a “package of questions” related to the main problems raised in the study of Orthodox culture. Let each student create their own question, and you select the best ones for the competition.

5. Select pairs of paintings and icons on the same topic. How are they similar and how are they different?

6. Comment on a few of the commandments that are most important to you. Match them or create your own illustrations.

7. Create a small anthology (in your case, a collection of poems) with which you could illustrate our subject.

8. How do the concepts of “soul,” “conscience,” and “repentance” relate? Why are these key concepts in Orthodox culture? Create a dramatization to illustrate your understanding.

9. Compile a dictionary of new words for you related to the world of Orthodox culture.

10. Conduct a class-concert during the test lesson, including poems dedicated to the concepts that you became acquainted with while talking about Orthodox culture. Create a program and program for the concert. Prepare the presenter. Invite your kind viewers.

And most importantly – help people!