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Surprisingly, a quick search on the Internet does not provide a simple answer to how the prayer rule changes with the onset of Lent. Previously, this instruction was contained in every church calendar, but now it falls out of it every now and then, losing in the struggle for a place to more pressing issues.
In 2020 Lent begins March 2, A Easter falls on April 19. Read the parting words of Father Vadim Korovin, a member of the canonical commission, as well as a couple of links to materials relevant to the post
In the article below you will read about prayers read at home during Lent, a short life St. Ephraim the Syrian, as well as a very informative description of changes in the charter on prostrations made in the service in the church.
We also bring to your attention a direct link to a detailed, and most importantly - understandable "instruction" about . This information will be useful to those who plan to prepare for confession in compliance with all Orthodox traditions.
Home prayer in fasting
Is it a great post...
(except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays):
That is all bows to the earth; after the prayer King of Heaven
"requires an earthly great bow.
At the end of the morning and evening prayers before the leave, we create 17 prostrations:
Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian
Hourbook 16th century from archive of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra
Honest cherub… (great bow to the earth).
For the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen (bow from the waist).
Rev. Efrem Sirin Russia; XV century; monument: John of the Ladder and Ephraim the Syrian books, semi-ust. in two columns; location: RSL, www.ruicon.ru Lord and Master of my life, the spirit of despondency, neglect, love of money and idle talk, banish me from me. (Earthly bow).
The spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love grant me, Thy servant. (Earthly bow).
Hey, Lord the King, let me see my sins, and do not judge my brother, for blessed are you forever, amen. (Earthly bow).
Then we make twelve earthly prostrations-throwing with prayers (without touching the floor with the head):
Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner (twice with bows)
God, be merciful to me a sinner (bow-throwing)
God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me (bow-throwing)
Create me, Lord, have mercy (bow-throwing)
Without a number of sins, Lord, forgive me (bow-throwing)
We repeat these six bows-throws again, and then we say the prayer of St. Ephraim entirely with one earthly bow at the end.
Lord and Master of my life, the spirit of despondency, neglect, love of money and idle talk, banish me from me. Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Thy servant. Yes, Lord the King, let me see my sins, and do not judge my brother, for you are blessed forever, amen. (Great bow to the earth)
Several comments on this prayer are given on the website. Ligovskaya community Saint Petersburg.
In the short lines of the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, the message of the path of spiritual perfection of man is captured. We ask God for help in the fight against our vices: despondency, laziness, idle talk, condemnation of others. And we ask you to crown us with the crown of all virtues: humility, patience and love. This prayer is often repeated “during the sad days of Great Lent” - days of repentance and purification of the soul.
In contrast to the “throwing” permitted at the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian (the head does not bend down to the ground), when performing a bow to the ground, it is necessary to touch the head of the hands or the floor An example of performing Lenten bows at the prayer “Mary’s Standing”
Comments
Otzheni
- drive away idle talk
- empty, useless talk.
Yes, O Lord the King, let me see my sins, and do not judge my brother
- Yes, Lord the King, let me see my sins, so as not to condemn my brother.
Selected materials:
A selection of materials on the topic of the relationship between religious and secular perception of the world, including the headings "", "", materials "", information, as well as readers of the site "Old Believer Thought".
Visit the Customs section of our website. You will find in it a lot of interesting things from the undeservedly forgotten. . .
A lively and reasoned story about the methods of baptism practiced by the New Believers, and true baptism according to the canons of the Church.
A brief selection of objective literature on ancient Orthodoxy and the history of the Russian Church.
Which cross is considered canonical, why is it unacceptable to wear a pectoral cross with the image of a crucifix and other images?
Exclusive photographs depicting the consecration of the Great Epiphany Water in the Pokrovsky Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church in Rogozhskaya Sloboda.
A rich photo report on the appointment of the bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church and a sketch of the modern life of the true Church.
A detailed and very successful interview of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on key issues of modern religious life in Russia.
Exclusive interview with the Old Believer Bishop Evmeny from the Russian Planet project.
A detailed historical analysis of the causes and consequences of the split from an independent secular publication.
An exclusive study of the site about the nationality, religion, dynamics of socio-economic indicators in the country on a variety of examples and comparisons.
Reasoned reflections of the city on the role of the church schism in the history of Russia and the current position of the Church in our country.
A rare and extremely detailed collection of materials about the Stoglavy Cathedral, which were hushed up by official history for several centuries.
Strictly and beautifully: favorites.
"Save me, God!". Thank you for visiting our site, before you start studying the information, please subscribe to our Orthodox community on Instagram Lord, Save and Save † - https://www.instagram.com/spasi.gospodi/. The community has over 60,000 subscribers.
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During Great Lent, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read daily, except for Saturday and Sunday. It is considered a Lenten symbol and stands out among other chants and hymns.
Saint Ephraim the Syrian, prayer
This small prayer was written in the 4th century by the Christian Saint Ephraim. It is unique in that it was able to combine all the positive and negative qualities in human life. It says that the main sin is idleness, since it poisons the spirituality of a person. It is he who entails certain consequences:
- love of power - if you do not direct all your thoughts to the Lord and do not set eternal goals for yourself, you can turn into a narcissist. This will lead to the use of other personalities to achieve their own desires;
- despondency - the danger lies in the fact that such a state denies an optimistic attitude towards life, which leads to the suicide of spirituality and even the physical body;
- idle talk - the ability to speak is a great gift of God, but often people can use foul language and use this grace for lies and slander.
Prayer begins with repentance for these sins, after which it is imperative to bow. Further in the prayer comes the petition for positive purposes:
humility - the ability to love yourself, your life and the ability to live in truth and with pure thoughts;
patience - the ability to carefully relate to everything around, to be chaste and indulgent;
chastity - designed to help a person determine the most valuable things in life, building the correct hierarchy;
love is a gift that characterizes all readiness for faith and service to God.
And at the very end of the text, the most terrible sin is pointed out - pride. There is a prayer to get rid of the condemnations of your neighbor and the opportunity to recognize your sins.
After each petition, a bow is placed. The prayer is read at the end of the service twice. The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian "Lord, Master" has the following text:
Lord and Master of my life!
The spirit of idleness, despondency, arrogance
and idle talk do not give me.
(earth bow)
The spirit of chastity, humility,
grant me patience and love, Thy servant.
(earth bow)
Hey, Lord the King, grant me my sight
transgressions and do not judge my brother,
for blessed are you forever and ever
Amen.
(earth bow)
God, cleanse me, a sinner (sinner).
12 times with waist bows
Prayer of those who offend Ephraim the Syrian
It is very important, according to St. Efim, to pray for your enemies and foes. Deliverance of the soul of a believer from anger, evil and resentment is the key to the formation of spiritual purity and the ability to protect oneself from evil influence in the future. In this case, I recommend reading the prayer "For those who hate and offended us." Its text is given below:
Have mercy, Lord, on those who hate me and envy me!
Have mercy, Lord, on those who slander me and offend me!
Do nothing evil to them for your unworthy servant; but according to His inexpressible mercy and according to His immeasurable goodness, neither in this life, nor in the next century, may they not suffer evil for me, a sinner!
Sanctify them with Your mercy and fall with Your grace, the All-good One, because before all, blessed are You forever and ever. Amen.
Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, arrogance and idle talk. Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Thy servant. Yes, Lord, King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for you are blessed forever and ever. Amen!
Listen to the prayer (read by Patriarch Kirill):
Church worship is subject to the canons. According to them, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read once a year - during Great Lent (most of all). There are no barriers to turning to repentance at home: pray as you wish. If you feel benefit - at any time. Following the monastic charter, it is recommended: to include in cell prayers in the morning and in the evening. It is added to the ordinary Rule from the moment it is read in the temple.
What days are included in worship?
- on Wednesday and Friday of Cheese week;
- the whole fortecost, except for Saturdays, Sundays, Annunciation and Polyeleos services;
- to Wednesday (not mentioned on Thursday morning) of Holy Week.
Note: When reading the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, bows abound (16 times): a person works not only spiritually, but also bodily. Thus, our whole nature participates in repentance. Just as the falling away from God was total, so three components are involved in the restoration: Spirit, Body and Soul.
What is the nature of prayer?
Saint Ephraim does not simply ask to be delivered from a certain type of sins, but mentions the spirit of passions. It's like uprooting, so that even the spirit (trace) does not remain inside. Not to tie up the adversary who drags him into a fall, but to cast him out forever.
This speaks of a deeper cleansing. Therefore, a penitential prayer is read in the fasts, calling on God to deliver the human nature irrevocably enslaved to sin, to free it from pernicious demonic fetters forever (crucify the flesh).
Note: Many works have been written about the penitential text: by saints, priests, saints, even A.S. Pushkin. Our article gives the most concise explanation. For those who want to comprehend the full depth, we advise you to turn to more worthy sources.
What vices are mentioned in the prayer?
The listed passions are familiar, they are used to them, and therefore the sharpness of perception, disgust for evil has disappeared. This is facilitated by modern views that distort the truth. What kind of hatred of sin can we talk about when the devil's lies are passed off as virtue.
In order not to lose immunity to distinguish between good and evil, a prayer written with such deep content is read. Words encourage reflection, sharpen repentant feelings in order to arm yourself against passions:
Note: Having learned to see our own sins, and not to savor the sins of others, we will embark on the path of salvation, having the hope that the Lord will not leave without His care and everything that is mentioned in the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, may it be given abundantly.
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
Lord and Master of my life,
do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, arrogance and idle talk.
Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, Thy servant.
Yes, Lord, King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother,
so blessed are you forever and ever. Amen
The Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is a penitential prayer composed in the 4th century. Venerable Ephrem the Syrian (Syrian). It is rightfully considered the main prayer of Great Lent and is read at all fasting services.
The reading of this prayer begins on Wednesday and Friday of Cheese Week, which is preparatory to Great Lent. It is read in the temple on the Clock. Then the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian continues to be read throughout Holy Fortecost, except for Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on the first three days of Passion Week. On those days she included in the home prayer rule- morning and evening prayers, as well as other prayer rules, read with a blessing or penance.
Saturdays and Sundays, in fact, are not part of Great Lent, but, as it were, fall out of it: they even have some relaxation of the strict fasting diet. It should also be noted that the new church day does not start in the morning, and in the evening - at the moment when the evening service connects with the morning one (for simplicity, we count from 18.00). This applies to worship and prayers. It is noteworthy that fast days, nevertheless, begin at 00.00 hours and coincide with the calendar. Thus, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is not read already on Friday evening (after 18.00) and again its reading is resumed on Sunday evening. 
On Great Wednesday, at the end of the liturgy on "Be the name of the Lord ..." the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read for the last time. After this, special services of Holy Week begin.
How to read the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian
Regardless of whether you are in the temple and repeat the words of the prayer after the priest, or you read the cell (home) prayer rule, you should read the prayer like this. At the first reading of this prayer, after each of the three petitions (highlighted by me in square brackets), a prostration is made (we kneel and touch the ground with our forehead). Then the prayer is read 12 times: “God, cleanse me, a sinner,” with bows from the waist (we touch the earth with our hands). Then the entire prayer is read again, after which one prostration is made.
When praying at home with the laity the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read once (that is, the entire set of prayers and bows listed in the previous paragraph is performed once) at the end of each prayer rule: once - after morning prayers, once - after evening prayers, once - after any additional rule read during the day .
In the temple, during the service, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read by the priest in front of the Royal Doors or in front of the Holy See. All those present should repeat the words of the prayer and bow down after him. Unauthorized reading of this prayer in the temple during the service is not allowed and is outrageous. You can read more about when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate for an Orthodox to bow, you can read in this
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Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
Great Lenten Prayer of Ephrem the Syrian
Great Lent every day - from Sunday evening to Friday is read
amazing prayer of Ephraim the Syrian
A small prayer of the 4th century Christian saint Ephraim the Syrian is a symbol of Great Lent.
It stands out especially among all the hymns and prayers of Lent.
Lord and Master of my life!
The spirit of idleness, despondency, arrogance
and idle talk do not give me.
(earth bow)
The spirit of chastity, humility,
grant me patience and love, Thy servant.
(earth bow)
Hey, Lord the King, grant me my sight
transgressions and do not judge my brother,
for blessed are you forever and ever
Amen.
(earth bow)
God, cleanse me, a sinner (sinner).
12 times with waist bows
And once again the whole prayer in full
with one prostration at the end
E this prayer is read twice at the end of each Lenten service from Monday to Friday (it is not read on Saturdays and Sundays, because the services of these two days, as we will see later, differ from the general Lenten order). At the first reading of this prayer, after each petition, a prostration is made. Then 12 times a prayer is read to oneself: “God, cleanse me, a sinner,” with bows from the waist. Then the whole prayer is read again, after which one prostration is made.
P Why does this short and simple prayer occupy such an important place in the entire Lenten service? Because it enumerates in a special way peculiar only to this prayer all the negative and positive elements of repentance and defines, so to speak, a list of our individual exploits. The goal of these feats, first of all, is liberation from some basic illness that directs our whole life and prevents us from embarking on the path of turning to God.
About the main ailment - idleness, laziness, negligence, negligence. This is that strange laziness and passivity of our whole being that always pulls us “down” and does not lift us “up”, which constantly convinces us of the impossibility, and therefore undesirability, to change anything. This is truly a cynicism deeply rooted in us, which answers every spiritual call: “why?” and thanks to which throughout our life we waste the spiritual forces given to us. "Idleness" is the root of all sins, because it poisons spiritual energy at its very source.
The fruit of idleness is despondency in which all teachers of spiritual life see the greatest danger to the soul. A person in the grip of despondency is deprived of the opportunity to see anything good or positive; for him it all comes down to denial and pessimism. This is truly the devil's power over us, because the devil is first of all a liar. He lies to man about God and the world; it fills life with darkness and denial. Despondency is the suicide of the soul, because if a person is in the grip of despondency, he is completely incapable of seeing the light and striving for it.
Curiosity! Love for power. Strange as it may seem, it is idleness, laziness and despondency that fill our lives with ambition. Laziness and despondency pervert our whole attitude to life, devastate it and deprive it of any meaning. They force us to seek redress in a totally wrong way with other people. If my soul is not directed towards God, does not aim at eternal values, it will inevitably become selfish, self-centered, which means that all other beings will become means to satisfy its desires and pleasure. If God is not the Lord and Master of my life, then I myself become my master and master, become the absolute center of my own world and consider everything from the point of view of my needs, my desires and my judgment. Curiosity, therefore, fundamentally perverts my attitude towards other people, trying to subjugate them. It does not always motivate us to really command and dominate other people. It can also be expressed in indifference, contempt, lack of interest, attention and respect for other people. The spirit of idleness and hopelessness in this case is directed at others; and spiritual suicide is combined here with spiritual murder.
After all this, idle talk. Only man among all creatures created by God received the gift of speech. All the Holy Fathers see in this the "imprint" of the Image of God in man, because God Himself is revealed to us as the Word (Jn 1:1). But, being the highest gift, it is at the same time the greatest danger. Really expressing the very essence of man, his self-fulfillment, it is thanks to this that he can become a means of falling, self-destruction, deceit and sin. The word saves and kills; the word inspires and the word poisons. The truth is expressed by the word, but the devil's lies also use the word. Possessing the highest positive force, the word therefore has an enormous negative force. It creates positive and negative. When the word deviates from its divine nature and purpose, it becomes idle. It "reinforces" the spirit of idleness, despondency and arrogance, and life turns into a living hell. The Word then becomes really the power of sin.
Repentance is thus directed against these four manifestations of sin. These are obstacles that need to be removed. But only God alone can do it. Therefore, the first part of this Lenten prayer is a cry from the depths of human helplessness. Then the prayer moves on to the positive goals of repentance. There are also four of them.
Chastity! If we do not attach to this word, as is often done, only its sexual, secondary meaning, then it must be understood as the positive opposite of the spirit of idleness. Idleness, first of all, means dispersion, division, brokenness of our opinions and concepts, our energy, the inability to see things as they are, in their whole. The opposite of idleness is exactly integrity. If chastity is usually considered a virtue opposite to sexual corruption, then this is only due to the fact that the brokenness of our existence does not express itself anywhere so much as in sexual depravity, in the alienation of the life of the body from the life of the spirit, from spiritual control. Christ restored wholeness in us, restored the true hierarchy of values, bringing us back to God.
The first miraculous fruit of this wholeness or chastity is humility . We have already talked about it. First of all, it is the victory of truth in ourselves, the destruction of all the lies in which we usually live. Some humble people are able to live in truth, to see and accept things as they are, and through this to see God's greatness, kindness and love for all. That is why it is said that God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud.
Chastity and humility are naturally followed by patience . “Fallen” in his natural nature, a person is impatient, because, not seeing himself, he is quick to judge and condemn others. These concepts about everything are incomplete, broken, distorted. Therefore, he judges everything according to his tastes and from his own point of view. He is indifferent to everyone except himself, so he wants life to become immediately successful for him.
Patience is truly a divine virtue. The Lord is patient not because He treats us “condescendingly”, but because He really sees the very depth of things, which we, due to our blindness, do not see, and which is open to Him. The more we approach God, the more patient we become, the more we reflect in ourselves the caring attitude, respect for each individual being, characteristic of God alone.
Finally, the crown and fruit of all virtues, all efforts and deeds is Love , that love which, as we have already said, can be given by God alone. This is the gift that is the goal of all spiritual training and experience.
All this is brought together in the last request of the Lenten prayer, in which we ask: "to see your sins, and not condemn your brother." In the end, we face one danger: pride. Pride is the source of evil, and evil is the source of pride. It is not enough, however, to see one's sins, because even this seeming virtue can turn into pride. The Scriptures of the Holy Fathers are full of warnings against this kind of false piety, which, in fact, under the cover of humility and self-condemnation, can lead to diabolical pride. But when we “see our sins” and “do not condemn our brother”, when, in other words, chastity, humility, patience and love are united in us into one whole, then and only then our main enemy - pride - is destroyed in us.
After each request for prayer, we bow to the ground. But not only during the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian make prostrations; they constitute the distinctive characteristic of the entire Great Lenten service. But in this prayer their meaning is best revealed. In the long and difficult feat of spiritual rebirth, the Church does not separate the soul from the body. Man fell away from God entirely, soul and body. And the whole person must be restored in order to return to God. The sinful fall consists precisely in the victory of the flesh (animal, lust in us) over the spiritual, divine nature. But the body is beautiful, the body is holy. So holy that God Himself "became flesh." Salvation and repentance then is not contempt for the body, not neglect of it, but the restoration of the body in its present service, as an expression of life and spirit, as a temple of a priceless human soul. Christian asceticism is not a struggle against the body, but for it. That is why the whole person, body and soul, repents. The body participates in the prayer of the soul, just as the soul prays not outside, but in its body. Thus, prostrations to the ground, a “psycho-corporeal” sign of repentance and humility, worship and obedience, are a hallmark of Lenten worship.
The penetrating prayer of Ephraim the Syrian cannot leave indifferent anyone who even for a minute thinks about its meaning. So she inspired Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin to write his famous lines:
Desert fathers and blameless wives,
To fly with your heart in the region of correspondence,
To strengthen it in the midst of the valley storms and battles,
Laid down many divine prayers;
But none of them make me happy
Like the one that the priest repeats
In the sad days of Great Lent;
More and more often she comes to my lips
And strengthens the fallen with an unknown force:
Lord of my days! The spirit of idleness is dull,
Love of command, this hidden serpent,
And do not give idle talk to my soul.
But let me see my, oh God, sins,
Yes, my brother will not accept condemnation from me,
And the spirit of humility, patience, love
And revive chastity in my heart.
Life of St. Ephraim the Syrian
Saint Ephraim the Syrian, a teacher of repentance, was born at the beginning of the 4th century (the year of his birth is not exactly known) in the city of Nisibia (Mesopotamia) into a Christian family of poor farmers. Parents raised their son in piety. But, distinguished from childhood by a quick-tempered, irritable character, in his youth he often quarreled, committed rash acts, even doubted the Providence of God, until he received admonition from the Lord, which directed him on the path of repentance and salvation. Once he was unjustly accused of stealing sheep and put in prison. In it, he heard in a dream a voice calling him to repentance and correction of life. He was acquitted and released.
IN Ephraim was awakened to deep repentance. The young man retired to the surrounding mountains and became a hermit. This kind of Christian asceticism was introduced in Nisibia by the disciple of the Monk Anthony the Great, the Egyptian hermit Eugene.
Among the hermits, the famous ascetic, preacher of Christianity and accuser of the Arians, Bishop of the Nisibis Church, St. James (Comm. 13 January) stood out especially. Saint Ephraim became one of his disciples. Under the blessed guidance of the saint, the Monk Ephraim acquired Christian meekness, humility, obedience to God's Providence, which gives strength to endure various temptations without a murmur. Saint James knew the lofty virtues of his disciple and used them for the benefit of the Church - he instructed him to read sermons, teach children at the school, took him with him to the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (325). Saint Ephraim was in obedience to Saint James for 14 years until his death.
P After the capture of Nisibia by the Persians in 363, Saint Ephraim left the desert and settled in a monastery near the city of Edessa. Here he saw many great ascetics who spent their lives in prayer and psalmody. The caves were their only refuge, they ate only plants. He became especially close to the ascetic Julian (Comm. 18 October), who was with him of the same repentant spirit. The Monk Ephraim combined with ascetic labors an unceasing study of the Word of God, drawing from it tenderness and wisdom for his soul. The Lord gave him the gift of teaching, people began to come to him, waiting to hear his instructions, which had a special effect on souls because he began them with denunciations of himself. The monk both verbally and in writing taught everyone about repentance, faith and piety, and denounced the Arian heresy, which then worried Christian society. The pagans, listening to the sermons of the monk, converted to Christianity.
H He also worked hard in interpreting the Holy Scriptures - explaining the Pentateuch of Moses. He wrote many prayers and hymns that enriched church services. Prayers to the Most Holy Trinity, the Son of God, the Most Holy Theotokos are known. He wrote hymns for his Church on the days of the Twelve Lord's feasts (Christmas, Epiphany), Resurrection, funeral hymns. His penitential prayer "Lord and Master of my life..." is read during Great Lent and calls Christians to spiritual renewal. Since ancient times, the Church has highly valued the works of the Monk Ephraim: his works were read in some churches at the meetings of the faithful after the Holy Scriptures. And now, according to the Charter of the Church, some of his teachings are supposed to be read during the days of fasting. Among the prophets, Saint David is par excellence a psalmist; among the holy fathers of the Church, the Monk Ephraim the Syrian is par excellence a prayer book. Spiritual experience made him a mentor to the monks and an assistant to the Edessa shepherds. Saint Ephraim wrote in Syriac, but his works were very early translated into Greek and Armenian, and from Greek into Latin and Slavonic.
IN In numerous works of the monk there are complete pictures of the life of the Syrian ascetics, the main place in which was occupied by prayer and then work for the common brotherly benefit, obedience. All Syrian ascetics had the same views on the meaning of life. The monks considered communion with God and the instillation of Divine grace into the soul of the ascetic as the ultimate goal of their exploits; real life was for them a time of weeping, fasting and labors.
"If the Son of God is in you, then His kingdom is in you. Behold, the kingdom of God is within you, sinner. Enter into yourself, seek diligently and without difficulty you will find it. Outside you is death, and the door to it is sin. Enter into yourself, abide in your heart, for God is there." Unceasing spiritual sobriety, the development of the good in the soul of a person gives him the opportunity to perceive labor as bliss, and self-compulsion as holiness. Retribution begins in a person's earthly life and is prepared by the degree of its spiritual perfection. Whoever has grown wings on earth, says St. Ephraim, he soars there into the mountains; whoever purifies his mind here will see the glory of God there; To the extent that everyone loves God, to that extent will he be satisfied with His love. A person who has cleansed himself and acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit while still here on earth is looking forward to the Kingdom of Heaven. Acquiring eternal life, according to the teachings of St. Ephraim, does not mean moving from one realm of being to another, but means gaining a "heavenly" spiritual state. Eternal life is not bestowed on man by the one-sided will of God, but, like a seed, it gradually grows in him through achievement, labor and struggle.
W The alog of deification in us is the Baptism of Christ, the main engine of the Christian life is repentance. Saint Ephraim the Syrian was a great teacher of repentance. Forgiveness of sins in the sacrament of Repentance, according to his teaching, is not an external justification, not the forgetfulness of sins, but their complete annihilation. Tears of repentance wash away and burn sin. And yet - they give life, transform the sinful nature, give strength "to walk in the way of the commandments of the Lord", strengthened by trust in God. In the fiery font of Repentance, the monk wrote, "you are melting yourself down, sinner, you are resurrecting yourself from the dead."
The Monk Ephraim, in his humility considering himself the lowest and worst of all, at the end of his life went to Egypt to see the exploits of the great hermits. He was received there as a welcome guest, and he himself received great comfort from their association. On his way back, he visited Saint Basil the Great in Caesarea in Cappadocia (Comm. 1 January), who wished to consecrate him to the presbyter, but the monk considered himself unworthy of the priesthood and, at the insistence of the saint, accepted only the rank of deacon, in which he remained until his death. Subsequently, St. Basil the Great invited St. Ephraim to the bishop's chair, but the saint introduced himself as a holy fool in order to deflect this honor from himself, humbly considering himself unworthy of it.
P about returning to his desert of Edessa, the Monk Ephraim wanted to spend the end of his life in solitude. But the Providence of God once again called him to the service of his neighbors. The inhabitants of Edessa suffered from a raging famine. With a strong word, the monk urged the rich to help the poor. On the offerings of believers, he built an almshouse for the poor and the sick. Then the monk retired to a cave near Edessa, where he remained until the end of his life.
Dormition of St. Ephraim the Syrian
