Theological meaning of the procession for Easter. Procession - what is it and why is it needed

“You should not treat pets from the Easter table”

On Sunday, April 8, the Orthodox celebrate the feast of the Holy Sunday of Christ. Easter on the night from Saturday to Sunday is celebrated in different ways: someone goes to church, and someone just sets the festive table at home. Even children know that on this day they should congratulate their loved ones with the words “Christ is Risen!” However, behind the external paraphernalia, many people forget the true meaning of the holiday. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told how to properly celebrate Easter.

- After the end of the Soviet era, Easter is perceived by many as a secular holiday: colored eggs are considered the same symbols as tangerines for the New Year. But if a person did not observe Great Lent, is it possible for him to celebrate Christ's Sunday at all?

He needs to try to understand the meaning of the holiday. Even if someone has not fasted, he can celebrate Easter, but the main thing in the celebration is participation in worship, meeting with Christ. This holiday reminds us that you can enter the Kingdom of God only if you believe in Christ. The rest of the paths do not lead out of hell; a person is doomed in eternity if he is not a Christian - no matter how good a person he may be.

This is the essence: Easter is absolutely not tolerant, not politically correct and not inclusive - after all, Christ was resurrected in order to give people the only way to eternal life. This is the main thing, not tables and not going to visit, and even more so not drinking and not entertainment. If you don’t have the strength to come to the service at night, you can come in the morning, but without a service, the holiday loses its meaning.

For most people, Easter ends with dinner on the night from Saturday to Sunday or with Sunday breakfast - they ate Easter cake, broke an egg, and you can return to normal life. How does the church recommend spending Easter?

On this day, after the service, people either relax or go to visit. Many come to the temple on the evening of the first Paschal day, when the solemn vespers are served. This day is well suited to ask for forgiveness from those whom you offended, or from those who offended you. It would be nice to renew relationships with people with whom they were senselessly lost. You can visit sick, lonely people, for example, in a nursing home or orphans. All 40 days during which Easter is celebrated are well suited for good deeds.

It is necessary to find agreement around Christ - an unbelieving husband must be sanctified by a believing wife, she leads him and seeks to bring her entire family to Christ.

—After the Paschal Liturgy, are all the restrictions of Great Lent lifted? Are intimate relationships between spouses allowed again?

Yes, after returning from the temple, you can eat meat, dairy. This applies to all norms - the fast is over, which means that you can return to marital relations.

– A topical question for a Russian person about wine: we know that Cahors should be at the Easter meal. Should it be consecrated?

Often people bless wine, this is allowed, but not required. It can be used - for the glory of God. But it is important not to overdo it when celebrating the end of Lent: an extreme degree of intoxication never, including at Easter, paints a person.

- Sometimes pet owners ask: is it possible to treat a cat with an Easter egg, and a dog with a piece of ham? There will be no sedition in this?

You shouldn't do this. Consecrated Easter eggs are sacred; pious people do not throw even the shells from them into the trash, but save them in order to burn them later, and pour the ashes, for example, under a tree. Therefore, animals should not be given Easter food.

How are church services at Easter?

On the morning of Great Saturday, which this year falls on April 7, services begin in churches. After it, from noon or one in the afternoon until six or eight in the evening (the schedule can be clarified in a particular temple), believers bring Easter cakes, Easter cakes, painted eggs and other food for the Easter table to be blessed.

At half past twelve in the evening, the Easter Midnight Office begins - the priests take the Shroud (the canvas, which depicts the position in the tomb of the body of Christ) to the altar, put on the throne. She will remain there for 40 days - until the Ascension of the Lord.

Before midnight, the bells solemnly ring, and at midnight the royal doors open and the procession begins. At the end of it, the priests sing the troparion: “Christ is risen from the dead!”

This is followed by Easter Matins, after which everyone christens - they kiss three times, give each other colored eggs and say: "Christ is risen!" - "Truly risen!" Starting from 3 am on Sunday, you can also consecrate Easter food, the consecration will continue during the day - from 11-12 to 5-6 pm, as well as on Monday and Tuesday.

When can you start talking? After the end of the Divine Liturgy, which ends around three in the morning - four in the morning.

folk customs

Despite the fact that Easter is a religious holiday, and the church does not approve of superstition, many Orthodox continue to believe in the secrets of their ancestors. For example:

If a girl wants to get married this year, during the service in the church she should say to herself “The Resurrection of Christ! Send me a single fiancé!"

A baby born on Easter is predicted to be famous and have a great future.

A person who dies on Easter is considered marked by God - he immediately goes to heaven. He is buried with a red dye in his right hand.

A piece of Easter cake can be crumbled to birds - they will bring good luck and wealth to the house.

Many stars in the sky on Easter night - to frost.

The shells from colored eggs can be folded into an amulet and worn along with a cross - like a talisman.

What is the Procession of the Cross and why do believers need to go on a prayer procession with an icon? To properly pass the procession, you need to understand its meaning. Our life is a long road and, following this path, we can both grow in piety and commit sins. Many events require self-denial, the ability to overcome difficulties, to walk the long path of life with prayer. The procession is a symbolic procession along the path of life. We tell ourselves and others that we want to follow the path of Christ, because to be with the Lord is the main goal of our earthly life. At this time, we do not just go, hoping that the procession with the icon of the saint can somehow magically affect us, we pray. The procession is a time of prayer and reflection on one's life, one's path and its meaning. Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am in the midst of them." It is also the "communion of the saints", an opportunity to feel unity with one's fellow believers. Show love and mercy to those who find it difficult to walk. Pray together. The procession is important for believers.

People organize a procession with icons and other Orthodox shrines to glorify the Lord. Icons are carried ahead so that the saints “lead” the procession with prayer. Religious processions can take place along any route. Sometimes they consecrate sites that are notorious for tragic events, sometimes the procession takes place along a route that has some symbolic meaning for the Orthodox. But its essence is not in the distance from point A to point B, but in the desire to glorify God and His saints, in prayer. Sometimes a religious procession is a petition (for rain, for better living conditions, for help for the sick, for the repose of the dead).

Orthodox procession: history and traditions in Rus'

The ancient tradition of the procession began to revive in Russia quite recently. Before the revolution, prayer processions were common. In difficult times, Russian people were supported by religious processions with the icon of saints. Then not only ordinary pilgrims walked, but also the highest church clergy, as is happening now. People went for support to St. Sergius, to the Solovetsky saints, to monasteries and temples. The Velikoretsky Cross Procession went to the place of the appearance of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This procession is probably the most difficult in the history of Russia. People walk for 150 km on bad roads, in difficult conditions, part of the way passes through the forest, where there are no roads at all. In times of theomachism, pilgrims who were going to the religious procession were detained by the police. He was few in number. Now it is, on the contrary, one of the largest gatherings of believers.

Traditions of the Velikoretsk Cross Procession for 600 years. It is connected with the history of the Orthodox miracle. It is believed that a certain pious person was passing near the Great River and suddenly saw a heavenly light resembling the flame of burning candles. In awe, he did not dare to approach this place. But when he returned home, he saw that the light was still on. He crossed himself and, overcoming fear, went to this place. It turned out that next to a small source is the image of St. Nicholas. A pious man, whose name was Semyon Agalakov, in 1383 helped the Church acquire the Velikoretsky image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

After this event, amazing things began to happen in the nearby village: the healing of the sick. And the pilgrimage to the icon began. At first people walked one by one, and then together. People began to come from other places, having heard about the miracle. The icon, in the end, was transferred to Khlynov, but every year people bring it in procession with a prayer procession to the place of miraculous finding. The route is so difficult that the first religious processions were made on the water.

Modern pilgrims also plunge into the water of the holy spring at the place where the icon was found, when they make the procession. A small chapel was also built there. And the inhabitants of the villages of Medyany and Murygino kneel and make the sign of the cross when the prayer procession passes by.

Father Alexander Zverev, rector of the Velikoretskaya church from 1994 to 2005, said that another ancient miracle happened when the builders who laid the foundation of the church at the site of the appearance of the icon in the morning found logs far from this place. This was repeated for several days. And one more amazing event: in 1554 a great fire destroyed the cathedral, in which the Velikoretskaya shrine was located, but the icon was not damaged. A year later, the image made its first journey to the place where the icon was found in the procession. The Velikoretskaya icon was seen off with great honor. She visited Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan the Terrible met the image in the capital. The king decided to consecrate the chapel of St. Basil's Cathedral in honor of the Vyatka saint. Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, in the difficult years of Russian unrest, also asked to bring the image to Moscow.

Types of procession

The procession can be dedicated to one or another miraculous event, an important date. Church holiday (for example, Easter). Can pass through an important area for people to consecrate it with universal prayer

It may vary along the route. Both in the length of the route and in the shape. So sometimes believers go in circles. Such a procession with an icon does not happen by chance. The circle is a symbol of infinity, Eternal life, which the Lord gives us.

But the procession can also have an end point. Like the path of Christ to Golgotha, when he was accompanied by his disciples, or the path of the myrrh-bearing women to the Tomb of Christ.

Together with the icons in the prayer procession in front, people carry the Cross. Therefore, the move is called the “godfather”. This custom is not only in the Orthodox, but also in the Catholic Church.

Procession of the Catholics

The very first procession, without realizing it, was made by Emperor Constantine I the Great. He saw the Cross in the sky and the words “By this you conquer”. The emperor ordered to make banners and shields with the image of the Crucifixion, and so his army went to the enemy. Now this role is played during the procession of the banners.

Basically, processions are performed by:

• For big church holidays
• To consecrate places where Orthodox miracles took place
• For the burial of the dead
• To ask for salvation in times of trouble or drought in places where rain is needed (for example)

Missionary work also plays a special role. So, thanks to the Velikoretsky cross procession, many local residents from nearby villages could join the ancient church tradition and pray.

The procession usually goes against the sun.

Prayer procession is now performed not only on foot. So the procession is carried out by Orthodox, difficult sections, and the waterways are sailed on boats. Therefore, in this case, the word "move" has only a formal meaning.

The procession can be not only for adults, but also for children. Some dioceses hold a special one.

It is also done for. In the Kursk diocese, a religious procession is held with sign language translation for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Annual religious processions in Russia

Procession - prayer procession with an icon

Velikoretsky cross procession

Usually the most numerous. It is held from 3 to 8 June each year. The number of pilgrims is in the tens of thousands. So in 2008 they counted 30 thousand people. The procession starts from Kirov, goes to the village of Velikoretskoye and returns again to Kirov. This procession is considered the most difficult in terms of length and features of the route.

George's procession

They take place annually in St. Petersburg. A prayer procession with the icon of St. George is held to honor the memory of those who died in the Great Patriotic War.

Procession in memory of all New Martyrs and Confessors of Russiaconducted by the Saratov diocese. It is dedicated to the memory of those who died during the persecution of the Church by the Soviet authorities. Then the inhabitants of the cave monastery were killed.

Religious procession "The path of St. Sergius"

The religious procession "The path of St. Sergius" goes through the Radonezh land. The prayer procession with the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh passes through places that are associated with earthly life and miracles through the prayers of St. Sergius.

Volga procession

The Volga religious procession is organized in the Tver diocese. It goes from the source of the Volga to the Dnieper and the Western Dvina, the first Volga procession was held with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II.

Easter Procession: rules and meaning

The service begins on the evening of Holy Saturday. The Midnight Office performs first. This part of the service is filled with sorrow for the earthly sufferings of the Savior. The shroud of Christ (plate with the image of Christ in the Tomb) is fumigated with a censer and moved to the altar. She will remain on the throne until the Feast of the Ascension. Next up is Easter Sunday. The joyful and solemn ringing of bells announces the coming Resurrection of Christ.

The procession is also held on Easter

It is then that the prayer procession for Easter begins. The temple is walked around three times, stopping at its doors. The procession is at the door of the temple. The doors are closed. This is a symbol of the stone that blocked the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher. For the third time, the doors of the temple open, the stone falls, and we hear the Bright Matins. The festive singing of bells during the procession on Easter is one of the most complex types of bell ringing, which is called “chime”. If you have heard the expression “the ringing of bells”, then we are talking primarily about the Easter service and the ringing during the prayer procession. The bells in the temple do not always ring.

The meaning of the procession for an Orthodox person

In Church life, there are external traditions and rituals that contribute to spiritual growth inside, in the soul of a person. A prayer procession with an icon (a religious procession) is a new spiritual experience for a Christian, an opportunity to rethink a lot, ask the saints for intercession before the Lord, healing or answers to questions that torment a person. This experience cannot be acquired by the power of thought, no knowledge can give it, the experience that prayers and unity with brothers and sisters in faith give is absolutely unique. In many ways, the procession is also a sacrifice that Christians bring to the Lord.

150 km of the Velikoretsky Cross Procession is a difficult test. The procession awakens a special religious feeling in the souls of even people. One cannot remain a Christian only at the liturgy; a Christian believes in the Lord and tries to live according to his commandments even outside the walls of the church. And when church life goes beyond the walls of the temple, for example, in a prayer procession with an icon, even if this is a difficult path, it is useful for the believer to participate in it.

The “Concise Church-Liturgical Dictionary” (Composition of Archpriest Alexander Svirelin, M.: 1916) explains to us: “There is another type of lithium, known to us under the name of the procession. In case of any public calamity, or common need, or in remembrance of Divine deliverance from a former calamity, this kind of lithium is performed. They come from the temple with banners, the Life-Giving Cross, the Gospel and St. icons and go around the whole village with prayer singing; or stand in the middle of the village and then make a prayer; or, finally, they go to the water and there they perform the consecration of water.

“Lithia in Greek means kneeling, zealous, popular prayer. This is the name of the prayer performed in the porch of the temple or even completely outside the temple, so that all Orthodox can take part in this prayer - both catechumens and forbidden, and so that it would literally be a prayer of the whole people - lithium.

There were religious processions in the 4th century in Byzantium. Saint John Chrysostom organized night processions against the Arians through the streets of Constantinople. For this, silver crosses were made on poles, which were solemnly worn around the city along with holy icons. People walked with lit candles. This is how our church processions arose. Later, in the fight against the heresy of Nestorius, special religious processions were arranged by St. Cyril of Alexandria, seeing the emperor's hesitation. Later, in Constantinople, in order to get rid of mass diseases, the Life-Giving Tree of the Holy Cross was taken out of the temples and carried along the streets of the city.

Processions of the cross, which are not part of the divine service, appeared as a result of the desire of believers to pray not only in the temple, but also in places where miraculous icons appear, prayer deeds of revered saints. So that the procession to such a place would not be an idle pastime, during the procession the Gospel was read, litanies were pronounced, church hymns were sung. The participants in the procession carried icons, crosses, banners with them. This made the procession more solemn, reminding those they met of the depth and power of the Orthodox faith.

Sometimes the procession, which lasted for several days, turned into a real pilgrimage. Participants in such a procession, postponing worldly care, enduring the hardships of the path, perform the feat for Christ's sake. Such a procession is a symbolic bearing of one's life's cross, the fulfillment of the words of the Savior: "If anyone wants to follow Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24).

What is the procession?

Religious procession - a crowded solemn procession from one temple to another, around the temple or to some designated place (for example, a holy spring) with a large altar or external cross, from which the procession itself got its name. Participants in the procession also carry the holy Gospel, icons, banners and other shrines of the temple. Priests and clergy perform a procession in liturgical vestments. During the procession, the troparion of the holiday, irmoses, and sometimes the festive canon (on Easter week) are sung. Processions are regular (calendar) and extraordinary (during epidemics, wars and other special events).

Questions:

Where did the processions come from?

Just like holy icons, processions of the cross got their origin from the Old Testament. The ancient righteous often made solemn and popular processions with singing, trumpeting and jubilation. Narratives about this are set out in the sacred books of the Old Testament: Exodus, Numbers, Kings, Psalter and others.
The first prototypes of the processions were: the journey of the sons of Israel from Egypt to the promised land; the procession of all Israel after the ark of God, from which followed the miraculous division of the Jordan River; a solemn sevenfold walk with the ark around the walls of Jericho, during which the miraculous fall of the impregnable walls of Jericho took place from the voice of the sacred trumpets and the cries of all the people; as well as the solemn nationwide transfer of the ark of the Lord by kings David and Solomon.

On what emergencies are religious processions performed?

Extraordinary religious processions are performed with the permission of the diocesan church authorities on cases of particular vital importance for the parish, the diocese or the entire Orthodox people - during the invasion of foreigners, during the attack of a devastating disease, during famine, drought or other disasters.
Can't fervent prayer with a contrite heart replace the Processions of the Cross?
A true believer is afraid to contradict God and choose for himself what he wants from the law, but he must unquestioningly fulfill the will of God.
Didn't all the righteous - Moses and David, Solomon and all Israel - have a contrite heart and fervent prayer?
They had all this, but they also performed religious processions. From the procession, the Jordan was divided and the walls of Jericho fell. Here, too, during various punishments of God's wrath for our sins, famine, drought, pestilence, destructive disease on people and livestock, attacks of enemies on the fatherland, processions are made. Therefore, together with common prayer, fasting and repentance, following the example of the inhabitants of Nineveh, we avoid the righteous punishment sent to us from God.

What are banners, without which solemn religious processions are never performed?

The first prototype of the banner was after the Flood. God, appearing to Noah during his sacrifice, showed him an arc in the clouds and called it an eternal covenant between God and people (Gen. 9, 13-16). Just as an arc in the clouds reminds us of the covenant of God, so the image of the Savior on banners serves as a constant reminder of our deliverance at the Last Judgment from the spiritual fiery flood on sinners.

The second prototype of the banner was after the exit of Israel from Egypt during their passage through the Red Sea. The Lord appeared to them in a pillar of cloud, and covered all the army of Pharaoh with darkness from this cloud, and destroyed them in the sea, but saved Israel. So we see the image of the Savior on the banners, like a cloud that came to us from heaven to defeat our enemy - the spiritual hellish pharaoh - the devil with all his army. Strong in battle, the Lord always fights for us and drives away the power of the enemy.

The third type of our banners was the same cloud that covered the tabernacle and overshadowed Israel during the journey to the Promised Land. All Israel gazed at the sacred cloud cover and with spiritual eyes perceived the presence of God Himself in it.

Another prototype of our banners is the copper serpent, which was erected by Moses at the command of God in the wilderness. When looking at him, the Jews received healing from God, since the bronze serpent represented the suffering of Jesus Christ on the Cross (John 3:14-15).

So we, carrying banners during the processions of the Cross, raise our bodily eyes to the images of the Savior. Virgin and saints; with spiritual eyes, we ascend to their Archetypes that exist in heaven, and we receive spiritual and bodily healing from the sinful remorse of spiritual serpents - demons that tempt us.

Why does each parish have its own banners?

During the trip of the children of Israel to the Promised Land, all 12 tribes made their journey following their signs, or banners, and every banner was carried in front of the tabernacle, and all their tribes followed it. Just as in Israel there were banners in every tribe, so we have our own banners in every church parish. As all the tribes of Israel traveled after their banners, so with us every parish during the procession follows its banners.
Instead of the then trumpeting, now we have a church evangelism, which is why all the air around and all people are sanctified, and all the power of demons is driven away.
Therefore, our banners serve as a victorious weapon against the enemy, who trembles them and is driven away from Christian places and dwellings.

The procession is not just kilometers; it is the path of the soul. Physically, it is very difficult to walk. How can you imagine what the road is like, how you need to have time to photograph (that is, run back and forth) all the participants: children, grandmothers, who alternately carry large ancient icons, it’s good if there is no rain and piercing wind - you involuntarily fear, but then you go with God help and feel it as happiness.

Probably, in order to comprehend what a procession is, you have to go through it yourself - and everything will fall into place.

One of the external manifestations of religiosity in an Orthodox person is religious processions. Easter of Christ, a temple holiday, the day of remembrance of a revered saint or miraculous image - are always accompanied by a procession, this triumphant procession of Christians. If suddenly there is an invasion of enemies, an epidemic, a fire, the people carry the image of a revered saint through the streets.

What is the origin of religious processions, in whose honor and when were they held?

A religious procession is a solemn procession of clergy and lay believers with icons, banners and other shrines. There are also emergency religious processions established by the Church on especially important occasions.

Processions of the cross got their origin from the Old Testament. The ancient righteous often made solemn and popular processions with singing, trumpeting and jubilation. Narratives about this are set out in the sacred books of the Old Testament: Exodus, Numbers, Kings, Psalter and others.

In the New Testament history, the founder of the processions was our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Lord's Entry into Jerusalem is a model of the procession given by the Lord himself, Who solemnly entered the city to suffer on the Cross, accompanied by the people and with universal exclamations: "Hosanna to the Son of David."

In the 4th century in Byzantium. Saint John Chrysostom organized night processions against the Arians through the streets of Constantinople. For this, silver crosses were made on poles, which were solemnly worn around the city along with holy icons. People walked with lit candles. This is how our church processions arose. Later, in the fight against the heresy of Nestorius, special religious processions were arranged by St. Cyril of Alexandria, seeing the emperor's hesitation.

Later, in Constantinople, in order to get rid of mass diseases, the Life-Giving Tree of the Holy Cross was taken out of the temples and carried along the streets of the city. Thus, a holiday was established, which received the name Origin (wearing, descent) of the honest trees of the Cross of the Lord (August 1/14). Then a tradition was established to hold processions around churches on Great and patronal feasts, to springs, to consecrate water on the feast of the Epiphany (Baptism). The obligatory religious procession and the most joyful one takes place on the feast of holidays - Easter.

Over the centuries, processions began to take place not only on the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. After the end of the era of persecution of Christians, religious processions become ubiquitous. They are so firmly established in the rites of Orthodox worship that now any significant church celebration without them is simply unthinkable.

These processions got their name "godfather" from the cross carried in front. Jesus Christ, going to suffering, carried a cross on his shoulders. Therefore, we carry the crucifix ahead of the march. The cross, the icon of the Mother of God, candles, church banners, icons, relics - these are the unchanging shrines of these processions. These are symbols of unity with the heavenly Church.

In Rus', people have always loved the Processions of the Cross, appreciated their cleansing and prayer power. The popular faith in haste in the help of heavenly intercessors, honored during the procession, was boundless. The history of Holy Rus' literally from the first days of its birth is connected with the Procession of the Cross.

Of interest are the rules of conduct during the procession, compiled by Met. Filaret about a specific procession from the Golutvin Monastery to Kolomna in memory of the cessation of cholera, but of a general nature.

“The clergy should remind themselves and others of good times, - stated in these rules - that in order for this good undertaking to bear good fruit, for this it is necessary that the work of God be done with deep and uninterrupted reverent attention. When you enter the procession, think that you are walking under the leadership of the saints, whose icons are marching in it, approaching the Lord Himself, since our weakness is possible. The shrine of the earth marks and invokes the shrine of heaven; the presence of the Lord's cross and holy icons and the sprinkling of holy water purifies the air and earth from our sinful impurities, removes dark forces and brings light forces closer. Use this help for your faith and prayer and do not make it useless for you by your negligence. Hearing church singing in the procession, join your prayer with it; and if you can’t hear from a distance, call on the Lord, the Mother of God and His saints in the manner of prayer known to you. Do not enter into conversations with companions; and to the one who starts the conversation, answer with a silent bow or a brief word only necessary. The clergy should be an example of order and reverence, and the secular should not crowd between the clergy and upset order. It does not matter if you lag behind in body: do not lag behind the shrine in spirit.

Religious processions most clearly show the folk character of Orthodoxy in Rus', contribute to the strengthening of faith and spirit, the unity of the Slavic peoples. During the processions, the Temple becomes nature, the sky, and man is a candle flaming to God. Everything that is encountered along the path of the procession - buildings, land, people - is consecrated by continuous prayer and receives a blessing from a higher clergyman. Great is the help and significance of the procession. Many Church Fathers emphasize their importance and great spiritual power.

The order of the procession

Ahead of the procession they carry a lantern, followed by an altar cross, an altarpiece of the Mother of God, then they go in two rows, in pairs, banner-bearers, singers, priest-bearers with candles, deacons with their candles and censers, and behind them priests. In the last pair of priests, the one on the right carries the Gospel, and the one on the left carries the icon of the Resurrection.

Each participant in the procession must remember that:

• The procession is not a pleasure walk, but hard physical and even greater spiritual labor;
• Obliged to unquestioningly obey the priest and the leader of the procession;
• One must always be spiritually attentive, not to conduct worldly conversations, but to pray;
• It is advisable to pray the Jesus Prayer;
• Diverse reading in the voice of akathists and prayer canons disturbs the peace of those walking nearby, therefore, for those who love reading them, it is better to read them to yourself;
• Try to think not about your own convenience, but about the convenience of those around you, not to get annoyed with your brothers along the way;
• During breaks, do not leave garbage: bottles, packaging, paper, etc.
• In places of overnight stay, do not burden the owners with unnecessary requests, think that someone should be accepted here next year;
• Write in advance notes about health and repose for requiems and prayers;
• Take a revered icon into use, adapting it for comfortable wearing over a long distance;
• Take the necessary medical kit: adhesive plaster, bandage, iodine, cotton wool, tablets. (For example: citramon, ftalazol, etc.);
• Be sure to have a hat that protects from the sun, and a warm light jacket or windbreaker for the evening;
• Buy tourist rug in sporting goods. Very convenient and practical for halts and lodging for the night.
• Carry two small plastic water bottles with you;
• Do not take what you can do without for several days;
• Take a set of changeable and clean linen for services in churches;
• Shoes should be light, if sneakers, then leather, so that the leg breathes. Shoes should not be new, familiar to the foot;
• Take little and easily digestible food: nuts, dried fruits;
• Necessarily a spoon and a mug; matches, folding knife;
• Personal hygiene items;
• Two changes of underwear and socks (including warm ones);
• Take a light raincoat in case of rain, or a piece of light oilcloth, sufficient to cover yourself;

All things should fit in a backpack or a small shoulder bag.

Do not carry anything in your hands!

Men should be ready to replace those carrying an icon or banner, as well as to help the weak.

Archpriest Alexy Kulberg, rector of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, head of the department of religious education and catechesis of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis, answers questions from viewers. Transfer from Yekaterinburg.

- Today is marked by one important event. On June 3, a multi-day and multi-kilometer All-Russian Velikoretsky procession started from the St. Seraphim Cathedral in the city of Kirov. Many people participate in this procession. They will pass the 180-kilometer Way of the Cross. This procession has an official page http://velikoretsky-hod.ru/, where you can track the movement of people and the route. In Yekaterinburg, on Children's Day, a procession was also held for children. And also on the night of July 17 in Yekaterinburg there will be a religious procession to Ganina Yama, to the place where the holy royal family was taken away. Therefore, today I propose to start the program with the topic of religious processions, to talk about why we perform such a feat and why it exists at all. First, let's talk about the etymology of these words: why "godfather" and why "move"?

The Velikoretsky cross procession is the oldest of all existing cross processions. Tens of thousands of people participate in it. We will assume that it does not come from Kirov, but from Vyatka - after all, let's return to the historical name of this city. The procession comes from Vyatka, from the place where the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was revealed on the Velikaya River. What is this procession for? A certain peasant on the Velikaya River discovered the icon of St. Nicholas, which was miraculously consecrated. Wondering what it was, he took the icon and brought it to Vyatka. The inhabitants of Vyatka vowed to worship this icon every year - to go to the place where it was found, and to pay honor, gratitude to the saint, who through this icon a huge number of prayers (voiced or not voiced), as well as the requests of the inhabitants of Vyatka heard and fulfilled. This icon became the main shrine for the Vyatichi people. And the Velikoretsky Cross Procession is an outward expression of gratitude to God and St. Nicholas for these favors.

I am not a historian, and it is difficult for me to trace the retrospective when the first religious procession was recorded in history. Probably, I will not be mistaken if I say that the first procession was the way of the cross of our Savior, which He made under the weight of the Cross, laid by the Roman soldiers on the verdict of Pontius Pilate and on the betrayal of the Israeli people. This is the first religious procession, as a result of which the saving sacrifice of the Lord was brought for the human race. The result of this way of the cross was the Resurrection and victory over death. Perhaps this is the most important meaning of any procession and the life of a Christian: to live your own path, not to grumble under the weight of the cross that the Lord places on us or that we ourselves lift up on ourselves, and come to the salvation of our own souls.

The second historical fact that I associate with the procession is an event that took place nine centuries later, which we remember as the feast of the Praise of the Mother of God. We celebrate it at the end of Great Lent or during the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. The inhabitants of Constantinople, besieged by the barbarians, understood that there was no hope for salvation, the city would now be captured, devastated, and rivers of blood would flow along the bridges of Constantinople. They placed their only hope in the Mother of God and marched around the walls of Constantinople with the girdle of the Mother of God and the icon, which is kept in the Blachernae Church. We know that the Mother of God saved the city. Numerous troops besieging the city were destroyed, and the inhabitants were saved.

Yesterday the Church commemorated the holy noble prince Dovmont of Pskov, in holy baptism Timothy. His life describes a similar phenomenon: after the death of the holy prince Dovmont, who was the defender of Pskov, the city was besieged. As the life says, about 100,000 German knights and Varangians, hired by them, surrounded Pskov and were ready to capture it and turn it into ruins. Prince Dovmont appeared in a dream to several townspeople and urged them to take the mantle with which his tomb was covered. With this shrine they passed along the walls of the city, and the city was liberated. This is the third example in history when a religious procession was performed. In the last two examples (in Constantinople and Pskov), people went to the procession not because of an overabundance of pious feelings, not because they so wanted to acquire special heavenly grace, tenderness and tears. And they went to the procession, because they understood: there is nothing more to hope for, now there will be a bitter and cruel death for us and our children. There is no more human hope, something needs to be done, to turn to God. This cry, made in desperation, was heard. The Lord intervened.

Today we are doing religious processions. They are beautiful - for example, on Bright Week around the temple. Now it's summer, a whole series of religious processions begins. Velikoretsky of them is the longest and most massive. It must be understood that this is not just a beautiful tradition. Yes, it is blessed and beautiful: so many people, banners, icons, how pious they all are! But in reality there is a crowd of sinners, a "crowd of problems." I know many people who go to the procession. The parishioners of our church left Yekaterinburg for the Velikoretsky procession, I know people who participate in the Borisoglebsky, Irinarhovsky processions. They go there not to communicate with similar Orthodox, to enjoy grace. They bring their problems there - husbands drink, children do not obey, there are some diseases. A person goes, realizing that he has an incurable disease, there is nothing to hope for: “I will bring the rest of my strength to God, maybe He will accept it, either give health or patience to bear this disease.” Such people, perishing in their sins, infirmities, sufferings, passions, gather, like the inhabitants of Pskov or Constantinople, in the hope that the Lord will at least accept this procession and deliver from what a person himself cannot get rid of.

What do people who have walked this path testify to? It's very hard. Imagine: 180 km on foot on the road, in any weather. Even though it’s a thunderstorm, even if it’s hot, they go, they spend the night wherever they can, some in the field, some on the floor. And they bring these works in the hope that the Lord will accept. The Lord accepts, of course, but not en masse. Not all 70-80 thousand are immediately healed, enlightened, and problems disappear. People say: “We have passed, we have received such a charge of affirmation in faith, in the desire for a pious life, that for a year ahead until the next procession of the cross, this charge nourishes and keeps us from falls and human infirmities.”

Now many religious processions will be performed. Of course, this is the royal procession, which will take place on the night of July 16-17 in Yekaterinburg, 21 kilometers long. About 50 thousand people gather for this procession. The main leitmotif of the royal procession is prayer for our country, the repentance that we bring to God before the royal family for the sin of killing the sovereign and the sin of our own lukewarm, comfortable, well-fed life. We pray and hope that the Lord will send trials, give patience in these trials, and through this Christian deed, our country, our Rus' will still be made holy again, striving primarily not for life on earth, so that everything is satisfying, good, calm, comfortable but for the people to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and then everything else.

There are not only traditional religious processions, when people take a cross, an icon and set off with a prayer. There is, for example, a wonderful tradition when people board ships, kayaks, children and adults, take icons, banners, even a small bell tower is installed on the kayak, and such a procession goes along the river. People cover about 100 kilometers. This is done on the territory of the Yaroslavl and Tver regions, along the Nerl River. On the way, participants in the procession, or rafting, visit many villages that once had temples filled with life. And now the temples are abandoned, the inhabitants are also abandoned. This is a missionary cross rafting, the inhabitants of these villages know when to expect the coming of young prayer books. This is a joy and an opportunity once a year to participate in a prayer service, in a liturgy in abandoned churches. There is even a tradition to celebrate the liturgy on the island. Once a tragedy occurred: when the waters of the Rybinsk reservoir were raised, settlements were flooded. And such a picture arose: in the middle of the sea, the bell tower sticks out. There is an island there, on which the temple once stood, now the earth from the water and the remains of a brick are visible. Liturgy is celebrated on this island, in the place where the temple once stood. Such a procession is addressed not only to the people who participate in it, but also to hundreds of those who are waiting for it in these villages. During overnight stays, talks and concerts are held. People touch that spiritual life, which is inaccessible to them during the whole year. Here is the result.

Question from TV viewer Aleksey from St. Petersburg: “I heard that in ancient times, in the first Christian centuries, there was such a rule: everyone who did not succeed in fasting thoroughly during Great Lent, for example, travelers, fasted during Peter's fast. And if a person spent Great Lent carefully, then he was freed from Peter's fast. Have you heard of this rule?

Yes, I heard about such a tradition that Peter's fast was established for those people who either did not have the opportunity to properly follow the path of Great Lent, or did not have such a desire - for example, they were only baptized the day before, on Holy Saturday. Naturally, they did not fast during Lent. The post was dedicated to the apostles. These labors, which Christians brought during the short period of Peter's fast, gave certain fruits. Today there is a discussion: “If in ancient times there was no Petrov fast, why are we now diligently fasting both on Great and Petrov? Let's cancel the Petrov post. Since we fasted on Great Lent, it means that we will not fast on Petrov.” There are interesting arguments for and against this. The Synodal Commission has gathered many intelligent, educated both theologically and historically spiritually experienced people who are preparing proposals regarding the attitude towards Peter's post. I can only say as a priest and as a Christian: I am now happily waiting for the end of a continuous week, the moment when Peter's fast begins. Lent is called "spiritual spring". When it begins, the soul blossoms like an apple tree warmed by the sun in spring, throws out its leaves and blossoms. When does the post end? Well, who has not experienced this sad reality: Easter, joy, the Resurrection of Christ, a week, a second, a third - and that tension of spiritual life goes away, there is time for relaxation, some regrets that that taste of spiritual life is washed away, lost. And where to find it? The opportunity to devote two to four weeks to God is a joy for me personally and for those people whom I, as a priest, minister to. We are waiting for the opportunity to fast, study the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of the Holy Apostles, we are looking forward to fasting in order to control our womb and practice piety and thereby benefit ourselves and those around us, who, seeing us fasting for real, will benefit. Fasting does not just mean that we do not eat something, but we need to limit ourselves in spectacles, idle talk. This benefits not only the person, but also the people around him. Who else, but I think that for a Christian this is a great benefit and whoever fasts will gain. There are people who are looking for: “How can we not fast?” Don't fast. God will give you something else, some other grace, maybe he will send some kind of illness, sorrow, or maybe he will look after His love, warm your heart so that you will feel good even without fasting. This post is consecrated by our ancestors for centuries. In the life of the Monk Varlaam Khutynsky, a great saint revered in the Church, it is mentioned that on Tuesday or Thursday of the first week of Peter's Lent in the summer he came to the prince on a sleigh, predicting this arrival in advance. That is, Peter's fast for people who lived during the time of the Monk Varlaam Khutynsky, who carried such missionary labors, was an important milestone, for them it was essential. They, too, probably knew that this tradition comes from the holy apostles, not from the Lord Jesus Christ. There was such a tradition, we adopted it, therefore, probably, Rus' is called Holy. Faith was in Rus', but in the West, without fasting, it cooled, emasculated, and now they have come to the troubles that exist. Therefore, the strength of tradition matters, especially for a Russian person, tradition means a lot. I believe that traditions should be preserved, respected carefully, with love. Then the Lord will give a lot of things to a fasting person. If someone is having a hard time, then there are enough indulgences for people who are having a hard time, who are sick, who are weak. I think that your confessor will determine the measure that you can bear. Moreover, fasting is not strict, the fish is blessed. So let us fast with the apostolic, auspicious fast.

Question from TV viewer Tamara from Volgograd: “I buy icons in the temple and put them not on the shelves, but glue them to the wall with glue. It is a sin?"

If the glue is strong and the icons do not fall off the wall, this is not a sin. I think you paste with love and then pray in front of them. And if they are badly glued, fall off or the corners turn away, find a good glue. It is only important that the icons do not fall and that, looking at them, you turn to the Mother of God, to the Savior, to the saints. This is a very rewarding work. Buy, attach, pray for us, and for all listeners and viewers of the Soyuz TV channel. And it will be a great blessing, not a sin.

We spoke earlier about the fact that those who participate in these solemn processions are penitent people, sinners, as you said - "a crowd of problems." And if we take children's religious processions, is there such a feeling of this event in the souls of children that they are sinners, that they are performing some kind of feat? Or is it one of the solemn events in which they participate for them?

This is an educational event for children who participate in these moves.

- Is educational work carried out to explain the meaning of what is happening?

The children who take part in the procession on June 1 and in the river rafting are not random children. They went to this procession for a certain time, studying at Sunday school, preparing for the rafting, studying the route, studying the icons that they would have in their hands. Preparation time is a serious educational moment. Here the children go to school, do their homework, but why, for what - it is not very clear. One feels the aimlessness, the meaninglessness of their existence. They are immersed in social networks, in their childhood problems. There is a feeling of frivolity, virtuality of everything they do. When a child lives with one foot in the virtual world, he has the opportunity to touch real life when he goes on a cross rafting trip and finds himself in a village. City residents see a different reality, completely different people, residents of distant villages and villages. For us today they are like aliens. How the expressions and behavior of children change when they start talking with the inhabitants of these villages: a completely different dialect, a completely different sense of time. They live a year, and someone two years of their lives in the experience that they acquire: overcoming themselves, communicating with those people whom they would never have met either on TV or on Instagram. They get the experience of doing good. And they know that what they are doing now is good. It brings joy and comfort. For a whole year they receive a boost of energy, because a long stay in such good deeds does not pass without a trace for the soul. And when they return to their apartments, to the circle of friends and comrades, they feel that it was so good, but now it is not. Where is "good"? It is "good" where "two or three are gathered in My name", where the Church is. People who have touched long-term good work, then look for the opportunity to communicate, to continue this good work in Sunday school, in the Church, in the parish. The same applies to those children who walked the streets of Yekaterinburg the day before yesterday. People live in the city, they know that city life is chaos, vanity, they advertise something, they sell something. And what they touch in the Church, they do not meet on the streets, in the lanes, on the avenues of the city. And here they have the opportunity to open this church, inner, secret life to the people around them and to be not just some kind of kids standing on the sidelines, but this is their missionary work. The child himself comes with a cross, with an icon, he sings songs and hymns to the Lord. When the procession ended, the children approached the chapel in honor of St. Catherine. There once was a temple. Peers approached them and asked: “Guys, what is going on here?” And what is it like for a young banner-bearer to tell and substantiate this in such a way as to interest a peer in the seriousness and grace of his doing? It is, in essence, an examination of what he studied during the year in Sunday school, or an examination of the faith and faithfulness he acquires in the temple. It's one thing to be embarrassed, shy: after all, everyone is so dressed up, painted, dancing to the music on Children's Day, but we somehow behave differently. But to substantiate, not to be embarrassed - this is a serious test. If the child was capable of this, then there is hope that when tomorrow or the day after tomorrow he walks through the streets of the same city, passes by the temple, he will not hesitate to make the sign of the cross. When he is at school and sees some social atrocity, some of the younger ones will be insulted, he will have something to cling to, he will have a “ledge” in his soul, on which he can stand and not slip, not be like everything, but still remain the person that we saw here during the procession. This is very important for others and for the participants in the procession.

Question from TV viewer Yevgeny from the Belgorod region: “Christ spoke with the Pharisees about fasting. They asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples fast?” He said, “How can they fast when the Bridegroom is with them. When the Bridegroom is taken away from them, then they too will fast.” The Bridegroom is Christ. And fasting was done for Him. And Peter's fast is made for the sake of the apostles? And why is the fast in honor of the Apostle Peter, why did we bypass the Apostle John? He alone did not run away and did not renounce Christ.”

A Christian is a person who is looking for opportunities to use any life situation for spiritual salvation. We fast for the sake of Christ: in Great Lent - for the sake of Christ and in Petrov - for the sake of Christ. We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. The crown of fasting is preparation for the Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, not Peter and Paul or John, but Christ. Therefore, the fast is called Petrov, but this does not mean that we fast in honor of Peter, and does not mean that we do not notice Paul or other apostles. Let's reason like this: firstly, during the Petrine Lent, the Church calls on Christians to pay close attention to the One about whom the apostles testified; secondly, to strive to imitate the lives of the holy apostles. We can very quickly slide into Protestantism: “Nothing matters, only Jesus Christ and the gospel matter. We are not interested in anything else." We know that by such an imaginary concentration on Jesus Christ and on the text of the Gospel, the Protestants have deprived themselves of a huge range of spiritual means that the Lord and the Church give to a person, a Christian. I would not like to go this way and limit myself. The Lord chose the apostles and sent them to preach, so that they would spread the news about Jesus Christ and the Gospel throughout the earth. Jesus Christ could say, “I am in charge. Believe in me, I will preach about myself throughout the earth. The Lord doesn't do that. He reveals Himself to the disciples, the apostles, He gives them the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, so that their word would not be a human word, full of some vices and lust, but a divine word, full of the power of the Holy Spirit. Then He says, "Go and preach the gospel to every creature." What we know about Christ, we know from the apostles. Is it not worth at least for the sake of this 2-4 weeks to devote to what they said, wrote, what kind of life they lived and how the holy apostles ended it. Peter's Lent traditionally ends on July 12, the feast day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. If you are embarrassed that on this day we end the fast and exalt two apostles, and humiliate the rest, do not be discouraged. Fast until July 13, on this day the Church commemorates the Synod of the Holy Apostles, all twelve. Continue fasting one more day and dedicate this fast to John the Theologian, James Zebedee, Andrew the First-Called and other holy apostles, whom, I have no doubt, you love, honor, read and whose life you imitate. Continue until the 13th, come to the temple for the service (in Belgorod, I have no doubt, there is a temple in the name of the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles), this will be your good deed, good veneration of the holy apostles of Christ. You began with the words: why the disciples of Christ do not fast, and the Lord answers that the time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away. Yes, that time has come. On Wednesday, Judas betrayed Christ; on Friday, the Lord was taken away from the disciples and crucified on the Cross. Therefore, every Wednesday and Friday are fast days. A Christian is attentive to Wednesday and Friday, not just changing the diet, but paying attention to what services are performed. On Friday, the Cross of Christ is always venerated, on Wednesday - the Mother of God. Attention to these details will certainly make your post, and the post of any person, more meaningful and faster leading to Jesus Christ. I wish this for you and for myself.

Question from TV viewer Artem from Sochi: “During the service we pray to the saints to pray to God for us. We pray to the Mother of God with the words "save us", although the Gospel says that we have one Teacher - Christ. Why do we pray to the Mother of God "save us", and to the saints - "pray to God for us"?

Such is the tradition. By this we emphasize the special role of the Mother of God in the salvation of mankind. So God was pleased that it was through the chosen Virgin that the God-Man Jesus Christ came into the world. God so trusted this person, this Virgin, that She taught Him human life, She taught Him to walk, speak, write. She was His closest person on this earth. This closeness was expressed in the event of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, when the Lord Himself came to earth in Gethsemane in order to take the soul of the Mother of God, and then the body and ascend to Heaven. These special relationships between the Mother of God and the God-man, Her Son, Jesus Christ, are emphasized by the fact that we see a special relationship to Her. She brought the Savior into the world, served the cause of salvation, we turn to Her: “Mother of God, as You served for the salvation of all mankind, so I ask You to serve the cause of salvation for me personally.” We turn to Her: "Save us." But this does not in the least detract from the dignity of the saints of God.

We read the life of the saint and wonderworker Nicholas about how he repeatedly saved people who were dying, who were preparing to be executed by beheading with a sword or who were drowning on a ship. They did not pray according to a prayer book or an official. They had a cry in which all faith is concentrated: “I am dying, I ask you to help, save!” Such a prayer was heard. Here, in these words “Most Holy Mother of God, save us”, “holy saints of God, pray to God for us”, is not a dogmatic component, but rather a measure of the participation of the Mother of God and the saints in our life and in the work of our salvation. The measure of the Mother of God is greater than the measure of the holy saints of God, who also participate, help in the same way, but still not to the same extent, not to the same degree, significance and closeness to God and people, as is shown by the Mother of God. But, turning in a difficult situation to the God-pleaser you revere - St. Nicholas, St. Spyridon, the Holy Great Martyr George, St. Constantine and Elena and others - you will not offend the Mother of God in the least. I think you will be heard by those whose name you call on. But this is a tradition that exists in the Church, consecrated by the fact that generations of people before us lived by this tradition, and in this tradition they were brought up in holiness and entered the Kingdom of Heaven. For them, such a formulation did not at all become an obstacle in order to believe in the Risen Christ, the Mother of God and the saints and imitate their life. This helped them become saints themselves and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If we, as Christians, lovingly accept church tradition, just as children lovingly accept the language spoken by their parents, then this will be salutary for us.

Today I was walking down the street and saw a beautiful family from afar: a stately father, a mother dressed modestly and beautifully, and two children. And I hear that they are “banging” in the Central Asian language, I don’t even know what language it is. If I had first heard the language, then maybe I didn’t have the best thoughts (in our land they don’t really like aliens from other countries). And at first I saw the beauty of this family, this love that is present. They walked as one. And when they approached, I had no choice but to glorify God: “Lord, glory to Thee, who nourishes and blesses every person living on earth.” And if we, like children, perceive the tradition that our ancestors brought with their sweat and blood, preserved, then we are approaching salvation. Greece has a different tradition, the Copts have a third. They live the way they received from their fathers. Let us live and be saved in the tradition that the Orthodox Church has preserved for us.

I would like to return to the topic of Children's Day and to the all-Russian action in defense and remembrance of those children who could be among us. We are talking about unborn children. What is the essence of this action, how did it go?

Everyone's favorite pastor, Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov, who is the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family and Child Affairs, addressing His Holiness the Patriarch and discussing the topic of abortion with him, received a blessing from the Patriarch to make every possible effort to ensure that this misfortune, this pestilence from our land lime. And the Patriarch, in fact, blessed the holding on June 1, on Children's Day, of a special prayer work: to read a penitential prayer to our God, the Mother of God, to the saints with a request to take this plague away from our people, our country, to light candles on the salt to designate that in this day, in this prayer, there is a certain exclusivity. In Yekaterinburg, 5,000 red lamps were prepared, they were marked with information about this penitent action. These lamps were distributed to the churches of the city, the diocese, and the media were warned. Thus, on June 1, the priests spoke from the pulpit, saying that the children who are under the mother's heart, the children in the womb, are full-fledged living citizens, that abortions are the murder of full-fledged citizens. We must protect not only those children who live, but those who live under the heart of their mother. These words were rebroadcast by many TV channels. We hope that they were heard by viewers. There is hope that the Lord still hears His Church and fulfills what we ask. People learned, heard, were ashamed of what was done, or what they intended to do - thank God! In the temples, all salt, all the steps that are in front of the pulpit and to the left and right of it, were filled with rows of burning lamps. We understood that people brought lamps with a spark for a reason. Someone has one or three ruined children on their conscience. Someone has non-resistance, assistance, stupid advice to people to commit this crime. You see how these lamps burn, and the heart melts; people came. It was necessary to look into the eyes of these people who were praying: so much grief and hope was hidden in them, the hope that when the souls of the ruined children who stand before God meet their souls, the meeting will not be so terrible, for the sin they have committed there will be no descent into hell. Still, there is hope for salvation. We know that His Holiness the Patriarch came up with an initiative in the State Duma to exclude abortions from the system of compulsory medical insurance, so that abortions are not performed at the expense of the state and taxpayers. It is not easy for such an initiative to pass. There are high-ranking people who resist this initiative of the Patriarch. But I really hope that the Lord, Who has worked a miracle on our land so many times, will eradicate this cannibalistic practice from our people. Children will be born, brought up - and they will observe Peter's fast (this tradition will not leave our lives). They, too, will enter the Heavenly Kingdom not as martyrs who have not been baptized and are waiting to meet their unfortunate parents, but as the children of the holy saints of God entered.

Host: Dmitry Brodovikov
Transcription: Natalia Maslova