Archpriest Gennady Heroes with his wife. Bright evening with Rev. Gennady Geroev and Alexey Novgorodov (08/11/2015). Yavlinsky came to God after the elections
Rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in the village of Otradnoye, Voronezh region. The parish near the church is large, but everyone knows each other, and it seems that they live as one big happy family. And as in any family, there is special attention to the younger generation. There was even a shelter for orphans built.
A conversation with the priest about how to bring modern teenagers brought up by the Internet and seduced by all sorts of subcultures to God, how to build a life in the family, what needs to be done so that children grow up as true Christians and serve the Lord with their talents. By the way, Father Gennady himself is a creative person: he is the author and performer of spiritual songs under the pseudonym Wanderer.
- Father Gennady, it is known that this year was marked by a very important event for the parishioners of the Intercession Church.
Yes, this year on Christmas Day the President of Russia V.V. came to us. Putin. Vladimir Vladimirovich is a deeply religious man. He prayed sincerely, with all his heart, and when according to the protocol it was necessary to leave the temple, he asked: “Can I still pray, and then say a word?” - and made a speech, standing on the pulpit. It was his will. I think that Vladimir Vladimirovich is a deeply Orthodox person, a patriot of our Motherland, who is trying to put it in order. The President also inspected our shelter.
- How is the shelter organized, and who are its guests?
We built the shelter with voluntary donations from believers; no government money was invested in it. Help came not only from the Voronezh region, but also from other regions: Moscow, Lipetsk, Tambov. The result was a warm home for children who found themselves on the margins of life. This is not quite a shelter in the usual sense: we have equipped ten apartments, each with four rooms, where six children can live together with a foster mother. Everything is homely, cozy and beautiful. But it so happened that the first guests were residents of southeastern Ukraine who fled the war. Those who then moved to a permanent place of residence received help from the parish and caring parishioners - money, things, dishes, bed linen and everything they needed.
- You don’t only care about children who find themselves in difficult life situations, right?
Faith cannot be treated formally: it is disgusting to the Lord
All children and teenagers need to be dealt with. The youth department at the temple is about 100 people. We publish a scientific magazine, newspapers - for children, for large families and for the younger generation. Several years ago, with the blessing of Metropolitan Sergius of Voronezh and Liskin, they launched the family music and conversational “Radio “Blagovestie”” on a frequency of 73.55 VHF. Young people come to us, we communicate. They find their way, begin to understand the essence of Orthodoxy. They begin to understand that they need to understand the meaning of Orthodox life and faith, and not just come to church and light a candle. That you need to learn to love God, people and develop spiritually. That faith cannot be treated formally: this is disgusting to the Lord.
The clergy of our church hold various conversations at universities in the city, in schools with teachers. All this is necessary, especially for those who live in Russia. Of course, our country is multi-religious, but the majority of the inhabitants are Orthodox, so it is very important for all of us to know about our faith.
- Where do you need to start your path to God, how to go through it, how to follow God’s Providence?
In order to come to God, you need to rethink your own life, have a desire not to commit sins in the future, and fight against them. A person must understand that he himself is nothing, only the Lord can recreate him in a normal state. Therefore, it is important to go to Communion, not to neglect it and to understand what a Great Sacrament and mercy from God this is. Confess and receive communion, work on yourself, learn prayer and so slowly become a Christian.
You can’t do this: you’ve been a righteous man for five years and that’s it.
At the same time, remember: the entire journey of life is self-improvement. You can’t say this: I was a righteous man for five years and that’s it. No, my dears. During all the days allotted to us, a person makes efforts on himself. We know that even after death the devil tempts a person.
It is necessary to work on ourselves so that God would be pleased with our life and the state of our heart. The Monk Ephraim of Vatopedi said that it is necessary to drive away thoughts, not to develop the nonsense that the evil one slips into us. As for the Providence of God, this is the optimal form according to which a person must live on earth and develop his immortal soul for the sake of salvation. But this, again, is not the imposition of an obligatory path: a person follows God of his own free will.
- How can we, ordinary people living ordinary, hectic lives, understand the Providence of God?
I know a case when an elder advised one young man not to marry, because he foresaw that this young man would become a bishop in the future - this was the will of God. The elder was famous, many received help from him. What he said usually happened. The young man disobeyed the elder - simply because he did not want to work on himself, did not want to humble himself. He got married, but soon divorced his wife and started drinking so much that he died from it. So what was prepared by God’s Providence did not happen.
In order not to get lost in life, and a person can repeatedly fall into the snares of the devil, you need to turn to a priest, to spiritual people for advice - but only if these are really serious, fundamental problems. You shouldn’t ask your confessor whether you can eat, say, this piece of herring and not that one, or wash your hands with or without soap. This shouldn't happen. But when there are some important questions and a person wants to ask his confessor for advice, this is right. This has always been the case in Russia.
The parish at your church is quite large, sometimes you have to stand in a long line to confess. What spiritual problems do people come with?
Fear is also the influence of the evil one on the soul
The range of problems is very wide. These are various infections of society: the prodigal, the greedy... A person may not be able to control his passions. He can drink, commit adultery, take drugs, and fail to cope with the attacks of the devil. Fear is also the influence of the evil one on the soul. When Satan approaches, a person becomes very scared and wants to run somewhere - this is a sure sign that the devil is trying to frighten the soul.
You need to pray and completely come to terms with everything, following the path of the Mother Church. With the help of the Sacraments, the grace of the Holy Spirit gradually begins to prevail in a person, perfecting him. This is possible when confession and communion are sincere.
And it is necessary to take communion. At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ “took bread and, having blessed it, broke it and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Take, eat: this is My Body.” And, taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26: 26-28). Christ also said: “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you” (John 6:53). Therefore, if a person does not receive communion, he does not develop spiritually. Uniting with the Lord and moving along the spiritual path is impossible without communion. When a mason builds a building, he lays stone by stone. The same thing, from Communion to Communion, figuratively speaking, a temple is formed in the heart for the Holy Spirit to dwell there.
- Father, how to build a family correctly so that each member of the household has a temple in the heart?
It is important for each of our loved ones to be able to humble their pride, take communion in order to remain a member of the Church, and ask for a friendly family of the holy saints of God - Xenia of Petersburg, Matrona of Moscow, martyr Tryphon. And the most important thing is to work on yourself to become better. Here are the basic tips. And for more detailed information, you can refer to the disc I recorded, “Conversations on Morality in the Family and Chastity,” which was released this year.
Another question: how can spouses properly prepare for a new addition to the family, raise children correctly, recognize what gift a child has from God, and help realize it?
Parents should be a role model for the child. If you do not live chastely, you scream, swear, throw hysterics, then your child will get used to it and think that this is the norm and you can do the same. Do you understand what's going on? If a parent swears, the child will also swear; if he watches nasty stuff on TV, the baby will also watch it, since the elders are an example for him.
It is necessary to set a positive example and live in cleanliness. So that there is moral integrity. We should pray that children would be pleasing to God, so that they would truly glorify Christ and not be His opponents. You should not think about how much money the child will have and what kind of car it will be, but what kind of soul it will become. And try to prepare yourself to educate the future generation properly.
Children need to be given the opportunity to express themselves from childhood. Some draw well, others sing well, some write essays and poems well, while others understand machines and can easily disassemble them... Everyone has their own abilities, and, of course, they need to be developed. And if a person has creative talent, it should be not only for his benefit, but also for those around him. Talent is not supposed to be buried - that’s what it says in the Gospel.
- Father, you write the music yourself and put your poems on it. When and how was this talent discovered?
When you hang over an abyss, comprehension occurs very quickly - of yourself, life, death
I started writing songs in my first year at university. Once we were in the Caucasus with a speleological group. I found myself in one of the caves in the shape of a flask, with a narrow “neck”. I started descending by rope, and at some point it turned out that there were 30 meters below me, and it was impossible to climb up: the rope got caught in a crack and wouldn’t go. You hang over the abyss and think about everything! Understanding of oneself, life, death occurs very quickly... That’s how the first song came about. When we returned to camp in the evening, I took my guitar and sang:
It's not rain at all - it's water beating in a cave,
It oozes through the gaps, carving a pattern in the rock.
Only insurance and God can know when they will break
And the rope, and life, and the dispute that began with the cave...
It was in 1982, when I was near death. I remember that God decided whether to leave me on earth or not - he had mercy and left me to repentance, so now I know for sure: that world really exists. Therefore, I stopped working at the department (I am a physiologist by training, was engaged in scientific work, wrote a dissertation) and went to serve God. Although he was baptized in Orthodoxy, he didn’t really know anything about the faith at that time.
But there is no meaning in life without God, it is even impossible to imagine it.
At first I was a singer in church, then a reader, and in 1988 I was ordained to the priesthood. Graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary in absentia. That’s how I came to the ministry. Of course, the songs changed their focus and became one of the forms of preaching about God.
- Father Gennady, why do you write under the pseudonym Wanderer?
We are all wanderers on this Earth. We won't always be here. After my pardon by God, I perceive myself as a person who slides through time, not clinging to everything that is around.
Our guests were the cleric of the Moscow Church of St. John the Warrior, Archpriest Gennady Geroev, and police colonel, holder of four orders of courage, Alexei Novgorodov.
Our meeting took place on the eve of the day of remembrance of the martyr John the Warrior. The conversation was about the feat of this saint, about courage and fear, about resisting evil and about cultivating inner strength.
Presenter: Liza Gorskaya
The program mentions the Islamic State organization, which is recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation.
L. Gorskaya
Hello, dear radio listeners! The program “Bright Evening” is on air. Lisa Gorskaya is with you in the studio. And today we have two guests in our studio - Archpriest Gennady Geroev, cleric of the Church of St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka. Hello, Father Gennady! And police colonel, holder of four orders of Courage Alexei Novgorodov.
A. Novgorodov
Hello!
L. Gorskaya
Tell me, you’re not a retired colonel, are you?
A. Novgorodov
No, still an employee.
L. Gorskaya
I'll be more careful then! We greet our listeners on the eve of the day of memory of John the Warrior. I think that this has now explained to everyone why we have gathered in this particular composition. We would like to talk about life, about the fate of this saint, not abstractly and distantly in time, but approximately to our modern life, because the theme of heroism, the theme of even martyrdom, it is eternal, it does not disappear anywhere. When I began to prepare for today’s program, I remembered one incident that happened to me. Once, about 15 years ago, I apologize, my bag was stolen. And some lady told me: “Don’t worry, go to Yakimanka, there is a temple of St. John the Warrior there. And if you light a candle there, the bag will definitely be found!” It's such a strange thing. It is on this plane that I wanted to talk about how generally correct it is to treat the temple this way. After all, this is probably not an order table - light a candle and you’ll find the bag? On the other hand, why do they turn to John the Warrior? What was it about his life that led to him being remembered in this way and presented in this form in popular memory? And is this right? Sorry, I hope I didn't say it too confusingly.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
No, no, everything is clear. The question is clear. You know, the saint, in fact, has an amazing life. There is not enough extensive information about him in his life; the information is quite meager by modern standards.
L. Gorskaya
But at the same time everyone remembers and knows him.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, at the same time he is a saint of the ancient Church - he lived in the second half of the fourth century, was the head of the guard of the army of Julian the Apostate - the Roman Emperor. And after he actually provided assistance and help to the mysteries of Christians, warning them of danger, in particular, so that they avoid raids, all kinds of attacks and persecution...
L. Gorskaya
Although he was called upon, in fact, to deal with these raids.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes. He was, let's say in modern terms, a secret informant of these Christians, many of whom were hiding or were in some kind of underground, speaking in modern terms. And before the imperial guard carried out raids on certain villages, in which a certain number of Christians were announced in order to lead them, so to speak, to the true faith - according to the concepts of the Roman Empire - John the Warrior was able to warn about the coming invasions of the inhabitants of these villages where some could hide, some could take care, and so on. That is, he was such a secret informant. Moreover, he himself visited many prisoners in prison and provided them with all kinds of assistance, even not only Christians. There is information, as they write in ancient Russian literature, that he visited not only Christians, because they are Christians, but also all those people who were persecuted, who were not given help, assistance, mercy. Because he was merciful above all.
L. Gorskaya
What could have happened to him if Emperor Julian, for example, had found out that he visited Christians in prison and sympathized with them?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
And finally what happened happened. Because Julian was informed about this. John the Warrior was imprisoned and remained there, according to information, for three years. And only after the murder of Julian himself, who was killed in battles with the Persians, only then was John the Warrior released.
L. Gorskaya
Why was he not immediately executed, as happened with most Christians?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Because, according to the same hagiographic information, he had extensive connections, because he was a noble man and, being in such a position as chief of the guard, he acquired, as they would say now, connections. Therefore, he had intercessors, including at the imperial court.
L. Gorskaya
John the Baptist also had intercessors.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, but his fate, I would say, is much harsher - we all see the severed head of John the Baptist on the canvases of artists. This did not happen to John the Warrior. Moreover, he is called a martyr not because he died, he did not physically die or suffer, he lived for quite a long time. Nobody knows how long he lived, but he lived a long life. The date of his death is not known, everything is very approximate. But it is known that soon after the burial, in the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Constantinople, from his relics through prayers to him as an intercessor, massive miracles and conversions to Christianity took place, based primarily on those miracles that had already revealed his relics.
L. Gorskaya
What kind of miracles?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Why is he considered the intercessor of all suffering and disadvantaged? And in general, after all, this is a helper, first of all, it so happened, in sorrows and circumstances, in various cruel situations that occur very often in life, especially, I would say, in our country. In our country, John the Warrior is especially revered, to a greater extent than in the Greek lands, by the way. In Ukraine, for example, John the Warrior has been revered since ancient times, on the territory of modern Ukraine. Because in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv - the oldest temple of Ancient Rus' - there was an icon of John the Warrior, on which a kontakion was written. On this icon there was a kontakion at the bottom, under the icon.
L. Gorskaya
What is this Kontakion?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Kontakion is a glorification of a saint, which is performed during worship. That is, this is a special part of the liturgical service, a song that, as a rule, was known by heart and sung. And therefore, John the Warrior is the oldest saint who came to this earth! And it is believed that he is the patron saint of these offended, oppressed, offended. What is this connected with? Probably because, first of all, the history of our Motherland is a rather sorrowful story: sorrows, misfortunes, invasions of foreigners...
L. Gorskaya
You know, it’s good where we are not!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes. But still, the history of Russia is a history of sorrows, without any doubt! The history of our people is a history of sorrows. John the Warrior is especially close to a person in sorrow.
L. Gorskaya
You know, I’ll still argue with you here! And the history of the African people is also filled with sorrows. And now no one there considers them poor at all...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
You know what's amazing? That, after all, Russia should have long since broken away from the level of Africa in terms of the level of sorrows, because after all, we have long considered ourselves to be a European civilization, a European people.
L. Gorskaya
I rather said it to provoke you, because, indeed, in my opinion, human life...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Not without sorrows. Any human life. But the number of sorrows in Russia clearly exceeds the number of sorrows in Luxembourg, I’ll tell you honestly.
L. Gorskaya
Number of sorrows per square meter?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, per square meter, without any doubt!
L. Gorskaya
But there are probably some other sorrows there, in Luxembourg.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
You know, I would like our sorrows to decrease at least a little compared to the sorrows... This is a very complex topic. And therefore, John the Warrior is still close to our people, because he meets their aspirations, their needs, their sorrows, I emphasize again. And why? Because there are a lot of offended people. Lots of people who feel offended. I, as a priest, can testify that resentment is one of the sinful states of modern society. People come to confession, they talk a lot about something, and then you ask: “Are you offended?” They say: “Yes, I’m offended by my neighbor, I’m offended by my sister!” Children sometimes say that they are offended by their parents.
L. Gorskaya
The main thing is not to be offended by God!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
But people are also offended by God. They are offended by Heaven, I would say, by their fate, which did not work out for a person, does not work out. How can he express this resentment? The offense is not specific - he cannot blame anyone for his misfortune, he is offended by Heaven. Therefore, God is indirectly to blame, do you understand?
L. Gorskaya
To Heaven, another option - sometimes for children.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
You see, 98% of people who don’t even realize it are offended by something or someone.
L. Gorskaya
And where, by the way, does this proverb come from, that they carry water for the offended?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
This is a very true proverb, because you need to get rid of grievances. Any doctor will tell you, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist will tell you that an offended person is sick in a different way. Because there are diseases associated with grievances. Of course, a non-offensive person also gets sick, but these are illnesses of a completely different kind.
L. Gorskaya
What kind of illnesses are associated with grievances?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
You see, resentment is, first of all, bile, it is bile of character, it is endless despondency and some kind of self-criticism, wariness, suspicion. And there are a lot of things related to grievances. Resentments destroy us, grievances destroy the human body.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Moreover, he must also believe in the future, because a person is fueled by hope, without hope there is no full life. Man is fueled by hope! If this hope is not there, then this resentment only gets worse and it destroys even more.
L. Gorskaya
Dear radio listeners, Father Gennady just said that 98% of you, consciously or unconsciously, are offended by someone, we ask you to look into this issue and resolve it as soon as possible, and be healthy and happy!
I remind our radio listeners that the program “Bright Evening” is on air. Today, on the eve of the day of remembrance of St. John the Warrior, we are talking about him and much more. I would like to ask a question to our second guest - Alexey Novgorodov...
A. Novgorodov
I'm going back to your purse...
L. Gorskaya
Stolen at the beginning of the program!
A. Novgorodov
Yes, stolen at the beginning of the program. You went straight to the Temple of St. John the Warrior...
L. Gorskaya
No, I admit that I didn’t go.
A. Novgorodov
You were recommended to go to the Church of St. John the Warrior, which is located on Yakimanka. This is the closest temple to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It would be better if you were advised to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where there are professionals and specialists in searching for both handbags and any missing things and people, in general, specialists in solving crimes. Therefore, there is some kind of connection here with your handbag. Before the broadcast, I looked at the website, I wondered myself, but I wasn’t the only one. There was such a conversation on the Internet - who is the patron of the law enforcement structure. There are some opinions that St. George the Victorious. But St. George the Victorious is the patron saint of all warriors. And in the end, both on the site and Father Gennady will confirm these words that John the Warrior is still the closest, both in his actions and in his own way... He is the patron of the law enforcement structure.
L. Gorskaya
Isn’t it embarrassing that he disobeyed the direct orders of his own leadership, being the head of a law enforcement structure at one time?
A. Novgorodov
This is such a provocative question!
L. Gorskaya
Certainly!
A. Novgorodov
The law enforcement structure exists to help people, it protects the aspirations of people. The structure itself is designed to protect the aspirations of the people. And if there are persecutions against people, then this is not a law enforcement structure.
L. Gorskaya
Is this crazy?
A. Novgorodov
Well, some word is not quite...
L. Gorskaya
What is this? This is being done by someone’s hands and someone’s orders are being carried out? In this case, Emperor Julian the Apostate gave the order.
A. Novgorodov
Well, since we have a religious program, first of all, it is not pleasing to God. Secondly, it is not to help people and not to please people. In general, the whole system and our whole life are built on the fact that people have some consolation somewhere - your purse was stolen, they should find it for you. Even if they didn’t find it for you, you should find consolation in the temple, and so on and so forth.
L. Gorskaya
And it was stolen from me in the temple!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, by the way, there are thefts in the temple too!
L. Gorskaya
Especially in the temple, because people there are relaxed, and scammers don’t care about anything.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, that's absolutely right! Nowadays there are a lot of people who specifically travel along the Circle Line of the metro, then they look for churches that are closer to the metro, they look for them when a person is a little distracted, absent-minded, praying, and puts his handbag next to him...
L. Gorskaya
That's what happened to me.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Everyone who comes to the temple has different intentions. You know, not all people come to pray in the temple.
L. Gorskaya
Yes, yes, that’s what happened to me! It was Epiphany Eve, I came to the All-Night Vigil, stood in line for confession. But it is clear that there are a lot of people, there is a flow of people who, perhaps, go to church twice a year - for Epiphany water and for Easter cakes. And that’s why you don’t pay attention to the fact that someone passed, someone pushed, this is normal. At some point, bam, I regained consciousness, but my bag was gone!
A. Novgorodov
In all centuries, naturally, there have been thieves and embezzlers. And crimes were not born in our modern times.
L. Gorskaya
And the Venerable Mary of Egypt did not go to Jerusalem with pious intentions. Another thing is that she was transformed when she arrived.
A. Novgorodov
God grant that those people who come to the temple with ungodly intentions may still have enlightenment! And we will pray about this, our priests will pray...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Allow me, Lisa, to also add that if there had not been real help, like the intercessor of John the Warrior before God, before those people who were stolen from, who were offended, I assure you that for centuries people would not have gone to him or come would be from the Far East. Here I am a witness - this is our only and oldest temple in Moscow, it is more than 300 years old, the temple on Yakimanka. And people come from the Far East, from Siberia. They come on purpose, and not because they don’t have a similar temple there. They come because we have an icon of John the Warrior in our church; it is considered so miraculous. So people come to her and turn to her. Moreover, I am a witness to how real miracles happen. Just recently, by the way, a month ago, the daughter of a woman came to see her, whose bag was stolen in Spain - she was on vacation in Spain. There were documents, money, and a lot of other things in the bag. And she didn’t know what to do next. She was persuaded...
L. Gorskaya
So a woman's bag was stolen in Spain, and her daughter is here...?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Naturally, she contacted or relatives called and told about her mother’s misfortune. The mother was simply paralyzed by this...
L. Gorskaya
Having your suitcase stolen is not the worst misfortune!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
A bag with money and documents! Abroad, in my opinion, this is the most serious thing - try to prove who you are! And so she called and managed to contact her daughter. The daughter came because the mother is not a church person, but they simply suggested to her: “You know, you go, there is such an icon, turn to it, pray!” - and so on...
L. Gorskaya
But a person still turns to God, and not to the icon, when he prays.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, he turns to God. But: “Go, pray, ask!” - first of all, ask John the Warrior as an intercessor, so to speak.
A. Novgorodov
John the Warrior is closer to the Lord, he intercedes for us.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, he is like an intercessor, like a prayer book, like an intercessor, you know, that’s how they turn to him. This does not mean at all... when you said that, indeed, this is a problem. And the problem is that people, and church people, very often confuse in their minds such things as faith and superstition, belief in magic, I would say. So they come, light a candle...
L. Gorskaya
I give you a candle - you give me something. I give you two - you give me this.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes. Or: “Why? So I lit a candle, I ordered a prayer service in front of the icon, but I got nothing...” You understand what questions arise. That is, people have a jumble in their heads, I would say, because people believe in magic. It's magic, you know? This is faith in some kind of miracle, which, in fact, is not the kind of miracle that is a miracle in the Christian understanding. And a miracle like: “I gave it to you, I gave it to you - you must give it to me!” Buy and sell - that's the relationship.
L. Gorskaya
This is called the “order table”.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, the order table. This is absolutely outrageous. But, on the other hand, if there were no real help from this saint, I assure you, for centuries... Now, if people have been turning to Heaven for thousands of years. Even this small example: you come to your boss - every person probably has a boss...
L. Gorskaya
Some have several.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Even a few! And so, in cases of some urgent need, you ask your boss for something. And the boss refuses you, refuses to help: “I can’t! I can’t help, I can’t do it, I can’t let go!” - in some urgent cases. Well, the second time, maybe you will try to come to this boss. Now you won’t come for the third time, because you have already concluded that it is useless, that the boss is callous, dry, heartless.
L. Gorskaya
Do you know what a smart boss does? He allows it, and then he hangs so much on you for everything after that - additional duty, overtime. That you won’t ask for it a second time.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
It's clear. Well, he’s also not a very good person, apparently, such a boss is vindictive and vindictive. But I assure you that if people have been turning to Heaven for thousands of years, and Heaven does not answer - Heaven with a capital letter, of course - God does not answer or the saints do not answer their prayers, then, I assure you that there would not be such that people would walk and travel from afar with hope and trust in this saint. Because Heaven is silent. Why ask him if Heaven doesn’t answer?
L. Gorskaya
Father Gennady, so what happened to that woman who lost her bag in Spain, and whose daughter came to the Church of St. John the Warrior in Moscow?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
I will be brief, because I don’t want to occupy the airwaves with this story and tell all the details. But the fact is that this woman is walking along the embankment of this town called Calpe, which is located between Valencia and Alicante on the Costa Blanca...
L. Gorskaya
You said so many words that I wanted to leave the studio and go, go, look at airline tickets!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
And this woman sees her bag, without money, but with documents, hanging on a chair in the street cafe. Not because she left it there, but because someone brought this bag and took money from it.
L. Gorskaya
I also had a funny incident when my phone was stolen from my pocket, and it was... It was a very long time ago, if any of our listeners remember, it was without a SIM card, you can’t do anything with it, you can’t use it. And the person who stole it from me caught up with me with the text: “Girl, you dropped your phone!” That is, he realized that he did not need this phone and decided to return it to me. By the way, at the risk of being caught by the hand there on the spot.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Well, an absolutely wonderful thief!
L. Gorskaya
Let no one think that this is some kind of panegyric to thieves. After all, theft is a violation of one of the 10 Commandments: “Thou shalt not steal.”
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Well, after all, my conscience kicked in.
A. Novgorodov
Because every person still has a conscience.
L. Gorskaya
If there was a SIM card in the phone, then my conscience would not leap!
A. Novgorodov
I'll try to disagree with you!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Someone else's soul is darkness.
L. Gorskaya
The amazing loyalty and tolerance performed by the police colonel amazes me, it really does! Alexey, I understand that you are a parishioner of the Church of St. John the Warrior?
A. Novgorodov
Not really. I come in very rarely. Moreover, when I leave the Ministry, I enter it, but I am not a parishioner. I come in specifically to pray and cross myself, or to thank the Lord for something. I'm a parishioner...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
But many of your employees are from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I testify, many come, many are believers. Including the rank and file often.
A. Novgorodov
And the senior staff often comes, and without any hesitation. When I enter the temple, I meet a lot of employees there. Therefore, people who are believers now... I won’t say that they are believers, but those who are moving towards faith, because the word “believers” is now somehow...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Shabby enough.
A. Novgorodov
Yes. People moving towards faith, looking for themselves in faith and seeing the light in this. Therefore, I cannot say that I am a believer, although I have been since childhood, my mother... My mother is a believer. Even during the atheistic times, she took me to church, we went... I was born in Moscow, or rather, now it has become Moscow - Kosino, this is the former closest Moscow region. So she came from Kosino in the morning, in the dark, she took us, we boarded the train, we went to the Novaya station. And there we went to the soldiers’ church for Liturgy in order to be somehow closer to the Lord, without showing at our place of residence that we were believers. Because, after all, there were times against God.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Undoubtedly. I still had to hide my beliefs somehow.
A. Novgorodov
My mother is a believer. Thank God, she is still alive now, she is 91 years old, she and her father gave a lot to the fact that you are now calling some of my regalia. No, this is still not my merit.
L. Gorskaya
I wanted to talk to you separately about the regalia later.
A. Novgorodov
This is the merit of my parents, my environment, my employees. Now the media is why I go to broadcasts now; when they invite me, I come with pleasure. I just want to say that now there is a tendency to show a negative image of a policeman: werewolves in uniform, fat-bellied policemen, well, in general...
L. Gorskaya
You can’t erase a word from a song!
A. Novgorodov
Well, you know, I’m still an employee and I deal with people more. For some reason they will show this fat-bellied policeman who takes a bribe, and they will never show those officers who put their heads down protecting people.
L. Gorskaya
Why? They show it too!
A. Novgorodov
So rare! In prime time, right at this very time, they are showing “Cop Wars” or something else.
L. Gorskaya
But you are probably talking about some TV series now?
A. Novgorodov
I'm talking about what they clog our viewer's head with. That we still need to restore the good image of a policeman. You and I were probably brought up when Uncle Styopa was a policeman. You can contact a policeman and he will help. And this was brought up.
L. Gorskaya
Yes, and at some point they told the children not to approach the policeman under any circumstances if they got lost.
A. Novgorodov
Who said this? This is just negative. The negative image of a policeman is simply hammered into people's heads.
L. Gorskaya
But you can’t deny that law enforcement officers at one time, I will even say that in the late 90s, early 2000s, gave a serious reason to the media to cover their activities in a negative way? You can't deny it, can you? Has anything changed now? Let's talk about it!
A. Novgorodov
I will deny, because both the 90s and I have been serving in law enforcement for quite a long time, although I started with the airborne troops. But for more than 30 years I have already worn the shoulder straps of a law enforcement officer. And therefore I want to say that I served both in Soviet times and in the 90s, in those hard years. No, they didn't! I know so many people who work tirelessly and don’t spare their time... An employee of the criminal investigation department, he’s generally never at home, he’s simply never at home, he’s serving. And when there was a service - I don’t know for what reason it was disbanded, it was probably greatly interfered with - the Department for Combating Organized Crime. In 2008: “in order to combat organized crime, liquidate the unit for combating organized crime,” it sounded so funny. Then they somehow retouched it, but the very first version sounded exactly like this. “Their functions will be transferred through the criminal investigation department - to the criminal investigation department; for economic security - into economic security..."
L. Gorskaya
And what has become of them now?
A. Novgorodov
L. Gorskaya
Yeah. But this is probably not entirely correct, although perhaps this is none of my business.
A. Novgorodov
Yes Yes Yes!
L. Gorskaya
I remind you that we are broadcasting the program “Bright Evening”. Stay tuned, we'll be back in a few minutes!
L. Gorskaya
Hello again, dear radio listeners! With you in the studio is Liza Gorskaya and the “Bright Evening” program. Our guests are the cleric of the Church of the Holy Martyr John the Warrior on Yakimanka, Archpriest Gennady Geroev, as well as police colonel, holder of four orders of Courage Alexey Novgorodov. Alexey, I still want to talk about your four Orders of Courage. They probably don’t give them that easily? They absolutely definitely don’t! And you said so modestly that this is the merit of your environment, the merit of your parents, anyone, but not yours. Why not yours?
A. Novgorodov
Well, why not mine? Here the point is in upbringing, here the point is that my parents gave me the upbringing that you can’t give up some generally accepted postulates, you can’t step over yourself, you can’t step on your song’s throat. In some cases, it is better to risk your life and remain human than... That's why I say that this is education.
L. Gorskaya
How many times have you had to risk your life consciously? Didn't you think so?
A. Novgorodov
You know, well, such questions, of course...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
There was no counting!
L. Gorskaya
I read your biography. Of course, I can read some episodes out loud, but that would be wrong. Still, I wanted to hear this from you. And as a journalist, I believe in getting stories first hand.
A. Novgorodov
Let me tell you this, I can happily tell you about my employees, who risk their lives just as much as I do, and who are also awarded. Firstly, it is not ethical to talk to yourself. I don’t want to talk badly about myself, but with pathos it’s not ethical.
L. Gorskaya
But do you somehow keep in touch with the people who owe you their lives?
A. Novgorodov
Yes, sure!
L. Gorskaya
So there is human gratitude?
A. Novgorodov
Yes, we are friends with them. There is a person whom we freed here in the Moscow region because... We are still so friendly and close with him, despite the fact that he is in business. But we don’t have any relationships other than human ones after we freed him.
L. Gorskaya
Was he being held hostage?
A. Novgorodov
Yes, he was taken hostage. These are the same “dashing 90s”, as you said. Again, returning to the fact that in the dashing 90s people were liberated and people died... And now our Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime has now been renamed the Department for Combating Extremism. But there is a board there, in front of which a candle is always burning, on it there are more than 300 names and surnames who laid down their heads so that now we can walk the streets normally... We have already come to the conclusion that there are no such dashing people in the world. A “Zhiguli” with wide blue stripes, or these “BMWs” - this is an “Extortionist’s Fighting Vehicle”. That's what they called themselves. Let's come to this! And this is only through the hands of law enforcement agencies. But we cannot say that it is only the police. Yes, I am a police officer, now it’s called the police, although... Let’s leave this again for morality, because after all, I took the oath in the police, I now work in the police under a contract. I have only one oath - a police oath. And we worked in groups, and we did not share, everyone knew their job: FSB employees, employees of the Ministry of Defense, we - police officers - we performed one single task, everyone knew theirs. And therefore this division into the fact that these are policemen... good uncle policeman. Uncle Styopa is a policeman, he concentrates in himself the image of both an FSB employee and an employee of the Ministry of Defense, yes, he is a warrior. And just returning to the topic of John the Warrior - it is he who is the patron saint of all. Because St. George the Victorious is still more of him... Ministry of Defense, even on the sign of the Ministry of Defense...
L. Gorskaya
Interesting internal corporate divisions among the saints!
A. Novgorodov
These are not corporate! All the same, a person still wants to worship someone... who is closer in spirit. Because a policeman... Can I call him that?
L. Gorskaya
Of course, whatever suits you!
A. Novgorodov
Well, a police officer is more correct. This means that a police officer, if he came to make money, is not a police officer - he is a person who specifically came to earn money.
L. Gorskaya
How important are beliefs in this work?
A. Novgorodov
Yes, they are important! A policeman is a diagnosis!
L. Gorskaya
Is a priest a diagnosis?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes! I would also say that in order to be a priest... Probably, let's say, many could become a priest. But to be a priest and remain a priest all your life is a calling. And a calling is akin to a diagnosis!
A. Novgorodov
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about... Then a policeman is akin to a priest!
L. Gorskaya
A journalist is also a diagnosis, so the three of us here with diagnoses, it turns out, have gathered and are broadcasting to a wide audience. I have this question for you. Since, after all, the reason for us all to meet in this composition is tomorrow’s holiday - the day of remembrance of St. John the Warrior - and we talked about his life. And there is such a moment in his biography, at least in this form it has been conveyed to this day, that those three years when Saint John was in captivity... In captivity?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
In captivity, yes.
L. Gorskaya
He was very afraid. He was scared.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Well, yes, I was humanly afraid, for sure.
L. Gorskaya
I was afraid of execution. Have you ever been afraid in your life? And how did you deal with fear?
A. Novgorodov
Of course I had to! I am a living person, and animal fear is present in any normal person. If a person is not afraid, he should probably be referred to a psychiatrist.
L. Gorskaya
Also a diagnosis?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Any normal person fears physical death quite naturally. Moreover, no one is looking for her. No one is specifically looking for her, because suicide bombers who blow themselves up, we hear it every day in the news - endless explosions, suicide bombers, suicide bombers...
L. Gorskaya
They now prefer to kill others - also for show.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes. But, you know, these are people who, first of all, differ in what? Extraordinary fanaticism. They are based on fanaticism. They go for such things for faith and for Allah. This is fanaticism.
A. Novgorodov
It's not even about faith.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
But they believe that they are going for the faith, killing infidels for the faith. They kill infidels first. Because for Sunnis, Shiites are infidels, also infidels. Therefore, there are explosions within Islam because they cannot find reconciliation with each other.
L. Gorskaya
But it's far away. Or, at least, not for now!
A. Novgorodov
It is not far!
L. Gorskaya
I heard the other day that in Jurmala ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) goes around and recruits people in the market. In Jurmala! I have a personal, absolutely practical question. I'll ask you to maybe even take turns answering. I will give an example from life. And I will ask him to evaluate you, Father Gennady, as a professional in one field, and you, Alexey, as in another. A man is sitting in a carriage. A simple man in a train carriage. The train is traveling, people come in - hooligans. They have reinforcement in their hands, they are somehow armed with improvised means, and they are very aggressive. And they start beating passengers based on their nationality. It's hard to beat. It becomes clear that they can kill. And it is also clear that if you now press the speakerphone button with the driver and report and ask law enforcement officers to proceed to this car, then most likely you will also get hit in the head with reinforcement. And the person is afraid and does not call the police. I'm not talking about getting into this mess yourself! This is actually suicide!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
This is fear. Just fear and a sense of self-preservation.
L. Gorskaya
Is it a sin or not a sin that he did not help a person in such a situation, risking his own life?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Oh, you know, the question is, as they say, a dead end question! An extremely subtle question! Because you can be a very courageous person, but the instinct of self-preservation is inside you... You understand that if you are of sound mind, then you cannot specifically seek death, and you cannot specifically seek pain. Man is designed in such a way that he tries to avoid suffering. Another thing is that suffering will find you on its own, generally speaking! In this life they will overtake you one way or another to one degree or another! But a person in a normal, sane mind does not specifically seek suffering. To do this you need to be some kind of superman, you know...
L. Gorskaya
And here is a concrete moral choice!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Moral choice, yes. I believe that the feeling of fear is what stops him. And it serves as his justification. Do you understand? Feeling of fear.
A. Novgorodov
I'll tell you as a professional, from a completely different point of view.
L. Gorskaya
And I was counting on you to answer from the other side!
A. Novgorodov
We had a concept in the Caucasus: it’s easy to die. It's very easy to die. But you need to save yourself and complete the task. This is the basic principle we had when we went on reconnaissance missions, well, we carried out a lot of operational activities, and so on, and so on. Save yourself and complete the task! In this case, if the group...
L. Gorskaya
A group of aggressive people, armed with improvised means.
A. Novgorodov
Absolutely right! A group of aggressive people, armed with improvised means, attacks people. If you get involved in this, you will die along with this person and the crime may remain unpunished. Your human duty is to remember as much evidence as possible, to preserve as much evidence as possible. And at the earliest opportunity, inform the law enforcement agencies so that the crime is punished and retribution is not only in heaven, but also on earth.
L. Gorskaya
Is it worth trying to discreetly take pictures or shoot videos?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
If you can do it!
A. Novgorodov
I say again: document as much evidence as possible.
L. Gorskaya
What helps you maintain composure in such situations? I’ll ask you one by one too! Each of us, one way or another in our lives, faces stressful, extreme situations, where, in addition to the fact that you need to understand what to do purely physically - to run, not to run; sit, do not sit; speak or remain silent - you still need to make some kind of moral choice inside, moral. And for this you need to maintain composure. I think each of you has some advice.
A. Novgorodov
Self-control is always necessary. I will repeat once again that you cannot step over yourself, it is impossible. But, depending on the situation...
L. Gorskaya
According to the situation - evasive! And you, father?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Self-control is a very desirable quality that we should possess. But the question is that not everyone has it due to many reasons of individual character, individuality of character. Because I witnessed, when I was returning to the subway very late one day, how five people entered the subway car and they were looking for a reason based on the clothes the young people were wearing to simply beat them. That is, they were cocky, as they would say now, looking for fashionably dressed decent guys who obviously came from wealthy families. And not by hair color or skin color, but, let’s say, this was an attack on wealthy young people who return late from somewhere. What motivated them? Anger, inferiority, underdevelopment?
L. Gorskaya
Envy.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Envy. There are a lot of such things. But I witnessed that there were very few people in the carriage. And they came up and simply started beating and beating this man. Do you understand? And if I, for example, who saw this, then got off at the next station and reported this to the policeman who was on duty, but I did not risk, for example, intervening in this situation.
L. Gorskaya
Do you know what I'm worried about? Here is my mother, she is an elderly person, but she intervenes in such situations all the time. She can never remain indifferent and remain silent. And I'm very worried about her. While God was merciful, and yet her age, and her words, they somehow protected her. That is, she always begins to admonish everyone in these situations. And at least she herself remains intact. And a couple of times she even managed to stop the lawlessness. I always scold her very much and say: “Mom, well, don’t!”
Prot. Gennady Geroev
This is very risky!
L. Gorskaya
At the same time, she serves as such an object of admiration for me and I respect her very much for this. I'm trying to figure it out for myself. Do you also need to behave according to the situation?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Not everyone has fearlessness. This is fearlessness.
L. Gorskaya
She is very scared - then her veins are shaking.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
But, you see, she can somehow influence them by screaming - scare them. But this is all very individual, it does not always work. On the contrary, you seem to interfere in this situation, you are next in line. Next in line, you know? And not everyone is ready to expose themselves.
L. Gorskaya
Or maybe somehow unconventional...?
A. Novgorodov
I will say again that you must always act according to the situation. Let's say in the same metro - this is one situation. At the next station, get off and report, this will stop faster. If no one comes out and reports, then they will beat this young man for five more stations in a row. If you intervene right away, then you will become the same object that there are two of you against five... Moreover, you are asking a question... Mom and a man, in any case, a hand will not be raised against a woman, no matter how scoundrel he is. No, well, it happens, I understand, but still, upbringing, from childhood we were still raised in that society... I’ll go back to my childhood again. Even in godless times, we, our parents, somehow tried to return to faith. In some secret ways or some other way, but this is the process of education. And these people, who now felt impunity in the 90s, splashed out, but still, deep down in their souls, they have... anyway, every person has some kind of taboo. And under no circumstances should you hit a woman. Beating an old man is also somehow...
L. Gorskaya
And our same hot friends from the Caucasian republics, if their mother looks at them sternly, immediately turn pale, become dignified and become very polite.
A. Novogorodov
They still have the respect of an adult as a taboo; this cannot be taken away.
L. Gorskaya
I mean their mother, not my own, of course.
A. Novogorodov
No, any adult. It affects them... I still had to be in the Caucasus for quite a long time in my life. There people respect age, there they even address an adult stranger as “father” or something else. Their address is “dear”: “Dear, tell me!” Even the verbal form of addressing a person already implicitly gives some kind of taboo that if he is respected, then you cannot raise your hand against a respected person!
L. Gorskaya
The program “Bright Evening” is on air. Our guests are the cleric of the Church of the Holy Martyr John the Warrior on Yakimanka, Archpriest Gennady Geroev, as well as police colonel, holder of four orders of Courage Alexey Novgorodov. It seems to me, or is it that in our native, beloved country, respect for elders and age is somehow a thing of the past now?
A. Novogorodov
I won’t say that... This metropolis, it removes these edges, smoothes them out. I still have to travel around the country a lot, due to my profession. And in the regions we still have respect for elders, let’s just say that it’s not just that it’s outdated, but even more so, on the contrary, people return to their elders and consult with their elders. And I very often meet people to whom you ask a question, and they say: “Wait, now I’ll consult either my father or my mother.”
L. Gorskaya
Father Gennady, what do you think?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Of course, here I bow to people, let’s say, from the East, because in general Eastern people, including the North Caucasus, I am very close to the Ossetian community in Moscow, I am very close to the Ossetians. I simply admire how respect for elders is brought up in them from childhood. They practically stand up because a man older than him is talking to them. And this is brought up from childhood. I cannot say that this is brought up in our environment. In the Orthodox community, honoring elders is one of our calls; this should be the norm. But this is not the case in our Russian environment, that is, this. I don't want to say that this doesn't exist at all!
L. Gorskaya
Could this be related to this tech boom? Because now it has happened - a generation gap - that children and grandchildren have taken up and mastered some gadgets. And they went into a world that was completely incomprehensible to their parents.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
There’s already some kind of gap... Here they are sitting with headphones on the subway...
L. Gorskaya
And the parents somehow look like fools compared to them, because they ask: “Where should I click here?”
Prot. Gennady Geroev
I admire not only the attitude towards elders, but the love even towards children. I served in South America for a long time, and I’ll tell you honestly that the southern peoples are distinguished by their extraordinary love for children. For them, you just understand, a child is some kind of miracle of nature. Here you are walking down the street with a child, with your child, and people you don’t know give you compliments, because this child seems to admire them purely outwardly. They can congratulate you that you have such a cute, beautiful child. I’ll tell you my word of honor that I’m in Moscow - I’m a Muscovite, I’ve lived here all my life - I’ve never seen a situation here where a mother, walking, say, with a child, would compliment another mother about her child.
L. Gorskaya
I can tell you, as a person who always pesters other people’s, unfamiliar children and gives compliments, that, yes, people are very often surprised when you say: “Oh, how wonderful, how good you are!” And they look at you like this, like: “Girl, you fell from the oak tree!”
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Anyway, continuing this topic, respect for elders and love for children are the measure, indicator, thermometer of the moral state of society.
L. Gorskaya
You know, I have a friend, wonderful, my beloved, he is a priest too, he is the head of the gymnasium. And he was telling me what his formula is when he interviews teachers. A teacher comes to him, an applicant who wants to be a teacher. He says that the first question he asks is about his father’s birthday, his mother’s birthday. And if the person answered uncertainly, then no further interview will be held. Because a person who does not honor his own parents does not remember...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Everything is correct. Who doesn't even know their dates.
L. Gorskaya
Yes, what can he teach children?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
I want to say that this is only because everything is not entirely normal with this temperature that I am talking about - with the temperature in society. Because respect for elders is not at all obvious. It exists, without any doubt, but it is very individual and very dependent on the person; this is not the norm of upbringing. And, by the way, very little is said about this, there are few observations of any kind about this, that this is brought up somehow. And about love for children, the question is also very difficult. Because if we cultivated this love for children, our mothers would not abandon their children, would not abandon them in garbage dumps, would not leave them in hospitals. Because every day we see facts about how they deal with their own babies.
L. Gorskaya
One of my dear hieromonk friends even dived into the Lavra pond for one such baby, whom his own mother had thrown out before his eyes. And he's wearing a cassock...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, it's unfortunate...
A. Novgorodov
Then you don’t need to call her “mother”.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, “mother” is too sacred a word to describe all these cuckoos that give birth.
L. Gorskaya
Our broadcast time is running out. Today's conversation took an interesting and unusual turn. We talked to you about all sorts of situations when a person is forced to take some actions that are ambiguous or unambiguous, well, it doesn’t matter - the person is weak and he is afraid. And life is always more complicated than any theory. And it happens that you come out of some situation and you are left dissatisfied with yourself, your conscience torments you. Although formally, you may be right. But the sediment, as they say, remained. And I would like to ask you to tell us how to deal with this sediment. I can give a short example to illustrate my words. I once found a wounded dog, I didn’t know what to do with it. And a woman comes up to me and says: “I will cure this dog for my money and find its owner!” I say, “That’s great, but why are you getting involved in this?” She said: “Four years ago I was traveling with my family. And we saw a run-down dog on the road. She raised her head and looked at us, but we didn’t slow down and drove past. And our conscience still torments us. Bring me this dog, I’ll take care of it!” I bring her this poor downed dog in the trunk of the car. The whole family is standing by: her husband, two sons - everyone who drove past meets this animal. And she's happy. This is probably a little Protestant, some kind of simplification, on the one hand...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Can I start? You know, love for animals is wonderful, but very often among those who love animals, who keep animals, their love for animals overshadows their love for humans.
L. Gorskaya
The animal was now an example. It could have been a person. That is, a person could have been in the place of this dog.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Love for a person is primary. You know, I know a lot of people who tremble and love animals, this is all understandable.
L. Gorskaya
This is not what I wanted to talk about now! This is the story that I used as an example. She could just as easily have driven past a downed man and not stopped...
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Easily! I represent.
L. Gorskaya.
Yes Yes. And four years later, she could come to the hospital and pay for another person’s treatment. I’m talking about a way, like a person who has some kind of moral discomfort in connection with his own past, what could be the recipes to achieve harmony with himself and still live joyfully?
A. Novgorodov
Firstly, I want to say that you need to go to confession, even right away. First, confession... you see, we go to confession, but we talk... One priest once told me, when I begin to address myself in confession: “Father,” he says: “Don’t tell me, I'm only your witness. In this place you talk to the Lord, you repent before Him!” And just at confession, the Lord and I, the priest is only a witness. And the Lord himself will instruct you, like this sin that you committed, or these deeds... Firstly, the words of the Lord will be spoken by the priest and He will instruct you. Because confession is not something that you dissuaded, or else, at one time, they wrote it on pieces of paper, gave it to the priest, he read it, that’s it - go under the epitrachelion. No, I perceive confession in such a way that it is not five, not ten minutes. And this is why I like going to the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Nikulino, where the priest is Father Vyacheslav - I talk with the Lord. And it feels like sometimes even his voice changes when he conveys what...
L. Gorskaya
Confession is a sacrament! This is something incomprehensible.
A. Novgorodov
It's a sacrament, yes! It's so incomprehensible. But the first thing to do is go to confession. The Lord will tell you the next steps. But first, when there is discomfort in the soul, still... Even as a person who is a secular person and works in the field that...
L. Gorskaya
I'm guessing that you've made a lot of difficult decisions in your life.
A. Novgorodov
Yes, and yet the first thing I do is to go to the priest.
L. Gorskaya
Father Gennady?
Prot. Gennady Geroev
The most difficult thing, in my opinion, in this life, the most difficult thing for people, is to remain human, to remain human. It would seem that this is such a banal thing, but in fact, it is very difficult. And the Church constantly calls us to remember that we are human. And we must remain human, human. Because dehumanization, our, excuse me, bestiality, our animality, it simply catches the eye. Because we forget that man is destined for a higher life than for the bestial life to which we often descend.
L. Gorskaya
But why, what brutality? There are so many wonderful people around.
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Yes, you know, there are many wonderful people and they save this world. And let’s say, these people save our modern life, because they are decoration. But a person who forgets that he is human and that there is no need to become like him is what we are talking about now: the absence of goodness, the absence of love, mercy, and attitude towards children. We wouldn't be talking about this if there weren't these problems! Because we are losing this appearance. You know, a modern poet, I really liked his quatrain, I really remember these words: “It’s funny that living in prosperity, diligent miners of our fate, we have significantly improved our lives, but we have significantly lost its meaning.” So I wanted to say that we need to remember this in order to remain human.
L. Gorskaya
I think this is a good ending to today's conversation. I hope that someday we will have the opportunity to return to it again, because we touched on some topics in passing, some may still come to mind, because I, for example, formulated more for myself during this program questions than answers! That is, I would like to continue thinking even further. I remind our radio listeners that the program “Bright Evening” was on air. Today our guests were: a cleric of the Moscow Church of the Holy Great Martyr John the Warrior, on Yakimanka; and Alexey Novgorodov - holder of four Orders of Courage and police colonel. We say goodbye to you!
Prot. Gennady Geroev
Thanks for the meeting! All the best!
L. Gorskaya
Thank you too!
A. Novgorodov
Thank you bye!
L. Gorskaya
After 1917, by the will of God, emigrants from Russia ended up in different countries, including the Maghreb (the general name for the northwestern states of Africa - Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, etc.). In 1930, the famous literary critic of the Russian diaspora, Ilya Fondaminsky, wrote in one of his articles: “Won’t a million Russian people, not voluntarily, in the name of personal interests, who left their homeland, but forcibly thrown into exile, find moral strength and fortitude in themselves - not to lose their face, not to crumble into a million specks of dust, not to merge with the peoples who sheltered them in exile? Truly, if this were so, it would indicate the cultural flabbiness of the Russian people and their historical doom. Of course, it shouldn’t be like that and it won’t be like that.”The Russians, abandoned by fate in Morocco, belonged to a variety of classes, from representatives of the “common people” to the descendants of the most noble families of Russia: the Sheremetevs, Tolstoys, Ignatievs, Dolgorukys, Urusovs, Obolenskys... Officers of the Russian Imperial Navy, disarmed in the Tunisian port of Bizerte , dispersed from there throughout North Africa. It was they who built all the ports in Morocco in the early years of the French protectorate. In the 20-30s, five thousand Russians lived in Rabat alone, and there were more than 30 thousand throughout the country.
In 1926, a small group of Russian Orthodox Christians in the city of Rabat, at the initiative of former artillery captain Alexander Stefanovsky, founded a society called “The Orthodox Church and the Russian Hearth in Morocco.” In 1927, Hieromonk Barsanuphius (Tolstukhin), a Valaam resident who was appointed rector of the local parish by Metropolitan Evlogii (Georgievsky), came here. The Russian colony in Morocco keeps a legend about how, soon after the arrival of the Orthodox priest, a delegation from the Berbers (the indigenous population of the country) came to him to greet the minister of the faith professed by their distant ancestors.
Under the leadership of Father Barsanuphius, the formation of church life begins in Rabat.
Divine services were held in a wooden barracks owned by the municipality. Funds were collected for the construction of the temple, but it was not possible to acquire land. And suddenly a miracle happens: in 1927, the Muslim Arab Sherif Hussein Jebli, married to an Orthodox Russian, in gratitude for the prayerful help provided to him during his serious illness by Father Barsanuphius, actually donated a plot of land to the community on the outskirts of the Bab-Temara district, having drawn up a deed of sale for a symbolic amount of one franc. With the support of the entire Russian diaspora, a temple is being built on this site, topped with a dome in the Moorish style, and later - in 1931 - a bell tower, built at the personal expense of the permanent church warden Alexander Stefanovsky. In the fall of 1932, Metropolitan Evlogy arrives from Paris and consecrates the temple, elevating Hieromonk Barsanuphius to the rank of archimandrite.
This example inspired our compatriots in other Maghreb countries. “May the Lord bless all your good pastoral undertakings, especially in building the holy churches of God. My heart rejoices very much that in distant Africa the voice of the Word of God is heard in our native Slavic language - for the first time since the beginning of the world,” Metropolitan Eulogius wrote to “the Father Superior and his God-saved flock in Morocco.”
The Orthodox community in Morocco, in addition to the official status of a religious organization, also had cultural and educational status, called the “Russian Hearth in Morocco.” The parish choir organized concerts in different cities of the country, in which the French, drawn to Russian spiritual culture, also participated.
For many years, the choir director was Pyotr Petrovich Sheremetev, a descendant of the most famous aristocratic family, who, after finishing his studies in Paris, came to Morocco as an agricultural specialist. His wife Marina Dmitrievna, an eight-year-old girl, left her homeland with her parents. Her father, General Levshin, commanded the court cavalry guards. After the October events of 1917, the family of the tsarist general ended up on the Greek island of Lemnos, where the Levshins, according to Marina Dmitrievna, “were already thinking of laying down their bones.” But the grandmother helped - from the famous Golenishchev-Kutuzov family, who personally knew the Queen of England - thanks to whom the family was able to move to Paris. Here Marina met Pyotr Petrovich Sheremetev. The day after the wedding, the newlyweds left for Morocco.
Their daughter, Praskovya Petrovna, still lives by the Grace of God in her mother’s modest, almost ascetic apartment in Rabat. Icons decorated with towels hang in the corner, and on the nightstand there is a prayer book in the Slavic language. Marina Dmitrievna was our oldest and most zealous parishioner. She reposed in the Lord in November 2001 and was buried in the Russian section of the European cemetery in Rabat.
A great friend of the Sheremetev family was Count Mikhail Lvovich Tolstoy. Once upon a time, the father of this wanderer, the writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, while studying at Kazan University, was fascinated by exotic African countries.
But my son had a chance to find eternal peace in one of them - Morocco. He died in 1944 and was buried in the Christian cemetery in Rabat, where there are many Russian graves: princes Dolgoruky, Trubetskoy, Count Vladimir Alekseevich Ignatiev, the closest relatives of the liberator of Bulgaria, General Joseph Gurko. His granddaughter, nun Maria (Gurko), a native of Rabat, is a faithful assistant to the ruling bishop of the Korsun diocese in Paris.
Immigrants from Russia everywhere, including Morocco, have proven themselves to be highly qualified specialists: geologists, builders, agronomists, doctors, and military personnel. One day, a Russian who came here again met marching soldiers of the royal guard on the street, who were singing a Russian song! It turned out that the unit was commanded by a former tsarist career officer - it was he who taught the Moroccans our drill song.
After the death of Father Barsanuphius in 1952, different abbots served in the temple. Archimandrite Vladimir (Bagin), according to the recollections of parishioners, was “a sociable, cheerful and active person who worked for a long time in the house of the famous French writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.” By the way, Exupery himself repeatedly visited the Church of the Resurrection, as evidenced by archival records - he really liked Russian church singing. Father Vladimir was replaced by Archpriest Alexander Belikov, previously a professor of philosophy in Belgrade.
Many famous clergy cared for Orthodox believers in Morocco, and among them - Archimandrite Lev (Tserpitsky, now Archbishop of Novgorod Starorussky), Archimandrite Gury (Shalimov), now also a bishop. In May 1997, on the week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad visited the temple in connection with the 70th anniversary of its foundation and celebrated the Divine Liturgy there.
Today, the Orthodox parish in Rabat continues to live its measured life. True, there are very few Russian parishioners left. But, unlike Soviet times, both Russian diplomats and trade mission employees visit the temple, and some sing in the choir.
Orthodox Serbs, Bulgarians and Romanians also come to services. There are even Orthodox Lebanese. They all find consolation and joy under the shadow of the holy temple erected by our pious compatriots.
Gennady Geroev, archpriest
© "Komsomolskaya Pravda" (Moscow), 06/21/2005
Fathers of big politicians
Vladimir Vorsobin
The KP correspondent found those who absolve the sins of Russian political leaders. [...] It turns out that Vladimir Putin, Grigory Yavlinsky, Dmitry Rogozin and other famous politicians, it turns out, are devout people - they regularly go to church. And not just as candlesticks. These high-ranking mortals have confessors!
And then a temptation came to me (maybe the devil sent it, maybe just the authorities) - to find these priests, unique citizens of the Russian Federation, before whom politicians repent of their sins.
Putin's confessor baptizes intelligence services
Although I had no illusions (the topic was sensitive and intimate), I was still intimidated for a long time.
Intimate? Eh, brother, that's putting it mildly! - a familiar priest sympathized. They prefer not to give away their “spiritual children” at all. Those spiritual fathers too. Sometimes it seems to me that piety is considered something shameful and indecent...
Wait! I hope we are not talking about the secret of confession... - the man of God suddenly looked at me menacingly.
God forbid! - I lied.
Let's take, for example, the confessor of the Rodintsy leader, Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov, rector of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in Moscow near the Dynamo metro station. According to admiring parishioners, the priest is an excellent speaker, a very sociable person with a great, albeit gloomy, sense of humor. (Apparently, this is explained by the specifics of the work: Father Dmitry is the head of the synodal department for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies.) It is curious that if you compare Smirnov’s sermons and Rogozin’s speeches, you begin to doubt whether the archpriest is writing political texts! (It’s unlikely that it’s the other way around.) For example, testimonies from flocks are circulating on the Internet about how once a priest, addressing believers on the radio, simply suggested smashing sex shops with cobblestones. And deal with sectarians in the following way: “Two people in any city are quite capable of finding out the addresses, surnames, first names, patronymics, home addresses of the leaders of all existing sects. Well, you can create posters, copy them on a photocopier and cover all government institutions. And you can take a photograph of the sectarians when leaving the house. So that every resident of the city knows by sight. I think for many it will be enough to leave here. At least more than one brick will fly through this window."
Rogozin’s confessor solved Russia’s demographic problem even more creatively. There is a rumor among church parishioners that one day the priest came to one of the Moscow maternity hospitals and conducted an experiment there. He offered women who came to have an abortion to renounce sin, and in return offered to help them buy an apartment, educate their child, or simply help them out with money...
True, none of the women decided to respond to this noble impulse of the priest.
And then it dawned on me - had the eccentric father Dmitry advised the eccentric slave Dmitry to go on a recent hunger strike in the Duma? The handwriting is very similar! Alas, I couldn’t ask. Father flatly refused the meeting. Rogozin too...
For my curiosity, God punished me with a series of other failures.
About Putin’s confessor - Archimandrite Tikhon (in the world - Shevkunov), abbot of the Sretensky Monastery, which has long been favored by believers from the highest echelons of the special services, we had to be content with general information - a monarchist, a flexible diplomat, familiar with Vladimir Vladimirovich since the time of his leadership of the FSB.
According to fragmentary information collected by hook or by crook, it turned out that most politicians are still doing without spiritual fathers, but they go to churches. Boris Berezovsky, who does not hide his Jewish origin, even more does not hide the fact that he prays in Orthodox churches. He was indeed seen more than once being baptized in one of the monasteries. German Gref was not seen in churches (but once - and this is a fact - the minister kissed the hand of the head of Catholics, the Pope). Vladimir Zhirinovsky recently replaced the Orthodox church in Moscow's Sokolniki with the more prestigious Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where almost the entire country's leadership likes to crowd on holidays.
But Anatoly Chubais even visited the Gobi Desert at a meeting with spiritual leaders of Buddhists...
But then the heavens relented. And the confessors agreed to the meeting.
Yavlinsky came to God after the elections
Only the inscrutable ways of the Lord could bring the liberal rebel Grigory Yavlinsky and high-ranking official (Chairman of the Moscow City Duma) Vladimir Platonov to the same temple of the martyr John the Warrior, on Yakimanka. Each of them has their own confessor here.
And it’s immediately clear who’s whose.
If it weren’t for Father Nikolai, Yavlinsky wouldn’t be here,” the old woman on the bench beams with a kind smile. - Our father is kind. He will console you and heal you with a kind word. And, they say, he loves Europe. He goes there often. It used to be that he would say: “Once I was traveling from Barcelona to Madrid by train...” Wonderful! So, they say, it was because of this Europe that they became friends with Yavlinsky. By the way, do you know if he is always so shy?
In terms of? - I didn’t understand.
He comes here rarely and prays separately from everyone, there, in the corner, hiding behind the icons. Modest, perhaps...
Father Nikolai, a handsome old man with a sad and calm look, speaks about his spiritual child accordingly - sadly and calmly.
His friends brought him to me,” says the confessor, “three years ago. (This period coincides with the last parliamentary elections, in which Yabloko suffered an unexpected defeat. - Ed.) I am far from politics - it’s dirty. Therefore, I see before me not a politician, but a person. I feel that he feels bad, lonely, there are no people close to him spiritually who could understand him... He really needs warmth. People like children...
The priest's gaze warms.
You just need to listen to them. And warm with words.
Father said that he and the Yabloko leader never talk about politics. Even during confession.
Politicians rarely talk about work, confirmed the mentor of Moscow City Duma Speaker Vladimir Platonov, Father Gennady (in the world - Gennady Geroev). Platonov’s former classmate at the Patrice Lumumba People’s Friendship Institute, like his spiritual child, was energetic and talkative. He likes to remember how the speaker thought about God. Having learned that his friend suddenly abandoned his worldly career and entered the seminary, the future head of Moscow legislators said: “If Gena did this, it means there is something there (in heaven)!” “Vladimir Platonov believes in God and regularly goes to church,” says the confessor. - But we talk more about personal problems.
Are these conversations appropriate in church?
Certainly! - Father Gennady is surprised. - He asks the will of God!
But why don’t they repent of their political sins? The lives of millions of people depend on them...
The confessor thought about it.
I think politicians don’t consider this a sin, but rather a mistake,” he sighs. - Like a surgeon before an operation, they are devoid of sentimentality and view everything that happens in politics as everyday work. Or like a game. In addition, over time, it becomes more and more difficult for senior people to understand what ordinary people think about them. I once asked Vladimir about a housing law adopted by deputies. It turned out that in some cases people had to unfairly overpay for an apartment. He was surprised. Having asked in more detail, I was amazed. But, after thinking, he agreed - yes, it’s unfair!
About this conversation, I asked my “source” in the Patriarchate whether Zurabov went to church.
I think no. Although, as the head of the Pension Fund, he opened a prayer room in his office,” my friend answered. -Our priests, by the way, often argue - is Zurabov a believer? Most people think no. An Orthodox Christian could not carry out such reforms...
And I even forgot to ask - why?
Glazyev's confessor goes into politics
Alas, after apolitically sublime conversations about the Soul and God, I was quickly returned to the sinful earth. This happened in the Church of the Three Saints on Kulishki, in Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Lane. It turns out that Glazyev’s mentor, Father Vladislav Sveshnikov, not only does not shy away from politics - he takes part in any serious action of his “child”.
We agreed with him - not a single serious decision without consulting me,” Father Vladislav says weightily.
It’s a pity that Glazyev came to me only a few years ago. Then he had already decided to go to the presidential elections, all I could do was bless him, although I did not approve of this action.
Why then were they blessed?
So that a person has peace of mind.
Isn't your role too big, father? - I ask insinuatingly.
So why do you think a confessor is needed? - Father Vladislav was surprised.
Statesmen who live by faith must measure their decisions against the truth of God. This applies to those who believe that they are living a Christian life and are aware of the need for moral and spiritual verification of all their decisions, in particular, through the joint thought of a politician and a confessor.
And he fell silent.
But I unexpectedly discovered the most heroic “pupil” of the church... in the Duma. And not just anywhere, but in the United Russia faction. Deputy Vladimir Plokhotnyuk, who recently voted for “monetization,” was pelted with bricks upon returning to voters in his native Orenburg. Fortunately, the sinful deputy was saved from a nervous breakdown by his confessor, whom Plohotnyuk had once helped in building a church.
Father, too, at first did not approve of me for this vote, United Russia complains. - But I explained everything to him. And the priest blessed me. (“So that a person has peace of mind,” I remembered the words of the wise father Vladislav). But he advised me not to hide from people. Oh, and it was difficult for me to follow this instruction!
When I asked the United Russia member whether he repented in confession about his political sins, the deputy smiled slyly: “What sins?” The law on monetization is good. But they had to repent of their misdeeds. I once unfairly offended an employee. I prayed in church for forgiveness.
Did you apologize to the employee himself?
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Tuscan white bean soup
Test “Are you a conflict-ridden person?”
Baby meatballs with gravy