In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.
(Genesis 1, 1-2).
The biblical teaching about the creation of the world is briefly called Six days. Day means day. In 1823, Anglican priest George Stanley Faber (1773-1854) put forward the day-age theory. This opinion has absolutely no basis. In Hebrew to express words indefinite period of time or era there is a concept olam. Word yom in Hebrew always means day, day but never period of time. Rejecting a literal understanding of the day greatly distorts the biblical teaching about the creation of the world. If we take a day as an epoch, then how to determine evening And morning? How to apply the blessing of the seventh day and the rest in it to the era? After all, the Lord commanded rest on the seventh day of the week - Saturday, because He Himself rested: and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His works(Genesis 2, 3). The Lord created plants on the third day, and the sun, moon and other luminaries on the fourth. If we accept the idea of \u200b\u200bday - era, it turns out that plants grew without sunlight for an entire era.
The Holy Fathers understood day literally the first chapter of Genesis. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons: “Restoring this day in Himself, the Lord came to suffer on the day before the Sabbath - that is, on the sixth day of creation, on which man was created, through His suffering giving him a new creation, that is, (liberation) from death.” Saint Ephrem the Syrian: “No one should think that the six-day creation is an allegory.” Saint Basil the Great: « And there was evening, and there was morning, one day... This determines the measure of day and night and combines them into one daily time, because twenty-four hours fill the continuation of one day, if by day we mean night.” Saint John of Damascus: “From the beginning of a day to the beginning of another day is one day, for the Scripture says: and there was evening and there was morning: one day».
How then did the alternation of day and night occur before the creation of the luminaries, which appear on the fourth day? St. Basil the Great writes: “Then, not by the movement of the sun, but by the fact that this primeval light, in a measure determined by God, either spread out, then contracted again, day occurred and night followed” (Six Day Conversation 2).
Genesis begins with a description of the magnificent work of God - the creation of the world in six days. The Lord created the Universe with countless luminaries, the earth with its seas and mountains, man and the entire animal and plant world. The biblical revelation about the creation of the world rises above all existing cosmogonies of other religions, just as truth rises above any myth. No religion, no one philosophical doctrine could not rise to the mind-transcending idea of creation from nothing: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
God is self-sufficient and absolutely complete. For His existence, He does not require anything and does not need anything. The only reason for the creation of the world was the perfect Love of God. Saint John of Damascus writes: “The good and most good God was not content with contemplating Himself, but out of His abundance of goodness He wanted something to happen that in the future would benefit from His benefits and be involved in His goodness.”
The first to be created were disembodied spirits - Angels. Although the Holy Scriptures do not contain a narrative about the creation of the angelic world, there is no doubt that Angels by their nature belong to the created world. This view is based primarily on the clear biblical understanding of God as the omnipotent Creator who laid the foundation for all that exists. Everything has a beginning, only God is beginningless. Some holy fathers see an indication of the creation of the invisible world of Angels in the words God created the sky (Genesis 1, 1). In support of this thought, Saint Philaret (Drozdov) notes that, according to the biblical narrative, the physical heaven was created on the second and fourth days.
Pristine the earth was unsettled And empty. Created from nothing, matter first appeared disordered and covered in darkness. Darkness was an inevitable consequence of the absence of light, which was not created as an independent element. Further, the writer of everyday life Moses writes that The Spirit of God hovered over the waters(Genesis 1, 2). Here we see an indication of the creative and life-giving participation in creation of the third Person of the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit. An extremely short and precise definition - everything is from the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Water mentioned in the above verse is the most important element without which life is impossible. In the Holy Gospel, water is a symbol of the life-giving and saving teachings of Jesus Christ. In the life of the Church, water has a special meaning, being the substance of the Sacrament of Baptism.
First day of creation
And God said: Let there be light. And there was light... And God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day and the darkness night. And there was evening and there was morning: one day(Genesis 1, 3-5).
By Divine command arose light. From further words: and God separated the light from the darkness we see that the Lord did not destroy darkness, but only established its periodic replacement with light to restore and preserve the strength of man and every creature. The Psalmist sings of this wisdom of God: You extend the darkness and there is night: during it all the forest animals roam; lions roar for prey and ask God for food for themselves. The sun rises [and] they gather and lie down in their lairs; a man goes out to his work and to his work until evening. How numerous are Your works, O Lord!(Ps 103:20-24). Poetic expression and there was evening and there was morning ends with a description of the creative activities of each of the six days. The word itself day the saints took it literally.
Light was created by the Divine in a word possessing omnipotent creative power: for He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it appeared(Ps 32:9). The Holy Fathers see here a mysterious indication of the second Person of the Holy Trinity - the Son of God Jesus Christ, whom the Apostle calls In a word and at the same time says: Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being.(John 1, 3).
When describing the first day, put first evening, and then morning. For this reason, the Jews in biblical times began their day in the evening. This order was preserved in the worship of the New Testament Church.
Second day of creation
And God created the firmament...<...>and called... the firmament the sky(Genesis 1, 7, 8) and placed the sky between the water that was on the earth and the water above the earth.
On the second day God created physical sky. In a word firmament the word in the Hebrew original is conveyed, meaning prostrate, for the ancient Jews metaphorically compared the firmament to a tent: you stretch out the heavens like a tent(Ps 103:2).
When describing the second day, we also talk about water, which is found not only on the earth, but also in the atmosphere.
Third day of creation
And God gathered the waters under the sky into one place and opened the dry land. And he called the dry land earth, and the collection of waters he called seas. And God commanded that the earth should grow greenery, grass and trees bearing fruit. And the earth was covered with vegetation. The Lord separated the water from the dry land(see: Gen. 1, 9-13).
On the third day were created oceans, seas, lakes and rivers, and continents and islands. This later delighted the Psalmist: He collected like piles sea waters, put the abysses in the vaults. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all who live in the universe tremble before Him, for He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it appeared(Ps 32:7-9).
On the same day God created all vegetable world. This was fundamentally new: God laid the foundation for organic life on the ground.
Produce flora Creator commanded the earth. Saint Basil the Great says: “The then verb and this first command became, as it were, a natural law and remained in the earth for subsequent times, giving it the power to give birth and bear fruit” (St. Basil the Great. Six Days. Conversation 5).
The book of Genesis says that the earth brought forth greenery, grass, and trees that sowed seed according to their kind. The Holy Fathers attached fundamental importance to this, for it indicates the constancy of everything created by God: “What came out of the earth at the first creation is preserved to this day, through the preservation of the race by succession” (St. Basil the Great. Six Days. Conversation 5). As you can see, the third day was dedicated to the structure of our planet.
And God saw that it was good (Genesis 1:12). The writer of everyday life expresses in poetic language the idea that God creates wisely and perfectly.
Fourth day of creation
And God said that lights should appear in the firmament of heaven to sanctify the earth and to separate day from night. The calendar and time will now be counted based on the created luminaries. And the luminaries appeared: the sun, the moon and the stars(see: Gen. 1, 14-18).
In the description of the fourth day we see the creation of the luminaries, their purpose and their differences. From the text of the Bible we learn that light was created on the second day before the luminaries, so that, according to the explanation of St. Basil the Great, unbelievers would not consider the sun to be the only source of light. God alone is the Father of lights (see: James 1:17).
The creation of luminaries had three purposes: first, to illuminate land and everything that is on it; a distinction is established between the luminaries of the day (the sun) and the luminaries of the night (the moon and stars). Secondly, separate day from night; distinguish four time of year, organize time using calendar and keep chronology. Thirdly, to serve for signs of the end times; This is stated in the New Testament: the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory(Matthew 24:29-30).
Fifth day of creation
On the fifth day, the Lord created the first living creatures living in water and flying in the air. And God said: Let the water bring forth living things; and let the birds fly over the earth. This is how the inhabitants of the waters appeared, aquatic animals, insects, reptiles and fish appeared, and birds flew through the airspace(see: Gen. 1, 20-21).
At the beginning of the fifth day God turns His creative word to water ( let the water produce), while on the third day - to the ground. Word water is taken in this place in a broader sense, denoting not only ordinary water, but also the atmosphere, which the sacred writer also calls water.
On the fifth day, God creates a higher form of life than plants. By God's command, representatives of the water element appeared (fish, whales, reptiles, amphibians and other inhabitants of the waters), as well as birds, insects and everything living in the air.
The Creator creates the first beings of each kind (“according to kind”). He blesses them to be fruitful and multiply.
Sixth day of creation
On the sixth day of creation, God created animals living on earth and man in His image and likeness(see: Gen. 1, 24-31).
Description sixth creative day Prophet Moses begins with the same words as the previous days (third and fifth): let it produce...God commands the earth to create all the animals on earth (living soul according to its kind). God created everything in a certain sequence increasing perfection.
And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils breath of life, and man became a living soul (see: Gen. 1:26-28).
The last, as the crown of creation, was man was created. He was created in a special way. The Holy Fathers first of all note that his creation was preceded by the Divine Council between all the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity: let's create man. Man is distinguished from the entire created world by the way the Lord creates him. Although his bodily composition was taken from the earth, the Lord does not command the earth to produce man (as was the case with other creatures), but He Himself creates him directly. The psalmist says, addressing the Creator: Your hands created me and formed me(Ps 119:73).
God said that it's not good for a person to be alone.
And the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and when he fell asleep, he took one of his ribs and covered that place with flesh. And the Lord God created a wife from a rib taken from a man, and brought her to the man(Genesis 2:21-22).
The Lord, of course, could have created not only one married couple, but several and produced from them the entire human race, but He wanted all the people of the earth to be one in Adam. After all, even Eve was taken from her husband. The Apostle Paul says: From one blood He brought forth the entire human race to live on all the face of the earth.(Acts 17:26). And that's why we are all relatives.
At the dawn of human history, God established marriage as a permanent life union between a man and a woman. He blessed him and tied him with the closest bonds: they will be one flesh(Genesis 2:24).
Having created human body, God blew into his face breath of life and man became a living soul. The most important distinctive feature man is that he the soul is godlike. God said: Let us make man in Our image [and] after Our likeness(Genesis 1:26). About what it is the image of God in man, we talked earlier. When God created man, He brought all the animals and birds to him, and man gave them all names. The naming of names was a sign of man's dominance over all creation.
With the creation of man, the six-day creation of the world ends. God created the world perfect. The hand of the Creator did not bring any evil into him. This doctrine of the original goodness of all creation is a sublime theological truth.
At the end of times will the perfection of the world has been restored. According to the testimony of the seer, the holy Apostle John the Theologian, there will be a new heaven and a new Earth(see: Rev. 21, 1).
Seventh day
And God finished on the seventh day His work which He had done, and on the seventh day He rested from all His work which He had done.(Genesis 2, 2).
Having completed the creation of the world, God rested from His works. The writer of everyday life uses a metaphor here, for God does not need rest. This indicates the secret of true peace that awaits people in eternal life. Before the arrival of this blessed time, already in earthly life we see a prototype of this state - the peace of the blessed seventh day, which was in the Old Testament Saturday, and for Christians it is a day Sunday.
According to the biblical account, on the third day of the act of creation, God created the earth. And in seven days the whole world and man were created by him. This act represents one of the fundamental tenets of the Jewish and Christian faith.
The account of how God created the earth and the heavens is found in the first book of the Bible, called Genesis. But its interpretations among believers and non-believers are very different from each other. We will talk about this, as well as in detail about how many days it took God to create the earth, man and the world around us, later in the article.
About the error of literal reading
Anyone who reads the Holy Scriptures without much thought into its essence, that is, trying to perceive it in the literal sense, may become very perplexed. John Chrysostom wrote about this. The clergy are talking about this today.
They warn that when analyzing biblical texts, one must keep in mind that the Bible is not a textbook and does not present scientific truths. It has a religious perspective as well as an allegorical aspect.
Taking into account these comments, we will try to consider chapter 1 of the biblical book “Genesis,” which tells how long it took God to create the earth, sky, man, plants and animals. Although the narrative is quite simple in form, its content is not always easy to understand.
Creation: the first three days
The first chapter of Genesis begins with God first creating the earth and the heavens. And this picture looked like this: the Earth was empty and waterless, there was darkness over the abyss, and the Spirit of God was flying over the water. Then the following happened.
On the 1st day God willed there to be light and it appeared. The Almighty liked this, and he separated light and darkness. He called the light day, and the darkness he called night.
On the 2nd day, God commanded that a firmament be formed in the middle of the expanse of water, and it separated the water that was above the firmament from that which was below it. And the firmament was in the midst of water, and was called heaven.
The account of the third day of creation tells how God created the earth. The water that was under the heavens flowed in one place, and dry land appeared, which God called earth. Then the Creator uttered a command that the earth should grow all kinds of greenery and grass that produces seed according to its kind and likeness, as well as fruitful trees. And all this happened.
Creation of luminaries and animals
On the 4th day, the Lord created celestial bodies in the firmament so that they would illuminate the earth. And also to separate day from night, make signs, mark times, days and years.
On the fifth day, at the direction of the Lord, the water produced reptiles and birds that flew over the earth, along the firmament. Then God created large fish and all kinds of animals.
Having considered what Scripture says about how God created the earth, the sky, the stars and planets, birds and animals, let us move on to
In the image and likeness
And God decided to create man in his own image and likeness. And he made him ruler over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air. And also over animals, livestock, over the whole earth and the reptiles that creep on it. And the Almighty created man and woman and, having blessed them, commanded that they be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and rule over the animal world.
After six days, the Almighty looked at everything he had created and decided that it was very good. At the beginning of the second chapter of Genesis it is said that on the seventh day the Creator rested, that is, he rested from his work. He blessed the seventh day by making it holy.
Having outlined the biblical events that tell how God created the earth and the world around it, as well as humans and animals, let us move on to the question of interpretation of the act of creation.
Creation from nothing
When reading the ancient narrative, at first glance it may seem that it contradicts modern scientific ideas. But, as already mentioned, the Bible is not a textbook on any natural science discipline. And it does not describe how God created the earth from a physical, scientific point of view.
But, as the fathers note christian church, it contains one of the important religious truths, which says that it was God who created the world and he did it out of nothing. It is very difficult for human consciousness, based on its life experience, to understand this truth, because creation is beyond our experience.
Even among ancient philosophers, there were opinions that the Creator and his creation are one and the same, and the world is an emanation of God. He “poured out” into this world, forming physical reality. Thus, God is everywhere - this is the opinion of pantheists.
Other philosophers - dualists - believed that God and matter existed in parallel, and the Creator created the world from eternal matter. Atheists deny the existence of God in principle; they claim that there is only matter.
We will consider the explanation of the supporters of the first of the above versions.
1 day is like 1000 years
According to the story of the Holy Scriptures, God created the earth, the whole world, the Universe out of nothing. He did this through His Word, Almighty power and Divine will. The act of creation is not instantaneous, one-time, it occurs over time. Although the Bible speaks of 7 days of creation, a day here is not equal to 24 hours, our earthly day. It talks about other time periods. After all, as stated above, the luminaries appeared only on the fourth day.
The Second Council of Peter says that the Word of God proclaims to us that with the Lord 1 day is like 1000 years, and 1000 years are like 1 day. That is, God is beyond our understanding of time, so it is not possible to judge how long the act of creation took place.
However, the following is clear from the biblical texts. The Lord himself says: “Behold, I am creating everything new.” That is, the act of creation is not yet finished, it continues in an invisible and incomprehensible way for us. God maintains with his energy the structure of the Universe in a state of balance and vitality.
Literary and artistic material
for reading to children on the topic of spiritual and moral education
Stories for children
world creation
Look around you, my dear friends. You will see people, houses, mountains, forests, stones, trees, beautiful flowers, horses, dogs, birds, beetles, butterflies. If you look up, you will see a huge blue sky and a friendly sun above you. The world is so diverse that our life is not enough to name everything that is in it.
But there was a time when there were no people, no animals, no trees, no stones, no sky, no earth itself. There was only one Merciful God. He wanted this whole wonderful world to appear.
First God created Angels. And they lived with him in heaven.
Then God created the earth. The earth did not immediately appear in the form in which you now see it. At first it was empty and there was terrible darkness everywhere, and the Spirit of God hovered over the water.
On the first day God created light. It became light on the earth, a clear, bright day arrived. And God called the light day and the darkness night.
On the second day, God created the firmament, and the vast vault of heaven appeared, which you see above you. And God called the firmament heaven.
On the third day, the Lord God commanded that the water on earth gather in special places (streams, rivers, lakes, seas, oceans), and dry land appeared around the water. And so it became. But the land still looked like a desert. If you didn’t see a single green leaf, a flower, or a tree anywhere, it would be very ugly and boring. And on the third day, the Merciful God said: “Let the earth produce grass, flowers, trees and other plants. And let every plant have seeds so that new plants can grow from them.” And it happened like this: at that very moment, grasses rose on the ground, flowers bloomed, trees with delicious fruits grew. The earth has become more beautiful and more fun than it was at first.
On the fourth day, God said: “Let the heavenly bodies appear in the firmament, which would illuminate the earth, by which one could distinguish day from night, count days and months and distinguish between seasons.” And God created the stars and two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. Immediately, countless stars shone in the sky, and the sun and moon appeared. Now it became very beautiful on earth: flowers were blooming, streams were babbling, white clouds were floating across the blue sky, and a huge sun was shining above all this beauty. Only not a single bird had yet flown in the air, no butterflies were visible on the flowers, no ladybugs on the leaves. Not a single worm crawled on the ground, and not a single fish swam in the lakes and rivers.
On the fifth day, God said: “Let fish and other creatures live in the water, and let birds fly through the air.” And so it became. Large and small fish swam in the rivers and seas: perch, pike, herring; huge whales appeared. Frogs jumped and crayfish crawled. Geese and ducks swam on the surface of the water; many other birds filled the sky and earth.
On the sixth day God created all the other animals and beasts. “Let the earth produce wild beasts of the earth according to their kinds,” said God. And it became like this: according to the word of God, animals appeared, in pairs of each kind, so that they could multiply.
Now things have become good and fun on earth. Worms crawl in the ground, colorful beetles run across the sand and grass, bees, bumblebees, and butterflies sit on flowers. A mouse runs here, a hedgehog crawls there. There is a dog here, a cat there. Here a cow mooes, there a sheep nibbles grass. A hare gallops here, a deer there. Here a lion lies on the grass, there a huge elephant stands and waves its thick trunk. Everywhere they sing, buzz, squeak, and moo. Everyone rejoices in their lives and praises the Merciful God who created them. And God looked graciously upon all His creation, which was very good indeed.
Children about the creation of man
And so God was pleased to create man. God said: “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air, over the animals and beasts and over all the earth.” The Lord God took a handful of earth, created a man’s body from it and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul. God named the first man Adam.
While Adam was alone, he had no one to talk to, no one to walk with, no one to rejoice with. The merciful God felt sorry for Adam, and He decided: “It is not good for man to be alone; let us create for him a helper suitable for him.” So the Lord did. He put Adam into a very deep sleep and, when he fell asleep, he took one of his ribs and created a wife from this rib. When Adam woke up and opened his eyes, a woman stood in front of him. Adam was delighted and said: “This is exactly the same person as me.” He fell in love with his wife very much, and they lived very happily. Adam named his wife Eve, which means “life,” because she was destined to become the mother of all nations.
This is how the whole world was created in six days. And when God once again examined everything that he had created, he saw that it was all beautiful.
On the seventh day God rested from all His works. And he commanded people to devote the seventh day of the week to God: go to church, pray, read holy books and do good deeds.
God settled people in a wonderful garden - paradise. All kinds of trees with beautiful fruits, many flowers grew there, and kind and affectionate animals lived. It was incredibly beautiful in paradise.
The Lord bequeathed to the first people to always remember their Creator and Creator, to preserve and cultivate the Garden of Eden. Living in paradise, they constantly felt God’s love, could talk to Him, and felt that God was always near them.
Man gave names to all animals and was the master and king of the whole world.
In the beginning, Adam and Eve lived righteously and holyly. In heaven no one offended anyone. Even animals did not attack each other, since God gave them various fruits, greens, and roots for food. There was peace in heaven.
Adam improved the world, communicated with God, and through him Divine grace flowed into the world. Grace is the joy, the love that the Lord pours out on each of us, the goodness with which He warms us.
And now our responsibility is to love everyone and take care of everything around us. If you plant a flower, it needs to be watered. If you got a kitten. he needs to be fed. After all, God cares about the whole world and about us.
GOD - WHAT IS HE?
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The son asked his father: “Is God just or merciful?” The father answered his son: “What are you, son, if God were only Just, the souls of all people would go only to hell. Therefore, God, first of all, is Merciful. He loves every person and seeks something to justify and have mercy on.” So what is He, God? This is how Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy talks about this in his book “The Law of God.” OMNIPOTENT Everyone can do whatever he wants. UBIQUITOUS He is everywhere at all times. ETERNAL Always has been and always will be. OMNISCIENT He always hears, sees and knows everything. ALL-GOOD Loves everyone and cares about everyone. ALL-RIGHTEOUS Fair. ALL-HAPPY Helps everyone and everything. THE ALL-BLESSED There is the highest happiness. |
Poetry
Rozhdestvenskoe.
S. Cherny
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In the manger I slept on fresh hay Quiet tiny Christ. The moon, emerging from the shadows, I stroked the flax of his hair. A bull breathed on a baby's face And, rustling like straw, On an elastic knee I looked at it, barely breathing. Sparrows through the roof poles They flocked to the manger, And the bull, clinging to the niche, He crumpled the blanket with his lip. The dog, sneaking up to the warm leg, Licked her secretly. The cat was the most comfortable of all Warm a child sideways in a manger. Subdued white goat I breathed on his forehead, Just a stupid gray donkey He pushed everyone helplessly: "Look at the child Just a minute for me too!” And he cried loudly In the pre-dawn silence. And Christ, having opened his eyes, Suddenly the circle of animals moved apart And with a smile full of affection, He whispered: “Look quickly!” |
A Christmas Carol.
M. Münthe
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All life is a trembling stream, Man, and bird, and flower. Love keeps within itself equal, Standing in defense of the weak He defended with all his soul and chest. It beat only with hot love. For the downtrodden, dark and dumb Good Shepherd.
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Guardian angel
Vladimir Sokolov.
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Today is the day before Christmas. So as not to disturb the silence, You don't have to do anything There is no need to enter the garden. Don't squeak the door, don't squeak your sleeve Don't touch the snowflakes. Today is Christmas day, God's blinding day. And if an angel is in the shadow You'll see by chance Don't scare me off with your delight, Shine on, don't notice. Today is Christmas day, So God's day That they are not afraid of anyone Neither doe nor deer. Today the branches hang like this That there is simply no trouble, And everywhere - the Garden of Gethsemane, Wherever there are gardens. Today is the day before Christmas. And it looks scary Today everything is dead is dead, What threatens existence? And if God whispers to a star I haven't heard of you That means in divine work Your star to shine, Today is Christmas day, God's quietest day Don't touch a speck of dust with your sleeve, Don't touch the snowflakes. And Snow White in the shadows With a bowed head - Just save the edge of your eye, That is your guardian. He is resting nearby And meanwhile he whispers: O, take your time, child of the earth, To the promised Eden... |
Was Christ little?
Irina Orlova
I'm interested in a question:
Was Christ little?
How He learned to walk
What did He begin to say?
And did He like to walk?
And what did you like to play?
Was He obedient to His Father?
What music did you listen to?
I think He was kind.
And I went to the meeting.
Tried to be friendly
And of course He didn't fight.
He helped his younger brothers.
Sometimes He got tired.
But he was not capricious or angry.
He always looked at the sky.
He always prayed to God
Only in Him did I look for help.
If only I could live then -
I would so like to be friends with Him!
How I wish, oh God,
Be like Jesus!
Christmas
Quiet all around. Everything sleeps peacefully, carefree.
The night stretched around endlessly.
The stars are burning with golden lights,
They pierce the darkness with their rays.
Nothing moves, nothing speaks.
Quiet all around. But no one knows
What is in Bethlehem, in a simple cave,
A child was born to the Holy Virgin.
Christmas holiday
On this bright holiday -
Christmas holiday
We'll tell each other
Nice words.
The snow falls quietly:
It's winter outside,
A miracle will happen here
And will set hearts on fire.
May your smiles
On this wonderful day,
They will be our happiness,
And a gift to everyone.
The sounds of life flow
Happiness and goodness,
Illuminating thoughts
With the light of Christmas.
Angel Wreath
Where the forest approaches the field,
Children collected flowers.
Suddenly comes down to them from heaven
Wonderful Angel, as bright as the sun.
Angel! Angel! - there was a cry.
Children eagerly crowd towards him...
He approached them with affection:
- Peace be with you, dear children of God!
Sit here on the grass in a circle.
I will open it, and you - attention!
- How to weave a wreath from flowers,
Never fades away.
This beauty has blossomed
To enlighten you on many things.
Bells, bells,
A voice calling for a conversation with God!
Let him live in your soul
- That is the Christian voice of love.
Forget-me-nots - a reminder
About that saving suffering,
What he bore for us with love
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here comes the lily of the field,
That, shining with its whiteness,
Surprisingly good
- So the soul should be pure.
Cornflowers in the yellow sea of bread -
Islands of blue sky
A reflection of paradise and the color of virginity,
Decoration of youth.
The time for withering will come,
Rain and cold, frost and snow,
But such a wreath will not fade,
It will be fresh forever.
Day of love and joy
M. Pozharova.
The living wing of a tender cloud
The amber dawn lit up,
And from heaven a snow-white angel
The Lord's holiday was announced.
Streams of gentle harmonies
Easter bells rush into the distance,
And peace for singing joy,
For a new and powerful life,
Awakened to the spring life.
Child, everywhere above the earth
Prayers are flowing on the day of love!
Pray - and with a sensitive soul
Call someone else's soul.
To the one who made a sad mistake
Or worn out by dark sorrow,
Be a comfort, be a smile,
Like a ray of dawn in an unsteady cloud,
Like Easter bells in the heavens!
I. Gorbunov-Posadov. Happy is he who loves all living things...
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Happy is he who loves all living things All life is a trembling stream, For whom everything in nature is native, - Man, and bird, and flower. Happy is he who is for the worm and the rose Love keeps within itself equal, Who hasn't brought tears to anyone's eyes in the world? And he didn’t shed anyone’s blood in the world. Happy is he who has been beautiful since his youth Standing in defense of the weak And the persecuted, pitiful and voiceless He defended with all his soul and chest. The world is full of human suffering, The world is full of suffering animals... Happy is he whose heart is before them It beat only with hot love. Happy is he whose caress of compassion For the downtrodden, dark and dumb Eases the severity of their suffering, The pain of human cruelty. It sounds fiery for the oppressed, Whose soul, through clouds and fogs, Like a beacon, it burns with love for them! Smile SMILE if the rain outside the window does not stop. SMILE if something doesn't work out. SMILE if happiness is hidden behind the clouds. SMILE, even if your soul is scratched. SMILE and you will see, then everything will change. SMILE, and the rain will pass, and the earth will be dressed in greenery. SMILE, and sadness will pass away. SMILE and your soul will blossom.
Loved you for no special reason... A.Barto
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A smile is a piece of sunshine, Like a ray of light illuminates everything, It will warm your soul with its warmth And your heart will knock. Melts the ice of quarrels and anger, Will drive away the crowd of insults, Smile more often, people. Through everyday life and bustle. Throw a handful of smiles And sow joy, happiness, laughter, Let your sadness and hopelessness They will melt like old snow. It will come back to you like a boomerang Your smiles are a warm light And the birds will sing around you, And the sun will wink in response. Turn on the smile lights, Give a spark of goodness, After all, very often there is not enough A ray of warmth for someone. K. Kuliev. The Tale of the Good Ant
M. Pozharova. Good A. Barto Do only one good thing in life... So that it multiplies from a good thought... Gardens in the area will bloom from the warmth... After all, everyone loves good things, people and flowers... Then people will remember with warmth in their souls... Goodness will leave a trace in your baby... After all, goodness is a treasure, a treasure that cannot be taken away... You can only accept it as a reward... If your heart is beating, everything is boiling inside... So your heart hurts for others... The good blossomed, took root and sprang up... So everything in life was not in vain... It will bear fruit, goodness will multiply... Everyone in life wants it to come... Without goodness, as you can see without its warmth... The soul does not sing with happiness, the soul does not live. Kindness Andrey Dementyev You can't buy kindness at the market. You can't take away the sincerity of a song. Envy does not come to people from books. And without books we comprehend lies. Apparently, sometimes education Touch the soul I don't have enough strength. My grandfather without a diploma and without a title He was just a kind person. So, kindness was there in the beginning?.. May she come to every home Whatever we study later, No matter who you are later in life. *** - You can live in different ways - You can be in trouble, or you can be in joy, Eat on time, drink on time, Do nasty things on time. Or you can do this: |Get up at dawn - And, thinking about a miracle, With a burnt hand, reach for the sun And give it to people. *** If you want to lend a helping hand, But you can't Wish the person well on their journey A kind word will also help. *** Always do good and evil In the power of all people But evil happens without difficulty It is more difficult to do good. The beast gives birth to the beast A bird gives birth to a bird From good - good From evil, evil will be born. Good, if only it were not enough Much better than the big bad. The Holy Book speaks. The Holy Book says: Tatyana Bokova
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Question No. 2981-2According to Christian belief, God created the earth 7510 years ago, and the scientific world believes that the earth was formed about 4 billion years ago. Who to believe?
Nikolay , Nab.Chelny, Russia
02/10/2008Dear Father Oleg!
I sincerely want to believe in God. It is easier and calmer and, probably, the threat of going to hell is less terrible, because there is still at least some hope for an easier fate, and if a person does not believe in an afterlife, then he already knows 100% that death This is the end of everything for him. But believing blindly in God is also not an option. Ultimately, everyone needs the truth. Where is she? According to Christian belief, God created the earth 7510 years ago, and the scientific world believes that the earth was formed about 4 billion years ago, the universe 14 billion years.
Who to believe?With respect, Nicholai.
Answer from Father Oleg Molenko:
Nikolai, if you really sincerely want to believe in God, then you will certainly believe. But faith cannot be separated from life. Faith is not only the acceptance of a certain body of concepts, knowledge and revelations, but a life in agreement with God's providence, will and regulations. Unfortunately, most people who have accepted faith in Christ accept it only as a theoretical worldview, and continue to live like pagans or worse.
Faith in itself does not eliminate the threat of going to hell, but it gives a person a real opportunity to change himself, reconcile with the Lord God, achieve salvation and move into the eternal abodes of the Kingdom of Heaven. The biological (physical) death of a person is not the end of everything, but only the end of earthly life, which was given to us by God for correction and testing.
With the end of earthly life comes a new eternal position of the human soul (and after the general resurrection of the whole person). This situation is either eternally blissful or eternally painful. Each person makes the choice of one of these two positions for himself.
It is absolutely impossible to live without faith. If a person does not believe in God or God, then he thereby believes evil spirits and people who lie in their madness that God does not exist at all or that He is not the same as He revealed to us Himself.
Truth (with a capital T) is the Son of God or the Word of God who came to our earthly world, who, having become God, became man, the Savior and Redeemer of all people. From this Truth come all other truths. So, only that which through Christ leads to God or to something divine is true. According to the Christian faith, which is consistent with the divine revelation recorded in the Holy Scriptures, God created the first man 7509 years ago (in relation to the current year 2009 AD). This number of years is clearly drawn through the history of people from Adam to Christ, recorded in the Holy Scriptures. From Christ to the end of our days, the number of years is recorded in the prophetic books of Scripture. This is an immutable truth from God and our Creator.
The so-called “scientific world,” which consists of a number of proud people, pompous with self-conceit and false knowledge, claims a fabulous and baseless calendar of billions of years. This is complete nonsense, causing only laughter and regret for such a great error in a person faithful to God. “Scientific” men are mistaken in this matter, introducing their own (fantastic) speculations and assumptions (hypotheses) into its solution. They look not from beginning to end (for they were not there at all in the beginning), but from end to beginning. Having felt something at the end, they undertake, based on these experiments, to build an assumption about the number of years of existence of the earth and the universe on the basis of their own logical thinking and the erroneous application of today's experiment to the past. On the one hand, they erroneously claim that dramatic changes in nature have taken place over many, many, many years, environment etc., and on the other hand, they assert a certain immutability of everything over billions of years, carrying it out from end to beginning based on today’s observations and experiments. A simple thought about what really happened in the beginning cannot occur to them. God knows this for sure and reveals it to His faithful, but they do not know this and are engaged in fiction. They cannot imagine that God immediately, with a wave, created the heavens (firmament) and the earth. They cannot even imagine the form and quality in which God created them. God created heaven and earth, but not from zero marks and parameters, but from some determined by Him. So God created the first man, Adam, as an adult (at about the age of 30). A scientist would look at Adam and declare with all responsibility and scientific certainty that this man lived 30 earthly years. Why? Because he has such experience that tells him about these 30 years. But in fact, Adam did not live 30 years, but only looked 30 years old on his first day of existence. In the same way, the earth was created by God immediately in adulthood, which scientists do not take into account. Experience dictates to them that the earth began from scratch. But it did not start from scratch, but appeared at the word of God in finished form. The mechanism for calculating years is also not reliable. It is based on the experience of the decay of the carbon atom observed today. But who said that it was like this in the beginning and always? This is nothing more than an erroneous assumption.
To be reliable and honest in the matter of chronology, the scientist had to move with all his equipment to the beginning and make all the measurements and calculations there. But this is unattainable for scientists. Their lifespan is incomparable with the lifespan of the earth and the universe. That is why there can be no question of any scientific reliability when referring to the past or future.
So, does science have no place at all in our lives? This is wrong. She has her place, and when she humbly takes it, then she is acceptable for this temporary life. Where is her place? Its place is today and only as an applied science. In other words, science can only be reliable in its present-day experience and experiment.
The more science goes beyond its limits, the more it makes mistakes, moving from concrete experience to hypotheses and assumptions, which are fantasies of the minds of specific people. Every person (and this is what both revelation and experience says) is a lie, weakness, imperfection. Man in his current state - a state of fall or great spiritual illness - is very limited in his capabilities and is very prone to delusions and mistakes. In addition, the existing spirits of evil act on him invisibly, but perceptibly, against which science with its experiments is powerless. Demons can “spoil” scientists, instilling in them all sorts of nonsense, for example, such as the theory of the origin and distribution of species (known as Darwin), the theory about the many billions of years of the existence of the earth, or the theory about the first explosion and dispersal of the universe. Demons can easily manipulate scientists and their minds if they do not believe in God, God and His revelation, as well as in the existence of demons themselves. A scientist cannot experimentally capture demons or establish any patterns in relation to them. Moreover, he cannot do this in relation to the Lord God and His invisible world. A person who believes in God knows incomparably more correctly and accurately, and knows much more about the world around him than scientists. He knows this from divine revelation, his own experience and, last of all, from the experience of applied sciences. An unbeliever or falsely believing scientist has only his feeble mind and unreliable scientific experience, but he does not have the main divine revelation, which, without any experiment, tells us what was, is, and will actually be!
Therefore, Nikolai, I advise you to believe only in God and live by His revelation. It is true, reliable, undoubtedly, useful, interesting, educational and blissful!