Feastdays and ordinary days

“This little book is more valuable than all the books in the world,” – Ilya Leonidovich Tatishchev, the adjutant general of Tsar Nicholas II, used to say about his favorite book – the Gospel which he would always carry with himself and knew by heart. And now a book about himself has been published – about how he in and through his life had fulfilled everything that is written in the Gospel. The Tsar’s general, a diplomat and a scout, through his own life he has shown that there is no status in society and no circumstances which would make it impossible to stay faithful to the Gospel.

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The topic of today’s talk is the stages of the Jesus prayer. Unceasing prayer of repentance is the strongest means in the struggle against sin, but because we do not discern the stages or the degrees of prayerful progression, we may fall into mistakes that occasionally lead because of our inexperience to serious consequences. Prayer, as it is well-known, is divided into three stages: prayer of the lips, mind, and heart. This is the first, and the most elementary division. Saint Ignatiy (Bryanchaninov), a highly experienced ascetic, rightly distinguishes the prayer of the lips into two kinds: of the lips proper – articulated by the lips, silently, and prayer of the lips said out loud.

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The last month of the summer gave us many sunny days. As the rays of sun, have the August feasts shined: the day of the All-Merciful Savior, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. In addition, the Lord has filled the last summer days with amazing encounters and good impressions. We want to remember those events once again and to thank God for them.

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"I shall never abandon my Crown Prince!" – said sailor Klimentiy Nagorny, as he was offered to part with the Tsar and his family. Neither prince Vasiliy Dolgorukov, nor general Ilya Tatishchev, nor boatswain Ivan Sednev were willing to leave the Royal family. These men were killed by the bolsheviks in the summer of 1918 in Ekaterinburg. All four of them are buried at our monastery cemetery. A stele is erected in memory of their deed on monastery premises.

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What is the mystery of monastic life? Why do some people choose the monastic way and make their choice so purposefully? What are they looking for, shutting themselves in a monastery? The answers to these and other such questions are given by schema-archimandrite Aimilianos (Vafidis) in his book “The house of God is the Heavenly Gateway,” which is a series of talks with his spiritual children. The publishing house of our monastery has published a translation of this wonderful book.

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In the morning of December 6th, it was snowing so hard that one couldn't even see the sky. Yet, the sun was shining in the church of St. Alexander Nevsky. What sun? The Sun of the Russian land – holy righteous great prince Alexander Nevsky, the master of this church. Everyone who came to the feast – hierarchs and priests, monastics and lay people – rejoiced in the rays of this sun.

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"I feel truly bad that the people who bring in their donations – clothing, shoes, stationery, produce, and so forth, – are unable to see the boundless sea of gratitude experienced by those who receive this aid! I don't know how to fix that... You should just trust me that when people get their pair of shoes or a backpack with stationery, or a jacket, or a bag with produce, they say: "Glory be to God!" It is God's grace that I am able to see how the help rendered to people changes them, how they sigh in relief and nod their heads, unable to believe their own eyes; how they smile, hug the item tightly and occasionally even kiss it!" Live stories: told by the monastery's social service worker.

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We all like to justify ourselves. For instance, angry, short-tempered people are often rude to others, but in response to a critique they can say: "I am incapable of not getting angry – my parents didn't raise me right." Or: "That's my nature, nothing to do about it." Or even: "Who is being rude? I am?! It's a lie, I am always nice and patient with people…"

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Many want to know: what is the will of God? What should be done to fulfill it? To learn this, some go to see elders, others cast lots... Yet, there is a way to learn and fulfill it perfectly. Apostle Paul in his First epistle to the Thessalonians speaks about it briefly.

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How is church embroidery created? It is an enormous labor, the complexity of which can be probably compared with the creation of a film: Many people participate in the making of it, and both technology and masterful hands are involved. This photo-story was given to Pravoslavie.ru by the sisters of the embroidery workshop of the St. Alexander Nevsky New Tikhon Convent in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

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St. Iustin (Popovic) used to write to a certain nun-iconographer: “I wish you, my child, lucidity and enlightenment from the Lord, so that you would study as best as you can the art of sealing in colors of the ineffable beauty of the Lord’s image. Indescribable, He let Himself be described, taking upon Himself the human body. He – the “Impregnable Light” – descended to us, having become accessible to us, people, through the “veil of the body.” To express this in colors is what the holy art of iconography is.” How can one learn this great, holy art? How does one describe the Indescribable? The sisters-iconographers of St. Alexander Nevsky Novo-Tikhvin monastery in Ekaterinburg speak about their experience.

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This year, the much loved Merkushino village celebrates its 400th anniversary! The village decided to celebrate this event on August 29th. The year of the foundation of Merkushino goes back to 1620. This was the time when this picturesque settlement was visited by a hardworking and practical man, Merkusha Fedotov, who became the founder of the village. Soon afterwards the new village welcomed an obscure young stranger whom we all now know as holy righteous Simeon… Joyous Feast!

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"Do you know the elder Paisius of the Holy Mountain? He and I are peers! I am even a little older: he was born in the summer, and my birthday is in the beginning of the year, in February." Indeed, nun Ekaterina was born the same year as elder Paisius, in 1924. The story of her life is both simple and striking, just like the story of any soul that acquired God after many years of life without Him.

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"Today is the day of the Resurrection, let us be illumined, o people!" – we sing at Pascha. Indeed, the feast of Pascha illumines life just like the sun. The church is beaming with lit candles; the sun shines on gilded altarpieces; faces radiate with joy... It is not by accident that the Paschal week is called Bright week. Pascha lasts for seven days, and these days fly like a single day or, rather, like a single Paschal service.

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A harmonious "Ah!" was heard out of the auditorium after the curtain was drawn and would resound every now and then throughout the play... This is how the children from the countryside received the lovely "Snow Queen" play which their peers from the Sunday school at St. Alexander Nevsky church performed for them. The old story well familiar to everyone came to life and sparkled with new colors, confirming one's faith in the power of love, faithfulness, and good.

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"All of monastic life is nothing but the triumphant hymn to God. As one elder writes: "At a monastery, there never falls silent the sweet hymn addressed to beloved Christ. Unceasingly, day and night, monks lifting up prayers from their stasidia and in their cells; in workshops at the obedience, or taking a walk; during a conversation; in silence; in lamentation, "they sing to the Lord a new song." The new song is the song of love for Christ, the hymn of praise to God that we sing not just with our lips but with all our deeds, our heart, our mind, soul, and spirit." An exhortation to the newly tonsured nuns.

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«“We must tell anyone about the mistake our neighbor has committed, not even to him personally. Even if the entire world knows about it, we will not demonstrate to our neighbor that we know of his mistake. We will bear ourselves simply and naturally in his presence, so that he would feel like a king, rejoicing in the nobility of human nature.” Imagine what power is given to each of us! How important is the manner in which we communicate with our neighbors!» From the talk by mother Domnika.

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On the day of the consecration of an old Church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "The Joy of All Who Sorrow" hundreds of people were praying to the Most Holy Theotokos. And we want to believe, that Joy that the church is named after has visited them.

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It's hard to believe that this is the same old church building. Just twenty years ago everything was different: low ceiling, a small plywood iconostasis, floor made of planks, dirty-white walls... And now the church has resurrected and become like a fabulous palace! The Lord has done this miracle, having gathered 5000 people to work on the restoration of the church: architects, constructors, iconographers, engravers, and gilders... One wants to go back and reminisce on how this miracle came about.

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This day is ever-new, ever-special. Everything is different today: our church became the Lord's Tomb, and we ourselves are no more just sisters or just pilgrims but the myrrhbearers who came to the Tomb to hear that "He is not here – He resurrected"...

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Christmas is always full of miracles. The 800 children who came to this Nativity fest arranged for them by the monastery had a chance to see it on their own.

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What do you think should be done for the feast of the Nativity of Christ to bring us special joy? To decorate a furry Christmas tree? To lay a festive table? To invite guests? All this is good, but the main secret of joy lies elsewhere

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The other day the Orthodox Ekaterinburg was festively celebrating the memory of the Royal passion-bearers and together with them, St. Yevgeniy Botkin, the personal doctor of the Royal family who was also glorified as a passion-bearer a year ago. Not too long before the Royal days, the great-granddaughter of St. Yevgeniy, Anna Konstantinovna, with her son George, visited Ekaterinburg. She also attended the Novo-Tikhvinsky monastery.

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"For all Christians, it is essential to accept each person the way he is. Let us remember one spiritual law: the fewer accusations and lashing, the more love. And where love abounds, there passions are healed and virtues are acquired at a much greater rate." From the talk by mother Domnika

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In one of the churches in Holy Land there is this fresco. Sailing up to heavens is a huge boat in which the apostles, saints, martyrs, holy, righteous people and many Christians are gathered together. Some people outside the boat throw arrows and spears, trying to sink the ship. Yet, it is sailing on, because the Lord Himself is at the steering control. The boat is the Church. Those who are sailing in it together with Christ and the saints are we ourselves. Now, just like at all times, the Church is being attacked by arrows – people talk and write about it with condemnation. How should we receive it? Can those arrows harm us, sailing in the boat of the Church? Our monastery has published a leaflet with holy Fathers' profound answers to these questions.

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Prayers addressed to the Mother of God are never left unattended. As a true Mother, She always renders help, comfort, and strength to Her children, to all of us. On July 9th, the day of the Tikhvin icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, thousands of people came on Her feast day with love, joy, and trust to the Mother of God; and surely, no one has left unconsoled. Let us remember what this feast has was for us.

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Just recently, at the Archbishopal Sobor, the passion-bearer Evgeniy Botkin, the last physician-in-ordinary of Emperor Nicholas II, was canonized a saint. The Ekaterinburg committee for canonization of saints presided by the father-confessor of our monastery, schema-archimandrite Avraam, submitted the materials for Evgeniy Botkin's canonization. Lately our monastery held a public presentation about the life and the podvig of the holy passion-bearer Evgeniy.

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There are places that are ever-beautiful: at dawn and at dusk; summer or winter time; clear day or snowstorm... One of those places is the Merkushino village, the holy ground of St. Simeon that is often called the pearl of the Urals.

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The childlike, sincere love for the Most Holy Theotokos is the feeling that every Christian has. She is our common Mother. And this is especially felt on the feasts of the Theotokos. In those days, we come to Her as children to address Her in prayer, to venerate Her icon, to feel Her love. This year, as always, the feast of the Tikhvin icon was filled with consolation and joy. Thousands of people – hierarchs and priests, monastics and laity, adults and children, people from Ekaterinburg, out-of-town and out-of-country guests – all were sharing the same feeling... Dear brothers and sisters, we congratulate you on the feast of the Tikhvin icon! May the Most Holy Theotokos preserve you through Her prayers!

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In anticipation of the New Year one can often hear the following question: what is the right attitude towards horoscopes, Zodiac signs, and faith in special distribution of stars? Are horoscopes and Orthodoxy compatible? In order to answer these questions, our monastery has published a leaflet about the Orthodox attitude towards the signs of Zodiac, horoscopes, and animal symbols of the upcoming year.

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Not long ago our monastery festively met the relics of a great Russian saint: a small relic of St. Euphrosinia of Moscow had been brought into the convent. Her name means "joy". For six centuries she bestows joy on all and remains exemplifying the best characteristics of a Christian woman for all Russian people: as a faithful wife, a loving mother, a wise governor, and a humble nun.

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Christmas has come. In a small house four little brothers have wished their parents and one another Merry Christmas. All of them were joyful that Christ was born. However, they were a little bit sad because they had nothing to give each other as a present on such a day. And suddenly they heard somebody knocking at the door of their small house and speaking in a cheerful voice. Then… You must think that it is a beginning of a Christmas fairy tale? Perhaps, it is so, but this tale is not a fairy one. Events of the tale took place just recently at Christmas in a small village of Verhotursky district – the very one where the presents which you gave for the event “Make Children a Holiday!” were sent.

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Every church is a God’s sermon. In the ecclesiastical art, icon-painting, and architecture everything aims to stir up the highest feelings in people – love to God, piety, and desire to pray. By virtue of architects and icon-painters who labored at renewal of the Alexander Nevsky church it has become a silent and majestic sermon which penetrates into the soul.

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Alexander Nevsky church consecrated by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill
Our convent has been waiting for this day for almost 20 years. Its heart, its main church named in honor of Saint Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky has been consecrated. On the 19th of May, the day of Holy Myrrh-Bearers, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill performed a solemn act of consecration.

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Conditions for perfect prayer. Talk by Metropolitan Afanasiy of Limasol (Cyprus)
Great Lent is the most beautiful time in the life of a Christian; it is a time when we are especially close to repentance and prayer. The well-known preacher Metropolitan Afanasy of Limasol talks about the conditions for perfect prayer. The talk was translated from Greek by sisters of the convent.

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"The Gift of Christ"
On Christmastide week, the students of two Sunday schools operating at our monastery, congratulated their guests on the Nativity of Christ: their teachers, family, friends, and church parishioners.

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If you want to know yourself, begin helping others
“It is really beneficial for me to be working here, I discovered lots of "black holes" in my heart I didn't even suspect of! I always used to think about myself that I was very patient and calm, but as soon as I started communicating, talking with our patrons – and among them are homeless, sick, and simply old people with distorted world-view, psychological traumas – I suddenly discovered in me so many “barbs”. So, if anyone wants to get to know himself, one should start helping others, doing the acts of mercy, and these will immediately show you who you are! And then your heart will begin to respond to another's pain.”

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