Statement by the Synod of Bishops on
the renewal of 20th-century ideologies in Russia
NEW YORK: 5 June 2025
https://www.synod.com/synod/eng2025/20250605_ensynodstatement.html
ROCOR Synod (Council/Sobor) of Bishops:
https://www.synod.com/synod/engrocor/enbishops.html
Превод от английски
Скъпи в Христа братя и сестри,
Много отдавна ни
научиха да казваме „Прости ми“. Научихме се да казваме тези думи в детството, винаги
когато искахме братята и сестрите ни да продължат да си играят с нас, или
искахме майка да ни позволи да гледаме телевизия вечер. В младостта си се
научихме да ги казваме, когато искахме да възобновим дългите часове разговори
по телефона с приятел или да си шушукаме на чиновете в училище. …
Като възрастни, се стремим да постигнем мир с възрастните си родители, когато
ни се оплакват – със или без причина, както и да постигнем мир със същите тези
близки приятели и в крайна сметка с тези, които обичаме.
Въпреки това, с напредване на възрастта все по-често има моменти, когато думите
„прости ми“ придобиват по-дълбоко значение, отколкото когато ги изричаме
мимоходом, между други неща и мисли.
Тогава фразата, толкова лесна и удобна като начин за решаване на проблеми,
става непоносимо тежка и трудна.
Засяда на езика, блъска силно вътре в главите ни и слага буца в гърлото ни.
Струва ни се, че можем да се убедим да се откажем от задължението си да
поискаме прошка, защото нямаме време или защото „нещата ще се решат от само
себе си“, или защото „той/тя вече разбира“. Дори няма да засягаме толкова
удобните извинения „и все пак – защо да го правя?!” или „сам си е виновен“.
И така тези неизречени фрази се натрупват и все по-рядко сърцето е обхванато от
угризения на съвестта.
Постепенно свикваме с факта, че ходенето става по-малко
лесно, отколкото беше, че е по-трудно да дишаме свободно и че да се вярва не е
толкова просто.
Започва да ни се струва, че винаги е било така и винаги ще бъде тъй.
Тогава идва единственият ден в годината, когато неизбежно и директно сме
изправени пред мисълта за неплатения си дълг.
Когато е невъзможно да се извърнем, да си наврем главите в черупките си или да
се скрием зад различни стандартни извинения и причини.
И доста често имаме много повече дългове, отколкото се сещаме в тези няколко първи
минути:
„Прости ми” към родителите – че се дразня от съветите им, от рутинните им
оплаквания за здравето. В края на краищата, някой ден ще бъдем на другия край
на телефонната линия, [оплаквайки се] на децата си.
„Прости ми“ към нашите деца – че не прекарвахме минути и часове с тях, че не ги
хвалехме на глас, че не се въздържахме от груби думи.
„Прости ми“, отправено към тези, които обичаме – за всичките ни действия,
несъвместими с понятието „любов“. …
„Прости ми” към тези, на които сме длъжници – че толкова бързо забравихме за
дълга.
„Прости ми“, отправено към онези, които са ни длъжници – за това, че все още
помним този дълг.
„Прости ми” отправено към Този, Който с такава любов и загриженост ни даде и
продължава да ни дава живот, независимо колко пъти сме забравяли или пропускали
да кажем „прости”…
„Прости ми“ на онази, която всеки ден моли своя Син да ни даде повече време, в
което да се опомним и осъзнаем всичко това.
И все по-често, за да изстържем тежестта на неизказаното, което здраво е залепнало
за нас, са необходими големи усилия. Но само веднъж изпитайте какво е да дишате
дълбоко, да усетите колко по-лесно е да вървите с високо вдигната глава – това е
нещо, което няма да забравите, нещо, което ще ви кара да се втурвате да търсите
тази прошка всяка година . И още по-добре – всеки ден. Цял живот.
Струва си да прекарате този ден, изтръгвайки от сговорчиво забравящата си памет
онези хора, пред които вината ви се е трупала дълго време или се е появила
внезапно и неволно, докато сте „препускали с пълна скорост“. Онези, пред които
съвестта ни казва, че тепърва трябва да бъдем оправдани.
Две думи - „Прости ми.“
Те не гарантират, че в бъдеще няма да правим грешки или да бъдем несправедливи,
но в тях се крие възможността отново да намерим способността да вярваме
истински и да обичаме истински.
И така, когато започваме нашето поклонение в
Светата земя на Пасха, прости на мен, ... , всички мои
прегрешения, които са засегнали теб и твоите (близки).
Господи, смили се над
мен грешника!
В XC,
о. Виктор, 2024 г.
I notify you of myself,
that by the mercy
and the long-suffering of God
I am alive bodily, but spiritually –
God knows.
Pray that the Lord
vouchsafed
that I tie
the Christian ends.
Painful pressures are
there in the whole body,
from both the cold and involuntary
hunger.
There are many things to eat,
yet, many things cannot be eaten.
The weak stomach
and the malfunctioning intestines
would not allow it.
However, by an old
habit,
I still force myself to eat,
although after that I have to
suffer a great burden
from headaches
and from vomiting.
And besides, both visitors
and newcomers are a nuisance;
they sit for a long time in the hut,
and get bored.
That's what I am like, day after day,
and I live
and I am reputedly unjust
in the reception of newcomers
and of visitors.
And my infirmity is to blame
as well as my malfunction
before God and people.
Sofia
'Live [and learn] – do not yearn.'
Sayings of St. Ambrose of Optina
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Or better don't.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pfg2RolbXJ86zR5FkXFgfFEb8R0zRi63J-Aqx7rPaEM/
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E-415 |
5 – Lives of the Saints – January – St. Demetrius of Rostov |
$21 |
Memory January 4
In addition to the twelve apostles,
the Lord Jesus Christ chose seventy others. The Holy Evangelist Luke says this:
“After this, the Lord chose the other seventy disciples, and sent them two in front
of His face” ( Luke 10: 1 ). Twelve
were with Him as witnesses of his life, and seventy prepared people for the acceptance
of Christ the Savior, preaching in the cities that Christ the Lord intended to visit.
Subsequently, many of the disciples of the Lord, and, of course, including many
of the seventy, fell from Christ and ceased to serve him. The Holy Evangelist John writes: “Many
of His disciples departed from Him and did not go with Him anymore. Then Jesus said
to the twelve: “Would you also like to move away?” ( John 6: 66–67) When
the days of Christ's suffering came, the number of Christ's disciples diminished
even more, and hardly one of the seventy remained with Him, when one of the twelve
fell away from Him. After the resurrection of Christ, the face of the holy twelve
apostles was replenished by Matthew, and little
by little - from among those who turned to Christ by the twelve apostles and the
sermon of the holy
Apostle Paul , from above
called in the same primitive face and became, along with Peter in that face
.
Chosen by God and
forerunner by life, the Monk John, having loved Christ from his youth, thou
didst walk the narrow path to Him; And for the sake of thy feats and tears,
thou hast been enriched by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. By the same token, as
the great boldness of the Holy Trinity, we bless thee, beseeching thee: Deliver
us from all our troubles, calling: Rejoice, O Venerable John, wonderworker of
Rila, our glory and joy.
Thou wast an earthly
angel and a heavenly man, O Monk John. How shall we sing thy glory worthily,
enduring many infirmities? But thou thyself put a song of praise in the ears of
us, who call:
Rejoice, O thou born
of pious parents; Rejoice, O thou who wast brought up by them in the fear of
God.
Transl. from Russian
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According to the website of the GOC of Greece, on July 8/21, 2024, in Edmonton, in the "Russian-Greek" parish of St. Prince Vladimir, founded by Archbishop Ioasaph in the 1930s, the hierarchs of the GOC of Greece, the Most Reverend Metropolitans Demetrios of America and Moses of Toronto, as well as Bishop Auxentios of Etna and Portland and Bishop Benedict of Astoria, led the celebrations for the glorification of Archbishop Ioasaph (Skorodumov) of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
We publish the biography of the saint, compiled by the ROCOR Bishop Alexander (Mileant).
Archbishop Ioasaph (Skorodumov, 1888-1955)
Bishop Archbishop Ioasaph was born in the village of Rebovichi, Tikhvin district, Novgorod province, on January 14/26, 1888, and received the name of St. John at holy baptism. His parents were the priest of this village, Fr. Vasily Skorodumov, and Theodosia Mikhailovna, nee Kachalova. He was three hours older than his twin sister. As children of fields and forests, they were given names of wild flowers - "Ivan and Marya." He also had two brothers: the first - three years older, who died in 1942 during the German blockade of Petrograd, and the second - two years younger, who died as a twelve-year-old boy. Only his sister Maria, who lives in Petrograd, survived. The family lost their mother when the twins were five years old, and gradually all the household chores and care for the family fell on little Maria. The family of a modest villager lived in the beautiful Russian northern nature, near a lake and a forest. They were very friendly, everyone loved each other, the children idolized their father, who was very happy with them. Little Vanyusha was everyone's favorite. He was a very lively child, sometimes he liked to play pranks, but he was obedient and helpful. From early childhood, he was very religious and tried to attend every service, serving in the church. In addition to brotherly love, he and his older brother were also connected by bonds of friendship and camaraderie. For Vanyusha, his older brother was a great authority, a groom and an inspirer of children's games and amusements. In the summer, during the holidays, they went to the forest together for mushrooms and berries, fishing, often disappearing for whole days at the lake. "We would catch a full bag of fish," Vladyka recalled, "and head home, pleased with our rich catch. On the way, one of us would suddenly get the idea to carry the fish all the way home without changing our shoulders. And it was still three or four miles to go home. At first, nothing. But then, the further we walked, the more and more strongly the thin string thrown over our shoulders began to cut into our bodies, causing severe pain. Then it became completely unbearable, but we endured and did not want to give in at all. And when we finally returned home, we ourselves were no longer able to take our burdens off our shoulders. My sister took them off. On our shoulders, the string left a deep, almost blood-red stripe. Father came and, having learned of our new idea, only smiled and shook his head reproachfully: "... you are fools, fools!" ... And on our In the language it was called a "feat." "Or here's another case. In winter, during the Christmas vacancies, having run and skated or sledded to our heart's content the whole day, late in the evening we would lie in warm beds and not sleep for a long time, talking about something in whispers. And suddenly, one of us would get an unexpected idea: just like that, barefoot in just our nightgowns, in the frost, in the snow, quickly run a hundred steps there and back... But we did it in such a way that neither my sister nor my father would know," laughs the Bishop, "otherwise we would have gotten into serious trouble for such a "feat"...
Jordanville Edition
Akathist Hymn of Repentance in Christ
Christ our Savior, we bring supplication
and praise to You as we heed the call to repentance of sins. Grant us the
wisdom to listen to Your teachings according to the Scriptures, especially from
that moment forward when You said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand.” Guide us to understand all things pertaining to repentance. In
recognition of Your divine message and Your entire ministry on earth, we
implore You:
Christ our Savior, save us.
The Forerunner and Baptist John preached
in the wilderness of Judea. Many people from the region came to hear him say,
“Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.” You also came from
Galilee to be baptized, Lord Jesus, even though You had no need of repentance.
The Heavenly Father then said of You, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well
pleased.” Both the newly baptized and the yet unbaptized therefore sang praises
to You:
Save us, Only-Begotten Son of God Who was
sent into the world to redeem mankind.
Save us, Son of the Virgin Who freely
offers forgiveness of sins to all.
Save us, Jesus Christ Who was baptized in
the Jordan River by Saint John the Baptist.
Save us, Savior Who never sinned but
fulfilled all righteousness.
Save us, for we have heard the holy
preaching and we are born of water and of the Spirit.
Save us, for we desire salvation and a
virtuous life.
Save us, for the heavens rejoice when a
sinner repents.
Save us, for the Kingdom of Heaven
is near.
Save us, for we repent daily and prepare
a way for You, Lord Jesus.
Save us, for we continually make our path
straight for You, Immortal One.
Save us and make us worthy of the Holy
Spirit dwelling in us.
Save us and make us heirs of the Heavenly
Kingdom.
Christ our Savior, save us.
Open, O doors and bolts of my heart
that Christ the King of Glory may enter!
Enter, O my Light and enlighten my darkness;
enter, O my Life, and resurrect my deadness;
enter, O my Physician and heal my wounds;
enter, O Divine Fire, and burn up the thorns of my sins;
ignite my inward parts and my heart with the flame of Thy love;
enter, O my King, and destroy in me the kingdom of sin;
sit on the throne of my heart and [You] alone reign in me,
O Thou, my King and Lord.
