Nevsky Don biography

Dear brothers and sisters! Today we have committed the first order of the great pet with reading and singing the great repentant canon of the Monk Andrei Crete. This time puts us in amazing conditions, in some spiritual positions that it is important to comprehend.

This work appeared a very long time, in the VIII century, and, having passed the Orthodox East, entering the tradition of great -abstract life, it has become an integral part of an amazing official outrage, which today is important and significant in the church. For someone who may be present for the first time in this service, today is an amazing prospect of acquaintance with this work, the author of which is the Monk Andrei Cretan.

Assigned to the farthest part of the empire, to the distant island of Crete, this spiritual master, who created many works for worship, gives rise to a great repentant canon. Why great? Because it is huge in size and important in importance for Christians. For any researcher of this work, on the one hand, a picture of reasoning about the world, about the history of mankind through the images of biblical heroes-people who lived in this world, did different actions-both spiritual, external, pious, and immense, and now each of us put on the need for each of us this canon is a deafness to the heavenly kingdom.

This tells the history of the soul of every person. And to find yourself on the pages of this canon is a task. Moreover, the structure of this work has its own characteristics, and in each song an amazing prospect of what is associated with the Old Testament or New Testament page in life is revealed. At the same time, there are also amazing discussions about thoughts.

For example, one of the troparia speaks of “mental Eve” and “effective Eve”-the one who once commits a violation of God's law. Our ancestor tempts her husband, and he tempts and commits an act worthy of exile from paradise. But today, we are captivated by demonic thoughts, we accept this "mental Eve." So in one of the troparia shows the path of a crafty thought into our heart.

After all, a passion that owns a person is impossible to quench, it cannot be saturated. Conception suggests that if you do something very desired now, it will satisfy a person. But in fact, this is not true. More and more immersed in the abyss of passions and sins, a person loses the sky. And now every troparium is here, and every word, and every image, and every example from the life of those who unsubscribe on this path of a repentant canon open new doors.

Moreover, the structure of the canon also has its own characteristics in terms of respiratory order associated with the practice of internal work. In particular, the number of shock vowels is calculated here in a certain way, that is, the number of sighs that a person who reads this work will perform. For someone, perhaps these words today are just a revelation. I have no doubt, because for me they were also a revelation once.

It turns out that these works are still building a person from the inside. Because the breath of a person, his steps in life and action are certain steps: what breathes, which a person thinks about. And imagine how the work was written if, depending on the number of these shock syllables, a certain practice of breathing was compiled for the ascetic, which was supposed to enter the state of repentance under the guidance of an experienced spiritual mentor!

For someone today, these are simply beautiful, aesthetically sustained works, especially if the choir in the temple demonstrates worthy performance. But for the one who wrote ... how much it was necessary to put effort in order to choose and take into account theological images, shock syllables, and special letters, and through it all their personal repentance.

And the Monk Pastor, St. Andrew, was the same person like us. And he also stumbled in life, and this is his personal repentance. And at the same time, he created a masterpiece that was accepted in the charter of the Church as a necessary condition for a person, plunging into his depths, to go out and rise to the height of repentance. That is why the first four evenings of the holy fourteen of the fourteen, we again and again join this sacrament of the canon, and then, in the middle of the post, we will read it completely on the day, which is called in the church everyday life “Mariino Standing”.

Today, we, dear brothers and sisters, tasted from the first day, from the bounty and mercy of God. Having served in the morning in our small temple in the morning, we came here in order to join this amazing miracle - the First Great Blessed Self, committed in a new cathedral church. And I want to congratulate you on this important general victory in our lives. This is the Lord believed that there would be a temple here.

Many doubted very worthy people doubted.At the same time, the God chose us unworthy so that you and I worked at least a little and bring small efforts to take place. Years will pass, you and I will no longer be, but these officials will continue to be performed here. Only the Lord knows how many years, decades or centuries this land will still be simple, until the time of the measure in which we need to enter with you with.

The secret of this is great, for the last day only to the Lord is sprouted at the same time, this temple today has become even more and deeper. The first service, the first repentant canon. And you and I are witnesses, accomplices and deals in this field. I call on all God's mercy. I rejoice in this darkness, which, of course, will be filled with light. At the end of these words of the preaching, we will put this place in order so that tomorrow night to return here.

In the meantime, let's live these moments with gratitude to God - both this evening, and for this opportunity, and for this life, and for this temple, and for us, who have received great spiritual joy in this life from the Lord. So, my friends, 46 days left before Easter. Save God! Archpriest Andrey Alekseev.