there were no pargarelians and galadayushky among us, well, since it’s good , please give us grain, pour grain on our little tree, so that in the coming year you will have a better day, and give the old traditions a new life. as soon as i came, i was young and lushyna, i was born, i went and sat down, and ivan, together with the project ahead of the past on tv channel belarus 24. dear brothers and sisters, very soon we are entering the important period of the nativity lent, this is special time of the church year when we we try to prepare ourselves spiritually for a meeting with... dates back to the ancient times

of christianity; church writers have been mentioning it in their works since the 4th century ad. what is the main meaning of the nativity fast? fasting is not just limiting oneself in food, first of all it is a time of decision. attention to your spiritual life, the inner life of the soul, what is happening in it, what thoughts and feelings fill it, are they always pleasing to god, are they always kind? fasting is intended for our spiritual and moral preparation for celebration of light.

christmas, and preparing ourselves for this great holiday, we cleanse our body and soul from that earthly thing that can prevent us from getting closer to the heavenly, if during the christmas fast we free ourselves from past grievances, forgive our enemies, as the lord will forgive us, clear our minds from bad ones thoughts, then we will come closer to the state in which god would like to see us. fasting is a difficult work for a christian, and it must be done in a peaceful state of mind. that's why it's important to focus on more than just abstinence in food, but also in a kind attitude towards others. believers try to reconcile with those with whom they may have previously had some kind of misunderstanding or resentment. however, it would be wrong to think that reconciliation and forgiveness are virtues only during the lenten period

, a real christian always tries to remain in a peaceful state of mind, after this or a holiday, but fasting especially helps to remain in a peaceful state of spirit, this is one of the purpose of fasting, the very time of multi-year fasting is conducive to reminding a person about these and other important christian qualities, on this path we must not forget that fasting is one of the most effective weapons in the spiritual struggle. very often, when talking about fasting, many focus primarily on abstinence in food and ask the question of what can and cannot be eaten during fasting. such questions, on the one hand, are important, because it is realized that a person wants to fast, and the first... shahev’s thoughts on

how best to do this, but we will also take into account that on the one hand, this is really important, because abstinence in food drinking in everyday pleasures is the basis of any fast, not just christmas, but sometimes the great temptation will only be limited to this. in fact, real fasting includes our intense prayer, and more focused reflection on spiritual life in general, the meaning of life, and, very importantly, doing good deeds. physical fasting without spiritual fasting does not bring fruits of spiritual life and does not help in the salvation of the soul; on the contrary, it can be spiritually harmful if a person, abstaining from food, becomes imbued with the consciousness of his own superiority, reflecting on his... lenten

labors. true fasting is associated with prayer, repentance, self-reproach, abstinence from passions and vices, eradication of thoughts and feelings, forgiveness of offenses. fasting is not a goal, a means, a means of humbling one’s flesh and spirit, or cleansing oneself from sins. without the prayer of repentance, fasting becomes just a diet, and we see that abstinence is much more than just abstaining from certain types of food, through abstinence in entertainment and... we can learn to restrain our passions, it helps us to know ourselves more deeply . it happens that a person begins to feel burdened by fasting, becoming irritable and unrestrained. the whole point is that fasting reveals dormant sins and

imperfections in a person. and this is a great opportunity to pay attention to this and begin to fight it. at the same time, the church pays attention. and the food side of the nativity fast. those who have sufficient physical strength are encouraged to abstain from animal products, but lean foods should be consumed in moderation, without excessive satiety. those who, due to their weakness health cannot fast sufficiently, church tradition allows for indulgences, which are best discussed with the priest or with however, it should be remembered that if it is impossible to perform physical fasting properly, its deficiency should be compensated for by more strict spiritual fasting, prayer, reading the holy scriptures and spiritual books, attending worship services. in

the holy scripture there is a very important thought, significant on this topic, that a person can be desecrated by the wrong person. the food he eats, and the words he speaks, or the things he does. food does not draw a person closer to god and does not distance him from him. however, a person is a single whole, his soul, his body, and his spirit. and the state of his soul directly depends on how a person’s body lives. many sins manifest themselves due to temptation. which lurked in the soul was strengthened by the weakness of the body. the holy venerable seraphim of sarov said that fasting is not the most important thing in the life of a christian, and prayer is not the main thing, and even almsgiving, but the main thing is the acquisition of the holy spirit. and fasting, prayer and

alms are a means that are very important and cannot be neglected. and we need to use them correctly, observe what they bring, how much they help the soul to become better, even in the coming lent, it is very important for every christian to confess and partake of the holy mysteries of christ, this is a very powerful means of changing our inner spiritual life, and the one who begins these sacraments correctly, weighed, thoughtfully, receives undoubted benefit, they feel it for a certain time, depending on how attentive he is

to oneself, then a little - the influence of the holy sacraments weakens, and a person is called to again approach the shrine in order to renew his spiritual life. of course, participation in the sacraments is not some kind of magical action; it requires an internal disposition. the lord says to his son, it’s not even your heart, a person must consciously begin to do this. there are many christians who do not begin these sacraments. without this, of course, there can be no spiritual life, without this... we become weak. taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity, dear brothers, sisters, i invite you to consciously, thoughtfully begin the sacraments of confession and communion during the nativity fast. and may

the coming christmas fast become for you a source of true christian joy, spiritual victories over your passions and reverent anticipation: born in the bethlehem den of the savior. may god grant us to go through this important spiritual path with great benefit and become better and purer. be kinder to your neighbors and draw closer to god.