Why go to church every sunday?

Priest

DANIEL SYSOEV

WHY GO TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY ?

The Rev. Daniel Sysoev Missionary Center Benevolent Fund Moscow 2014

LBC 86.372 UDC 271.22 C 95 Approved for publication by the Publications Board of the Russian Orthodox Church PB 10-14-1352 C 95

Priest Daniel Sysoev. Why Go To Church Every Sunday? Rev. Daniel Sysoev Missionary Center Benevolent Fund, Moscow, 2014. — 40 pages.

ISBN 978-5-4279-0006-5 In this day and age people in the Orthodox Church have forgotten in Whose name they received the sacrament of baptism, and before Whom they will be called to account. The Lord’s obligatory command to consecrate one day each week to Him Who created us, Who continues to nourish and preserve us, is no great sacrifice, especially considering that it exists for the benefit of man, not God. Without God the soul suffocates, while by participating in the divine services and drawing nourishment from His grace it again flourishes and is transformed, breaking free of oppressive mundane affairs that lead to nowhere. These affairs insist that there is work to be done, that weekends should be spent with the children, doing work around the house, or relaxing with friends.

This pamphlet will help us find answers to the list of objections raised to fulfilling the fourth commandment, to explain why the fullness of prayer to God is not possible outside the Church, and to understand the importance of the Sacraments and the very heart of Christianity: the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

LBC 86.372 UDC 271.22

© Rev. Daniel Sysoev Missionary Center Benevolent Fund, 2014 © Yulia Sysoeva, 2014

Why Go To Church Every Sunday?

I was glad when they said unto me: Let us go into the house of the Lord Psalm 121:1

People often ask priests: “Why should we go to church every Sunday?” Then they begin to justify themselves.

“We need our sleep, we need to spend time with the family, to do things around the house. And you want us to get up and go to church. What for?”

Of course one can come up with all sorts of objections to justify one’s laziness. But first we have to understand the meaning behind the weekly trips to church, and only then measure this against our self-justifications. After all, the requirement of frequent church attendance was not a human invention, but rather was one of the Ten Commandments: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cat3

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tle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it (Exodus 20:8–11).

In the Old Testament, violation of the fourth commandment, like murder, was punishable by death. In the New Testament, Sunday became the greater holy day because Christ sanctified that day by rising from the dead. According to the church canons, whoever violates this commandment is subject to excommunication. As stated in the 80th canon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council: “In case any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon, or anyone else on the list of the clergy, or any layman, without any graver necessity or any particular difficulty compelling him to absent himself from his own church for a very long time, fails to attend church on Sundays for three consecutive weeks, while living in the city, if he be a cleric, let him be deposed from office; but if he be a layman, let him be removed from Communion.”

It is rather unlikely that the Creator would give us ridiculous commands, or that the church canons were written to make people’s lives unbearable. What, then, is the meaning of this commandment?

Everything in Christianity has its origin in the self-manifestation of God the Trinity, Who is revealed to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. To enter into His inner life and participate in His Divine glory is the goal of our life. Since God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwel4

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leth in God, and God in him, according to the apostle John (1 John 4:16), we can enter into communion with Him only through love.

As affirmed by the word of the Lord, the entire Law of God can be reduced to two commandments: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it: thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37–40). Can we truly fulfill these commandments without going to church? If we love someone, do not we try to see that person as often as possible? Is it possible to imagine two people in love who avoid meeting one another? Yes, they can talk on the phone, but it is far better to talk face to face. The same goes for the person who loves God: he wants to draw closer to God. Let us take an example from King David. He, a ruler of his people, who fought numerous wars with his enemies, and meted out judgment, said this: How beloved are Thy dwellings, O Lord of hosts; my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God. For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtledove a nest for herself where she may lay her young, Even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house; unto ages of ages shall they praise Thee. Blessed is the man whose help is from Thee; he hath made ascents in his heart, in the vale of weeping, in the place which he hath 5

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appointed. Yea, for the lawgiver will give blessings; they shall go from strength to strength, the God of gods shall be seen in Sion. O Lord of hosts, hearken unto my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. O God, our defender, behold, and look upon the face of Thine anointed one. For better is one day in Thy courts than thousands elsewhere. I have chosen rather to be an outcast in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of sinners (Psalm 83).

When he was in exile, he would tearfully lament each day over the fact that he could not enter the house of God: These things have I remembered, and I poured out my soul within me, for I used to go to the place of the wondrous tabernacle, even to the house of God, with a voice of rejoicing and thanksgiving, yea, of the sound of them that keep festival (Psalm 41:5).

It is precisely this attitude that gives rise to the need for going to God’s temple, making it an inner necessity.

This should come as no surprise. The eyes of the Lord are always directed towards God’s temple, the church. In church He Himself is present in His Body and Blood. In church He revives us in baptism. All this makes the church our lesser heavenly motherland.

In church God forgives us our sins in the sacrament of confession, and gives us His own self in the most holy Communion. Where else can we find such sources of incorruptible life? According to one ancient ascetic, they who fight against the devil throughout the week hasten to church on Saturdays and Sundays to 6

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the font of the living water of Communion, so as to quench the thirst of their hearts and to be cleansed of the filth of their defiled conscience. Ancient legends maintain that deer hunt snakes and devour them; but when the poison starts burning their inner parts they run to a spring of clear water. So also must we hasten to the church, to cool the irritation of our hearts through communal prayer. As Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer said: “Try to gather together more frequently to celebrate God’s Eucharist and to praise Him. For when you assemble together with frequency, Satan’s powers are overthrown and his destructiveness is undone by the unanimity of your faith. There is nothing better than peace, by which all strife in heavenly and earthly spirits is cast out” (Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, Epistle to the Ephesians, 13). People forget that only church prayer can save man from the devil’s attacks, for the devil trembles before the power of God and is unable to harm the person who abides in Divine love.

As King David chanted, Though a host should array itself against me, my heart shall not be afraid; though war should rise up against me, in this have I hoped. One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I seek after: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may behold the delight of the Lord, and that I may visit His holy temple. For He hid me in His tabernacle in the day of my troubles, He sheltered me in the secret place of His tabernacle, upon a rock hath He exalted me. And now, 7

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behold, He exalted my head above mine enemies. I went round about and I sacrificed in His tabernacle a sacrifice of praise and jubilation; I will sing and I will chant unto the Lord (Psalm 26:3–6).

But the Lord does even more than protect us and give us strength in church. He also teaches us, for the entire divine service is a true school of divine love. In God’s holy temple we hear His word, we call to mind His marvelous acts, we learn about our future. Truly, In God’s temple everything uttereth His glory (Psalm 28:9). Before our very eyes we behold the feats of the martyrs, the victories of the ascetics, the courage of kings and priests. We learn about the mystical nature of God, about the salvation which Christ has granted us. Here we rejoice at Christ’s radiant Resurrection. It is no accident that we refer to the Sunday divine service as a “lesser Pascha.” Often everything around us seems to us to be terrible, awful, and hopeless, but the Sunday divine service reveals to us a hope against all odds. It was not without reason that the prophet David said: We have thought, O God, of Thy mercy in the midst of Thy temple (Psalm 47:10). The Sunday divine service is the best weapon against those numerous depressions and sorrows which inhabit our gray, everyday life. This service is a brightly shining rainbow of God’s covenant amidst the fog of everyday hustle and bustle.

At the heart of our festal divine service lie prayer and contemplation of Holy Scripture, the reading of 8

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which in church possesses a unique power. One ascetic saw tongues of fire rising up from the mouth of the deacon reading the word of God at the Sunday service, purifying the souls of the worshippers and then ascending to Heaven. Those who say that reading the Bible at home is sufficient, that they do not need to go to church to hear the Word of God, are mistaken. Even if they do open the Book at home, by distancing themselves from the assembly of the faithful in the church they are prevented from fully understanding the sacred text. It has been proven that those who do not partake of Holy Communion are practically incapable of understanding God’s will.

And no wonder! Scripture is nothing other than instruction on how to receive heavenly grace. But if we merely read the instructions for, say, how to assemble a bookcase or use a computer program, and never actually attempt to do so, the instructions will remain unmastered and will soon be forgotten. It is well known that our mind quickly filters out any unused information. Therefore, Scripture is inseparable from the church community, for it was given solely to the Church.

Conversely, those who attend the Sunday Divine Liturgy and then read the Scriptures at home will comprehend them in ways that they would never have been able to otherwise. Often it is precisely on the Church feast days that people learn the will of God in their lives. According to St. John of the Ladder, “Al9

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though God always endows His servants with gifts, He does so even more on the yearly feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God” (To the Pastor, 3:2). It is not surprising that those who regularly attend church are somehow different, both in outward appearance and in the disposition of their souls. On the one hand, the virtues become second nature to them, and on the other hand, frequent confession prevents them from falling into serious sins. In the life of a Christian passions can intensify, for Satan does not want men made from dust to ascend to that Heaven from which he was cast down. For this reason Satan attacks us as his enemies. We should not fear him, however; rather, we should fight him and overcome him, for only he that overcometh shall inherit all things, says the Lord (Revelations 21:7).

If a person says that he is a Christian but does not pray with his brothers, what kind of Christian is he?

In the words of the greatest expert on the church canons, Patriarch Theodore Balsamon of Antioch, “Such a person either makes no effort to fulfill the Divine commands concerning prayer and singing hymns to God, or he is not a believer. Otherwise why would he go for twenty days without wanting to be in church with Christians and to have communion with God’s faithful people?” [A reference to the church canons which stipulate that Christians who have been absent from church on three consecutive Sundays are to be excommunicated. — Trans.]

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It is no accident that the people we consider model Christians, the Christians of the apostolic Church in Jerusalem, were together, and had all things common. …

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people (Acts 2:44–47). It was this oneness of mind that gave them their inner strength.

They abode in the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, which was poured forth upon them in response to their love.

Nor is it any accident that the New Testament expressly forbids people to neglect assembling in church: We shall not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but we shall exhort one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day [of the assembly] approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

All the best things which made Russia holy, and which sustain other Christian nations, are provided by the divine services. In church we are delivered from the yoke of our vanity, and we can break free from the shackles of crises and wars and enter God’s peace. And this is the only correct solution. For it is not curses and revolutions, not malice and hatred, but church prayer and virtues that are able to change the world. [T]he righteous man, what hath he done? The Lord is in His holy temple (Psalm 10:3–4), and the righteous man flees to the Lord for refuge. This is not cowardice, but rather wisdom and courage. Only a fool tries 11

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to singlehandedly overcome the onslaught of the evil of the entire world, be it terrorism or natural disasters, revolutions or wars. Only Almighty God can defend His creation. This is why the church has always been considered a place of safety.

Indeed, the church is Heaven’s embassy on earth, where we pilgrims in search of the Heavenly City receive support. How Thou hast multiplied Thy mercy, O God! Let the sons of men hope in the shelter of Thy wings.

They shall be drunken with the fatness of Thy house, and of the torrent of Thy delight shalt Thou make them to drink.

For in thee is the fountain of life, in Thy light shall we see light (Psalm 35:8-10).

I think it is clear that love for God obliges one to visit the house of the Lord as often as possible. But the second commandment — to love one’s neighbor — demands the same. Where can we turn our attention to what is most beautiful in a person? In a store, a movie theater, or a hospital? Obviously not. Only in the house of our common Father can we meet our brothers. Likewise, God will hear our communal prayer more swiftly than the prayer of a proud loner. For our Lord Jesus Christ Himself said: If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:19–20).

In church we distance ourselves from the surrounding hustle and bustle, and are able to pray both 12

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for our own troubles and for the entire universe. In church we pray to God, asking Him to heal the diseases of our relatives, to free the captives, to preserve the travelers, to rescue the perishing. In church we also commune with those who have left this world, but have not left Christ’s Church. Whenever the departed visit the living they beg them to pray for them in church: they say that each such commemoration is like a birthday to them. And yet we often neglect this.

Where then is our love? Let us imagine their state.

They have no bodies, they cannot receive Communion, they cannot do any good deeds (such as giving alms). They are waiting for support from their friends and relatives, and instead they receive nothing but excuses. It is like saying to your hungry mother: “So sorry, but I’m not going to give you anything to eat.

I’m in desperate need of a nap.” Church prayer is true food for the departed (unlike vodka poured out upon the graves [a superstitious custom encountered in Russia — Ed.], which is useless to anyone but demons and alcoholics).

But that is not all: the saints, who are worthy of our praise, also await us in the temple. The holy icons enable us to see them, their words are proclaimed during the service, and they themselves often visit the house of God, especially on their feast days. They pray together with us to God, and their powerful hymnology raises the church prayer directly to the throne of God as if on eagles’ wings. And our prayer is shared 13

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not only by men, but even by the bodiless angels. People sing the angels’ songs (such as the Trisagion), and they themselves join in our hymns (“It is truly meet to bless Thee, the Theotokos”). According to church tradition, an angel always stands over the altar in a consecrated church, sending the prayer of the Church up to God, and a blessed spirit likewise stands at the church entrance, watching over the thoughts of people entering and exiting the church. This presence is quite palpable. It is not without reason that many unrepentant sinners feel poorly in the temple — it is the power of God rejecting their sinful will, and the angels punishing them for their lawlessness. Such people, instead of ignoring the church, need to repent and receive forgiveness in the sacrament of confession, and then remember to thank the Creator.

Many, however, object: “All right, so one needs to go to church. But why every Sunday? Must we be so fanatical?

The short answer to this would be that if the Creator gives a command, His creation is to respond with absolute obedience. The Ruler of all ages has given us all the days of our life. Has He really no right to demand from us that we set aside four hours for Him out of the one hundred sixty-eight hours in the week? Besides, the time we spend in church is for our own benefit. If a doctor prescribes various procedures for us, do we not do our best to follow all the doctor’s recom14

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mendations to make sure that we get well? Why then do we ignore the words of the Great Physician of souls and bodies?

Is following the Supreme Will fanatical? According to the dictionary, “fanaticism (from Latin fanaticus — extreme zeal) is a belief or worldview taken to the extreme; intolerance to other points of view (e.g., religious fanaticism).” Here we have to answer the question of what “extreme” means. If we understand it to mean “frenziedness,” it is highly unlikely that the majority of regular churchgoers go around attacking people in fits of frenzied ecstasy or wrath. But sometimes people consider common decency to be already extreme.

If not stealing and not killing is fanaticism, then certainly we are fanatics. If it is fanatical to believe that there is only one true path to the one true God, then we are fanatics. But if this is what fanaticism means, the Heavenly Kingdom will be inherited only by fanatics, because all the “normal” and “logical” people are destined for outer darkness. For God says: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. But as thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spite thee out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:16).

Let us think about the words with which we began our discussion: “Sunday is our only day off. We need to catch up on our sleep, to spend time with the family, to do things around the house. And you want us to get up and go to church.”

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But no one is forcing you to go to the early Liturgy. In the cities, both early and late Liturgies are almost always served, while in the country nobody sleeps for long even on Sunday [there being farm work to be done. — Trans.]. As for the city, nothing prevents you from coming home after the evening service on Saturday, spending time with your family, reading an interesting book, and, after the evening prayers, going to bed around 11 or 12 o’clock in order to get up on Sunday morning at 8:30 and go to church. Nine hours of sleep is enough for nearly anyone to feel rested. And if you do not, you can catch up on sleep later by taking a nap on Sunday afternoon. All our problems come not from going to church, but from the fact that the rhythm of our life is out of sync with the will of God, and this leaves us feeling exhausted. Only communion with God — the Source of all the power in the universe — can rejuvenate us both physically and spiritually. Experience has shown that if you are exhausted by the end of the week, the Sunday divine services will replenish your inner strength. This strength is physical, too.

This is why the ascetics, who spent their lives in inhuman desert environments, lived to be 120–130 years old, whereas we can barely make it to 70 or 80. God gives strength to those who hope in Him and serve Him. A study was conducted before the revolution in Russia that showed that the greatest longevity was enjoyed not by the nobility or by merchants, but by 16

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priests, although they lived in far worse conditions than the former classes. This is a vivid proof of the benefit of weekly attendance in the House of the Lord.

As for spending time with your family, what prevents you from bringing the whole family to church? If the children are too small, your wife and children can come to church a bit later, and then all of you can go for a walk, have lunch, etc. Can there be any comparison between this and “spending time together” with the whole family sucked into the TV? Often those who do not come to church “because of the family” do not exchange a dozen words with that same family for the entire day.

As for household chores, the Word of God does not allow us to do anything on Sundays beyond what is absolutely necessary. We must not spend Sunday cleaning the house from top to bottom, or doing the laundry, or canning a year’s worth of fruits and vegetables. The time of rest lasts from Saturday evening until Sunday evening. All chores should be postponed until Sunday evening. The only kind of labor which is not only allowed but is actually prescribed for Sundays and feast days is acts of mercy. To clean the house of an old or sick person from top to bottom, to help in the church, to provide food and clothing for an orphan or a large family in need — this is the only true and God-pleasing way of keeping the Lord’s Day holy.

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The issue of household chores is directly linked to the problem of church attendance in the summer.

Many say: “We can’t make it through the winter without canning produce from our garden. How can we possibly go to church?”

The answer, I think, is obvious. Nothing prevents us from going to our local church and still doing our work in the garden either on Saturday or later in the day on Sunday. In this way we will be doing what is best for our health while honoring the will of God. Even if there is no church nearby, we must dedicate Saturday evening and Sunday morning to prayer and Holy Scripture. Those who do not want to live by the will of God will reap chastisement. The expected crops will be devoured by locusts, caterpillars, and diseases.

When we need rain a draught will come, and when we need dry weather we will get a flood. In this way God shows everyone who is the Master of the world. Often God punishes the transgressors of His will themselves.

Doctors of the author’s acquaintance have described to him the phenomenon of “Sunday death,” where a person spends the weekends tilling the soil, never once glancing up toward heaven, and dies right there in his garden of a stroke or a heart attack, face down on the ground.

On the contrary, to those who follow God’s commandments He sends unprecedented crops. For ex18

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ample, the crops of the Optina Hermitage exceeded those of its neighbors fourfold, though identical agricultural methods were employed.

Some make this objection: “I can’t go to church because it’s too cold or too hot, or it’s raining or snowing. I’d better just pray at home.”

But, oh the wonder! The same person is ready in the rain to go to the stadium and route for his favorite team, to work in his garden, or to dance the night away at a party. The only thing beyond his strength is going to the house of God. Bad weather is always nothing more than a justification for our lack of desire. Do we really think that God will hearken unto the prayer of a person who is not willing to make even a small sacrifice for Him? Another frequent objection is equally absurd: “I’m not going to church because you don’t have pews and it’s too hot. The Catholics have it much better!”

Of course, this objection cannot be taken seriously, but for many comfort is more important than eternal salvation. Nevertheless, God does not desire that even an outcast perish, and Christ will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. As for pews, the question is immaterial. Orthodox Greeks have seats throughout their churches; Russians do not. Even today, if a person is sick nothing prevents him from sitting down on one of the benches at the 19

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back of nearly every church. All the more so since, according to the order of divine services of the Russian Church, at festal evening services the faithful may sit seven times. And even if all the benches are occupied, what hinders you from bringing along a folding chair?

Nobody will say a word. You need only rise for the reading of the Gospel, at the Cherubic Hymn, during the Eucharistic Canon, and at another ten or so important moments of the service. I think this should not pose a problem for anyone. To those whose health prevents them from standing these rules do not apply at all.

Allow me to reiterate: all these objections are silly, and they cannot be taken as a reason for disobeying God’s commandment.

Neither can the following be an excuse: “In your church everyone is so mean and grumpy. The old women hiss and scold people. And you call yourselves Christians? I don’t want to become like you, and that’s why I’m not going to set foot in church.”

Nobody demands that anyone be mean and grumpy. Have you heard anyone in church making such demands? At the entrance to the church are you asked to put on boxing gloves? Do not hiss and do not scold, and then you will be able to correct them.

The Apostle Paul says: Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? Before his own Lord he standeth or falleth (Romans 14:4).

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Your objection would make sense if the priests were teaching us to fight and to squabble. But this is not so. Neither the Bible, nor the Church, nor its ministers have ever taught that. On the contrary: in every homily and in every church hymn we are called to be meek and merciful. Thus, the unfriendliness of others cannot be a reason for not going to church.

We must understand that the people who come to church are not from Mars, but from the same world as ourselves. They come from the same world where it is customary to swear so much that sometimes you can’t make out a single word a fellow is saying — nothing but swearing. But no-one is swearing in the temple. You could say that the temple is the only place that is off limits for swearing.

In the world it is customary to be grumpy and to pour out our discontent upon others, calling it a crusade for justice. Don’t the old women in hospital waiting rooms do just that, picking to pieces everyone from the president to the nurses? Do you think that upon entering the church those people, as if at the touch of a magic wand, will change instantly and become as meek as sheep? No. God gave us free will, and without our own effort nothing within us will change.

We are always in the Church only to a certain degree, sometimes greater — when a person is called a saint — and sometimes lesser. At times a person may be hanging on to the Lord with nothing but his little finger. But we must remember that the only Judge 21

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and Appraiser is the Lord, not we. Where there is life, there is hope. No-one can judge a movie before it is over — only the completed scenes. These scenes are the saints. The Church is to be judged by her saints, not by the people who have yet to complete the journey of their lives. Not for nothing is it said that “all’s well that ends well.”

If the Church calls itself a hospital (the prayer before confession says: “Take heed lest, having come to the physician, thou depart unhealed”), can we expect the Church to be filled with healthy people? There are indeed healthy ones, but they are in Heaven. The Church will be revealed in all its beauty only when all who wish to be healed begin taking advantage of the treatment that the Church offers. Saints are the best evidence of God’s healing power acting in the Church.

Therefore, when in church we should not look at the people around us, but at God, for we come not to the people in the church, but to God. Often people refuse to go to church, saying: “I don’t understand what’s going on during the church services.”

Let us paraphrase this objection. A first-grader goes to school and overhears a lecture in algebra class, then refuses to go to school, declaring: “I didn’t understand a thing there.” Silly of him? Yet those who refuse to study the divine sciences because they find 22

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them hard to understand show the same lack of common sense.

If everything were easy, education would be meaningless, because you would already know everything about which the experts are talking. Rest assured, the science of living with God is no less difficult and refined than mathematics; therefore kindly allow it to have its own terminology and its own language.

I think we should not refuse to learn about the church, but rather should realize what exactly it is that we do not understand. At the same time we must keep in mind that the services are intended not for missionary work among unbelievers, but for the believers themselves. Thank God, if we pray attentively we will begin to understand everything in the divine services after a few weeks of regular church attendance. But it can take many years to discover the true depths of the divine services. This indeed is a wonderful mystery of the Lord. What we have is not Protestant preaching, where everything is on the horizontal plane, but, if you will, a life-long university, where the church service books are the textbooks and the Lord is the Teacher.

Church Slavonic [the conservative Slavic liturgical language of the Orthodox Church in several countries, including Russia –Ed.] is not Latin or Sanskrit. It is the sacred form of the Russian language. One need only make a little effort: buy a dictionary and a few books, learn fifty words or so, and the language will 23

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reveal its secrets. And God will reward you a hundredfold for your labors. During prayer it will be easier for you to collect your thoughts, concentrating them on the Divine mystery. Your thoughts will not go wandering off, distracted by the connotations of modern language. Thus the Slavonic language improves the conditions for communion with God, the very reason why we come to church. As for acquiring knowledge, all teaching in the church takes place in Russian. It would be hard to find a single preacher who preaches in Slavonic. Everything is wisely united in the Church: the ancient language of prayer and the modern language of preaching.

Finally, the Orthodox hold Slavonic dear because it enables us to hear the Word of God with maximum accuracy. We can literally hear the letter of the Gospel, because Slavonic grammar is nearly identical to the grammar of the Greek in which the Revelation was given us. Rest assured, just as in poetry and jurisprudence, in theology shades of meaning can frequently change everything. No doubt anyone who takes an interest in literature will understand this. In a mystery novel a matchstick can change the entire course of an investigation. And for us the opportunity to hear Christ’s words with all possible accuracy is invaluable.

Of course, Church Slavonic is not dogma. The Ecumenical Orthodox Church worships in over eighty languages. And even in Russia Slavonic could theoretically be abandoned. But this can only happen when it 24

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THE REV. DANIEL SYSOEV MISSIONARY CENTER Benevolent Fund was established in 2010 by priest Daniel Sysoev’s wife, Yulia Sysoev, to aid the needy families and widows of clergy.

Unfortunately, there are many financially disadvantaged clergy families in Russia, but the greatest financial need is felt by the widows of priests who have fallen victim to murder or tragedy, and we Christians have a duty to care for them.

In recent times we have seen a rise in sudden deaths among our intercessors before God – those who pray for us more often than others, through whom the Lord forgives our sins, from whom we receive comfort. At present the Fund has learned of and established contact with 45 such families, and is constantly searching for clergy families in need so as to provide them with uncompensated aid.

We call on Orthodox Christians to contribute their two mites to supporting the work of the Fund. Contact information and donation options are located on our website, www.mission-center.com, in the “Charity” section. Donors, as the Word of God says, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven and robe your hearts in works of charity; and you who are in need, offer up prayers for your benefactors’ salvation!

For your generous donations: 1. Wire transfers: Account number: 9345081388; Citibank, N.A. BR. #764 1760 Market street, Philadelphia, PA, 19130; Routing number: 021272655; Swift code: CITIUS33; Payment purpose: gift.

2. PayPal: ssv379@gmail.com with payments pls add a note, choose — for family or friends, gift.

3. With debit or credit cards. On a web-site: http://mission-center.com there is a button on the left column: Donate «For USA with PayPal or credit card»

OTHER BOOKS OF PRIEST DANIEL SYSOEV CATECHETICAL HOMILIES

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his book is compiled from the catechetical homilies presented by missionary priest Daniel Sysoev, beginning in 2001 in Moscow. The printed texts of the homilies preserve his spoken conversational style, which draws the reader in with numerous straightforward examples and clear answers to the catechumens “tricky” questions. The majority of those who attended Father Daniel’s homilies became regular parishioners at Orthodox Churches following their baptism.

This book will benefit catechisers, clergy, theology students, and all who in their lives and work find themselves needing to explain the principles of the faith.

Being actual dialogues on questions of faith and the Church, these homilies will likewise be of interest to those who are catechumens themselves.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE IMMORTAL, OR WHAT TO DO IF YOU STILL DIE

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n the few months since it appeared, this unusuallytitled book by the famous priest and missionary Fr. Daniel Sysoev has quickly become a bestseller.

What should you do if you end up dying after all?

Unfortunately, many people try to avoid the question of death; yet death, like it or not, is unavoidable.

Following divine revelation and the experience of the Church, Fr. Daniel paints a perfectly logical picture of the human soul transitioning from mortality to eternity. The author gives us advice on how to behave correctly at this most important of events for every person, how not to be afraid, how to pass through the Aerial Toll-houses, and what will await us after death. The author likewise describes the church doctrines regarding heaven and hell.

A PROTESTANT’S WALK THROUGH AN ORTHODOX CHURCH

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ruth can endure no falsehood, and herself finds those who seek her. But there is one condition: one must reject one’s own opinion and prefer the Lord’s, and seek not oneself, but God. It is no easy thing to leave off your former way of life and the things of which you were convinced, thinking you were on the right path. But it is those who are willing to do this that God calls His chosen.

This book is an actual conversation with a young Protestant, who himself approached an Orthodox passer-by one spring morning. Was he seeking the truth? What answers did the Orthodox Christian give him and how did he behave? Did anything change in their hearts after their dialogue, and who was proven right? The reader will witness their conversation and will hear numerous arguments grounded in Holy Scripture.

TALKS ON THE PASSIONS

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e must know our enemies. The passions and those who help to reinforce them are the enemy’s seed. And God summons us to do battle with them throughout our life. But how do we learn the tactics? Using the experience of the Church and the works of the holy fathers, Fr. Daniel explains how sin operates in a person’s soul, and the techniques for fighting it. These lectures will move each to give thought to the need for making a concentrated effort to cleanse his soul for God.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD ONE COMMUNE?

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very Christian gives thought to the question of how often one should commune. In asking the advice of various priests, one may hear opinions that discourage frequent communion by the laity, or on the contrary one may be advised to approach the Holy Chalice as often as possible, especially on holy days. In certain churches it has been the practice since Soviet times not to commune parishioners on Pascha and Bright Week.

But what does the Church say about this? What canons and rules exist to determine the frequency with which the faithful take part in the sacrament of Holy Communion?

This booklet explains the necessity of frequent communion, presenting the reader with detailed supporting arguments from the works of the Holy Fathers and the church canons.

Priest Daniel Sysoev Why Go To Church Every Sunday?

Translated by Priest Sergiy Alekseev Editor-in-chief Deacon Nathan Williams Layout Olga Bochkova Design Igor Yermolaev

101000, Russia, Moscow, Maliy Zlatoustinskiy pereulok, 5 mission-center.com mission-shop.com mission-center@yandex.ru +7(495)922-03-31 Format 70 Ă— 108/32. Printed sheet size Offset printing. Offset paper.

Print run 3 000 copies. Order â„– Printed at Ulyanovskiy Poligraph Center