Quotes about churches and temples (150 quotes)
Although we live in the material world, human consciousness strives for something higher. Many people want to believe that there is another reality and a spiritual world, which is why there are a great many religions in the world. And every religion strives to get its own churches and temples, and thanks to the donations of believers this is possible. This collection contains quotes about churches and temples.
The main task of all churches was the same: to inspire poor serfs that for them there is no happiness on earth, it is prepared for them in heaven, and that hard labor for someone else’s uncle is a godly thing.
Our marriage is based on lies, but other beautiful things like religion and American history are also based on lies.
The entire history of the church is a mixture of error and violence.
Our marriage is based on lies, but other beautiful things like religion and American history are also based on lies.
The Church constantly maintains that it is the enemy of progress and puts slingshots in its path. But as soon as progress wins, she rushes to attribute this to her merits. Everything that the church curses lives, everything that it opposes flourishes.
If people are good only because they fear punishment and desire reward, then we are truly pathetic creatures.
Civilization will not reach its perfection until the last stone of the last church falls on the head of the last priest.
I think most people believe in God just in case.
Church. This whole word is the name of deception, through which some people want to rule over others.
“We’re not sure it was a seizure.” He always does this: he sings songs and heals people. - How interesting. Religious behavior is so similar to madness that we cannot tell the difference.
The church is the only business that experiences peak business in bad times.
The Bible is the most important work of literature, but when people die for words written on paper, it is strange and dangerous!
The smallest service can only be obtained for money; the church does nothing for nothing.
— Faith is not a disease. - Of course not. On the other hand, it spreads and kills a lot of people.
I was always surprised that women were allowed into the church. What can they talk to God about?
Catholics, one of which I was until I reached a conscious age, and other Christians are against abortion. They are also against same-sex relationships. So what the hell is this? Leave homosexuals alone, they are guaranteed to never have a single abortion! So try to find at least a drop of logic in religion.
If it were not for the Church, no one would know about the Jews.
Keep your religion to yourself.
The church is more a hospital for sinners than a museum of saints.
If the only thing that keeps a person decent is the expectation of divine reward, then that person is a piece of crap.
The Church, insofar as it is a visible institution, is also a form of the general spirit, which acts on the private spirit, as the highest legislation and the highest demand.
Imagine there is no heaven. It's easy, try it! There is no hell below us, only heaven above us.
America has become so agitated and nervous that I have not seen a parishioner sleeping in church for many years.
I'm impressed how advanced your group has become - you are no longer afraid to sail into the open sea without the fear of falling over the edge of the Earth.
Even the visible Church is visible only to believers, for for an unbeliever a sacrament is only a ritual, and the Church is only a society.
- I forgive sins only to Catholics. - Clear. How should I approach you? Beat up a Protestant?
When the Church failed to convince people to do what it taught, it began to teach what people did.
When it comes to matters of religion, people take upon themselves the sin of dodgy insincerity and intellectual incorrectness.
And at the present time the Church is the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of heaven.
I was wondering why people, as they get older, read the Bible more and more actively. And then it dawned on me: they are preparing for the final exam.
The Church is made up of national churches, just as humanity is made up of nations.
Everything I see has fallen into decay: religion is a fashionable substitute for faith, art is a disease, love is an illusion.
The Church is a kind of state, but a particularly deceitful one.
In one of my essays I wrote that Christ was famous primarily because he was killed. Every religion has its own Jesus who is killed. All this happens because people need to believe in something because they don’t believe in themselves.
The church prefers obedience without faith to faith without obedience.
I believe that the real religion is the Good Heart.
Rite is religious ashes: it protects the remnant of religious heat from the external cold of life.
Journalist: “How does it feel to know that the 9/11 terrorists had the same religion as you?” Muhammad Ali: “How does it feel to know that Hitler had the same religion as you?”
A person can be forced (with money or threat) to go to church - but nothing more.
And if you hear that someone is covering up their hatred with religion, do not listen to them. Because hatred does not come from religion, it comes from fear.
The Church must eternally be built, for it eternally rots from within and suffers attacks from without.
Religion is about goodness, not pathetic theological babble.
Personality is the mystery of one, marriage is the mystery of two, church society is the mystery of three.
Not everyone who goes to church is a saint.
Is the Church within the walls? The Church is made up of many believers.
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. This is my religion.
Church is a place where gentlemen who have never been to heaven tell tales to those who will never go there.
Some linguist-anthropologists believe that religion is a language virus that rewrites the nerve endings in the brain and dulls critical thinking.
God is dead! God will not rise again! And we killed him! What else are these churches if not the graves and tombstones of God?
Music is my religion.
The power of the churches comes from the language they have been able to preserve.
Religion is a symptom of irrational faith and groundless hope.
I have nothing against the church - as long as it does not interfere in the affairs of the Almighty.
Kill a lot of people simply because they don't look like you, don't talk like you, and don't have the same hats as you. Have you ever noticed that every time you see two groups of people who seriously hate each other, chances are they are wearing different hats.
If the liberation of the peasants depended solely on the church, then serfdom would probably exist to this day.
Everyone gets religious when they get on a plane.
Looking at them, how they believe in God, you just want to believe in the devil.
How many people would not go to church if only God saw them there!
If one fine morning we discovered that henceforth all people are of one nation, one faith and one race, then before lunch we would have invented new prejudices.
The Church, by binding, gives freedom.
Sorry, but if I want to sing about the Lord, I will go to church. The reason I don't go to church is because most churches don't think much about gay people. Or about women. Or about science.
For the state, the highest law is the good of the people; for the Church, it is the salvation of souls.
Man is a religious animal; the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself, and cuts his throat if he disagrees with him on theological issues.
God, who created the world and everything in it, He, being the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands.
People who claim that morality and religion are not needed just because there are bad people among believers are like people who are ready to ban electricity because someone might get electrocuted.
We must always be ready to believe: what seems white to me is black, if the hierarchical Church defines it that way.
Benevolence towards all beings is true religiosity.
Every church should be the Church of All Saints.
I will always love Russia and hope that Russian youth will not allow themselves to be destroyed by a toxic mix of nationalism and religious fanaticism.
The Christian Church is a society of sinners. This is the only society that only the unworthy can join.
The Church is the only dictatorship that has survived centuries.
People come to church not to find God there, but to share God with each other.
Modern religion is a reflection of modern mythology. It is strange that there are people who still take the Bible literally.
The history of the Russian church is only an abbreviated repetition of the history of the Byzantine church.
So I cover up my naked baseness with the rags of sacred old texts and, with a devil at heart, I look like a saint.
Like all religious communities, the church, even at the threshold of the temple, requires the believer to completely renounce independent thinking.
And I never said that money is bad. I respect any religion, no matter how slavish it may be.
Church is a place where gentlemen who have never been to heaven praise it to people who will never go there.
To mock fame, religion, love, everything in the world is a great consolation for those who do not know what to do.
In comparison with the church, all rulers look like petty amateurs.
I am for stopping any atheistic propaganda - if religious propaganda stops.
It's not bad that the church is full of empty pews, but that the pews are filled with empty people.
One day I met a Jesuit priest and I said, “What is the shortest prayer in the world?” And he said, “To hell with it.”
The best way to recognize the strength of your religious feelings is when the priest comes up to you with a collection plate and you only have five dollar bills.
— Jacques, how do you feel about Christianity? - This is a great idea! When are they going to implement it?
Ignorance is the first prerequisite of faith, and that is why the Church values it so highly.
What can you say about life when people are going to listen to tall tales that go against all the laws of the universe in order to just get through the day?
He was a believer in the sense that the church he did not attend was Catholic.
They say that every tenth person is gay. And if this is true, then one of the twelve apostles could be gay. My choice is Simon because it's the gayest name.
What if churches are tombs not only for the dead, but also for the living?
God has no religion.
The Church does not need reformers, but saints.
If you strive for peace of mind and pleasure, then believe; if you seek to know the truth, then investigate.
There is no salvation outside the church.
All smart people profess the same religion. Which one? Smart people never talk about this.
There are two things that a man cannot comprehend: the secret of Creation and his wife’s hat.
Ontological lies about the light at the end of the tunnel - that’s what the priests are selling. And psychiatrists.
God knocks on the heart, and the devil knocks on the head.
Is there a religion that does not season its faith with wine, like a glutton with spices? I do not know such.
Whoever says: I love God, but hates his brother, is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?
Religion is the greatest deception of humanity.
There is no such thing as being late to visit God.
It is amazing how willingly people fight for religion and how reluctantly they live by its precepts.
I would go crazy from the injustice of this world if I did not know that the last word will remain with the Lord God.
Hell must be a cool place, since the little ones who invented religion wanted so much that no one but them would go there.
Don't sell your soul to the devil - God will give more for it.
Religion is not the opium of the people. Religion is a placebo for the people.
The Almighty answers in three ways. He says yes and gives you what you wanted. Says “no” and gives what is best. He says “be patient” and gives the best.
Yes, I went against the Pope. This happened because I came to the Vatican and saw roofs made of gold. And then I heard the Pope say that the Church is worried about poor children... But, damn it, sell the roof, do at least something!
You open your Heart to God. Let faith into your Soul... and sometimes the road is harsh, But the Almighty will help you pass...
In general, I like Christ, but the rest of the dregs in the Bible - not particularly.
When you start trading music for money, God leaves the room.
He loves an imaginary creature incapable of reciprocation. Like the millions who go to church.
God never leaves us, we leave Him.
All religions were invented by people.
For some, God is in heaven, and for others, in their own hearts. And this God in the heart does not allow you to fall below a certain human level... He will not allow you to kick a dog, offend an old man, or treat your parents badly.
For some, religion heals the soul, for others it seriously cripples the head.
My mind is not strong and not too deep to unravel the tangle of God’s plans. I pray and do not try to understand Allah - Only God can understand the essence of God.
Whether you believe in God or not, mother cannot die at all, her immortality is here, in the heart of the child she loved.
Departing from God, a person experiences hellish torment.
When religion is built around money, it has nothing in common with spirituality.
This master, the Almighty, is a great superlative: He doesn’t split hairs for long, he molds us at random. If we are good, he beats and breaks us, If we are bad, again, it is not his fault!
It is not guided tours that come to God, but lonely travelers.
You don’t find excuses for others, but you find excuses for yourself? Then very little time will pass, and Christ will not find an excuse for you.
And out of old habit, he thanked God for stopping believing in him.
Once you turn your back to the devil, you will see the path to God...
Fear the people whose God is in heaven.
Nature is in a sense the Gospel, loudly proclaiming the creative power, wisdom and greatness of God. And not only the heavens, but also the bowels of the earth preach the glory of God.
The view that a believer is happier than an atheist is as absurd as the common belief that a drunk is happier than a sober one.
I looked for God from Christians for a long time, but He was not on the cross. I visited a Hindu temple and an ancient Buddhist monastery, but even there I did not find even a trace of Him. I went to the Kaaba, but God was not there either. Then I looked into my heart. And only there I saw God, Who was nowhere else...
There is only one religion, but in a hundred guises.
After God, we are primarily indebted to a woman: first she gives us life, and then she gives meaning to this life.
In the cities there are temples filled with gold and silver that God does not need, and beggars tremble on the porches of the temples, waiting in vain for a small copper coin to be thrust into their hands.
I believe in God and believe that he exists in every person.
– Couldn’t you turn off your cell phone in church? - Maybe it’s God?
Having sinned, there is no need to frighten yourself with hell! You don’t have to promise yourself to become sinless! Why does a merciful God need a sinner! The Almighty needs the sinner to forgive!
The devil has rendered such services to the church that it amazes me that he has not yet been canonized.
Why didn’t the Almighty Creator of our bodies want to grant us immortality? If we are perfect, why do we die? If they are imperfect, then who is the bastard?
Church. This whole word is the name of deception, through which some people want to rule over others.
I didn't pray to God. I haven’t prayed to Him for thirty-seven years, I hardly remembered Him. I rejected Him. I myself was a god, a god-man. Now I have realized a small part of my error.
When any one religion has the pretension to force all mankind to accept its doctrine, it becomes a tyranny.
The world is full of sounds! The sounds are all of us! and only God walks quietly between us.
Is mass the same as lunch?
God gives man not what he wants, but what he needs. Therefore, do not ask “Why”, but think “Why”.
I think we can end the evening talking about the human soul. All major religions teach us that after the end of life the soul does not die. So what does it mean to die?
I am increasingly coming to the conviction that God cannot be judged by the world he created: this is just an unsuccessful sketch.
Regular attendance at church is no more capable of making a person a Christian than regular visiting of a garage is capable of making a person a driver.
Life is a difficult business. And it becomes unbearably difficult when God is expelled from it.
The atheist club building and the church are next door, believe it or not.
We are obedient dolls in the hands of the Creator! I didn’t say this for the sake of a word. The Almighty leads us around the stage on strings and shoves us into the chest, bringing us to the end.
TEMPLE
Every creature - silent, broadcast, supermundane, and earthly - glorifies the Creator. But miserable people, having left their homes and flocked to churches in order to receive some benefit there, do not incline their ears to the words of God, do not come to the consciousness of their nature. They do not grieve over the fact that they are possessed by sin, they do not grieve, bringing their sins to mind, they do not tremble at judgment, but with a smile, stretching out their hands to each other, they make the house of prayer a place of long conversations, not heeding the psalm, which testifies that in the temple Everyone brings glory to God (Ps. 28:9). Saint Basil the Great (4, 212).
Source.
Try not only to come to church, but to go home, having received some kind of medicine against your passions, so that, if not from us, then from Scripture, you borrow the necessary medicines (43, 269).
Think about how great a thing it is to leave the church, having learned to disdain everything human, to trample on sorrows and rise above pleasures, not to be exalted by the latter and not to be exhausted by the former. Saint John Chrysostom (39, 562).
Source.
The Temple is an image of the Holy Sepulcher... and more than an image... for it also has a place where the Body of the Lord lies in the inner room behind the veil, where the sacred Table is located. So the one who internally resorts to this truly Divine and God-containing tomb and remains to the end, concentrating and extending his thoughts to God, not only recognizes here the inspired words of Scripture... proclaiming the Divinity and humanity of God the Word incarnate for us, but also clearly sees with the mental eyes of the Lord Himself. I will even say - with bodily eyes, for he who looks with faith at the mysterious Table, and at the Bread of Life resting on it, sees Himself... the Word of God, Who became Flesh and dwelt among us. And if he makes himself worthy for It to dwell in him, then he will not only see, but will also become a partaker of It and will have Him dwelling in himself... being worthy to see and enjoy what, in the words of the Apostle, the Angels want to penetrate. Through contemplation and communion the whole (man) becomes specious. Saint Gregory Palamas (65, 212).
When you leave church, do not be distracted in your mind by vain and useless things, so that the devil, coming and finding you busy with such vanity, does not immediately steal from your hearts the memory of the words you heard in church that were useful for the soul... and you are again left empty of the saving teaching . Venerable Simeon the New Theologian (61, 192).
John also speaks about the expulsion of merchants from the temple, only at the beginning of the Gospel, and Matthew at the end. Therefore, it is likely that this happened twice, and at different times, as can be seen both from the circumstances of the time and from the response of the Jews to Jesus. John says that this happened on the very feast of Easter, and Matthew says that this happened long before Easter. There the Jews say: “What sign will you prove to us..?” (John 2:18), but here they are silent, although Christ reproached them, they are silent because everyone was already amazed at Him. The Jews deserve all the more accusation because Christ did this more than once, and they still did not stop trading in the temple and called Christ the enemy of God, while from here they should have seen the honor He gave to the Father and His own power. Saint John Chrysostom (116, 358).
Source.
God's temple is a place of God's gracious presence, peace and joy of conscience, a quiet refuge for those worried in the ocean of this world. The offended person comes running here and raises his complaint to the Lord. At this place the one burdened with sins appears and receives quick relief. Those who ascend to the Future Life and wish to be satisfied with the immortal Table in Heaven resort to this Sacred Meal. “One day in Your courts is better than a thousand” (Ps. 83:11).
In these sacred temples, God has prepared various delights for us to perform spiritual deeds. In them we offer our prayers to the Most High and return our hearts to Him the way they were created by Him. And that is why this house is called “a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13). In them we open our spiritual wounds to the Doctor of souls and bodies and are healed by His grace; and therefore the temple is called a spiritual clinic. In them we celebrate the spiritual feast of the mysterious Communion and satisfy that hunger of the soul, which is incomparably more dangerous than the bodily; and therefore the altar of our offering is called the Lord's table. In them we calm the spirit, tired of the vanity of this world, when, upon entering, we hear the comforting greeting of the Heavenly Father: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
...But who should come to such a place and with what thoughts, let us ask blessed David or God himself: “Lord! who can dwell in Your habitation?” He answers us through his prophet: “He who walks blamelessly and does righteousness” (Ps. 14: 1-2). That is, who serves the purest God with purity of spirit and considers violating the truth, even in the slightest, to be a great crime and a burden on his conscience. Such a one worthily enters the house of the Lord; and at the same time that the church doors on earth are opened to him, the gates of heaven in Heaven are opened to him. For he, entering the material Temple with his body, passes through Heaven with his thoughts and boldly approaches the throne of Grace. Boldly, I say, for there is no obstacle to his union with God. God is the Most Holy One, and he lives immaculately. God is truth itself, and he makes truth. But when our conscience reproaches us, when those offended by us shed whole sources of tears before God, when we value profit and pleasing people more than preserving the truth, then how dare we enter this sacred place and begin the meal at which the peace offering is made and to which we pray for the peace of the whole world? With what eyes shall we look at the common Master, Who sanctified us with His Blood, so that, freed from sins, we might live in righteousness?
...Whoever runs to the temple, even if he was vicious, has the good hope of eventually coming to correction. But the one who withdraws intensifies his illness, and finally comes to the depths of evil, and does not care about it. But what directly prevents this? Vain wisdom and addiction to worldly joys or successes. It is a vain reasoning that one can pray even without a church. Human! if there is excitement at the pier, even more so at sea. If even here the diversion of thoughts and various objects confuse the thought of God, all the more so where you are left to your own devices. Truly, you can pray everywhere, but why do you move away from the society of which you have the honor of being a member? Prove that you do not tear yourself away from this sacred Body, give yourself consolation and pleasure to your fellow men. Such apologies are mere excuses, and the direct reason is an addiction to fun and success. Is there a time to go to church when the spectacle is on? Is there a time to go to church when they entertain the senses? Is there a time to go to church when the time for profits is lost? O vain human hopes and false enterprises! When building a house, think first about the foundation. All amusements are harmful, all profits are unreliable when they are not based on virtue. Acquire this first, acquire the fear of God, and therefore your amusements will be sinless and your profits will be blessed. And without this, amusement will cloud your mind, distract you from your duty, deplete your property, lead you into extravagance and disorder, and the thirst for profit will lead you along the path of untruth, arming haters who will quietly undermine the temple of your happiness.
…Consider the sacred temples, these houses of prayer, your theological school and school of Jesus Christ. For just as a lazy student who avoids his teacher remains in ignorance and delusion, so one who has no desire to come to this theological school will, of course, remain in ignorance of God, His law and his salvation. Plato, Metropolitan of Moscow (105, 93–98).
The Holy Evangelist Luke, outlining the circumstances preceding the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, says that, after the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven, they returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem and “having arrived, they went up to the upper room, where they remained... all of them with one accord... in prayer and praying, with some women and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1: 13-14); that, finally, “when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord” (Acts 2:1).
What kind of upper room is this in which the original Church of Christ dwelt? And what does it mean for the apostles and others to be in this upper room? Was it a simple house where people live during the day and spend the night? The sheer crowd of those in the upper room does not allow one to think this way. Twelve Apostles. To the Most Holy Mother of the Lord, to the myrrh-bearing women and other pious women, to the other disciples of the Lord, whom the evangelist numbers: “about a hundred and twenty people” (Acts 1:16), was it decent and convenient, was it possible to live in one upper room? What kind of room was this? It reminds me of the “large upper room carpeted” mentioned by the same evangelist (Luke 22:12), about which the Lord said to Peter and John: “Go, prepare for us to eat the Passover” (Luke 22:8) and in which He established and performed the Sacrament of His Body and Blood for the first time.
Either this is one and the same upper room, or, at least, both are identical in purpose and dignity. Its purpose was not to spend the day and night in it, have lunch and dinner, sit and rest, but that those who were in it “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication”; the Lord’s Last Supper was celebrated in it; in it the election of Matthew to sacred service took place, in it he was canonized as an apostle. It was an upper room that towered above everything earthly and worldly, and the pious spirit of those in it touched the heavenly and divine, which is why it ultimately received the highest advantage that Heaven and the Divine were solemnly and miraculously revealed in it. The Holy Spirit not only animated the apostles with His almighty breath and enlightened their minds with fiery tongues, inflamed their hearts, created languages for the worldwide preaching of salvation, but also filled the very place where they were with His holiness and grace: “he filled the whole house where they were” (Acts .2, 2).
I ask again: what kind of room is this? And what I have said so far, I hope, is enough to justify the final answer: the upper room of Zion, the apostolic, the upper room of the descent of the Holy Spirit is nothing more than the original image of the holy Christian temple; and, conversely, the holy Christian temple is a repeated, renewed, multiplied apostolic upper room of the descent of the Holy Spirit.
True, we did not hear here “a sound from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind” (Acts 2:2), we did not see tongues of fire, no one here speaks the different languages of multi-tribal peoples. But take into account that in the apostolic upper room, or in other words, in the apostolic holy temple, the amazing breath of a strong wind was not heard every day, only once tongues of fire appeared, however, at other times this temple was not deprived of the grace with which it was filled Holy Spirit. Without the initial miraculous movement and fiery brilliance, the holy apostles continued to teach that gift of the Holy Spirit in the quiet laying on of hands, which extends to the present-day sacramental rites in our sanctuaries. Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (114, 59–60).
“My house shall be called a house of prayer; and you made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). Everyone knows that the temple requires reverence, composure of thoughts, deep contemplation of God and standing in the presence of God, and yet who does this? They go to the temple with the desire to pray, to stand in it for a while with warm zeal, and then thoughts begin to wander, and a bargaining takes place in the head, even more noisy than what the Lord met in the Jerusalem temple. Why is this so? Because being in church is a reflection of your whole life. They live and somewhat support spiritual movements, but then the usual course of the spiritual order takes its toll. Therefore, if you want your stay in church to be a worthy standing before the face of the Lord, prepare for this with ordinary life: walk, as far as you can, in a prayerful mood. This work will bring you to the point where you will stand in reverence all the time in church. This same reverence will inspire you to reverence in everyday life. So you will go higher and higher. God help me, start! (107, 228–229).
“My house is a house of prayer” (Luke 19:46). And indeed, just enter the temple, and you will be drawn to prayer. Everything here is arranged and done in such a way as to encourage and facilitate prayer. Therefore, if you want to kindle prayer in your heart, go to the temple of God more often. You can’t pray at home like you can in church. There are those who pray warmly at home, but if this is the case at home, then how much more so in church! But when you are in church, be in it not only with your body, but more with your spirit. Stand where it is quieter, and, seeing the Lord in front of you with your mind, pour out your soul before Him. Dispel your dreams, do not allow worries and pay attention to one thing - the matter of prayer. Raise your heavy soul upward, and break its heaviness with contemplation of the divine. If there is anything behind you, remove yourself with repentance and a vow of correction. If your conscience is not full, add more acts of selflessness and love. While standing in the temple, prepare yourself and for the entire time when you are outside the temple, do not retreat from the Lord in thought, but always see Him before you, so that your feet do not move from the right path to the wrong one. This will make it easier for you to behave in it as you should when you come to church. And by staying properly in the temple, it will again be easier for you to maintain your attention before the Lord when you are outside the temple... And so your abiding in the Lord will grow higher and higher; What more could you want than that? Saint Theophan the Recluse (107, 410–411).
Let us remember the story from Divine Scripture about the Old Law saint Jacob. Walking from the oath well to Haran, Jacob found a place and lay down on it, putting a stone under his head. And he saw in a dream God and Angels ascending a ladder, as it is related in the book of Genesis (22). Rising from sleep, Jacob took the stone that served as his head, set it up as a pillar, poured oil on it and gave the name to that place: “the house of God” (Gen. 28:10-22). Source.
Let us note: he did not create a temple, the house of God, he only erected a lying stone as a pillar; and this pillar was not the House of God, Jacob only gave it such a name, called it the house of God. Perhaps someone will think: it is not a great thing, it is not a great joy for God, it is not a great offering to God to put one stone. And others, perhaps, will laugh, looking at what Jacob does: he calls one stone the house of God; there is no entrance into it, no doors or windows, but he calls it the house of God. Perhaps someone, according to human reasoning, would impute this deed of Jacob to nothing, but for the Lord God this small (in our opinion) deed was so great, so pleasant that it was not forgotten even after.
Let's see. Jacob worked between the rivers for Laban for twenty years: seven years for Leah, seven years for Rachel, and six years for the sheep. Already tired of this work, he wants to return to his fatherland, to his father and mother. And God appeared to him in a dream and said: “I am God, who appeared to you in Bethel, where you poured oil on the monument... now arise... and return to the land of your homeland and I will be with you” (Genesis 31:13). Let us pay attention: such a small gift, one stone, set up as a pillar and called the house of God, God not only did not forget, but after so many years he remembers it as something great, brought to Him as a gift, and promises for it as reward for Himself Himself: “And I,” He says, “will be with you.” That is, as if he were saying: you, Jacob, brought Me a simple stone as a gift, but I will put on your head “a crown of pure gold” (Ps. 20:4); kings, bishops and princes will come from you according to My command. You have erected a small pillar for Me, but I myself will be a strong defense for you from the enemy (Ps. 60:4); You poured a little oil on the pillar, but I will anoint your head with the oil of blessing - I will fill you with all kinds of good things; You have called a small place My home, but I will multiply your house like the stars of heaven and like the sand of the sea. And in addition to this, I will do this: from your tribe I will take flesh from the Most Pure Virgin in order to save the world. So I will be with you.
O ineffable goodness and love of God! O the wealth of His bounties! For such a small gift from Jacob - for one small and simple stone called the house of God, what a great reward for him, what great gifts! We will see from here how pleasing to God is the creation of holy temples. For if one stone, erected in His honor by Jacob, was so pleasant for Him, then how much more pleasant and unforgettable to Him was the creation of an entire temple, built from many stones! Saint Demetrius of Rostov (103, 940–941).
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“Take off your shoes from your feet” (Ex. 3:5), as the teachers write, this means putting aside earthly cares. You too, Christian, take off the shoes from your feet, that is, throw away the sadness of life, vain thoughts, when you come to the house of God, “for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Ex. 3:5). Plowman, stop thinking about farming, throw haymaking out of your head, don’t wander through the fields, steppes, forests, farmsteads, you have come to the wrong place: “the place on which you stand is holy land.” Merchant, don’t haggle here, don’t negotiate a price, don’t worry about selling, put the shop, the bargaining, the goods out of your head; this is not the place to buy, here they neither buy nor sell: “the place on which you stand is holy land.” Warrior, do not think about weapons, about war, about victory here, do not prepare yourself for battle, do not prepare for a ship; there is no place for battle here: “the place on which you stand is holy ground” (104, 2131–2132).
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When you enter the temple of the Lord, look around, who are you and to whom have you come? The servant came to the Lord, the creation to the Creator, and the sinner to the Righteous Judge. And think about this, why did you come to the temple of God? We enter the temple of God either to praise God, or to thank God, or to ask God for something, or to appease God for our sins. So, if you came to the house of God for this reason to ask forgiveness for your sins, then remember all your sins with which you angered your Creator from a very young age; look into the book of your conscience, look and judge how much you have upset your Lord. And so, thinking within ourselves, we were touched with our hearts, ascend with our minds to Heaven, with humility cast ourselves down before the throne of glory, fall at the feet of your Savior, who sits at the right hand of the Father, kiss His feet, shed them with tears, in the likeness of the gospel harlot, wipe His wet feet with your hair. , cry to Him like a publican: “God! be merciful to me, a sinner! (Luke 18, 13) (104, 2132–2133).
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And if you enter the house of God and, having entered, think about what is forbidden in another place, talk about vain things, talk about earthly things, standing before the Heavenly King, look at those entering and leaving, look only at one ceremony, notice how someone If you are wearing what you are wearing, it is better not to enter the holy place with such intention. Because it is not useful, even harmful. “My house,” says the Lord, “will be called a house of prayer” (Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46)... What would Christ the Lord do if he found such outrage in the temple of new grace, where His terrible Sacraments are performed, if would I see people laughing and mocking, and turning a house of prayer into a house of trade? But He sees, He sees it even now. And although now He does not expel them with a whip from His temple, He will expel them from the Temple of Eternal Glory and will share their fate with the infidels, if they do not stop doing this and do not appease Him with repentance. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (104, 2133–2134).
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Whoever, during his earthly life, visits the temple of God as often as possible, as if living in it, will, having been separated from his body, very conveniently move for eternal celebration to the Heavenly Temple Not Made by Hands (109, 178).
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...When you come to the Church... stand behind, in a modest corner or behind a pillar... direct the eye of your mind to the heart, and the eye of your body to the ground, and pray to God in contrition of spirit (109, 180).
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Church prayers contain extensive Christian dogmatic and moral theology; One who always attends church and carefully listens to its reading and singing can clearly study everything that is necessary for an Orthodox Christian in the field of faith. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) (109, 181–182).
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The fathers told about Abba Marcellus of Thebaid, from the words of his disciple, that, intending to go to service on Sunday, he prepared himself and learned part of the Scriptures by heart. And I stood there in tears throughout the service. He said that when the service was being performed, he saw the whole church as if on fire, and when the service ended, the fire went out. Ancient Patericon (72, 404–405).
Holy Scripture about the Church
Figurative comparisons (parables) help to understand the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. Each parable about the Church reveals some aspect of its life, and in their entirety they teach about unity
Churches: one sheepfold, one vineyard, one vine, one Noah's Ark, one Body, one building, etc. Just as God is one, and the soul is indivisible, so the true Church must be one and indivisible, preserving its essence throughout its entire existence and not being subject to fragmentation.
The Church is the grain
, which grew above the ground into a mighty tree (Matthew 13:31, 32). Here the inner vitality of the Kingdom of God is shown as a prototype of the rapid growth of the Church. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which, although smaller than all the seeds... when it grows, it is larger than all the grains and becomes a great tree, so that the birds of the air come and take refuge in its branches” (Matthew 13 :31, 32). As it passes through the stages of its development, the tree somewhat changes its appearance, but not its essence. In a similar way, the Church, on its historical path, went through different phases of changes in external church life and liturgical practice: the forms of government of local churches changed, divine services were improved, new pious customs, holidays and fasts appeared, new prayers and church melodies arose, the formulation of Christian truths was clarified with using new philosophical and religious terms, but the essence of the teachings of Christ and the power of grace remained the same as under the apostles.
Church - vineyard
: Mf.
20:1–10; Mf. 21:33–46, 1 Cor. 3:6–9 (also see Song 1:5, Isaiah 5:1–7, Isaiah 27:2, Jeremiah 12:10). This figurative designation of the Kingdom of God arose in the Old Testament. The purpose of the vineyard is to bring God the fruits of faith and good deeds. We need hard-working vinedressers who take care of multiplying the fruits in the garden, i.e. We need a church hierarchy, a priesthood. The Old Testament winegrowers turned out to be unfaithful. “What will the lord of the vineyard do with them? He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others” (Luke 20:15, 16). Christ replaced the Old Testament priesthood with New Testament shepherds and teachers (this will be discussed in more detail). The analogy, close to the previous one, is that the Church is a garden: “I (Paul) planted it, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow; Therefore, he who plants and he who waters is nothing, but everything
” (1 Cor. 3:6, 7).
Church is a vine
. This figurative comparison reveals the presence of an organic connection between Christ and believers, from whom they receive spiritual strength.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of Me that does not bear fruit He cuts off; and every one that bears fruit he cleanses, that it may bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed through the word that I preached to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is in the vine, so neither can you unless you are in Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches; whoever abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch and wither; and such branches
they are collected and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you do not desire, and it will be done for you. By this will My Father be glorified, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples” (John 15:1-8).
The sacramental union between Christ and the faithful is realized in Communion
His Body and Blood. This is why the Son of God became incarnate, in order to unite us with the Divine through His Human nature. The Lord explained in detail about the need for Communion in His conversation about the Bread of Life (John 6th chapter).
“Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:53, 54). Having taught His disciples the need to maintain unity with Himself, the Lord, on Maundy Thursday, on the eve of His suffering on the cross, established the sacrament of Communion itself, commanding the apostles: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).
Ap. Paul explains that Communion is a real union with Christ:
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion of the Blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a communion of the Body of Christ? There is one bread, and we, many, are one body; for we all partake of one bread... For I am from Himself
He received from the Lord what he also conveyed to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night on which he was betrayed, took bread and, having given thanks, broke it and said: take, eat (eat), this is My Body, broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. He also took the cup after supper, and said: This cup is the New Testament in My Blood; Do this whenever you drink, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats this Bread or drinks this Cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord” (1 Cor. 10:16, 17, 11:23–27). “We have an altar, from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat” (Heb. 13:10). As Ap says. Peter, through Communion we have become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4).
Church – Body of Christ
. In Communion, believers are united with Christ, transformed and become members of the Body of Christ - the Church: Eph. 1:10, Eph. 1:22–23, Eph. 3:6, Rom. 12:4–8, Col. 1:18, Col. 2:19, Eph. 5:22–33. Each believer, as a member of the body, has his own purpose (needed by the whole) and his own obedience (all believers depend on each other and need mutual help).
“For just as we have many members in one body, but not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. And since, by the grace given to us, we have various gifts, then do you have
prophecy,
prophesy
according to the measure of faith;
If you have
a ministry,
remain
in the service;
whether a teacher, - in teaching; whether you are an exhorter, exhort; whether you distribute, distribute
in simplicity;
Whether you are a boss, lead
with zeal;
If you are a benefactor, do good
with cordiality” (Rom. 12:4–8). Gentile believers also join the Church: “so that the Gentiles may be fellow heirs, being one body, and partakers of His promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 3:6, see also Eph. 5:22–33).
Christ is the head of the Church
: “in the dispensation of the fulness of times, in order to unite all things in heaven and on earth under the head of Christ” (Eph. 1:10). “He is the head of the body of the Church; He is the firstfruits, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18).
Church - sheep yard
: In. 10:1–16, Luke 12:32, 1 Pet. 5:1–5. The yard is fenced, and Christ protects the believers inside the fence from the wolf (the devil and his servants).
The sheep obey Him. One flock and one Shepherd. “Whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs by some other means, is a thief and a robber; and he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep obey his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. And when he has brought out his sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. They don’t follow a stranger, but run from him, because they don’t know someone else’s voice. Jesus spoke this parable to them; but they did not understand what He was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” All, no matter how many of them came before Me, are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door: whoever enters through Me will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But a hireling, not a shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and runs; and the wolf plunders the sheep and scatters them. But the hireling flees because he is a hireling, and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know Mine, and Mine know Me. As the Father knows Me, so
and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this fold, and these I must bring: and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd” (John 10:1-16).
The shepherds of the Church (bishops, priests) continue the work of the Supreme Shepherd Christ:
“I beg your shepherds, a fellow shepherd and witness of the sufferings of Christ and a sharer in the glory that is to be revealed: feed the flock of God that is among you, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile gain, but out of zeal, and not dominion over the inheritance of God,
but setting an example to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory. Likewise, younger ones, obey the shepherds; Nevertheless, being submissive to one another, clothe yourselves with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:1-5).
Church - field
, on which, in addition to wheat, tares also sprout. It is explained here that temptations in the Church are inevitable until the Day of Judgment. The culprit of temptation is the devil, but people also bear part of the blame because they are careless. “Let both grow together until the harvest; and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but put the wheat into my barn” (Matthew 13:25-30).
Church - building
(temple or house). Look: Matt. 21:43, Rome. 9:33, Eph. 2:19–22, 1 Cor. 3:10, 11, 1 Tim. 3:15, 2 Tim. 2:19–21. Here the strength of the Church is revealed. Each believer, as a part of the whole, has his own purpose. Christ is the foundation of the Building: Christ is “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner” (Matthew 21:42, Psalm 117:22, 23). “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a stone of offense; but whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame” (Rom. 9:33, Isa. 28:16, 8:14). Believers make up the house of God:
“According to the grace given to me by God, like a wise builder, I laid a foundation, and another builds on it;
but everyone watch how to build.
For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:10, 11), wrote the apostle. Paul to Christians. “You are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone ,
on which the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, on which you will be built into a habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19–22).
Church - mountain
(Isa. 2:2, 3, Isa. 11:1-10, Dan. 2:34, Joel 3:17, Obed. 1:17, Zech. 8:3, Heb. 12:22, 24, Rev. 14:1). Here the greatness and steadfastness of the Church is revealed, in comparison with which earthly kingdoms are hills, pitiful mounds. The purpose of the Church is also revealed: to lead believers to the Heavenly Kingdom and to ennoble the morals of society.
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S. Yesenin BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS, BEHIND THE YELLOW VALLEYS...
Behind the mountains, behind the yellow valleys, a trail of villages stretches. I see a forest and an evening fire, And a hedge entwined with nettles. There, in the morning, over the church domes, the heavenly sand turns blue, and the roadside grasses ring from the lakes with a watery breeze. It is not for the songs of spring over the plain that the green expanse is dear to me - I fell in love with the melancholy of a crane On a high mountain a monastery. Every evening, as the blue clouds over, as the dawn hangs on the bridge, you go, my poor wanderer, to bow to love and the cross. The meek spirit of the monastery resident, You eagerly listen to the litany, Pray before the face of the savior For my lost soul.
Priest Andrei Logvinov I WOULD HAVE TO REPENTANCE...
If only I could repent in the ruddy early morning and go to a white monastery. How everything would change! Immediately the heart was renewed And health and breadth would be. How would I like to repent...
I.A. I LOVED Bunin AS A CHILDHOOD
As a child, I loved the twilight in the temple, I loved Him in the evening, shining with lights, in front of the praying crowd. I loved the all-night vigil, when the chants and words sounded like humble humility and repentance for sins. Silently, somewhere in the vestibule, I stood behind the crowd, I brought there with me In my soul both joy and sorrow. And at the hour when the choir quietly sang about the “Quiet Light” - in emotion I forgot my worries And my heart joyfully brightened... Years passed, hopes passed, Dreams changed. There is no longer such warmth in my soul as before. But those holy impressions still have power over my heart, And I, without tears, without irritation, experience the days of doubt, the days of insults and losses.
A.S. Pushkin MONASTERY ON KAZBEK
Monastery on Kazbek High above the family of mountains, Kazbek, your royal tent Shines with eternal rays. Your monastery is behind the clouds, Like a flying ark in the sky, Soaring, barely visible, above the mountains. A distant, longed-for shore! There, saying goodbye to the gorge, Rise to the free heights! There, in a cell beyond the clouds, in the neighborhood of God, I should hide!..
I.A. Bunin FRESH IN APRIL EARLY DAWN
The early dawn is fresh in April. Glass ice crunches in the shade of the huts. The communicants carry children to the walls of the monastery - to fulfill a desired duty. Receive, Lord, happy mothers, Open a temple with a shining throne - And at your holy doors Cover them with a blissfully heavy ringing.
ON THE. Nekrasov SILENCE
All the rye is all around, like a living steppe, No castles, no seas, no mountains... Thank you, dear side, For your healing space! Beyond the distant Mediterranean Sea, Under a sky brighter than yours, I was looking for reconciliation with grief, And I found nothing! I don’t belong there: I’m moping, I’m numb, Not having overcome my fate, I bowed there before it, But you died - and I’ll be able, Perhaps, to withstand the struggle! I am yours. Let the murmur of reproach run at my heels, Not to the skies of someone else's homeland - I composed songs for my homeland! And now I greedily believe my beloved Dream And in tenderness I send greetings to everyone... I recognize the severity of rivers, always ready to withstand war with a thunderstorm, And the even noise of pine forests, And the silence of villages, And wide fields of fields... The temple of God flashed on the mountain And with a childishly pure feeling faith Suddenly there was a smell on my soul. There is no denial, no doubt, And an unearthly voice whispers: Seize the moment of tenderness, Enter with an open head! No matter how warm the alien sea is, No matter how red the alien distance, It is not for her to correct our grief, to unlock Russian sadness! The temple of sighing, the temple of sorrow - The wretched temple of your land: Neither Roman Peter nor the Colosseum heard heavier groans! Here the people you love brought their insurmountable melancholy with their holy burden - and left relieved! Come in! Christ will lay on hands and, by the will of the saint, will remove the shackles from the soul, the torment from the heart, and the ulcers from the sick conscience... I listened... I was touched as a child... And for a long time I wept and beat my forehead on the old slabs, so that he would forgive, so that he would intercede, so that the God of the oppressed would overshadow me with the cross, God of the mourners, God of the generations coming Before this meager altar!..
Andrey Blokh CHURCH DUSK
Church twilight. Peaceful coolness, Silent altar. The trembling light of an undying lamp Now, as before. There is no noise here, and the heart beats more quietly and does not hurt. Here souls cried out a lot of grief at the ancient slabs. Here people entrusted flour to God, Here is the eternal trace of Unknown tears, unspeakable sadness of Forgotten years. An ancient temple - protection from powerlessness, a shelter for battles, where the angel of God gives wings to mortals for their prayers.
V.A. Zhukovsky EVERYONE IS PUSHING TO YOU INTO THE TEMPLE...
Everyone crowds into Your temple, And everyone brings incense to You with kneeling, They praise You with thundering songs; I stand alone in the corner - I am filled with You as if with life, And I offer my secret sacrifice to You with my soul.
A. Maikov WHEN, WE ARE DRIVEN BY INCONSOLIABLE MEANING...
When we are driven by inconsolable melancholy. You will enter the temple and stand there in silence, Lost in an immense crowd, Like part of one suffering soul. Involuntarily, your grief will drown in it, You will feel that your spirit has suddenly flowed Mysteriously into its native sea And at the same time rushes into the heavens.
A. Maikov IS DEAR TO ME IN FRONT OF THE ICON...
Dear to me, in front of the icon in a bright golden robe, This ardent wax, kindled by Whose hand is unknown. I know: the candle is burning, the clergy solemnly sings: Someone’s grief subsides, someone’s tears are quietly shedding, a bright angel of hope flies over the crowd... I feel the sign of these candles with a trembling soul: This is the widow’s copper penny, This is the poor man’s mite, This... maybe... murderers Repentant melancholy... This is a bright moment In the wild darkness and wilderness, The memory of tears and tenderness Into the eternity of a soul that looked...
Book P.A. Vyazemsky RURAL CHURCH
I love the country road On a summer day, on a temple holiday To get to a service in a poor temple, Revered by rural simplicity. That temple, built of logs, was once the beauty of the village, Now it is dilapidated, although not ancient, And was not noted by rumor. And its bell does not sound, carries the gospel voice, And the self-taught man wrote his iconostasis with his own hand. The gilded gospel does not shine in its simplicity, And only in days and care Is the humble priest rich. But the people zealously surrounded the temple, the porch, and the fence, and the shepherd proclaimed peace of grace to the devout flock. But you will not hear a simpler, but more humble prayer: Here it is freer, here it is more spacious for Her to cry out to heaven. Both old and young, making bows, hasten to light their candle; And local icons shine, bathed in the glow of candles. The windows are open... the fragrant freshness of the trees breathes through the windows, And a pedestrian from the road hears the cross, a prayer chant. In accordance with the poverty of the parish, Nothing entertains the eye: There is poor nature all around, And a cramped row of poor huts. But everything here is sacred and humble and calms the mind, And the heart is full of tenderness And bright feelings and pure thoughts. You go further - years of minutes, And with them a lot will pass, The traces of the past will cool down and little of them will emerge. But a church with a low bell tower, Humble, pious people, Each more devout than the other, A lost parish in the wilderness, Two, three birch trees near the cemetery, A pond greened with mud, Villages, peaceful dwellings, Where need and labor are awake, Are not consigned to oblivion in me! I see them, as in the old days, And they fall like a refreshing shadow on the soul.
CONSOLE IN GRIEF
If you are exhausted in life, And the work is beyond your strength, If you suffer heavily in your soul, You languish in an unequal struggle. If your faith leaves you. And hope begins to leave, If your heart weeps in pain, Then you will begin to grumble about fate. If at times you don’t have enough strength, hurry to God’s temple, fall down before the holy icon, pray, pray from your heart. There you will find consolation, You will rest from hard work, All your doubts will be resolved, When you pour out your soul in tears. You will walk the path of life with love and holy faith, If you begin to find consolation for yourself in church with prayer.
All-Russian John the Baptist Orthodox Brotherhood "Sobriety"
