We celebrate Saint Helen’s (326 AD) diligent search for, finding, and exaltation of the Holy and Lifegiving Cross of Jesus Christ…and we consider what is means for us also, to search for, find, and exalt the crosses in our own lives.

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

I accept your terms! (с)

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

Yes and Amen ☦️

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

Feelings are Not Sinful

"Let us not forget that the devil doesn't attack us through our feelings. Sin doesn't enter into us through sadness, fear, hate, envy expressed as feelings. God says to Cain:
'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.' (Gen. 4:6-7)
So Cain's feelings of envy and hate are not sins yet. They are ill energies of a diseased soul and they erupt out of our fallen nature without us being able to control them through willpower. Sin comes through evil thoughts that promise relief from the torment of those feelings and that lead to evil words and evil, murderous deeds.
The Lord is asking us and is giving us strength to defeat sin. Someone says: 'But I am not able to not hate!' That's true, and this observation is the first step toward healing. Only by confessing our helplessness can we stand before God with our feelings. The thought of 'I'll show him!' 'I'll do this or that to him!' Turns this energy into an evil deed. But this energy can also be transformed into a good deed, and to thinking about God, and to prayer.

I can choose to chase away my evil thoughts, or to commit an evil deed, or to have mercy on myself and through this, chase away the evil one and his suggestions. Or to cry out to the Lord: 'Lord, save me!'“

(Mother Siluana Vlad, 'God, Where is the Wound? : Healing Remedies for Today's World')

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

"IF YOU ELIMINATE ME, THE OTHERS WILL GET UP AND SPEAK LOUDER"
About Charlie Kirk and his statements
Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea (Shevkunov)
[Author of "Everyday Saints" - best-selling memoire of his life in Monastery of Pskov during Soviet Atheism, and triumph of Faith]
A week ago, Charlie Kirk's name was practically unknown in Russia. It broke into our information space as a supernova explosion, giving rise to a wave of indignation and admiration. Some saw in him the embodiment of unacceptable values and reacted with undisguised hatred and indignation: "As an American (American!) maybe it's like that?!"
Others, with amazement and pain that he was no longer among the living, discovered an unexpected like-minded person. Death, without a doubt, became both the main sermon and the pinnacle of Charles Kirk's ministry. She also highlighted his complete image, full of faith, determination and Christian love, refuting the slander of those who read the Gospel with the eyes of their soul closed and do not understand that the convinced defense of the evangelical truth is love in action.
The killer and all those who stood behind him are powerless to put an end to the existence of a man who believes in Christ. And in millions of hearts of his like-minded people and friends, Charlie's martyrdom breathed a new, multiplied life to serve their goals, thoughts, beliefs.
In the era of post-truth, relativism and militant liberalism, when reality is constructed by the media and social networks, and conformism has become the norm, truth drowns in the sea of political correctness. Charlie Kirk dared to go against the current. He did not recognize halftones, compromises and deals with conscience. He didn't care what was fashionable, what was accepted, what the crowd dictated. He allowed himself an unprecedented luxury in our time - to call things by their names, even if it meant that such a royal choice would undoubtedly inevitably be followed by a series of retributions, up to the most terrible.
What is especially fascinating about Charlie Kirk's figure is his willingness to go with a word about the Kingdom of Heaven, about traditional values, about conservative principles to the most seemingly inappropriate places, the inhabitants of which for the most part do not want to hear anything like that! He chose the "missionary field", perhaps the most important, but, as we found out, not safe at all, about the same as a sermon somewhere in the tribe of cannibals. Student campuses, youth environment of generations Z and Y. But Charlie Kirk and among these so Christianly beloved young and aggressive individuals, in each of whom he saw the image and likeness of God, was not afraid to seem like a "white crow", was not afraid to go against the current, was not afraid to tell the truth - and exactly as he understood it, let it always cause anger and rejection.
Charlie's example is a lesson for us.
Here's what Jordan Peterson writes about him:
"Charlie emerged out of nowhere 10 years ago and created the world's most influential organization of young conservatives. And he did it from scratch. He did this by visiting universities almost alone, setting up card tables, offering to discuss and discuss all issues that have not been discussed and have not been discussed in these places created for this purpose, creating conservative clubs on campuses throughout the United States, creating grassroots organizations, learning to conduct debates, despite the fact that he himself did not go to college"[i].
The great work of many Russian missionaries over the past decades should not be underestimated. But I won't reveal the secret if I remind you that we have not yet had a century of chronic weakness at all - a craving for imitation of the West, in its extremes turning into something opposite to preaching. Some Orthodox missionaries, driven, of course, by the best intentions, having seen Western modernist preachers, try to please everyone and, adapting to the tastes of young people, exchange for vulgar jokes and playful "missionary receptionists".
The example and amazing successes of Charlie Kirk, who seemed to come from the same Western culture, but used completely different approaches, makes us think about what is truly effective in the mission. Charlie had enough intelligence and tact to respect the intelligence of his young interlocutors, to talk to them seriously, on an equal footing, without going down to clowning.
Charlie Kirk said first of all what he believed in. His sincere passion, principle and conviction infected young people, made them think. That's why they loved and hated him, and he didn't leave anyone indifferent.
The life and death of Charlie Kirk, the work of his life cannot but cause the deepest respect. After all, his opposition to the retreat - what our Orthodox elder Father John (Krestyankin) called the "devastator's procession" - despite the confessional difference, turned out to be surprisingly consonant for many of us.

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

Charlie Kirk. In the first person:
[prayer: The Kirkov family in the temple]
About Christ, the Bible and the Christian faith
"Jesus defeated death so that you could live"[ii].
Question: - How would you like to be remembered?
-" I want to be remembered for my steadfastness in faith. This is the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith"[iii].
"The greatest minds of history were fascinated by the Scriptures... Isaac Newton wrote about biblical prophecies more than about physics. There is something intellectual in the Scriptures that really expands your boundaries. And this, in my opinion, is so beautiful in our faith: it is available to everyone, but at the same time infinitely useful for research"[iv].
"The Bible is not relevant - it is ahead of its time"[v].
Kirkov family
About marriage, family and abortion
"The family will change your life for the better, so get married and have children. You won't regret it"[vi].
Advice to young men: "Find a woman, marry her, provide for her, have more children than you can afford"[vii].
"Marriage is not just an important stage in life, it's a vocation. God didn't say, "Wait until you feel ready." He said: "It's not good for a man to be alone." Marry young people. Be fruitful and multiply"[viii].
"A man should do everything possible not to force his wife to work"[ix].
"We allow the murder of one and a half million babies a year under the pretext of protecting women's reproductive health. We allow babies to be taken away and thrown away every year, just by saying that they are not people... You use dehumanizing language, saying, "Oh, it's an embryo." - No, it's a child created in the image and likeness of God, worthy of protection. The mass murder of people should never be justified under the pretext that they are undesirable. That's how we got Auschwitz, that's how we got the greatest horror of the twentieth century"[x].
Charlie Kirk. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP
About your vocation, freedom and conservatism
"If you eliminate me, others will get up and speak louder"[xi].
"We need to try to direct people to specific goals, to return to the Church, to faith, to marriage, to the birth of children. This is exactly the kind of conservatism I imagine and try to paint a picture of virtue to inspire people, not just to be angry"[xii].
"I'm much more interested in what God wants from me than what I want from God. God wants my life to be dedicated to the struggle for the truth"[xiii].
Charlie Kirk's debate to Cambridge. Photo: Nordin Catic/Getty Images
About the methods of discussion
"Wisdom listens"[xiv].
"Taste your words before you spit them out"[xv].
"If you believe in something, you need to have the courage to fight for these ideas, not run away from them or try to drown them out"[xvi].
"When conversations stop, when people become speechless, violence begins. Therefore, if you do something today, do it with passion, with conviction. Protect your friends, defend your beliefs and speak loudly, even if your voice trembles. Your words make sense, your values have a purpose. Never forget about it"[xvii].
Charlie Kirk and... Orthodoxy [Baptism of Desire?].
"Fasting is an underestimated technology of the Christian Church. Christ, our Lord, fasted"[xviii].
Interview with Orthodox priest John Strickland[xix] Charlie Kirk concluded by saying that he made a lot of notes and that he was looking forward to visiting Father John's church.
Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea (Shevkunov)
September 20, 2025

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

From an icon of St. John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)...

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

Every Sunday morning, the world thinks we gather in buildings with a few candles and some chanting. From the outside, it looks small. Ordinary. Forgettable.
But the truth is terrifying and glorious.
At the Divine Liturgy, time and space collapse. Heaven bends down to earth. The cherubim and seraphim take their places, the saints stand beside us, and the throne of God Himself is set in our midst.
We are not "reenacting" anything. We are stepping into the eternal reality of Christ's self offering. The Lamb once slain, yet eternally alive, is on the altar before us in the Orthodox Church. The Chalice we approach is the Fire of God, the same Fire that blazed from the burning bush without consuming it.
That Fire is love for the saints and torment for the unrepentant. In this life we taste it veiled in mercy, but in the life to come it will be unveiled. The same God will be Paradise for some and consuming fire for others. What we receive at the Chalice is nothing less than the foretaste of our eternal encounter with Him.(Revelation 21:23)
This is not symbol. This is the beating heart of all existence. This is where death is trampled, where heaven invades earth, where we who are dust and ashes taste eternity.
The Liturgy is not just in the world. The world is in the Liturgy. And in it, we learn even now how we will meet God in the age to come, either as fire, or as love.(с)
That is why the Church calls us to "lay aside all earthly cares." Because in that moment, the Kingdom has already come.
Here, time collapses. The past, present, and future dissolve into the eternal "Today" of God. The Cross, the Tomb, the Resurrection, the Ascension, they are not memories, but reality, burning before our eyes.
And when the priest lifts the chalice and cries, "The Holy Things are for the holy," the Fire of God, the same Fire that spoke from the bush without consuming it, is placed into your mouth. Bread and wine no more, but Christ Himself, the Body and Blood that hold the universe together.
The angels cover their faces. The martyrs lift their prayers. The Theotokos intercedes. And we, dust and ashes, dare to draw near to the Uncreated Light.
So no, the Liturgy is not "just another Sunday service." It is the center of the cosmos, the heartbeat of creation, the one place where eternity breaks through the veil of time.
Step into the temple, and you are stepping into heaven.
Glory to God ☦️

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

The Holy Martyrs Vera, Nada and Lyubov (Faith, Hope and Love) and their Mother Sophia (Wisdom)
They all lived and suffered in Rome during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.
Sophia was wise, as her name implies. She was left a widow, and had established herself and her daughters well in the Christian Faith. When the persecuting hand of Hadrian extended even over the virtuous home of Sophia,
Vera was only twelve years old;
Nada, ten years old;
and Lyubov, nine years old.
Brought before the emperor, these four held each other’s hands ``like a woven wreath,’’ humbly but steadfastly confessed their faith in Christ the Lord and refused to offer sacrifices to the pagan idol Artemis. Before their suffering, the mother encouraged her daughters to endure to the end: ``Your heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, is eternal health, inexpressible beauty and eternal life. When your bodies are slain by torture, He will clothe you in incorruption and the wounds on your bodies will shine in the heavens as stars.’’

One by one the torturers inflicted cruel torments, first on Vera, then on Nada, and then on Lyubov. They beat them, slashed them, cast them into fire and boiling pitch, and finally beheaded them with the sword one after another. Sophia took the dead bodies of her daughters outside the town and honorably buried them. She remained at their grave for three days and three nights, praying to God. Then she gave her spirit to God, flying off to Paradise, where the blessed souls of her glorious daughters awaited her.

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин