What is obedience? Answering this question is not at all easy. On the one hand, it is one of the most important virtues of a Christian and, at the same time, one of the main requirements for his personality. On the other hand, the word “obedience” evokes either a conscious or unconscious protest among many. After all, in every person nature itself provides mechanisms that cause resistance to coercion. Having heard only one word “obedience,” many immediately mentally think of the most extreme option, which involves abandoning one’s own will. So what is this concept? How does church teaching explain it?

Definition of the concept

What is obedience? In the Orthodox Church, this term refers to the execution of orders of a certain kind. The very word “obedience” already means obedience and submission. In church practice, this term means certain work or duties that are assigned to a novice of a monastery or monk. He performs them to atone for some act or sin. Then prayer and obedience are imposed on the person.

For ordinary people, the meaning of this word is to form a certain position based on conviction. In other words, when answering the question “what is obedience for the average citizen?” It can be explained that this is a certain order, which consists in the subordination of a lower-ranking employee to a higher-ranking one.

However, this term still primarily relates to life in a monastery. It is not worth transferring it purely mechanically to the ordinary world.

Achieving a happy life

There is hardly a person who would not wish for health and prosperity, a successful marriage, obedient and good children, peace on our planet, peace in the heart and many other benefits. In relation to believers, we can also mention here the receipt of grace, salvation and unity with the Creator. Many people strive for this, put all their strength and effort into it, but never get the desired result. The Bible reveals to us the secret of failure. From its first pages to its last, one pattern can be traced. It is about receiving God's blessing through obedience to him.

The end of earthly paradise and a happy life came back in the time of Adam and Eve. These first people expressed disobedience to the Spiritual Father. With this they marked the beginning of disasters for the entire human race. And so it was until Jesus Christ redeemed people by his obedience to the Heavenly Father. By this, he made it possible for those who were subdued to His heart to regain their lost paradise, but not the earthly one, but the heavenly one.

Definition of obedience

What is the essence of this concept? As mentioned above, the meaning of the word “obedience” comes down to submission and obedience. This concept is the submission of one's will to the instructions of another, proven in practice.

What is obedience? This is the basis on which a person’s good relationship is formed, first of all, with God. Indeed, using the example of the Bible, we see that those who violate holy obedience receive pain and suffering, curse and death. For such a seemingly insignificant act of Adam and Eve, people have been living for thousands of years in sorrow and suffering, illness and hard work, wars and dissatisfaction, which ultimately ends in death. This is the price of disobedience. After all, God does not have unnecessary and insignificant prohibitions. He does not allow only that which will not bring happiness to His creation. In this regard, it becomes clear why it is so important to realize the meaning of Christian obedience and learn to hear the Creator, joyfully obeying his will. This should be happiness for every person.

Obedience training

God has always sought to create right relationships between himself and man. Immediately he taught him, and then he tested obedience to his Word. And if a person lost the Highest blessing, then he immediately doomed himself to an unhappy existence, subsequently finding himself at God’s judgment. This was the case during the antediluvian world, and this continues today.

The Bible also addresses this issue. It says that, leading the people out of Egypt, God gave them a law on Mount Sinai. These are the commandments of God, the fulfillment of which will allow people to live in blessing and happiness. A lot of time has passed since then. The people of Israel received the land of Canaan for themselves. However, the principle of obedience remains unchanged for everyone today.

Knowing God

It first of all becomes clear when studying the Holy Scriptures. Anyone who makes any choice or action that is contrary to this canon is disobeying the will of God.

What should a candidate for tonsure do? The novice must strictly adhere to the rules. In addition, he must participate in the Sacraments of the Church and in divine services. One of the activities of such a person is also monastic obedience.

During this period, future monks must fully follow the instructions of their spiritual mentor and the abbot himself. This is also a time when a person should especially carefully monitor his thoughts and himself. Indeed, during such a period, the foundation of his future life is created.

Monasticism is a special type of feat, a special calling. A person begins to ascend to God for various reasons, but his goal is always the same. A monk, according to the Gospel, strives for moral improvement and acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit. And he goes to this by cutting off his own will, leaving the familiar world, through intense work and prayers.

Work in the monastery

What is it like, the day of obedience? For the inhabitants of the monastery, work is an integral part of life. A variety of obediences are imposed on the brethren. They are necessary not only to create material wealth that allows all members of the monastery to exist. Coming to the monastery, a person brings here everything that has accumulated in his soul. All his passions are nothing more than a consequence of a change in human nature by some kind of sin, for example, addictions. And only through selfless work can the soul and body become free. Obedience cuts off sinful will and desire, defeats self-love and pride, as well as self-pity. During this period, a person, if he wants, will learn spiritual art. Only after this will he begin to look at all things simply.

Obedience is the name for various work in the monastery. But whatever it is, it will certainly be connected with the organization of worship and internal monastic life. This could be church singing or work in a church, in the kitchen, in a bakery, in a vegetable garden, in cowsheds, as well as in various workshops (icon painting, sewing, etc.) Almost any profession becomes in demand in the monastery.

Serving for the good of the monastery is God’s special calling. But you shouldn’t think that life in a monastery is very difficult. What is difficult here is not the work, but the change in one’s will. After all, the novice will have to do in uncomplaining obedience everything that his sisters, brothers or fathers order him. The reward for all this will be humility, peace and peace of mind.

Dedication

Due to the wrong attitude towards the obediences that are imposed in the monastery, a person can leave this saving and grace-filled path. Then he leaves the monastery. But everyone who intends to take monastic vows should understand that fulfilling obediences is nothing more than sacrificial service to God and the brethren. This allows us to fulfill the commandments of Christ.

But novice labor alone is not enough. This period in a person’s life must be accompanied by constant prayers, which are the basis of monastic life.

During obedience, a person must actively and carefully study the canons of the Holy Scriptures, as well as the ascetic works created by the holy fathers. These are, for example, the “Orders” written by Abba Dorotheos, the “Acts” of the Venerable Theodore the Studite, etc.

When a newly minted novice accepts a cassock, a certain ritual is performed. It is called the “change of garments”, as well as the “taking off of the world.” At the same time, the worker or laborer must make three low bows before the Altar and one to the abbot or abbess, accepting from his or her hands the rosary, skufya, monastic belt and cassock. From this time on, a person stops wearing worldly clothes.

Sometimes this ceremony is carried out using additional actions. If this is provided for by the rules of the monastery, then the novice is dressed in a hood and cassock. This is done with the written consent of the future monk. From this moment on, the novice is called a monk or a ryassophore. Such a rank imposes great responsibility on a person.

The abbot always carefully observes the completion of the novitiate. And only after he sees a person’s readiness to accept the angelic image, he himself or together with the Spiritual Council presents the candidate in a letter to the ruling bishop. This message asks for the blessing of a person to take monastic vows.

The period of novitiate is special in the life of each of the future monks. Afterwards, many fondly remember this time. After all, obedience is not a sacrifice at all. Everything is done according to one’s own will, receiving great grace in return. That is why every future monk should obey his mentors, who care about the soul of the novice.

Of course, obedience in a monastery means performing certain tasks for which the abbot blesses people. However, most of all, this direction should be considered as the main part of the spiritual life of the brethren of the monastery, as well as the main path to human salvation.

Every novice strives to understand God's will. That is why he works hard on his desires and on himself. God wants every future monk to understand His will. And it will open up and penetrate into the novice thanks to spiritually experienced people, as well as through life circumstances, conscience and fulfillment of God’s commandments.

Conclusion

So what is obedience? This is the basis of the Christian religion, which presupposes the constant cooperation of man and God. It allows the Almighty to transform people and dwell in them.

Types of obedience are multifaceted. Moreover, they will all depend on Divine Providence. Obedience can be viewed in different aspects. This may be enduring sorrows forgiven by God, or undergoing a special type of feat while simultaneously following the advice of an experienced spiritual mentor or an elder with the gift of reasoning and insight. But, be that as it may, all available types of obedience are united by the fulfillment and exaction of the Divine will.

For a person striving to devote himself to serving the Church, any obedience in the temple will be saving. The disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ himself should serve as an example for us here, because they showed unfailing, unquestioning obedience to their Teacher. A striking example of this can be the case when the Savior sent His disciples to bring a colt on which He was to enter Jerusalem. This colt belonged to some people, and when the disciples began to untie it, the owners asked: “Where are you taking the colt?”, but the disciples answered: “The Lord commanded.” We see in this, of course, unquestioning, zealous obedience, because they carried out an order that was completely, seemingly unthinkable - they came and took away someone else’s livestock, without thinking about the consequences, blindly fulfilling the command of the Lord.

But the most striking example is the incident of the multiplication of loaves, described in most detail in the Gospel; Here one can see both the frankness of the disciples before the Lord and their obedience to Him, that is, the unquestioning cutting off of their will. We will look at this episode from the Gospel of John and make additions from the Gospel of Matthew.

« Now Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw that many people were coming to Him, and said to Philip: With what shall we buy the loaves that they may eat? This is what he said, tempting him, because he himself knew what he wanted to do. Philip answered Him: Two hundred pennies of bread is not enough for them, and each one will receive little of it.”(John 6:5–7). It seems to be an ordinary story: the Apostle Philip is completely sane, simply responding to the Lord. But then one can already see the frankness inherent in the students and their extreme trust. It tells about such a little thing that, as it often seems to us, has no significance in our church life and which therefore can be hidden. But the disciples did not hide anything, they told the Lord everything, even seemingly insignificant things, and this frankness, as we know, led to one of the Savior’s greatest and most extraordinary miracles - the multiplication of loaves. "There is only one word to Him from His disciple, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter: “There is one youth here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these?”(John 6.8–9) . That is, he talks about something that has no meaning. Imagine the Savior asking: “How much money does it take to buy bread? How will we buy bread to feed all these people?” Philip says: “Even two hundred pennies will not have enough bread for them to taste a little, even a little.” Andrei adds this seemingly completely unnecessary, from the point of view of common sense, detail: after all, if two hundred pennies is not enough, then why talk about five loaves and two fishes? But Andrei cannot hide anything, because he trusted the Savior, was accustomed to informing Him about things that he himself could not understand or to which, perhaps, he did not even attach importance, but nevertheless said everything. This is an example of what in monastic life is called revelation of thoughts.

Pay attention to how events developed further. “He said: bring them to Me.”(Matthew 14, 18) . It would seem why? It’s some kind of absurd thing: they just said that the bread they bought wouldn’t be enough even for two hundred pennies, and now He says: bring it. But no one dares to object, they bring it, and then the Savior commands the following:“Create people who are lying down. There’s a lot of grass in the place.”(John 6, 10) . And again no one dares to object, but everyone fulfills the Savior’s orders. Why, it would seem, lie down when there is no food? Why offer five loaves and two fish? Why was there any need to talk about this in the first place? But the disciples first show frankness, then unquestioning obedience, and after this a great miracle occurs, one of the greatest miracles created by the Savior.“Next to them there were men, numbering about five thousand. Jesus accepted the loaves and, having given praise, gave them to the disciples, and the disciples to those reclining, likewise from the fishes, as he desired. And as if he was satisfied, he said to his disciple: gather up the excess of the ukrukh, so that nothing will perish. Having gathered and fulfilled the twelve kosha, I took away from the five barley loaves, and the excess of the poisoned ones.”(John 6:10–13) . Here is an example of sincerity and obedience.

Now let’s imagine such a picture - unprecedented, impossible: let’s imagine that we would be in the same situation, and would be exactly as we are. How would we behave? Let’s imagine that all this is happening for the first time, and not with the Apostle Philip, not with the Apostle Andrew, but with us, ordinary people. What would be? What would happen is that someone would, of course, give an answer to the first question: the bread bought for two hundred pennies would not be enough. This is an ordinary conversation, you just need to have a minimum of common sense, we seem to have such people. But when it becomes necessary to go further after the event and the need arises to show a certain frankness, to talk about some unimportant, unnecessary detail, I don’t know if there is a person among us who could sincerely say: “Here we have one youth...” Which youth? Adults have gathered here, so why talk about this boy at all? Who is he? Some parishioner, and he has five loaves of bread and two fish... Why talk about such a trifle, when it is already clear: there is not enough bread? This is how we would think. And it is clear that if we did not show sincerity, then, accordingly, we could not expect events to develop further. But even if one of us showed sincerity, hardly anyone would show obedience when they told him: bring these loaves here. He would shrug his shoulder and answer: “What is there to carry here? There are more important, serious things to do, why bother with this?” Yes, of course, now we understand: how can you not obey the Lord Jesus Christ? But let’s think: after all, at that time the Savior’s disciples were not yet completely confident in the Divinity of their Teacher, we know that during His suffering the Apostle Peter even denied three times, and most of them fled, showing cowardice, which means they did not have was full of faith, they forgot the prophecy of the Resurrection of the Lord. That is why we see that they often treated Him as a simple man, not realizing that He was God incarnate. And so, in order to correctly understand our own behavior, in order to correctly evaluate it, we should imagine how we would behave if we were next to the Lord at that time. I think that some in the situation that preceded the miracle of multiplying the loaves would have shrugged their shoulders and walked away, some would have started whispering and smiling. Others, even if they did and brought something, would do so reluctantly, with distrust and murmuring. And if we talk about the third command of the Savior: “Tell everyone to lie down” - or, as we would say now, “sit down at the tables”, then certainly none of us would have fulfilled this order. Everyone would consider this a completely absurd, unnecessary thing and would begin to look for some other meaning in the Lord’s requirement, perhaps somehow interpret it in their own way, in general, one way or another, avoid fulfilling it.

Of course, we can say that we live in the most ordinary, ordinary times, the Lord Jesus Christ is not present here so visibly, clearly, and here there is not even such an ascetic, an elder, whom we could unquestioningly obey, and therefore this obligation is removed from us - to be sincere and obedient. But such a justification can have any basis only in the case when our mentors, the priests, really order us something incredible, something strange, like how the Lord Jesus Christ commanded the disciples to first bring the loaves, then seat the hungry people on the grass, etc. d. Yes, then we could justify ourselves and say that our mentors do not have such authority as to demand unquestioning obedience. But in fact, they don’t tell us anything absurd; they say the most ordinary things, coming from common sense, which we should even do on our own, if we had enough intelligence to understand for ourselves what to do. We, by showing stubbornness, some kind of isolation, self-will, thereby show that we do not want to fulfill the will of God, the will of the Lord Jesus Christ. And of course, no miracle, nothing extraordinary that should happen if we showed such correct gospel obedience, will not happen to us. We live in the world, we pray, we strive, we endure, we fight with ourselves, but we do not observe a miracle with our souls, for the reason that we do not have the same obedience that the holy apostles had: having demonstrated it, they saw something unprecedented, impossible. Miracles were created with their hands. Although they were carried out, of course, by Divine power, by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, they were still carried out by the hands of the apostles, because they distributed bread to people. In the same way, if we showed due obedience, not for the sake of this or that person (for example, a confessor), but for the sake of our own salvation, for the sake of following the Gospel, we would see how an extraordinary miracle happens through us and in ourselves, as we we change. Grace multiplies in us just as a huge amount of food came from five loaves of bread, feeding more than five thousand people.

Until now, we have talked about the unusually sincere attitude, trust of the apostles in the Lord Jesus Christ and their obedience, but now I would like to talk about disobedience, but let’s turn not to a real example, but to the parable of the Savior. The Lord in this parable, as He did before, draws on examples from everyday human life, from everyday human experience and, using such examples, talks about the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. But we, in order to better understand the meaning and significance of the parable, can do the opposite: taking these sublime Gospel examples depicting heavenly mysteries, let us descend to the everyday example that the Lord used, and we will be convinced that the Lord gave exactly such examples as were for listeners were completely obvious - this was the strength of their persuasiveness. So we will see that the Lord Jesus Christ and His listeners understood the parable that I will now give quite clearly: disobedience is disgusting, worthy of all anger and contempt.

“A certain man made a great supper and a great feast. And the ambassador of his servant in the year of the supper said to those who were invited: Come, for the whole essence is already ready. And having begun to deny everything together, I first spoke to him: I bought the village, and the imam will go away from the need and see it, I pray, have me renounced. And another said: the husband bought five oxen, and I am coming to tempt them, I pray thee, have me denied. And another said: I have tied my wife, and for this reason I cannot come. And that servant came and told his master this. Then the lord of the house became angry and spoke to his servant..."(Luke 14:16–21) . Pay attention - “then the ruler of the house was angry.” It was obvious to the Savior’s listeners that when they are called to a feast and someone refuses, that is, shows, in church language, disobedience, and even finds an excuse, this causes anger. These excuses did not seem to the master, who called everyone to the wedding feast, to the supper, at all convincing or such as could bring peace, but, on the contrary, led him into even greater indignation. But we think that when we express various justifications like these, they should cause some reassurance in those who order us. Whether we are commanded correctly or even incorrectly, but obedience, as you know, according to the teaching of the holy fathers, serves as a means to acquiring humility, and humility is the force that attracts grace and prayer into a person’s soul. As one of the saints said, as much as you have succeeded in humility, so much have you succeeded in prayer.

So, a person forcing himself to obedience, obeying, shows that he is precisely striving for the wedding feast, wants to come to this supper and taste Divine grace, he does not refuse the invitation under various, from a human point of view, truly convincing, pretexts: marriage, purchase of oxen or land. To everyone who has not responded to the invitation, the reasons for refusing seem very important, but compared to what they are refusing, these reasons are insignificant. And then what does the Householder do? “I said to my servant: go out quickly into the crossroads and the hailstorms, and bring this to the poor, and the needy, and the blind, and the lame. And the servant said: Lord, it happened as you commanded, and there is still room. And the Lord said to the servant: go out into the paths and chalugs, and persuade them to listen, so that my house may be filled.”(Luke 14:21–22) . So, we see that those people come who, being either homeless, or poor, or disabled, or blind, or lame, have no excuse for refusing. They have nothing to do, they consider themselves insignificant, they are glad when they are called to a feast, and, of course, do not neglect this opportunity when they - insignificant, outcast, meaningless people - are called to such an extraordinary spectacle and to such an extraordinary state. This means that those who consider themselves to be something, who, as it seems to them, have something, make excuses and refuse; and those who think about themselves that they are nothing, show unquestioning obedience, go to the evening feast, where, of course, they are saturated with the ineffable grace of God.

“I tell you that not a single man of those who were called will taste my supper. For many are the ranks, but few are chosen.”(Luke 14:24) . So, it turns out that a person becomes chosen when he is humble, when he considers himself a complete insignificance. For then he can no longer disobey. Again, one can argue that it is another matter when you are called to a feast or, in accordance with the correct understanding of this parable, to the Church, to salvation, to eternal life, to unity with God, and a completely different matter when you are sent to some kind of work or they order you to do something empty and unnecessary. But while outwardly performing some empty or insignificant task, internally - if, of course, you do everything correctly - you rush to God. Internally, in your soul, you take an invisible step towards that Divine spiritual evening, towards Divine grace.

When we read the lives of the saints, we are often convinced that it was the obedient people who unquestioningly cut off their own will who acquired Divine grace. Many examples can be given: this is St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), and Paisius Velichkovsky, and many ascetic monks who labored under the leadership of the Monk Paisius, and Kirill Beloezersky, who, as you know, worked in the kitchen. And among us this is considered the most terrible obedience; some say that they will never work there - “even if you kill me.” And Kirill Beloezersky, being in the kitchen, acquired grace. When he begged the Mother of God to be transferred to another obedience (note: he did not voluntarily ask for time off, but turned to the Mother of God with prayer), and he was entrusted with rewriting books, doing which, it would seem, it was possible to saturate his mind with soul-helping teachings , then he lost grace and again prayed to return to his previous obedience. And he returned: he was again miraculously transferred, without any request on his part, after which grace returned to him again. We know that the great ascetics, mentors of smart work, Callistus and Ignatius, also labored in the kitchen, where the work was much more difficult and vain than, for example, just in a church refectory. And there they acquired such great grace that they were able to go into silence; It was there that they acquired mental prayer; vanity did not interfere with them. Vanity cannot interfere; disobedience does. Our passions get in the way, but obedience, humility, cutting off the will - they only prepare a person for correct, real prayer. The Monk John Climacus says that he saw novices who spent the whole day in obedience, in work, and then, standing in prayer, were filled with Divine light. And this is not just an image. Indeed, people had such grace in prayer that Divine light filled their souls. Why? Because they prepared themselves for this by unfeigned obedience.

Many other examples could be given. Reading the lives of the saints, we admire their exploits, just as, reading the Gospel, we admire the obedience of the apostles and are horrified by the disobedience of the Jews. It seems to us that the parable of the called and the chosen, of course, does not apply to us. Rather, we consider ourselves among those same poor, blind people who came to the marriage. In a sense, this is correct, because we really came to the Church; but when we need to complete what we started, to come to the Divine Supper - here we are already like those called from the parable who found various excuses. Reading the Gospel, the works of the holy fathers, the lives of the saints, we do not experience any resistance in our souls, but when in real life we ​​find ourselves in one situation or another, we begin to think: I am not Kirill Beloezersky, and Father Alexander is not Nil Sorsky, so that I obey him , Father Mikhail is not Paisiy Velichkovsky, so I won’t listen to him either. And in the end, we remain who we are, that is, in fact, insignificant, empty people. That’s why we don’t see any beneficial changes in our souls, that’s why we mark time, that’s why we are empty and don’t prosper, that’s why a Divine miracle like the multiplication of loaves doesn’t happen to us. These five loaves and two fish could be compared to the Jesus Prayer, which consists of the same number of words. After all, when a person shows unquestioning obedience, not for the sake of pleasing someone, but for the sake of pleasing the Lord Jesus Christ, with the ultimate goal of obedience to God Himself, then in his soul these “breads” of the Jesus Prayer multiply, and he feels enormous grace in his soul, so that he himself is satisfied, and from his abundance he can help others. This doesn't happen to us. It doesn’t happen for the reason that we constantly justify ourselves by saying that we are led and commanded by people who are unworthy, unspiritual, that the times are not the same, and we are not the same... We are really not the same, but not because the times are not right, but because we ourselves do not want to behave in an evangelical manner, we do not want to fulfill the Gospel.

We don't claim that this article will transform you, but we would like it to make you look at yourself differently. After all, we often have to give this or that blessing not to the one who must fulfill it, but to the one who can, or rather, wants to fulfill it. You say: “Go do this.” And the answer is: “I can’t, I don’t want to,” or they hesitate to do it. I don't know who benefits from this. The Monk John Climacus said that slowness is a kind of deceit. If we don’t start small: we don’t start to break ourselves, we don’t start unquestioningly doing what our elders tell us, regardless of how spiritual they are, then we won’t make any changes in our inner life, we will remain empty. We will not acquire what true Christians should have, and we will not unite our minds with the Lord, but we will only barely keep ourselves from mortal sins.

Therefore, we urge you to imitate the apostles in sincerity and in the unquestioning fulfillment of what you are commanded, so that you do not reluctantly go grumbling, but willingly run without self-pity, and then you will see what changes will take place in your soul. Sometimes some outwardly agree, but inside they have grumbling, indignation, and despondency. So what benefit can there be for the soul, what prayer and grace can there be when the soul is filled with passion and the stench of sin? Therefore, you need to force yourself to do everything willingly, at least outwardly. You know that sometimes a person simply looks at the cheerful expression on another person’s face, and this cheerfulness is transmitted to himself; and vice versa happens: he sees someone sad, crying - and tears almost begin to well up. Indeed, external behavior is somehow reflected in the internal state. If we force ourselves to do everything outwardly diligently, this means that our internal state will begin to slowly change. Of course, if we also force ourselves to do this.

Let us tell you one incident from the life of a priest. He then served only one year and still didn’t know anything properly, especially since he served in a monastery where there was no one to study with: he was the only priest there, and as he served, he served, no one saw it and correct him could not. And so he came to another priest in the monastery. He was just about to serve a general prayer service, and there were two nun singers with him. But he asked the first priest to serve in his place. Of course he went. He opened the breviary, and the old experienced priest said: “The breviary?! What are you doing? Serve without a breviary...” He closed the breviary and put it aside. He knows nothing: no succession, no exclamations, no litany - nothing. Standing there, he doesn’t know what to do. And so the monastery boss tells him to say half an exclamation - he speaks, then with another half exclamation - he finishes. This is how he served: one priest says, the other repeats. Of course, he disgraced himself in front of those nuns, but he thinks: since the confessor blessed him, this must be done. Here is an example of obedience: they said - it means you need to do it, without any whining.

And finally, it is worth pointing out that the only reason when you can refuse obedience is if you know or fear that if you perform it you may fall into mortal sin; there is no other reason. It also happens that one condemns another for disobedience, and then he himself does not obey. And this is in a monastery, where obedience should come first, because smart work is inextricably linked with it. Let us recall the article by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) “On the Jesus Prayer,” where he talks about a certain novice who received abundant grace precisely when he showed extreme humility and obedience. While fulfilling his obedience, grace came upon him because he humbled himself before the people he served. You need to cut off your will in order to unite it with the will of God. If we do not cut off our will in front of our elders, be it the abbot, confessor or elder of obedience, but begin to defend ourselves from countless “enemies” who “attack us, encroach on our God-given freedom and generally undermine the democratic freedoms of our monastery “, then nothing will come of it, we will not get any benefit from it, no matter who we are - priests, monks, novices or anyone else. Some circumstances regarding serious assignments really need to be explained for the benefit of the matter; sometimes they are even related to one’s own health and state of mind. As a rule, the confessor should come to the abbot and say that it is not useful for such and such a brother, for example, to go out into the world, because he receives harmful impressions there. And the Abbot always takes this into account.

In the Orthodox Church, obedience is perceived as the fulfillment of a certain kind of orders. However, in order to understand this correctly, we must first carefully study what obedience is. And most importantly, what does it mean?

The very meaning of the word "obedience" denotes submission and obedience and consists of a certain duty or work that may be assigned to a monk or novice in a monastery. It can be performed in atonement for some sin or action, and then obedience and prayer are imposed. The meaning of the word "obedience" for ordinary people is that it is a position based on the belief that there is a certain order of position, which consists in the subordination of the lower rank to the higher one.

Parental obedience

If we talk about obedience in the family, then we immediately want to figure out who is obedient to whom: parents to children or children to parents? When a child is born, he has obedient parents who raise him and at the same time constantly care for him. When a child grows up, parents begin to listen to him and want to know what is in his heart, what thoughts are in his head and how he lives. This hearing of another person is called obedience. Parents are always obedient to their children, and over time, children will most naturally be obedient to their parents.

Obedience to the spiritual father

The same thing happens in spiritual practice. Just as a doctor listens to his patient through a phonendoscope, so a confessor listens to the person who comes to him. Then the doctor prescribes treatment for the patient and is in his obedience. Then what is spiritual obedience? It turns out that the priest is also in obedience to his spiritual child, and when he understands all his problems, he begins to give useful advice. This is how mutual obedience occurs. Moreover, it is a mistake to think that only through a spiritual elder can the will of God be known. A person who has inner humility will always ask for admonition, and then the Lord will definitely hear and lead him to His will.

God's will

We often say the prayer words “Thy will be done...”. Thus we ask that God's will be done. But do we really want this? After all, the will of God is the cross and there is a mystery. Then how to understand the will of God? And for this you need to work hard on yourself and your desires. It is not easy for a person to find the will of God; to do this, he will have to get lost among the mystical signs and tests that the Lord will send him, and he must unravel them and endure everything. God really wants everyone to feel His will, which will be revealed and penetrate into him through spiritually experienced people and life circumstances, through his conscience and conscious fulfillment of God’s commandments. Of course, mistakes and falls will be inevitable, but if a person wants to live according to the will of God, he will definitely come to this.

Obedience in the monastery

The monastery is a monastery for those who seek salvation. What is obedience in a religious community? How is it done? There are two orders in the monastery - internal and external. The obediences that are imposed are the external order of life and the way of life of the monastery. Serving a monastery is God's special calling. Life in a monastery is not as difficult as it might seem. But it is not the physical labor itself that is difficult there, but precisely the lack of one’s own will. Whatever fathers, brothers or sisters order, must be done in uncomplaining obedience and admonition. And as a reward for this, God gives peace, humility and inner peace of mind. And all the more important is general obedience, which helps to get rid of pride. With obedience comes humility from him and dispassion; God settles in the soul of a person and all good is implanted. Monastic life requires complete obedience and submission, therefore in monasteries such grace of God reigns, where serenity and tranquility of the soul are found.

Obedience is better than sacrifice, since there someone else's flesh is slaughtered, and in obedience - one's own will. For obedience to the elder and every commandment of God, the novice receives great grace. Therefore, one must obey the mentors, because it is they who will tirelessly take care of the soul of their novice. We also know from the Bible that God’s own will expelled the people primordial from paradise. And obedience to their Father again brought them into paradise. Thus, great obedience triumphed and the man was forgiven his sins.

A little about the essence of the concept

Today we often hear the word “obedience.” But often we don’t fully understand what obedience is. It is assumed that this is the performance of some work in the monastery with the blessing of the abbot. But obedience is more viewed as the main component in spiritual monastic life and the main path to salvation in monasticism. This is perhaps the main definition of the term, which for the most part refers to monastic life.

The salvation of a person is impossible without obedience, he accepts the Sacrament of Baptism and thereby restores his nature, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist he unites with God, in the Sacrament of Repentance he becomes closer to the Almighty. The main goal for an Orthodox Christian is union with Christ, which can only happen by God's will.

Spiritual life in obedience

It is not for nothing that they say that obedience is higher than prayer and fasting. The meaning of the word "obedience" is great. In spiritual life, you must learn to hear, listen, and ultimately be always obedient. We ourselves ask God in our prayer: “Thy will be done...”, this indicates that a person is ready to be obedient, to listen to advice, to the voice of conscience and to the conviction of his sins. And without the will of God this is not given.

By subordinating his will to God's will, man will truly be with God forever. Adam could not do this and Old Testament Israel did not fulfill it. This opportunity appeared only when we received grace-filled gifts for the atonement of human sins by the Savior himself. Christian obedience is the fulfillment of God's will and no one else's, for example, man's. This needs to be clearly understood.

Obedience. Sermon

How can we know the will of God? For every person it is very well revealed in a way that is simply impossible outside the Church and outside the Holy Spirit. Its distorted interpretation of the Gospel by sectarians and apostates leads these poor people not to salvation and God, but to complete destruction. For every person, Gospel sermons are a kind of source that quenches thirst. Answers to various burning questions can only be found in them. They can serve as a fence, focusing on which a person will never go astray from his path.

Church services are called church services that are held at the request of believers.

Requirements include prayers for the living and the dead, as well as the consecration of food and household items.

Intensified prayer for the living includes prayer services, and for the deceased - memorial services and funeral services. They were described above.

Priests consecrate food only on certain days, for example, on Easter (blessing of Easter cakes and eggs) or on the Feast of Transfiguration (blessing of apples and other fruits).

The priest also consecrates the house (apartment) or car. It takes place at a convenient time, which is agreed upon in advance. The Orthodox Church also practices the blessing of weapons among military personnel.

How to invite a priest to services

You can invite a priest you know to the service by telephone. However, you should not start a conversation with the word “hello.” Instead they ask:

- Hello, is this Father Peter? Bless me, father.

Then you should state your need. They end the conversation with the priest with thanksgiving and the word “bless,” as at the beginning. Before the priest comes to fulfill the requirement, you should approach him in the church or turn to the person standing behind the candle box and ask what needs to be prepared for the priest’s arrival.

If a priest is invited to a sick person in order to give him communion or to give him farewell, he should prepare the patient and tidy the room.

There should be candles, water and a clean scarf in the house. Animals should be removed from the room in which the patient is located, and the TV, radio and tape recorder should be turned off. Everyone present in the house must be dressed decently and behave accordingly.

If a priest is invited to perform unction, in addition to candles, you need to prepare wine, oil and cotton wool in advance. For a funeral service at home, you need candles, a prayer of permission, a funeral cross, a veil and an icon.

To consecrate a house or car you will need candles, vegetable oil and holy water.

After prayer, you can invite the priest for a cup of tea, during which you can talk with him about spiritual topics, ask questions, and sometimes solve some problems.

Church obedience

Church obedience includes selling candles and icons, cleaning the temple, guarding the territory of the local church, singing in the choir, serving at the altar, etc. All this is performed by ordinary parishioners.

People who are obedient in the temple should be a model of behavior for other parishioners. They must be meek and humble, and show love to those who come to worship. They should not be angry, but friendly, patient, ready to help, explain incomprehensible things to newcomers and simply know the basic rules of cultural behavior.

Meanwhile, it often happens that people who are obedient get used to the shrine, begin to treat the temple as their possessions, their property and behave, accordingly, as masters, not servants. Such an attitude leads to the fact that they begin to disdain ordinary parishioners who are not obedient.

People who are obedient must show by example how to honor the sanctity of the temple. This is, first of all, decent clothing and civilized behavior in church. Not rude, but attentive attitude towards parishioners, polite answers to telephone calls, attention and gentleness in communication with those who seek clarification of church orders and traditions - these are the qualities that should be characteristic of people who are obedient. They themselves must know perfectly well not only all the church orders adopted in their parish, but also the basics of Orthodoxy, in order to intelligently explain this to other people who are ignorant of these issues.

If one of the parishioners has encountered rudeness or inhospitability of people carrying out church obedience, they should not give room for offense in their hearts, but accept it with meekness and forgive in the love that Christianity teaches.

Obedience is one of the foundations of a Christian’s spiritual life. But it can be difficult for a modern person to understand this virtue, and even more difficult to assimilate it. What does obedience consist of? Who should you obey in the Church and in ordinary life situations? We asked Metropolitan Longinus of Saratov and Volsk to answer questions about the virtue of obedience.

— Vladyka, here is a person beginning a Christian, church life. How important is it for him to learn obedience? And who should he listen to?

“When a person comes to Church, he must accustom himself first of all to obey God. He must learn throughout his life to recognize God’s will for himself and be obedient to it. Accept with humility everything that the Lord sends in life, deeply believing that God Himself knows what is needed for our salvation; that not only the good, the good, but also all the trials, temptations, sorrows that a person encounters on his life’s path are also the action of God’s Providence and lead him to salvation.

In order to learn obedience to God, you need to learn obedience to people. After all, love for God is impossible without love for people; this is a twofold commandment: love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself(OK. 10 , 27).

We can talk a lot about obedience, but one thing is obvious: if a person has not learned to listen to other people, then he will not obey God.

Obedience in the most general sense of the word is brought up in the family. Children must obey their elders - this is an axiom. Today they are actively fighting it, but nevertheless it is one of the cornerstones on which human civilization stands. In the same way, at school a student obeys the teacher, at work a subordinate obeys the boss, and so on. If the younger ones stop obeying the elders, all order in the family, society and state disappears. Obedience is a very important part of human life, without which everything will slide into complete chaos.

If we talk about obedience in Christianity, then for everyone who comes to Church, it is very important to find a confessor. A confessor is a priest to whom a person constantly confesses, who knows his spiritual inclinations and life circumstances, and with whom one can consult on spiritual and ordinary everyday issues. It goes without saying that this priest must be experienced and sincere, and must himself lead a blameless life. Then he will be able to help his spiritual children in recognizing the very will of God that was mentioned at the beginning.

A somewhat different phenomenon is obedience in monasteries. According to ancient tradition, this is one of the most important monastic activities. Obedience in a monastery reaches the point of the novice completely cutting off his will before the elder, the confessor. Here we must remember that monasticism is a special way of life and Christian deed. A monk voluntarily sacrifices himself to God, living and pleasing to God, as they say in the rite of monastic tonsure. And since this is a sacrifice, it involves a higher degree of selflessness than that of the laity. This also applies to the virtue of obedience: in a monastery a person learns to cut off his will, including where this is not required of a layman. This is done in order to educate oneself accordingly and acquire gifts that are characteristic of monasticism, and which a layman cannot and should not dare to acquire.

In the minds of believers, monasticism is exalted to a very great height. It is not for nothing that a pious proverb says that “The light of the laity is monks, and the monks are Angels,” and monasticism itself is called the “angelic order.” Of course, this leaves a corresponding imprint on the entire Christian life. As a result, in our Christian life, monastic ascetic literature has wide distribution and unshakable authority. And indeed, it is very useful, because in its best examples it reaches such a depth of penetration into human nature that scientific psychology and other disciplines that claim to know man have not even come close to this day.

But there are also problems here. Sometimes people who read ascetic literature - the Philokalia, the Patericon, the lives of saints - begin to try to repeat in their lives the feats described in these books. What is described in them is truly unusually uplifting and arouses great enthusiasm, especially among a young neophyte. I want to become the same as the ancient fathers, I want to achieve everything that is written about... And therefore it happens that a person who has just come to the Church begins to look in modern life for the same degree of renunciation, obedience, fasting, which are described in these books, especially if he reads them without sound spiritual guidance. And hence the tragic examples when a person, taking on that measure of achievement that is simply inaccessible to him due to his way of life, falls into delusion, or breaks down, stops living a spiritual life, often even leaving the Church.

— It seems to me that more often the opposite happens: people believe in advance that all this is unattainable. Those examples of obedience that we see in the Patericon can be very difficult for modern people to understand and accept...

- Yes, of course, many stories from the Patericon or the “Ladder” of St. John Climacus are incomprehensible to modern people. Strictly speaking, they can only be perceived as examples of how people developed in themselves the highest degree of obedience, which, I repeat, is inaccessible and, strictly speaking, not needed by a person living in the world.

But we must understand that the examples mentioned in ancient books were actually effective. And proof of this is the host of holy reverend fathers who labored in the golden age of monasticism. Their holiness is the result, among other things, of complete renunciation of the world, and it presupposes fasting to a degree that is even difficult to imagine today, and obedience, and non-covetousness, again as complete as is generally possible for a living person.

Therefore, I think that it is not difficult to understand and accept this, unless you try to try on yourself every time: “Since I can’t do it, it means it’s impossible.” This is also a very common feature of the psyche: a person tries on a certain phenomenon, cannot bear it, and then begins to deny and condemn it. Not everything that is not suitable for you and me is not suitable in principle - we must remember this.

— Is it correct to treat obedience as a loss of personal freedom, a renunciation of one’s own opinion?

— To some extent this is true in the monastery. And then, rather, this is not a loss of personal freedom, but its voluntary postponement. Although there should still be some restrictions here. Obedience ends if the one to whom it is given begins to demand from the obedient that which is against the word of God and gospel morality.

The classic version of monastic obedience today can only be realized in a very well-maintained monastery with a spiritually experienced mentor. Then obedience can really be beneficial. However, it is not without reason that all the holy fathers and teachers of monasticism call prudence the next main virtue.

And for a person living in the world, the degree of his obedience to the confessor depends on many factors, and above all on the level of trust and on how experienced the confessor is.

But in no case in Christianity can a person be turned into a mechanism completely subordinate to someone else’s will. This shouldn't happen. Obedience is done freely, intelligently and with reason.

- Probably the most correct obedience is out of love?

— The most correct thing is to obey people who are authoritative for you, whom you want to be like, whose spiritual experience for you is impeccable and indisputable. Of course, it’s good when there are good feelings, but above all spiritual ones.

— What qualities in a person are opposite to obedience and prevent him from developing?

— First of all, pride, a passion for self-government - this is very characteristic of today’s time, and, unfortunately, also for church people. We constantly have to deal with this. You explain something to a person and you see that he understands - yes, this will be correct. But he will go and definitely do it differently, in his own way... You ask: “Why?” Silent. I just want to do it my way, there is no other reason. Sometimes it even reaches the point of some kind of madness, I’m not afraid of this word. I think that not only priests, but also many parents see this in their children. This passion for self-indulgence is, of course, a sign of a very immature soul, regardless of age. It can be overcome, like other passions, only by attention to one’s inner life.

- Let's try to figure out what wrong obedience is. Several years ago, a sensational incident occurred (they wrote about it in the diocesan newspaper, etc.): a fairly young man, the father of three young children, on the advice of a priest, left his family and went “to obedience” to a monastery. Formally, he showed obedience to his confessor and even to the words of the Gospel: And everyone who leaves houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.(Matt. 19:29). What's wrong with this?

“Unfortunately, this is also a feature of our time. There are priests who are completely indifferent to spiritual life, who do not know and do not want to know anything about it and who are unable to care for those who strive for it. And there are priests whose heads are filled with some kind of neophyte ideas. And they do not show this neophyte ardor in their own lives, but teach it to others. A priest who “blessed” a man to abandon three young children, in my opinion, simply deserves to be defrocked.

As for the Gospel words (the words about “hatred” towards neighbors from the Gospel of Luke are often cited: if anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and, moreover, his own life, he cannot be My disciple(OK. 14 , 26)), then we should not perceive them as a call to all family people to leave their mother, father, wife, children... It says here that you cannot put natural family relationships above the love of God. The first place in a person’s life should be God and the fulfillment of His commandments. And among God’s commandments are reverence for father and mother, and love for one’s neighbors, naturally, and care for them.

This case is just a classic example of how a person does not want to endure his cross. I often came across this as a confessor, and even now people come to me with similar questions. Some servant of God comes, her family, as often happens, is not doing well, and asks: “Give me your blessing to go to a monastery. I really want to go to the monastery, I really want to!” - “Do you have a husband, do you have children?” - "Eat". - “What kind of monastery do you want?” - “This is all wrong, everything is wrong and wrong...” And the same thing happens with men - they want to go to a monastery, they are ready to leave their wife and children: “Nothing, God will help them...” This, of course, is a completely un-Christian attitude to life. This cannot be done; it is contrary to all God’s and man’s institutions. Such a person will not succeed in the monastery just as it did not work out in the family. He who is unsteady in his ways in one thing will be just as unsteady in another.

Yes, there are examples, both the history of the Church and modern life know them, when people, having lived their lives in marriage, raised children, then went to a monastery. This is what the parents of St. Sergius did, as did many people in Ancient Rus', from grand dukes to simple peasants. Some people still do this today—I personally know such people. And there is nothing wrong with this; one can only welcome a person’s desire to devote the remaining time of his life to serving God. And such people often become very good monks.

But it is completely wrong to go to a monastery without finishing something that has already been started and that God has blessed. Because both family life and the birth of children are a blessing from God. Here, after all, a paradox arises: to go against the will of God in order to create one’s own will. If we start from this, what kind of monasticism can there be?

Therefore, obedience is incorrect most often when the neophyte is led by a priest who is accustomed to supporting neophyte in people. In fact, this is a very big problem. This speaks not simply of the confessor’s inexperience, but of a very serious distortion of his own spiritual life, of the fact that he likes to rule over the souls of people. And in order to dominate a person, it is necessary to support and inflame his neophyte heat in him in every possible way... In fact, the task of a confessor is completely different - to help a person transform that bright flame that burns in his soul when he comes to Church into an even, quiet one. combustion that would last for many years and decades. You can’t extinguish this flame, as it also happens: “Yes, all this is nonsense, nonsense, live a simpler life... just think, meat in Lent... everything is fine...”. You can simply extinguish all good impulses in a person. On the contrary, an experienced, correct confessor will try to ensure that the good initial zeal without extremes is preserved in the newcomer for as long as possible.

—What should a person who has no one to obey do? Let's say he is the eldest in the family or holds a responsible position. After all, this is even reflected in the character... Or is the person simply lonely and does not have a confessor?

- Yes, it’s very difficult. If this person is a Christian, first of all you need to look for a confessor and obey him, despite the responsible post or leadership in the family. Once again I will say about correct and incorrect obedience. Correct, undistorted obedience does not at all turn a person into an inferior creature who no longer has his own will and is afraid of any responsibility. If obedience is incorrect, a person is afraid to take a step: “Is this possible? Is it possible? This means that the confessor was unable to build an equal and spiritually sober relationship between himself and those who confess to him. Therefore, ideally, the skill of obedience in no way prevents a person from having a sense of responsibility for the task assigned, and does not contradict the ability to make decisions himself and be responsible for them.

As for lonely people, of course, church and full-fledged parish life can help them overcome their loneliness like nothing else. But such people should be wary of excessive attachment to their confessor. This is a very big problem considering how many single people there are today. And the modern world is such that over time there will be more and more of them.

— Is such a modern phenomenon as the “search for the elders” always connected with the desire for obedience?

— The search for elders is most often based on an incorrect, inappropriate attitude both to life and to the role of an elder. And they are connected, rather, not with obedience, but with the desire to easily get rid of problems. Imagine that a person lived without God and for many years of his life did not do everything as he should, but quite the opposite, and as a result came to a broken trough. And then he begins to look for someone who will miraculously deliver him from all troubles and sorrows. This doesn’t happen, so people travel from one place to another: there are elders, and old women, and springs, and all kinds of psychic grandmothers. And you only need one thing: to find a priest who will help a person begin an attentive spiritual life and lead him to Christ. And most often such a priest is very close by.

Journal "Orthodoxy and Modernity" No. 36 (54)