A terrible thing is SUDDEN death. She is the SWORD of God's wrath for our sins! We see this clearly from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man was greedy, a slave to the flesh and whims. He completely forgot about death, about the immortality of the soul and about God. He became attached with his mind and heart to the blessings of the earth, to wealth, and died not as a man who believes in God, but as a wicked man who had lost all faith; not as a man who has an immortal soul, but as a dead soul; not as a rational man, but as a dumb animal. For all these sins, the rich man died, by God's definition, a forced death - sudden. That he did not die naturally, but that he was mowed down, by the command of God, by a sudden death - we see this from the same parable.

In this death, God Himself convicts the ungodly sinner and announces to him the terrible execution of Sudden death: Madness, this very night they will torture your soul from you (Luke 12:20). At the same time, the Lord also revealed the reason for such a terrible condemnation - the vice of covetousness, greed, selfishness, carelessness, negligence, about one's soul and about the end of earthly life.

Yes, sudden death is harmful to our soul! For in whatever state the moment of death finds us, in such we shall remain and abide forever. After death, neither the Virtuous changes from the virtuous into the vicious, nor the sinner from the vicious to the virtuous. The divine Ecclesiastes also confirms this, saying: And if a tree falls to the south, or to the north, then in the place where the tree falls, it will remain there. This means: what place a person will be worthy at the hour of his death, there he is determined and remains in endless ages of ages. A man lived honestly and kindly, according to the Commandments of God - he will go to God. He lived wickedly, in a bad way, he did evil and deceit - he will go to Hell!

We, the unfortunate ones, constantly sin, and sin constantly follows on our heels. We dedicate one time to eating and drinking a lot; the other - we spend in peace, carelessness, whims, the rest - we sacrifice to theft, lies, murders, enmity, oppression and persecution of the brethren! When do we not sin? Reproach, slander, condemnation, lies, foul language and idle talk do not cease to come out of our mouths. When are we not involved in pride, love of glory, vile vindictiveness and crafty imagination? Almost never! Sin always surrounds us, always presents our souls as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness into lawlessness (Rom. 6:19). When, before death, God, the Lover of mankind, sends a cruel disease upon us, then, having come, she announces to us, as if another Isaiah, saying: This says the Lord: arrange for your house, for you are dying (Is. 38, 1).

Like a trumpet, then a grave ILLNESS proclaims: “Man! Get ready for the next life. Your time has come." Then a person feels separation from the world, then he sees that wealth, and glory, and wisdom, and in general any earthly blessings are useless and do not need him now. Relatives and friends of the patient then call on his spiritual father so that he can repent, cry, turn to God, confess his sins and unite with the Savior Jesus Christ, through the acceptance of His Most Pure Body and Blood. Without a doubt, then there is hope that such a person can be saved and remain not in a place of torment, but in a place of bliss.

But when SUDDENLY, like a swooping hurricane, like a whirlwind, — DEATH steals Life, when a person, being strong, healthy and devoted to sin, in one minute — DIES and appears before God at the Judgment — silent and insensitive, what then can be hope for salvation? Where is the repentance then? Where is the confession? Where is the appeal? Neither a relative, nor a friend, nor a priest will be able to help then, even if someone wanted, tried and zealously desired. Then the merciless will suddenly come, torturing the soul of the unfortunate. This very night your soul will be tortured by you (Luke 12:20).

Death, no doubt, is inevitable and terrible, and it is ultimately impossible to prevent or avoid it; but we can prepare ourselves for it, arrange earthly affairs and exert diligence and care for our souls. Freed from all earthly cares, we will prepare and lighten our souls with repentance, confession of sins, free ourselves from remorse and drive away the excessive fear of torment, and unite with Christ in the Sacrament of Communion. As a result of this, our hope in the mercy of God, the hope of the immortal Kingdom, which takes away the sadness of separation from the world, will instill in our hearts. Then nothing mournful and terrible will remain, except for the feat of separation of the soul from the body. Merciful and bright angels will then surround us and drive the regiments of demons far away. They will alleviate the sorrow of death, ease its difficulty, drive away spiritual fear, and, rejoicing, take our soul. Blessed is he who will be rewarded with such a death, he will quietly and meekly say with David: In peace together I will sleep and rest (Ps. 4, 9)

When - an accidental, SUDDEN death WILL happen to us, when it will find us among - our OFFENSES, how TERRIBLE it will be for us, how destructive! We will see and feel then that her naked sword hangs over us, and now, in one second, we will depart - into Eternity. And no matter how much we - would not WISH then with all our soul - to AVOID this, but escape is no longer possible. We would like to make dying orders about our house, but our thoughts will become clouded and disappear. We would like to repent, to confess our sins before the priest, but our tongue will not obey us, and our lips will close, and we will bitterly feel that we are dying in sins and prepared for the devil and his demons. This will cause us terrible torment, horror and utter despair. Dark and unmerciful demons, denouncing our deeds and torturing our soul, will torment us. Finally, our soul, in unspeakable torment, will be separated from the body—it will be forcibly kidnapped. Woe to that person who thus ends his life, for this is the very death about which the holy prophet David said: The death of sinners Lut (Ps. 33, 22).

Terrible, agonizing death - WAITING for all Sinners!

We, people, not only do not know about the time of our death, but we also do not know what our end will be: whether it will come to us meek, or fierce and bestial. Will she warn us with any signs or overtake us like a thief in the night. Will she give us some time to repent, or will she instantly snatch us away in all our iniquities? Nothing is known to us. Why such uncertainty, such ignorance about the hour of death? But the philanthropic God arranged it this way, for the sake of our salvation, because ignorance of the hour of death gives rise to fear, fear - abstinence, and abstinence stops the opportunity for sin.

Ignorance about the hour of death produces ATTENTION; and attention - the DESIRE and the desire to live - according to the Commandments of God, which is the cause of Virtue. It is left unknown to us whether our death will be good or cruel in order to BE AFRAID, to AVOID sin, and, moving away from vices, to more and more succeed in Virtue. Therefore, let us prepare for Eternity and for the transition to eternity, called death, during earthly life, on this eve of Eternity.

Earthly life is an unceasing struggle between life and death, and we fluctuate between them, constantly deviating first to one, then to the other. If we properly evaluate that short moment for which we are placed here on earth, comparing it with immeasurable and majestic eternity, then we will find that only the correct use of earthly life, i.e., preparation for eternity, will be useful for us.

Since 1917, medicine has recorded sudden deaths of the young and seemingly completely healthy people who have never been ill (in any case, they have never gone to the doctor with signs of any disease). At the beginning of the 21st century, sudden death syndrome became even more common than in the 20th century. Doctors argue, what caused such an increase in deaths and what is behind it? Some scientists, such as Dr. L. Meyendorf, say that such cases appear in Europe and the USA with extraordinary speed. And in his book "Stroke, heart attack, sudden death: the theory of vascular accidents" Professor E.A. Shirokova writes:“There are no exact statistics on sudden death, since there is no generally accepted definition of this concept. However, it is estimated that every 60-75 seconds in the US, 1 person dies from sudden cardiac arrest. The problem of sudden cardiac death, which has attracted the attention of cardiologists for many decades, has risen sharply again in recent years, when large population studies conducted by the World Health Organization have demonstrated an increasing frequency of sudden death among the adult, and not only the adult population. It turned out that cases of sudden death are not so rare, and this problem requires close study.

What can we say about this. First of all, it is necessary to refer to the description of death made by St. Tikhon of Zadonsk: “The time of our life is constantly running out. Elapsed time cannot be returned. The past and the future are not ours, but only what we now have. Our end is unknown to us. Therefore, always, at every hour, we must be ready for the outcome, if we want to die blissfully. Hence it follows that a Christian must be in unceasing repentance, an exploit of faith and piety. What he wants to be at the end, so he should try to be at any time of his life, for he does not know in the morning whether the evening will wait, and in the evening whether the morning will wait.».

AT modern world very few people remember these words. Recently, I personally had to deal with 3 cases of sudden death.

1) One girl, 24 years old, graduated from the institute and got a job in a large commercial structure, with good prospects and a salary exceeding the “average”, but just a week after taking office, when she came to work, she suddenly felt bad, strong headache and shortness of breath. caused Ambulance arrived 30 minutes later and pronounced him dead.

2) My good friend, with whom I have been friends for many years, was not subject to bad habits of alcohol and smoking, on the contrary, he went in for sports throughout the year, was a good family man and did not suffer from various manifestations of stressful situations in the way that it is easy to do there were no incentives. He was a man who is usually referred to as "very successful." But one day, sudden death came in a dream.

3) Another case from life, a person whom I knew well, was also not subject to bad habits. He was an Orthodox Christian, regularly went to confession and communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ. But one day, when he came home after work, he suddenly felt ill. Death occurred before the arrival of paramedics.

But with what thought and with a repentant heart did these people depart to the Lord, although their death was sudden. Here is what Abba Euprenius tells us: « He who loves earthly things more than Heavenly will lose both Heavenly and earthly things. The one who seeks the heavenly is the master of the whole world.”

Physicians put forward many reasons for this very sudden death. In his article on this issue, Ivan Pozharov gives different versions of the possible causes of sudden death:

Previous heart attack with a large area of ​​myocardial damage (75% of cases of sudden coronary death are associated with a previous myocardial infarction).

In the first six months after an acute myocardial infarction, the risk of developing sudden coronary death is increased.

Ischemic heart disease (80% of sudden coronary deaths are associated with this disease).

Ejection fraction less than 40% in combination with ventricular tachycardia.

Previous episodes of sudden cardiac arrest.

Family history of sudden cardiac arrest or sudden coronary death.

A personal or family history of abnormal heart rhythms, including short or long QT syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, too low a heart rate, or heart block.

Ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation following a heart attack.

Congenital heart defects and anomalies of blood vessels.

Episodes of syncope (loss of consciousness of an indeterminate cause).

Heart failure: a condition in which the pumping function of the heart is impaired. Patients with heart failure are 6 to 9 times more likely to develop ventricular arrhythmias, which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (causes sudden coronary death in 10% of cases), due to a decrease in the pumping function of the heart.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: thickening of the heart muscle, especially in the ventricles.

Significant changes in the level of potassium and magnesium in the blood (for example, with the use of diuretics), even in the absence of any heart disease.

Obesity.

Diabetes.

Drug use.

Taking antiarrhythmic drugs may increase the risk of developing life-threatening arrhythmias.

Other authors give even more fantastic explanations for sudden death. Here are the theories outlined in his article "Sudden Death Syndrome" Dmitry Kuznetsov. And although many of his theories are certainly untenable, but I cite them specifically for the sake of completeness of the picture on the issues I describe. Here is what we learn from his article: “Several hypotheses can be put forward to explain the occurrence of fatal processes in the body:

1. Chemistry

We live not in the iron, not in the atomic, but in the chemical age. Let's look around us - we are surrounded by almost the same artificial materials, ranging from synthetics in clothes, ending with epoxy resin and phenol in chipboard for furniture consumer goods. The exception is metals, however, they are increasingly undergoing man-made changes and are being replaced by heavy-duty plastic. Such an aggressive unnatural chemical environment cannot but affect the course of biochemical processes at the cellular level. In this case, one should not confuse the banal poisoning of the habitat (with subsequent intoxication of individuals living in this environment) with a subtle change in biochemistry. It's just that at one unbeautiful moment, the vital reactions in the body are slightly (this "slightly" is quite enough) are shifted in one direction or another, and the deadly "hour X" begins.

2. Waves

Approximately all the same can be said about the electromagnetic environment on the planet. We are simply swimming in an ocean of electromagnetic radiation of various ranges - from ultra-long long-range communication waves with submarine nuclear cruisers to microwave pulses from the most powerful radars. For a long time, the Earth has become the second most powerful radio emission body in the solar system (on the first, of course, our luminary). Superimposed on each other, electromagnetic waves create a chaotic interference pattern with pronounced energy minima and maxima. A person falls into such extremes and his electrobiophysiology fails.

3. Exotic

An interesting hypothesis about the causes of sudden infant death syndrome was expressed by an Australian scientist. Although some experts call the idea implausible, he argues that the reason for the death of infants is that they dream that they are in the womb. Since oxygen is supplied through the umbilical cord before birth, they "forget" to breathe and die. With some stretch, such a mechanism can be extended to an adult human unit.

4. Ufology

The Clinton government then tried to hush up the incident (by the way, an absolutely normal reaction), but left itself some loophole, allowing a strictly metered leak of information. As in other similar cases, the "civilized public" responded with indifferent silence, once again demonstrating the standard model of lower-order strategic thinking. And although after reading the section on ufology it is worth smiling, but we still give this version to complete the picture of the fear of sudden death that worries all of humanity.

But every Orthodox Christian knows that The human soul appears before the Lord at the moment when it is closest to salvation. Each person chooses his own life for himself, each person endowed with free will can either go to Christ, or, on the contrary, move away from him. Saint Ephraim the Syrian tells us about this: “Woe to you, soul, that you remain insensible in this life, indulging yourself in luxury, laughter, distraction every day and living dissolutely - in the Future Age you will weep like a rich man, tormented in eternal flame.”

“When the sinner is cast out from the presence of God, then his cry and weeping will not endure the foundation of the universe.”

“The evil ones will look at the good ones and their grief will be aggravated when they see the great glory of the perfect, which they have acquired for themselves as an inheritance by a short struggle, while the evil ones, chasing the insignificant, have inherited torment.”

“Eternal Life awaits only those who have accepted the pledge, and at the end, on the day of the appearance of the Great King, they will come out to meet Him; unending blessings are proclaimed to such.”

Some relatives of the dead turned to me with a request to explain to them why the Lord allowed such a sudden death to their relatives and friends? And what does such a sudden death mean? St. Nicholas of Serbia answered this question in the best possible way more than seventy years ago. I think that it is necessary to end this article by quoting the saint:

“They write to me that I often hear talk about sudden death. They say that if it is inevitable, then let it come suddenly and suddenly interrupt life. It is better than suffering from illness and making others suffer. An expected death is worse than a sudden one. In your town, a woman was hit to death by a car, her death gave rise to many conversations. Someone claims that this is the best death. Someone said this about death: "Let him come, but let him not gnaw!" After all this, you decided to write and ask for an explanation.

Sudden death should not be desired - one should be prepared for it whenever it comes. This is what the Church teaches. There are many canonical prayers in which we ask the Lord to save us from all sorts of troubles, which include sudden death. But He, in Whose power both life and death, acts according to His holy Providence for the benefit of every human soul, whether He takes it from this world suddenly or leaves it here for a while. Sometimes He overtakes the sudden death of sinners, sometimes - but less often - and the righteous. In the Old Testament we read how the Lord punished the sons of Aaron with sudden death for self-willed service (Lev. 10:1-5), how he punished the rebels against Moses (Num. 13; 14; 16; 17); how Ananias and Sapphira fell dead for lying to the apostles (Acts 5:1-10). Many persecutors of Christians died suddenly; we read about this in the lives of the holy martyrs. But sometimes it happened to the righteous to die a sudden death, although very rarely. This happened to Athanasius of Athos: when he was building something, a wall fell, and he and several monks died under stones.

By sending sinners sudden death, the Lord pursues two goals: the punishment of the sinner and the edification of others. As it happened after the death of Ananias and Sapphira: great fear seized the whole church and all who heard it (Acts 5:11). And when people rely too much on the righteous and begin to deify him, as was the case with Athanasius of Athos, the Lord suddenly takes the soul of the righteous to remind people that only He is God and there are no gods besides Him. In all cases of sudden death, the lesson for the survivors is simple, namely: you should incessantly prepare your souls for an early separation from this world - by repentance, prayer and alms.

About the famous Valaam elder Nikita is told that he was very afraid of sudden death and constantly prayed that the Lord would send him a long and serious illness in order, as he said, "by the patience of illness to propitiate the righteous Judge, who, if he wants, will consider my patience instead of good works, which I do not have." Someone, lying on a bed of illness, consoled his friends with the words: For nine months I suffered to enter this world, shouldn't I suffer the same amount to leave it?

Indeed, terminal illness is very important. She brought eternal salvation to many sinners. And thousands of sinners knew God and their own soul only on the sickbed. And having known these two great realities, which they neglected all their lives, they bitterly repented and lamented their unreasonable life, confessed and took communion, and, having been cleansed by the tears and the Blood of Christ, they were honored to enter His bright heavenly chambers. Therefore, the near-death illness is given by the grace of God. Do not worry that our loved ones will suffer because of our serious illness: these sufferings are for their good, they will receive a generous reward from the Creator for this.».

Doctor of Theology Archpriest Alexander Fedoseev

Information and analytical portal "Creator"

This means that confession must be not only sincere, but also detailed. And for this you need to try to think everything over and remember in advance. You can take a good book to help. This is not necessary in order to look into a book during confession and write off sins word for word. The book only helps to see sins forgotten and unnoticed, without replacing our own efforts.

Ordeals or air demonic guards.

It helps well to remember the sins of the story of ordeals. Ordeals are something like outposts or customs that meet the souls of dead people on their way, ascending to the throne of the Heavenly Judge. At each of these ordeals, an account of special sins will be required ... Every passion, every sin will have its publicans and torturers ... Thus, the ordeals are nothing more than a private court, at which the soul is remembered and all its deeds are impartially evaluated and after which her fate is determined. This judgment is called private, in contrast to the universal one, which will be carried out over all people at the end of the world, when the Son of Man comes to earth again in His Glory..

1st ordeal: Idle talk and laughter.

The sin of idle talk is idle waste of words, verbosity, intemperance in speech, when the gift of words is used for lies, slander and abuse. Empty nonsense conversation. Sin in a word is not only idle talk, but also verbosity, idle talk, ridicule, and evil and immodest jokes also belong here.

Ridicule of someone's ugliness, vain talkativeness, untimely and excessive laughter, stupid and unreasonable laughter, gossip, double-mindedness, gossip, witticisms at the expense of others, obscene jokes, malicious snitching, swearing, nasty, frivolous words and blasphemous speeches, empty and useless conversations. Do not think that the sin of idle talk is insignificant and not serious. Try to count the empty words spoken in a day... And in a week, in a month, and how many of them will come together in a year? Put them in an empty bag and try to lift it up... It won't be easy. This sin is so “insignificant” that it will outweigh all other sins due to its multiplicity.

2nd ordeal: lies and oaths.

Failure to fulfill these promises, insincerity, hypocrisy, exaggeration, boasting, false denunciation, laying one's guilt on the innocent, hypocrisy, cunning, cunning, slander, perjury, concealing a sin in confession or retelling something false, violation of an oath, oath, vows, perjury . Many elders recognized the sin of lying as unnatural for man, contrary to his very nature. After all, the ancestor and father of lies is the devil, the first deceiver and hypocrite, who imagines himself to be God and offered to eat the forbidden fruit to Eve and Adam in order to "become like Gods ..."

3rd ordeal: condemnation and slander.

The sin of condemnation is the tendency to notice, remember and name other people's shortcomings, to make an explicit or internal judgment on one's neighbor. This sin is closely related to the passion of pride, condemning other people's shortcomings (real or apparent), a person imagines himself better, cleaner, more pious, more honest or smarter than another. The sin of slander (often grows out of the sin of envy) means to dishonor, blaspheme, laugh at other people's vices, humiliate, forget one's own sins and shortcomings while not paying attention to them.

Any double-mindedness in relation to the neighbor, even small and insignificant words and deeds aimed at presenting our neighbor in the worst possible way, any condemnation, even indirectly and in passing, is a sin.

4th ordeal: gluttony and drunkenness.

The passion for overeating and drunkenness is a natural desire for food and drink that has lost its correctness, requiring a much larger quantity and varied quality of them than is necessary to maintain life and bodily strength, on which excessive food acts contrary to its natural purpose, acts harmfully, weakening and destroying them. The sin of drunkenness is the constant drinking of strong drinks, sniffing various potions, smoking tobacco, and the use of other substances that bring a person to intoxication.

AT modern society the sin of drug use is widespread, driving the soul into a mad state and killing it. This sin also includes getting drunk with wine (or something else), paying for services with vodka, tobacco and other goods that lead a person to the sin of drunkenness. Drinking and eating before the Divine Liturgy on holidays and Sundays. Non-observance of the fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and the four fasts established by the Church. Eating fish and wine on fasting days when they are not permitted. Breaking any fast with fast food.

5th ordeal: laziness.

The sin of laziness is carelessness, laziness and negligence in serving God, abandoning church and home prayers, parasitism, non-fulfillment or dishonest fulfillment of one's duties. Sloth is idleness, doing nothing, ingratitude to God, omission of church services due to laziness, despondency and neglect of one's soul. The sin of laziness is one of the seven deadly sins.

A modern person loves peace and comfort very much, surrounds himself with objects that are comfortable and pamper his flesh. In the life of such a person there is no room for the slightest infringement on the pleasures for the soul and the delights for the body. Laziness leads to egoism and selfishness, strikes and paralyzes the will of a person, making it incapable of correction and spiritual achievement.

6th ordeal: tatby.

Theft (tatba) is a sin committed against someone else's property, i.e. theft - gross, open, secret, cunning, plausible, with violence. The types of theft are varied: robbery, sacrilege (appropriation of sacred objects or careless handling of them), bribery, parasitism, any appropriation of someone else's property by deceit.

Acceptance of stolen goods (purchase and storage), embezzlement of state money or things received for storage. Violent detention of someone else's property, which accidentally ended up in your hands. Concealment of a found thing, non-exposing and hiding a known thief. Luxury, extravagance, extravagance, spending money on vain things. It seems insignificant to many not to pay for electricity (they say that the state already has a lot of money), not to return a book they like to the library, but this sin is made up of such trifles.

7th ordeal: love of money and avarice.

This is a sin of extreme importance: in it is the simultaneous rejection of faith in God, love for people and addiction to lower feelings. Feigned begging. Evasion of payment of a debt, concealment of what was found, fraud in the sale, withholding payment from an employee, not giving alms, not visiting the sick, refusing to help a wanderer. Passion for money, for accepting gifts, luxury, addiction to all kinds of things, jewelry, jewelry and clothes.

The very feeling of contentment from the possession of material goods is detrimental to the soul. You can lustfully admire not only a lot of money, but the most innocent gold ring. After all, the Gospel says: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also..." (Matthew 6:21)

8th ordeal: extortion.

The sin of covetousness is the sin of appropriation of someone else's and bribery (giving money at interest, unrighteous acquisition, participation in the lottery, playing on the stock exchange, etc.). The sin of covetousness is always accompanied by avarice and greed. Bribery, speculation, ticketless travel in public transport. Now all sorts of shows and games are very popular, as a result of which a person wins money, practically without working for it. And playing slot machines, roulette, when players spend whole nights in a casino, completely enslaves a person’s will.

9th ordeal: untruths.

Lying is a conscious attempt to deceive using any form of untruth. There is, perhaps, no more common sin than lying. Lying out of necessity, deceit in earnest, bilingualism, secret intrigues against people, cunning, justifying oneself before others with full consciousness of one's guilt, resourcefulness, flattery or insincere sympathy in dealing with people, bribery, insincere or untrue opinion about a person, dishonor of a person in words (in a letter or in any other way), disclosure of other people's vices, hearing slander and judging people based on them.

Many people get into the habit of boasting a little, adding something to what happened, coming up with a convincing answer to the boss on the go, changing the reality a little, but all this will be a lie.

10th ordeal: envy.

The sin of envy is malevolence, malevolence. Envy of someone else's success, position in society. The desire for failure, failure, a sad outcome for other people's affairs. Joy to someone else's misfortune, failure. Envy can lead to any evil deed to the neighbor. The sin of envy is one of the seven deadly sins. Contempt for someone and veneration of oneself better, more worthy and more righteous than others. Suggestion of evil advice, constant dissatisfaction with one's condition.

Our society is seriously hurt by this sin and there is no person who would not look towards his neighbor - what did he get new: a car, a house or just fashion dress, experiencing by no means joyful feelings for him. Even talk about the rich and the poor is not harmless: they are often based on a feeling of envy of other people's property.

11th ordeal: pride.

Vanity, self-confidence, contempt for others, disregard for due honor to parents, government and authorities appointed by God, and disobedience to them. Striving for honors and demanding respect from others for oneself, love of glory for ranks, arrogance, boasting, pomposity, vanity, swagger, lack of conscience, arrogance, alienation from other people, in a sense of superiority over others.

Pay attention, in conversations about your neighbor, what do you say more about: good things about them or bad things? Think about how many times a day you say the word "I" - this will be a small indicator of your pride.

12th ordeal: anger.

The sin of anger is irascibility, acceptance of angry thoughts, dreams of revenge, irritability, indignation of the heart with rage, clouding the mind with it. This is an obscene cry, an argument, abusive, cruel, sharp words, stress, pushing, murder. Anger manifests itself in quarrels with neighbors, in the upbringing of children; in behavior - rudeness, rudeness, arrogance, malicious mockery, rage. Even in relation to a dumb creature, to experience anger, to beat animals, and also to get annoyed with inanimate objects, to take out anger on them is a sin.

13th ordeal: rancor.

The sin of malice (memory of malice) is vindictiveness, unforgiveness of insults, vindictiveness. Memory-evil people are unnecessarily demanding of their neighbor, remember for a long time and hold an insult in their hearts in order to repay evil for evil. This sin is contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the gospel of Christ. Without forgiving others, avenging their offense, keeping in mind the evil against another, we cannot hope for the forgiveness of our own sins by the Heavenly Father.

Remember how many hurtful words spoken to you, you carry in your heart, sometimes remember the quarrel in full detail. Do not console yourself with the fact that you are the injured party. In such a heart, where there is no place for love and forgiveness, there is no place for the grace of God. Know how to forgive your neighbors with all your heart.

14th ordeal: murders.

The most terrible sin at all times was considered - murder - deprivation of another greatest gift of the Lord - life. The same terrible sins are suicide and murder in the womb - abortion. Very close to committing murder are those who, in anger at their neighbor, allow assault, inflicting beatings, wounds, and mutilations on them. Guilty are the parents who mistreat their children, those who, by gossip, slander and slander, aroused bitterness in a person against someone else.

Timely failure to provide assistance to the sick, dying, indifference to other people's suffering is considered as passive murder (the attitude of children towards elderly parents). Failure to provide assistance to a person in trouble (homeless, hungry, drowning before your eyes, beaten, etc.). We kill our neighbor not only with our hands or weapons, but also with cruel words, abuse, mockery, mockery of another's grief. Those who deprive young souls of honor, innocence, corrupting them physically or morally, pushing them onto the path of debauchery and sin. Killing animals without the need for food, torturing them. Refusal of treatment, intentional failure to comply with doctor's orders, deliberate harm to one's health by excessive drinking of wine, tobacco smoking. Corporal punishment of someone by cruelty to death. Delivering shelter to murderers, delivering means to a crime to a murderer or suicide, silence about someone's preparation or attempt to kill. Contributing to the acceleration of someone's death, refusal of a doctor to help a sick person, deliberate delay in the treatment of a patient or careless treatment, neglect of a sick person in unconsciousness, cruelty to the poor and freaks, bringing someone to sudden death or suicide. Selling food that is unhealthy. The condemnation of the innocent or the acquittal of the guilty, knowing the innocence of the former and the guilt of the latter.

15th ordeal: sorcery.

Divination, the use of liturgical objects for this purpose, fortune-telling on cards, participation in any heretical sacraments and rituals, conscious funeral commemoration of living persons, conspiracies, spreading rumors about the end of the world, false miracles and signs, turning to sorcerers, fortune-tellers, soothsayers, classes in theosophy, occultism, spiritualism, invocation of demons.

Very close to contact with the invisible demonic world are the so-called modern pseudosciences, such as extrasensory perception, the use of mediums to know the future, and astrology. It is not surprising for immaterial spirits under the power of the devil to know the future about a person. But the insane carelessness that a person surrenders to when communicating with the dark world of spirits is striking. It turns out that it is easier for a modern person to believe in demons (through some self-appointed oracle) than in the Holy God and the Church, which warns against such communication.

16th ordeal: fornication.

Fornication - a carnal relationship between a single man and an unmarried woman before marriage (or a violation of chastity by a young man or a girl before marriage), any fornication thought, dreaming, mental pleasures, sweet memories of his former sins, reading literature and watching films, photographs that arouse passionate curiosity and describe debauchery , foul language, all foul language, seduction of an innocent person, publication and distribution of seductive writings or images.

Remember that this sin begins with a small allowance and quickly takes you captive, igniting human flesh with passionate lust. The modern view of the so-called "free relations" is a real fornication in the eyes of God and in the face of the Holy Church.

17th ordeal: adultery.

Adultery is a violation of marital fidelity by one of the spouses. Civil marriage without a church wedding, an excuse and a direct obstacle to others entering into a legal marriage, illegal pregnancy, mutual avoidance of spouses from each other for free cohabitation with others, unauthorized divorce, leaving the wife of her husband and vice versa - during illness or other misfortune, marriage with a living wife or with a living husband. Willful arbitrariness of the wife, avoidance of a pious life, disobedience and disobedience to her husband. Deviation from piety and self-willed behavior of the husband, jealousy, reproaches between spouses due to barrenness.

18th ordeal: sodomy tollhouse.

Incest (carnal relationship between close relatives), unnatural sexual relations (sodomy, lesbianism, malakia, bestiality), sinning fornication with different persons, concubinage. Falling into fornication in nepotism, with godchildren, in general in spiritual kinship.

In modern society, they are already calmly looking at same-sex marriages, and we are no longer surprised by the open shameless behavior of many famous people in society. Even sympathy for them and understanding "their problems" is a sin and complicity in the sin of Sodom.

19th ordeal: heresies and schisms.

Wrong wisdom about faith, apostasy from the Orthodox confession of faith and its distortion, disbelief, doubt about faith, censure of the holy, sympathy with heretical and sectarian teachings. Blasphemous and abusive words in relation to the church and its shrines. Open imposition and teaching of materialistic views, atheism, participation in atheistic organizations (pioneers, etc.) that profess disbelief in God.

20th ordeal: unmercifulness.

Mercy - compassion, sympathy, love in business, willingness to do good to everyone (Dal). In the Sermon on the Mount, which the Lord delivered on the Mount of Beatitudes, the Gospel of the Apostle Matthew says: "Blessed are the merciful,
for they will have mercy" (Matthew 5:7) Further, in the Gospel of the Apostle Luke it says: "be merciful, as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36). Here the Holy Scripture teaches us to be merciful and sets us as an example of the Father our Lord God In general, we should try to approach in our qualities the Lord God.

One of the most important duties of a Christian is to actually show his benevolence, charity, mercy and love for others; without thinking about personal gain and self-interest. A Christian should always provide bodily and spiritual help to his loved ones. A merciful person has a kind compassionate heart and a loving soul.

It is necessary to help the needy, the sick and the weak (clothe, feed and drink). In addition to physical help, you need to provide spiritual help. If our loved one has difficulty, sadness, grief, then we need to help with deed, advice, direct or instruct. If we see that our loved one is mistaken and sinning, then it is our duty to help, guide and explain to him that his act is a sin. But all this must be done not with vicious criticism, but as a doctor to advise and instruct and save him from sin with love and kindness. (In this case, the Orthodox Christian teaching is completely inconsistent with the approach adopted in our society not to interfere in other people's affairs). An unmerciful person has a cruel, uncompassionate heart: he truly loves no one but himself. Such a person is like the Gospel Pharisee: he fulfilled all the virtues, except for the last one - mercy.

In order not to sin with mercilessness, it is necessary - at every opportunity - to do the opposite virtue, that is, one must show mercy to one's neighbor and to every creature. For works of mercy, the Lord forgives many of our sins.

2. About the mercy of God.

It may seem that it is generally impossible for an ordinary person who is not endowed with extraordinary spiritual and moral strength to go through these ordeals. And yet, we will not be asked for all the sins committed before, but only for unrepentant sins. . But if someone sincerely and in truth, without concealing anything, confesses all his deeds and repents with contrition of heart for all the sins he has committed, then the sins of such a person, by the mercy of God, are invisibly blotted out, and when his soul goes through ordeals, air torturers, having unfolded their books, they do not find in them any manuscripts of her sins and cannot do her any harm, so that that soul ascends unhindered and in joy to the throne of grace ...

One ascetic said that if our Lord were only the Righteous Judge, then no soul would be saved. But the Lord is also a Merciful Father, accepting into His arms every prodigal son, that is, every sinful, but penitent soul. The prudent thief slept seven penitential words on the cross for eternity. Let us also hasten to shed repentance before God. We also need to remember that we have committed all the sins listed one way or another against our neighbor, but we deeply offend God with them. Since ancient times, the Lord gave commandments (that is, laws) to fallen mankind, according to which a person must live and receive pardon and forgiveness at the end of his life. The first ancient commandment tells us about sins committed against God Himself. Many modern people claim that they live according to the law of conscience and it does not despise them in anything so vicious. "God is in my soul", they usually say. "I've never committed any mortal sins in my life", they answer in confession. But there are very terrible sins, which are based on disbelief or distorted worship of God. There are teachings that distort the Divine Essence so much that this worship takes on the opposite meaning. Such are all the newfangled esoteric teachings that teach the improvement of the spirit and body through certain mysterious energies supposedly received directly from the cosmos. Such teachings are so puffed up that any person considers himself entitled to be a teacher of other people and considers himself capable of healing from any disease and illness. It must be remembered that according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, only a blessed and holy person is capable of teaching and healing. To recognize oneself as such, guided by some unprecedented abilities, received for some incomprehensible merit, is extremely destructive for the soul. Pleasing God and assimilation of Him begins only after repentance and correction of life from sins by committing virtues opposite to sins.

This path is very difficult, since a person more conveniently deviates to the bad and only with great difficulty comprehends virtue. It is good to be kind to people and do good for one's neighbor, but one must well remember that sin is rooted in original sin, when a person went against God and against His Divine plan. Therefore, sins committed directly against God, against the Holy Church - the guardian of the right, that is, Orthodox teaching, are no less serious than all others. These are: unbelief, denial of the presence of God in this material visible world, the denial of His Divine Providence and His actions. This is a blasphemy against the fact that our world is arranged incorrectly and imperfectly and attributing all troubles to God's oversight, and not to the terrible devastating deeds of man himself. Disrespect and ridicule of Church canons, traditions and Holy Sacraments performed by the Church. Ignorance of icons, shrines, holy relics, holy church holidays. Non-attendance of the Church and non-participation in church liturgical life. Not attending the Church to participate in the Sacraments: confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. (It’s good to go into the Church and light candles, but this has nothing to do with full and serious churching, without which the salvation of a person’s soul will be very difficult.) This non-prayer, that is, even part of the whole daytime is not devoted to talking directly with God. Ignorance and unwillingness to know prayers, unwillingness to learn a few Slavic letters in order to understand Church Slavonic texts. (The excuse that modern man does not understand what is read in the Church is simply ridiculous when many people know several foreign languages ​​​​and hire teachers for money to master these languages.) Irreverence, indifference and lukewarmness in matters of faith and salvation. Not correcting one's sins and staying in them (hardening), despite the knowledge that this is a great evil. Any sin committed even against one's own flesh. is a sin that offends God. For example, a person who drank too much and caused concern to his loved ones, first of all, should ask for forgiveness from God, because God conceived him in a completely different way and for completely different things. We only use the body that the Lord has given us and are accountable to Him for everything we do. And another very important virtue and hope for our salvation lies in being able to thank God for everything that happens to us in life, the ability to patiently bear illnesses and difficulties, without grumbling - "why do I need this?" and with a grateful heart to the Creator. To acquire these virtues, man is given this earthly life. To understand your calling and find the way to God and eternity.

3. Feelings alone without words are not repentance.

Feeling and word help each other in confession, although the first does not replace the second. He himself is like a Good and Gentle Master, this servant of yours will be pleased with the word, says one of the prayers before confession. We are resolved from sins with words, not with tears and feelings.

Weeping for sins is commanded to us by the Lord. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). But they will not be comforted because tears alone are enough for repentance. True weeping for sins will certainly teach you to resolve yourself with a word. But if we cry, but we can’t really say anything about sins, this is not a confession. Then you need to return home, think it over well and come again, firmly remembering the sins or writing them down.

Sometimes we cry more because we feel sorry for ourselves. This weeping does not lead to bliss; on the contrary, it only prevents us from repenting. The stronger our love for God is, the stronger the desire to part with sins. On the contrary, the more we love ourselves, the less we care about repentance, and sadness about our own experiences easily takes its place.
In this case, it is important not to give yourself the will to pour out your feelings instead of sins. If we are so carried away by them that we hardly remember the sins themselves, then first we will take the trouble to remember the sins, and only after that we will go to confession.

4. You can remember sins even with a bad memory.

It is not uncommon to hear a serious confession from those who have a rather mediocre memory. Others, on the contrary, do not remember sins and where best memory. They remember all their lives, but they do not remember sins. From them we hear: “I have sinned in deed, word and thought, I don’t know what else to say…” But only those who really repented during confession can receive communion. “In deed, word and thought” is not repentance for specific sins. The priest is forced to explain to these people that they do not take communion with such a confession. What's next? Others leave offended, saying that they have no sins, but there are very few of them. More often than not, we immediately hear... a normal confession. What happened? Suddenly improved memory? No, there was a desire. They wanted to - and immediately remembered a lot of sins. After all, everything that impresses us, we remember long and distinctly, and if we forget our sins, does this mean that we simply do not attach serious importance to them?

5. The fewer gross sins, the deeper confession becomes.

If the gravest sins have already been confessed and have not been repeated, this is only one step of repentance. The total weight of the so-called "minor" sins is many times greater than that of mortal sins. That we do not commit sins that others allow themselves - the essence of the matter does not change from this: everyone will answer for himself. To whom more is given, more will be required; who does more, he sees better what he did not do or did wrong.

6. The best preparation is to remember a little each day.

“Who forbids you yourself,” says Father John (Krestyankin), “to think carefully about your life in advance, preparing for Confession during several days of fasting, so that you have something to repent of ... At home, before the Face of the Lord, you need to think over your life and precisely their private violations of the will of God. Check yourself: does all my behavior correspond to what the Lord requires of me as a Christian. If you accustom yourself to such a test, then such an abyss of sins will open in your soul ... ”(Archimandrite John (Krestyankin). Experience in building a confession. M., 1999. P. 30-33.)

Is it possible to do all this within two or three hours, or even a day or two before confession? Perhaps, but only if we have already accustomed ourselves to check our conscience every day. If not, no amount of effort expended before confession itself will help us remember everything that we have forgotten.

Each of us, if desired, can remember or write down the sins committed by him during the day - whether in deed, word or thought. Well, if we write down several of them, in extreme cases - at least one. The point, of course, is not to write down exactly thirty sins for confession in a month. Our task is broader and deeper - to remember all that we have sinned. And if in a month or more we can remember only one or two sins, this means that we are not yet ready for confession.

7. Irregular confession cannot be complete.

The most meaningful confession usually happens to those who approach this Sacrament, on average, at least once a month. The longer we do not confess, the worse we remember sins. Of course, one can repent wholeheartedly even after long breaks, and the very first confession is quite meaningful for many. But only hardly anyone will be able to maintain this good mood if a lot of time passes again before the next confession.

8. First, about what is most difficult to talk about.

If you hide anything from me, imashi is a sin, - it is said in the order of the Sacrament of Confession. “Sugub” means “doubly”; concealed sin after confession becomes even heavier. Someone will ask - how detailed a confession should be? So much so that the priest understands the essence of the matter.

In a word, if we knew how to sin and do not want to be condemned for it, we must name sins at confession in the same specific way as we would have been called at the Judgment. As one experienced spiritual father used to say, one is glorified by God who, at confession, completely dishonored himself before the priest.

9. We repent before God of sins, not types of sin.

We offend God with sins, not what they are called. The mere names of sins and passions (“I have sinned with condemnation, negligence, lies”) are the most primitive confession; how short and convenient it is, how far from reality it is. Calling sins only by name, we cannot say what we repent of. "Condemnation, negligence, lies" - the words are too general and obscure.

We ask God for forgiveness at confession for deeds, words and bad thoughts. It is for them that He forgives us, but only when we confess them. I forgive and forgive you from all your sins, says the permissive prayer. From all the sins we confessed, if, of course, they were told.

10. The fewer unnecessary words, the better.

And for those who are waiting for their turn behind you, and for the priest, and, of course, for you. It's about about all those words that do not help the priest better understand what exactly you repent of. One has to hear quite a lot of them, and the one who repents in them is the first to be lost.

A long speech is not always meaningful. When confession is delayed, it does not mean that we repent better. Rather, we are simply less prepared or too in love with ourselves. The abundance of pauses and digressions bears the stamp of selfishness, as well as sloppy thinking. Often long narratives, if they were spoken more lively, could be several times shorter without any loss of content.

If you consider it necessary to write your own confession for the priest to read it himself, please remember that you are writing a confession, and not anything else. You don't have to write an autobiography. No need to pour out your feelings under the guise of confession - these are different things. If there is still no order in your thoughts, sort them out, and then write. Do not write prayers of your own composition mixed with sins. Do not write about what you should have done - write only sins.

11. Reasoning about sins is also superfluous.

“It means that such and such a passion operates in me”; “which means that both things contribute to it”, “which means that it only intensified in me”, “which means that there is such and such a sin in me ...” This is also an extreme. This happens when we have thought everything over, but at the same time we do not repent, but philosophize. Meanwhile, asking for forgiveness and reasoning are far from the same thing. If someone offended us and says: “Forgive me, I'm guilty,” this is one thing. And it’s completely different if we hear: “Forgive me, it was such and such a passion that acted in me, and it acted for such and such reasons.” Inappropriately, and most importantly, in reasoning of this kind, passion really operates: pride. By reasoning instead of repenting, we place ourselves a little higher than a person who asks for forgiveness of sins should place himself. And the one who comes to confession in the hope of God's mercy and realizing that he himself is nothing, will repent without reasoning and without any "which means."

12. Do not justify yourself in anything.

Self-justification is the first enemy of confession. It is worse than the fear that the priest will think badly of you. There is more guile in it than in hiding sins from shame. We will not long hide the sins that we are well aware of. Someday a sensible thought will come: after all, if it is a matter of life and death, what difference does it make how we look? He will appear and lead us to confession together with the sins hidden before.

13. Without real effort, everything will be ineffective.

So far we have been talking about confession itself. And yet an honest, collected and detailed confession is only a part of repentance. The other part is the desire to fix the issue itself.
If things are already incorrigible, in any case, the inner dispensation that led to them must be outlived. It cannot be corrected without confession, but it cannot be corrected by confession alone: ​​repentance - a change - whether it be of the mind, soul or heart, should also affect the deeds of a person - it should become a change in life.

There are no such states of the soul when it is impossible to repent. True, it happens that we don’t want to repent, but we don’t want to and we can’t—two different phenomena. Disbelief in God is always voluntary, as is unwillingness to turn to Him. Haven't we been taught? But is it only this? Or was everything that we know, are able to and love was specially instilled in someone from outside? Unwillingness to remember and see sins, unwillingness to live in harmony with the Truth - all this, of course, prevents us from repenting. Only here the point is not impossibility, but our deep, strong and tender narcissism - and it is voluntary.

There is no sin that will not be forgiven if we repent of it. The key to the Kingdom of Heaven is in our hands: will we be able, or rather, will we want to use it?

May the Merciful Lord vouchsafe us to offer Him sincere and unfeigned repentance.

References:

"Daily confession of sins with brief interpretation."
Archpriest Vasily Mikhailovsky "Full Confession"

Adulthood is a phenomenon that takes root in everyday life modern man. It occurs more and more frequently. But no one can say for sure that the deceased was seriously ill. That is, in fact, death occurs suddenly. There are a number of causes and risk groups that can influence this phenomenon. What does the public need to know about sudden death? Why does it arise? Is there any way to avoid it? All features will be presented below. Only if you know about the phenomenon all the information known on this moment, you can try to somehow avoid a collision with a similar situation. In fact, everything is much more complicated than it seems.

Description

Sudden Adult Death Syndrome is a phenomenon that began to spread in 1917. It was at this moment that such a term was first heard.

The phenomenon is characterized by death, and causeless, of a person with good health. Such a citizen, as already mentioned, did not have any serious diseases. In any case, the person himself did not complain about certain symptoms, and also did not receive treatment from a doctor.

There is no exact definition of this phenomenon. Exactly like the real mortality statistics. Many doctors argue about the reasons why this phenomenon appears. Sudden adult death syndrome is a mystery that is still unsolved. There are many theories according to which they die. About them - further.

Risk group

The first step is to figure out who is most often exposed to the phenomenon being studied. The thing is that the syndrome of sudden death of the adult generation quite often occurs in Asians. Therefore, these people are at risk.

It is also not uncommon for SIDS (sudden unexplained death syndrome) to occur in people who work long hours. That is, workaholics. In any case, this assumption is made by some physicians.

The risk group includes, in principle, all people who:

• unhealthy family environment;
• hard work;
• constant stress;
• there are serious illnesses (but then usually death is not sudden).

Accordingly, the majority of the world's population is exposed to the studied phenomenon. No one is safe from him. According to doctors, during the autopsy, it is impossible to establish the cause of the death of a person. That is why death is called sudden.

Nevertheless, as already mentioned, there are several assumptions according to which the mentioned phenomenon arises. Sudden death syndrome in an adult can be explained in several ways. What are the assumptions about this topic?

man against chemistry

The first theory is the effect of chemistry on the human body. Modern humans are surrounded by a variety of chemicals. They are everywhere: in furniture, medicines, water, food. Literally at every turn. Especially in food.

There is very little natural food. Every day the body receives huge doses of chemicals. All this cannot go unnoticed. And so there is a syndrome of sudden death in adults. The body simply cannot withstand the next charge of chemistry that surrounds a modern person. As a result, life activity stops. And death comes.

The theory is supported by many. Indeed, as practice has shown, over the past century, unexplained deaths have begun to occur quite often. It was during this period that the progress of human development is observed. Therefore, we can consider the impact of environmental chemistry on the body as the first and most likely cause.

Waves

The following theory can also be scientifically explained. We are talking about electromagnetic waves. It's no secret that a person is under the influence of magnetism all his life. Pressure surges are very well felt by some people - they begin to feel bad. This proves the negative impact of electromagnetic waves on humans.

At the moment, scientists have proven that the Earth is the second planet in terms of the power of radio emissions produced in solar system. The body, being constantly in such an environment, gives a kind of failure. Especially when combined with exposure to chemicals. This is where Sudden Adult Death Syndrome comes in. In fact, electromagnetic waves cause the body to stop performing functions to ensure human life.

It's all about the breath

But the following theory may seem somewhat non-standard and even absurd. But it is still actively promoted around the world. Quite often, sudden death syndrome occurs in a dream in an adult. Regarding this phenomenon, some put forward incredible assumptions.

The thing is that during sleep the human body functions, but in an "economical" mode. And a person in such periods of rest sees dreams. Horror can make the body refuse to function. More specifically, breathing is disturbed. It stops because of what it sees. In other words, out of fear.

That is, a person does not realize in a dream that everything that happens is not reality. As a result, he dies in life. As already mentioned, a somewhat improbable theory. But it has its place. By the way, the syndrome of sudden death in infants in a dream is explained in a similar way. Scientists say that if during the rest the child dreams that he is in the womb, then breathing will stop. And the baby "forgets" to breathe, since oxygen must be supplied to him through the umbilical cord. But all this is just speculation.

infection

What else can be heard? What are the causes of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome? The following assumption is generally like a fairy tale. But it is sometimes expressed.

As already mentioned, an incredible, fabulous theory. You do not need to believe in this assumption. Rather, such a story is an ordinary "scarecrow", which was invented with the aim of at least somehow explaining the syndrome of sudden death in adults.

Overwork

Now some information that is more like the truth. The thing is that, as already mentioned, Asians are at risk of people prone to sudden death syndrome. Why?

Scientists have come up with a hypothesis. Asians are people who work constantly. They work very hard. And so the body at one fine moment begins to deplete. It "burns out" and "turns off". As a result, death occurs.

That is, in fact, the sudden death of an adult occurs due to the fact that the body is overworked. Work is often the culprit. As statistics show, if you pay attention to Asians, then many die right at the workplace. Therefore, you should not work for wear all the time. This pace of life negatively affects health. A person, except for fatigue, does not observe any other signs.

stress

Also among the most common theories regarding death without cause, stress is distinguished. Another assumption that you can believe. As already mentioned, people who are constantly in a nervous environment have not only a high risk of diseases and cancer, they are also classified as a risk group of the population that may experience sudden death syndrome.

The theory is explained in almost the same way as in the case of constant work and stress - the body "wears out" from stress, then "turns off" or "burns out". As a result, death occurs for no apparent reason. The effect of stress cannot be detected at autopsy. In the same way as the negative impact of intense systematic and incessant work.

Results

What conclusions follow from all of the above? Sudden nocturnal death syndrome, as well as daytime death in adults and children, is an inexplicable phenomenon. There are a huge number of various theories that allow one or another group of people to be classified as at risk. Doctors and scientists to this day cannot find an exact explanation for this phenomenon. Just like putting forward a clear definition of sudden death syndrome.

Only one thing is clear - so that there is no high risk of dying for no apparent reason, it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle, be less nervous and have more rest. In today's conditions to bring the idea to life is very problematic. In any case, doctors recommend at least minimizing tension and the amount of stress. Workaholics need to understand that they need to rest too. Otherwise, such people may suddenly die.

If you lead the most healthy lifestyle, then the likelihood of sudden death is minimized. Every person should remember this. No one is immune from this phenomenon. Scientists are trying to study it as best as possible and find the exact cause of this phenomenon. So far, as already emphasized, this has not been done. It remains only to believe in numerous theories.

The material presented below is the author's work of the priest Maxim Kaskun (Moscow region), published on the Internet in the format of video lectures. The author of this project “ierei063”, in order to present information more concisely, has optimized his lectures in such a way that, without losing the main idea, the amount of material is significantly reduced, allowing the reader to quickly and accurately catch the main idea.

Batiushka did a serious, respectable job from various sources, including the writings of the Holy Fathers, collected information on the topic, clearly systematized and revealed it. He was engaged in the development of this material for a very long time, and I do not claim authorship, but in order to save my own time, seeing this worthy work, I dare to place the “abridged version” on my website. Those wishing to contact original material I ask you to switch to the Internet project of Priest Maxim Kaskun, who also needs support for his work.

Passion is man's perversion of his natural ability. But, in addition to passion, a person in fornication also sins with the sin of death.

What is mortal sin? The Apostle John the Theologian says that "there is sin unto death, and there is sin not unto death." So the sin of death is the one that, firstly, kills the soul of a person. Secondly, this sin gives the demons the right to cry out to God, so that He would take this person's life for such a crime. First of all, this sin refers to fornication.

If a person does not repent and does not change his life, then, as a rule, he dies an unnatural death, that is, not his own death: violent or sudden, without having prepared, without repentance and forgiveness.

The term "fornication" is translated as sexual debauchery or depravity. But in Russian transliteration, the word "fornication" means - to wander, to be mistaken. Which shows that such a person has in himself complete ignorance or delusion, lack of path, that is, this is a person who does not have a spiritual path. This is expressed in such a concept as "spiritual fornication."

Fornication of the body - it means sexual relations before marriage, that is, civil marriage and so on, which is very common among young people today. Young people argue this by saying that they want to get to know each other better, to live together, and what if they don’t fit or, on the contrary, make sure that they fit. But, as far as I noticed, even from Soviet times, such couples lived very well and amicably before registering with the registry office, they gave birth to children and the like. But as soon as they formalize their marriage, it did not last even five years. A civil marriage itself cannot give a person the fullness of the sensations of a legal marriage, when you want to check whether you get along - it's simply impossible. It's like testing yourself to see if you can be a priest. There is no way to know this without the sacrament. So marriage is also a sacrament, it is God's blessing on your life together, and without it it is just fornication, a mortal sin and nothing more. As for the official position of the Church on civil marriage, She recognizes it, but as imperfect, since there is no God's blessing on it. However, by civil marriage, the Church does not mean cohabitation, but a registered marriage in the registry office. And such a marriage is no longer fornication, and the one who calls it a sin sins himself, since not a single priest has the right to perform the sacrament of the wedding if the couple has not registered with the registry office.

Adultery is when one spouse cheats on the other. These include the so-called Swedish families"- this is when two men and one woman live together, or vice versa, or when two families come together for mutual betrayal - this is all adultery.

The next manifestation of fornication is nocturnal or no seed flow. This problem is familiar to those who abstain for a long time and are therefore subject to demonic attacks.

Masturbation or malakia- a very common type of fornication. In Soviet times, doctors began to recommend this practice to men to relieve tension, stress or depression, arguing that it is good for the body. We hear all this now, and after all, having tried at least once, it is already very difficult to stop, especially for young people, in a period of growth, both physical and emotional.

The most insidious kind of fornication in a person is manifested in attraction to one's own sex or sodomy, and among women. I would also include pedophilia in this paragraph - this is the attraction of an adult to young children or minor teenagers. These phenomena have become very widespread, I would even say, ubiquitous. People no longer understand what they are doing, they are so blinded by their base desires and instincts.

Bestiality is the extreme degree of fornication.

How the sin of fornication is born.

First of all, it is the will of the person himself. Without our consent, without our will, it is impossible.

Procreation is our natural desire, but when we make it a source of pleasure, it is already sin and lust. This sin is by no means the lot of only adults, it is often possible to hear that prodigal or even perverted thoughts visited a person when he was 5-10 years old, that is, even before puberty. Sin is a mystery and a personal choice of each person. We can only pray for our children and educate them in morality, but this does not give us a 100% guarantee of their righteousness in the future. Here is a mystery, here is the Providence of God.

And it is necessary to remember the story of Noah and his son Ham, who saw the nakedness of his father. And what is happening now! For example, many take their children with them to bathe in the bath - they say, what's wrong with this, they are still small. And no one understands that by doing this we ourselves are corrupting our children.

“Like tends to like, so the flesh desires the flesh,” says St. John of the Ladder. Sin requires inner consent, after which there is a desire, which is expressed in lust, which pushes us to action, whether it be violence or crime.

Reasons why fornication occurs in a person

The corruption of human nature after the fall - it rebelled against man, and we are doomed to wage constant war with it. And this body we get from our parents and pass it on to our children. Our nature is prone to sin and prone to vice, that is, we understand with the mind, but the body demands, rebels against the will. And who will win?

The vices of education. You know, there is a famous saying: "The apple does not fall far from the tree." Our personal example, the way we live, our behavior - all this is imprinted in the soul of the child, and then he imitates his parents.

The temptations of this world are a whole river of vice.

Spiritual Causes of Fornication

Unbelief is the main cause of sin. And this also applies to those who live the church life. Unbelief is so ingrained in us that it has become a habit, we no longer notice it. We fast, we take communion, we pray, we go to services – but where is faith?! After all, we live in worldly dreams, fun, sins.

The next reason is gluttony. Fornication is based on the womb, when the womb is full, a person receives extra juices, as St. Theophan the Recluse, and extra juices excite human nature.

Immodest hands and eyes. A person should watch his eyesight and not stare at people of the opposite sex. When we simply look at a person, this is fine, but as soon as we have made our judgment about his attractiveness or beauty, then a wide road for sin opens up here. Married people have it easier in this regard, as they have found their companions along the way of life, and they are already working to save their marriage and increase love. And people who are single, who are still in search of their chosen ones, are forced to look, evaluate, search. The main thing here is not to get used to it, the Lord, even before the creation of everything visible, chose for each of us employees on this life path. If we allow God, if we believe in His providence, His love for us, then we will not miss our soul mate, since they are created for each other. Unfortunately, very often we do not allow God to do this, and we do everything in our own way, for which we often grieve.

Many Holy Fathers forbade going, especially to singles, to public baths.

It is best to refrain from unnecessary temptations. Remember the life of St. Anthony the Great, when he and his disciple crossed the river, they separated so that no one could see the naked body of the other, and when they crossed, they dressed and again united for further travel. Since you can not look at the naked body of another person and not harm your soul.

As for the hands, there are many dangers. Many Holy Fathers, such as St. John of the Ladder and St. Ephraim Sirin, especially noted the fact that when a person washes, he should not examine his body, touch his intimate places stretch this process. Since at the same time people who lead a chaste lifestyle can very easily be aroused by their own touches, and then sin cannot be avoided.

For married people, this is not so important, but for single people, this is very important.

People who have chosen the path of monasticism and asceticism have a very vulnerable place through which prodigal passion can penetrate their souls - this is the love of sweet, tasty food or guttural insanity. This happens at the beginning of the monastic path, and when the monk has already gained some spiritual experience, then fornication looks for another path - this is arrogance.

If a monk has not found humility, then the Lord sends him fornication temptations in order to humble him. The third reason for ascetics to be tempted by fornication is if they condemn their neighbors. Abba Evagrius and other Holy Fathers write that when you condemn your neighbors, you yourself fall into this sin. Judgment kills love in a person. Each of us loves his child, no matter what, even if he does something, fights or something else. We still love him, protect him, shield him, forgive him. And if someone else's child does something, we are immediately indignant, we condemn and we will touch upon his parents, how badly they raise their child, etc. Condemnation in a person kills not only love, but also prayer, reverence - this is a very insidious passion and one must be on the alert with it.

Signs of fornication

A full womb is the first sign that a person is in for a lustful temptation.

dreamy dream, a long sleep, or vice versa, insomnia (when a person lies and dreams) - all this is a consequence of overeating.

Lack of sleep - when a person does not get enough sleep, there will also be a struggle of passion.

Weakening - a person who often indulges in fornication, loses his strength, both physical and spiritual.

Resistance to Prayer. Sadness, despondency, hopeless darkness - this is a state of extreme despair, since the soul of a person dies. Dies from exhaustion of spiritual forces, God's grace. Fornication destroys us from the inside, and after that the demon of despair comes and fills everything with itself, pushing a person to suicide.

Free treatment of neighbors (especially with the opposite sex) - when a person behaves cheekily with people around him. Abba Dorotheos advised not to look at the face of his interlocutor at all, but to look at the ground, because. he taught his disciples that when you talk to another person, you are talking to the image of God, that is, to God. Therefore, he taught reverence in communication between people. In modern society, you rarely hear respect in your voice, let alone reverence.

Frequent nocturnal desecrations- that is, if more than once a month a similar thing happens to a person, then we can say with confidence that the prodigal passion in him is progressing. And you need to urgently take up the fight against it.

Intemperance in family life- that is, not observing the posts.

Degrees of sin:

Suppression or perversion of conscience is necessary condition for the initial stage of fornication. In the beginning, she needs to expel the Holy Spirit from the soul of a person, so that nothing will prevent her from taking root;

Corruption by thoughts and deeds is the practical side of fornication. When a person moves from theory to practice;

And the last, extreme degree of fornication is when a person with only one thought can bring himself to the expiration of the seed.

Derivative sins of fornication

Many of us are familiar with them, as they are taken from St. John of the Ladder, so I’ll just remind them: gratification of passion and peace in everything, relaxation, condemnation, blasphemy and blasphemous thoughts, pride, laughter (barbs and untimely laughter) and so on.

The influence of fornication on the human body

“First of all,” as St. Theophan the Recluse, this is the loss of the body's strength, and its exhaustion, and its weakness. In ancient times, no warrior or athlete shared his bed either with his wife or with a woman before a battle or competition. since even then they knew that a person weakens after this by about 25%. And now we are shown what is shown in modern historical films - they drink, eat, walk all night, and in the morning they go into battle. Only suicidal people behave like this. And there is victory, fanfare and a happy ending!

Body fatness - a person becomes less able to control his body, as it becomes naughty.

The development of the habit of sin and dependence on it, when a person can no longer live without it. This is especially evident in those who have taken monastic vows. It is good if a person came to the monastery as a virgin, and those who have known sin are tormented by memories and dreams.

Fornication produces darkness and spiritual stench in the human body - and this is the real truth. The demons of fornication are stinking, and a person seduced by them takes on this stench, and his body becomes stinking and unclean.

Influence on the human soul

Fatness and insensitivity of the soul, and, as a result, torment and death. After the sin of fornication, the soul is greatly tormented and suffers. It is hard for her, she is devastated, she is wounded, and prodigal sin, it greatly defiles the soul and shakes the mind. The one who has sinned through fornication is a completely demoralized person, prone to despair, since the mind cannot comprehend the full depth of its fall. Precisely falls, since this word is used only for prodigal sins and not for any others. Even if a person has sinned with fornication only in his mind, he still fell, because fornication immediately brings down the entire spiritual building of a person to the ground. In his works, Rev. John of the Ladder more than once cites such a comparison: when a repentant heretic is accepted into the Church, he is accepted through repentance and even in the existing rank (if he is a priest) and that’s all, no penance. And for fornication they were excommunicated from Communion up to 10 years. That is, how much more terrible is the sin of fornication compared to heresy!

Inflaming the soul with passions - a person can finally lose control of himself and become just an animal, a slave to his passions.

Paralysis of all spiritual movements in a person - after sin, a person cannot find the strength and will to pray, fast sincerely, with all his soul.

Disorder, anxiety, tossing and reeling of the soul - this is when the soul cannot find peace. She flutters like a flag in the wind, finding no home.

Suppression of joy about God in a person's soul - this happens when a person begins to enjoy lecherous thoughts, sin. Such a Person can no longer rejoice: he jokes, smiles, he is affable and friendly, he is the soul of the company, but inside there is longing and despondency, and there is no place for joy in his soul - passion has destroyed everything.

Influence on the human mind

Immersion of the mind in darkness and its clouding - it becomes not receptive to everything spiritual.

Weakness and mental disorder– when a person thinks and philosophizes only in a worldly way, there is no longer a spiritual component. This happens when a person is completely enslaved by vice. He cannot imagine himself without it. He talks, thinks, jokes and lives only by this. Look at modern television - and there you will find only fornication and the womb. And nothing more.

Influence on the human spirit

Spirit Landing. After prayer, a person’s spirit burns towards God, burns with a thirst for grace, love, joy, but when a fornication possesses a person, it does not allow the spirit to ignite with God, but returns it to earthly affairs and pleasures.

Fornication drives away the Holy Spirit, and a person loses his boldness before God.

The madness of a person is what a person who is possessed by the passion of fornication comes to. He is likened to Satan, since this sin is one of his favorite sins.

The general influence of fornication on a person

“Fornication is a carnal passion, it is a denial of Christianity within us” (St. Theophan the Recluse). When a person commits a fornication sin, he renounces Christ and drives Him away, becoming a pagan and an atheist. Fornication is one of the most terrible passions.

The total enslavement of a person to sin occurs through fornication. And also it destroys all the good that is in man. He destroys and plunders everything that a person has created in his soul, leaving no stone unturned.

Man's punishment for the sin of fornication

Taking away God's blessing in life.

Sorrow. Trouble. misfortune. Diseases. And even death.

Church punishments follow in the following order:

masturbation and fornication - a ban on communion for 7 years;

adultery, sodomy, bestiality - excommunication from the Holy. Secrets for 15 years;

nightly defilement - if a person did not inflame himself before, and this happened simply by physiological reasons then he can take communion.

This is stated in the rules of St. Athanasius the Great, Dionysius of Alexandria and Timothy of Alexandria.

Fight with passion. General Methods

First of all - the fight against gluttony, fasting, abstinence. In the fight against them, it is very important to pay attention to the quality of food - this is the removal of meat, fatty foods, spicy. Get used to getting up from the table a little hungry, eating infrequently so that there is no constant state of satiety.

Physical labor until exhaustion and fatigue. You know, when you get tired, just walk to the bed, what fornication is there.

Jealousy for achievement. Faith in God. Prayer is all helpers in the fight against passion.

Humility. Obedience. Mercy - drive fornication out of a person.

Modesty in dress and behavior. Panache must be completely eliminated. Because the one who flaunts, tempts not only himself, but also others. It provokes you to look at yourself and experience feelings. It is so close to our nature that even some older women cannot refuse perfumes and cosmetics. And when you tell them about it, they are offended, they do not understand the true nature of their habit.

Avoidance of the spectacle of another's body is films, television, magazines, etc. All these images then pop up in our memory and inflame passion in us. Again, let me remind you about baths - in no case should children see their parents naked. If you want to go to the sauna with your son, please put on your swimming trunks and go.

Family creation. According to Ap. Paul, “But, in order to avoid fornication, each one should have his own wife” (1 Cor. 7:2). This helps in the fight against passion, in achieving chastity through family life, since it is blessed by God - this is already a law. No one will condemn this person for this, since everything is according to love, according to the law, according to grace.

private methods.

During temptations, it is necessary to cut off thoughts at the root, that is, as soon as an image or inspiration appears in the soul, one must resort to prayer in order to expel this filth from the soul or replace this thought with a good one - this is what St. Theophan the Recluse. The invocation of the name of God, the Jesus Prayer, or any other, because without the help of God, no one will ever be able to overcome this passion. According to the Holy Fathers, before defeating it, a person must admit his weakness and his inability to fight this sin with his own strength. Until this moment, God cannot help us without destroying our soul, but as soon as we admit our weakness, from that moment our true struggle with the sin of fornication begins.

Memories of shame after the fall. Remembering the punishment for sin in this life and the next. Many Holy Fathers resorted to this method - the constant remembrance of death.

Reading Holy Scripture and Lives of the Saints. This helps to drive out lustful thoughts, and then the place of Satan in our soul is occupied by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Alternatively, you can engage in your favorite business or hobby, which will also help distract yourself from sin.

Fornication and family relationships.

Can fornication be present in family life? Fornication may be impure, but fornication is not! Because fornication is the illegal use of each other, and in marriage everything is according to the law. When a family man cannot abstain during fasting, this shows that he is weak and sick with fornication.

Fornication impurity in family life is expressed in perversions, unnatural use of the other sex. This is all a mortal sin, and it must be eradicated. I will not talk about them in detail, but I will mark one of them, as many may not know that this is a sin - this is mutual masturbation. Some people think that this is not a sin, but it is not. This practice came to us from family psychology. Many have read such manuals for revitalizing family life and have begun to practice this, not knowing that it is a desecration.

Of course, you need to remember about decency, about natural shame. One day I was walking my dog ​​and decided to visit my acquaintances, newlyweds. His wife opens the door for me - dressed in only one shirt and that's it! I was so dumbfounded. They invited me to tea, but I, citing business, hastened to leave. I come to the priest, I say so, they say, and so, and he answers me: “Well, what are you - this is worldly.” It is one thing when they are alone in the house, but to meet guests in this form is at least disrespectful and tempting.

Such little things have become so firmly established in our lives that we began to perceive them as the norm. We began to forget that the Lord constantly calls us to purity, to holiness, to prayer. We must strive for this with all our soul. No one says that we are saints, but the desire for holiness should become our need, as in the air. It is necessary to remind people of their sleep, to wake them up, and not to brush aside sin with worldly sophistication.

Relationships before marriage should be without sin. There is a proverb: "As you start, so you will end." That is, he began with his sin family life Well, sin and continue. Whoever can, let him better refrain from fornication.

Demons love nothing more than fornication, because through fornication they most quickly get our death with you. Therefore, every Christian should be afraid of him, fight with him and not indulge in sin, but call white - white, and black - black.