What is exorcism? This is a church rite performed over a person in whom evil spirits have settled. For most Russians, this is just a plot for a movie, something divorced from reality. In fact, in the modern Russian Orthodox Church he is becoming increasingly famous, thanks to the reprimand of Father Herman.
Mass fight against demons
At the time when the Russian Orthodox Church was headed by Patriarch Alexy, the holding of such events was not particularly blessed. The fact is that only a person who is completely freed from them is capable of expelling demons. In times of massive decline in morals, there are fewer and fewer such people even among the clergy. But today, Father Herman’s reprimand is not only open, but also carried out on a regular basis. It can be visited daily in the Church of the Baptist (Sergiev Posad).
Many people are surprised by this state of affairs. It is difficult to say who and when blessed this particular priest for such mass “sessions.” Now they take place in the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius at 13:00. Officially, the exorcism of demons is not prohibited and you do not need to pay money for it (as, for example, for baptism). However, in the hope of a miracle, exhausted people are sometimes ready to give their last. The amount of donation can theoretically be any.
- In modern consumer society there are resourceful businessmen who make fortunes from such rituals.
- The Vatican is very concerned about this state of affairs; a special school has been opened there for exorcists.
- In the diocese of Milan, for example, the church officially grants the right to cast out demons to only 7 people.
- The Russian Orthodox Church does not have a clearly formed position on this issue.
Before participating in such an event, you should still consult with a spiritually experienced person. It is better if it is a well-known priest. Only after receiving a blessing should one go to the Lavra.
What is obsession
The Gospel describes quite a few cases when Christ cast out demons from people. At the same time, His disciples were not always capable of this and entered “in full strength” only after the day of Pentecost. How is the state of possession by evil spirits expressed? It may look different for everyone. A person may exhibit inappropriate behavior:
- children break free and cry;
- adults may become hysterical and lose consciousness;
- the possessed also growl, bark, and mutter incomprehensible words.
Symptoms can manifest themselves especially clearly while under the vaults of a temple. In the first centuries of Christianity, exorcism was practiced by the apostles, then by their disciples. As experts on mental illness say, there were many possessed people in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Then psychiatry appeared and began to actively develop. In reality, it turned out that most cases of obsession are nothing more than hallucinations, delirium of a sick imagination. There is also no doubt that there are real cases when evil of spiritual origin takes up residence in a person’s soul. You can get rid of it only with the help of prayers, good deeds and fasting. Such people really need the help of an experienced priest.
What does Father Herman's reprimand help with?
Father Herman allows many people to participate in the ritual, because today there are few spiritually healthy people. What do those who come to his temple hope to receive?
- Healing from damage - cleanses the soul and makes thoughts purer.
- Getting rid of body diseases.
- Relief from mental suffering.
Prayers bring peace to the soul of those who come to God for relief, this is true. It is only desirable that the person himself wants this, otherwise the ritual may not help.
Everything goes very simply - the priest reads special prayers, anoints people with holy oil, sprinkles them with holy water, and makes the sign of the cross. Sometimes you have to put it on your head almost by force, because the person may resist. Or rather, it is a dark force operating in him that fears both the word of God and holy things.
Reviews
You can find testimonies online from those who visited the temple. During the ceremony, people behave differently; some are brought by relatives, because for them a reprimand is the last hope for recovery. Many people write that they really felt better after finishing the service. Although there are many stories about how nothing has changed for a person.
How can we explain the cases when presence in the temple does not help? Most often, because the person himself is not ready to accept Divine help with faith. After all, the Lord never brings anyone to Himself against their will. Therefore, a person must have a certain attitude: the desire to change for the better is important, you also need to work on your soul, pray.
Theological view
How do demons gain power over a person? This question haunts many, because if God is good and fair, why does He allow this? Here we should remember that the Lord values human freedom. And if someone does not want to live according to the commandments, attend the temple, take care of their soul, then the protection given during baptism is gradually destroyed. Then fallen spirits can get close to a person and begin to influence him.
But even in the most hopeless situation, the Lord extends a helping hand. Demons never gain complete power over a person. However, a person must repent, sincerely desire changes, and come to church. And then no evil force will be able to stay in him for long. A reprimand will help, but to avoid finding yourself in a similar situation again, you should begin to lead a godly life.
When the priest reads the prayers compiled by the holy fathers, grace can be restored. It is a powerful defense against evil spirits; they cannot penetrate its shell, which protects the soul of the believer. The entire physical body of a person, his internal organs responsible for vital functions are also cleansed: kidneys, lungs, circulatory system.
Having received relief, one must constantly resort to the help of church sacraments - go to church, drink holy water, attend communion, read prayers. Otherwise, there is a possibility of returning to the previous state. God bless you!
Herman's father's reprimand - what helps, reviews was last modified: July 8th, 2017 by Bogolub
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Three days a week, special services are held in one of the churches of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The abbot of the monastery, Father German, begs, smears with myrrh and sprinkles on the raging people. The curious and mentally ill should not come here. Diseases of the spirit are treated here.
Unexplained symptoms
Quite often, the patients treated by Father Herman are people with unexplained illnesses. A person melts before our eyes, loses strength, can barely walk, but not a single doctor can determine the cause and make a diagnosis. Another case is constant melancholy, depression up to the desire to die against the backdrop of a completely prosperous fate. Or, conversely, causeless outbursts of rage and irritation, reaching the point of violence in a person who is usually calm and balanced. There may be seizures, seizures, symptoms of epilepsy or schizophrenia, but without any signs of organic mental damage.
There is such a disease - obsession
The answer may be found in the church. A sharply negative reaction to all the attributes of a church service - incense, holy water, the cross, prayers, icons, relics - is evidence that a person is guided by a force alien to him. An even greater shock may be experienced by someone who, upon entering the temple, suddenly crows or begins to use obscene language. All this happens against his will.
So the person is faced with the fact that her soul is controlled by some other force, regardless of whether she believes in its existence or not. The reprimand carried out by Father Herman shows with utmost clarity the nature of this force. “Come on, get away from me, priest!” - a thin girl can scream in a bass voice, and a little boy of about six is capable of hitting a priest sprinkling holy water with such force that he is thrown three meters away. Low, evil, aggressive - demons, demons - are the source of mysterious diseases of the human spirit, called obsession.
How to become possessed
The first reason that people find themselves in the grip of demonic power is disbelief in the spiritual world: neither in God, nor in the devil. Due to an atheistic upbringing, one generation of atheists was replaced by another, accumulating a baggage of sins, - this is how Father German explains the spread of obsession among the post-Soviet population. An unbaptized person initially lives according to passions, does not recognize the commandments of God, does not receive the protection of the Holy Spirit and falls into the power of the unclean spirit.
The believer knows the commandments and follows them. But under the influence of evil spirits, even baptized people depart from God and commit sinful acts. However, they have the opportunity to repent and restore connection with Him in the sacrament of the sacrament. The one who does not resist temptations, sins and does not repent, loses power over his soul, gives it over to the power of demons. They take root in the heart of such a person at the moment of consciously committing an unscrupulous act.
Archimandrite Herman names another set of reasons for obsession. This is coding, turning to psychics, witchcraft practices. In essence, this is “the infusion of evil spirits with the full consent of the patient and against his signature.”
But to drive out the evil spirit from the soul is no longer in the power of the sinner himself. Here we need strong prayer help from the outside, and this is what Father German provides. Sergiev Posad is a place where thousands of unfortunate people flock in the hope of regaining power over their soul.
Exorcism - driving out demons
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is one of the few places in Russia where those suffering from obsession and demonic possession can get help. In church practice, casting out demons is called exorcism. In evangelical times this was available only to Jesus Christ. The Savior taught his disciples: “This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (MF.17:21). That is, only a person of strong faith and holy life can provide assistance in freeing his neighbor from evil spirits.
Since the first centuries of Christianity, a practice has been established: to expel unclean spirits, obtain a blessing from a church hierarch, whose rank is not lower than that of a bishop. In Rus', since the 14th century, a prayer for the exorcism of demons was widespread from the liturgical book of the Kyiv Mogila. Exorcism in Russia is called reprimand - this is a special divine service for Now the rite of reprimand is included in the large breviary of Orthodox clergy, it is recognized by the Orthodox Church, but not everyone is given the opportunity to practice it. Not everyone, but it’s good if only one out of a thousand.
Do we need exorcists?
Opponents of the rite of exorcism in the practice of the Orthodox Church are categorical: “The reprimand of Father Herman is a service that no one should attend.” Numerous arguments are presented, it is argued that the Russian Church has never known this rite. What do opponents of scolding offer to people in trouble? For those who are already here on earth, they saw themselves in hell and in the power of demons. Pray, fast, go to church, repent, take communion, visit holy places - in a word, correct yourself and hope for God’s mercy.
Yes! Now he is obsessed and ready to do everything that he previously neglected, but the power that controls him will not allow him to get closer to God. Not every priest in the parish has the prayer power to return the prodigal son to the bosom of the church. We need a special service and people who can perform it without harm to themselves.
Where can they help?
Father German Chesnokov is considered the leading exorcist in Russia, and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra is the most famous place where the spiritually ill receive help. Even in Soviet times, Abbot Adrian was engaged in reprimanding here. About thirty years ago, Father German received a blessing from the patriarch for this service. The Lavra, however, is not the only place where spiritual healing is promoted. 100 kilometers from Moscow, in the village of Shugaevo, Fr. Panteleimon, Fr. is known in Bashkortostan. Simon, conduct reports in the Kaluga and Gornalsky-Kursk regions; in the Nizhny Novgorod region, such services are held in the Oransky monastery, and in the Penza region - in Svyato-Rozhdestvensky, in the village of Treskino. In rural churches in the Vladimir region and Tatarstan there are priests who use the rite of reprimand to help people. In total, there are up to 25 priests in Russia practicing this service, which attracts a huge number of people. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). In the person of these priests, the Orthodox Church extends its hand to people who have fallen into enemy captivity. Why are there so few of them?
Did a good deed - prepare for temptation
One popular Orthodox book tells the story of a priest who once risked healing a demon-possessed girl. Couldn't resist the requests of his unhappy parents. After a week of strengthening, he carried out the rite of reprimand according to the breviary - and the unclean spirit left the child.
The feeling of joy was accompanied by an innocent thought: “And I’m not so simple, I can do something.” The desire to unwind and relax after the strain of spiritual strength is also quite understandable - and the priest, with a newspaper in his hands, delved into reading the city news. Looking up from the interesting article, he clearly saw who came out of the girl. The demon, looking straight into his eyes, studied him carefully. Not remembering himself from horror, the priest rushed to his spiritual father, from whom he did not even ask for a blessing for this service. One must think that the prayers of the confessor softened the punishment: the priest was robbed, beaten, and lost all his teeth.
"Without Me you can do nothing"
Absolute humility, which excludes any thought about one’s involvement in success, is the condition for protection from the attacks of evil spirits. Humility is an experienced knowledge of one’s weakness; the minister is one hundred percent sure that only Christ heals. “I don’t cast out demons, I read a prayer asking God to help,” explains Father Herman. Reviews of his service may vary, but everyone recognizes that he is a strong man of prayer. He develops the idea further: the service of scolding does not have a special philosophy and does not require supernatural abilities; he performs it not out of vocation and personal attraction, but out of obedience. Father Simeon from Bashkiria has the same attitude towards the rite of reprimanding - this is simply spiritual hygiene, after all, we wash our hands and brush our teeth.
Another component of safety, protection from attacks by demons, is maximum distance from everything worldly. This is easier to do in a monastery. People in the world need to be more careful. “Television is a source of spiritual damage,” says Father Herman, and lists it among the most common causes of obsession.
Obedience, humility, renunciation of the world with its passions - it would seem nothing supernatural, but there are so few ministers who are capable of this!
Alexandra Chesnokova
Divine providence exists in the life of every person, but not everyone can follow it. Father Herman saw a series of miracles in his life - his biography contains many seemingly incompatible facts.
Military service in Central Asia in a special border district. The times were turbulent - there was a war in Afghanistan. For military operations to detain spies, Alexander Chesnokov (the secular name of Herman’s father) was even nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Why not the beginning of a successful military career? But the applicant was not a member of the CPSU and, apparently, did not intend to join it. The next stage is studying at the Moscow Automobile and Road Institute, a prestigious Soviet university. He studied at the Faculty of Economics. Cars, economics - an education that could provide an interesting job and a successful life in both Soviet and post-Soviet society. Unexpectedly for relatives and friends it is interrupted.
“My life is a series of miracles”
On the advice of his spiritual father, Alexander becomes a student at a theological seminary and then at an academy. MDA professor A. Osipov recalls that at his seminars Chesnokov did not stand out for his special knowledge, he was a simple listener, and did not go into the intricacies of theology. And in the last year of his studies, student Alexander becomes a novice of the Lavra, trying on the monastic life.
When the question of future life arose: to become a monk or a priest in the world, the “episode with salt” occurred. It shows a direct indication of the will of God. Half an hour before giving the final answer, Alexander, sitting in his cell, thought: “If I stay in the Lavra, let someone ask me for something.” Immediately there was a knock on the door, and a familiar hieromonk asked him for salt. The issue was resolved, and Alexander was tonsured that same day. The hieromonk I knew just shrugged: “I didn’t ask you for any salt!” Currently, the failed Hero of the Soviet Union is the exorcist Father German. Sergiev Posad is the place of his permanent residence and ministry.
Our service is both dangerous and difficult
Every week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at noon in the Peter and Paul Church, next to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the rite of exorcism is performed. Previously, it took place in the gatehouse inside the monastery. Several hundred people wait tensely for the priest for 10-15 minutes. This delay is the beginning of preparation for a difficult service.
The appearance of the priest is accompanied by noise and murmur in the crowd, here and there they cry, somewhere they threaten, growling, meowing, crowing, barking are heard - everything reveals the presence of evil spirits. Father Herman's service begins with a long sermon. It lasts 1.5-2 hours, and some people leave already. The rest listen with bated breath, because everyone recognizes their own life story in the priest’s denunciations.
The reading of prayers to expel unclean spirits begins. services, and the demons begin to go berserk: they howl, growl, swear, and scream. In the temple there are the priest’s assistants, who, at his sign, bring out the “malingerers” - people playing for the public. According to Fr. Herman, he knows after what kind of prayer the demons come out.
Then follows anointing with myrrh, sprinkling with holy water - unclean spirits offer physical resistance to these actions; considerable effort is required for the shrine to touch the body of the raging person. “Go away, go away, Satan... We drive you out in the name of God!” At the end of the prayer, Fr. Herman reminds that it is advisable to attend the lecture three times, and then be sure to participate in the sacraments of unction, confession, and communion.
"Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life"
Possession and possession are a lesson given by God to a person who has gone too far along the wide path of sin. This is an opportunity to see already in earthly life whose will the sinner is fulfilling. Father Herman's reprimand is a chance to break free from demonic captivity and begin life according to God. Repentance, confession, communion, prayers and following the commandments are the path of personal struggle for one’s salvation.
According to beliefs, human life has two beginnings, one of which is physical, and the other is spiritual. It cannot be said that one of them is more important, since one follows from the other. In case of poor physical condition, a person will not feel spiritual balance and peace of mind.
Everyone has long known that in case of poor physical condition, it is necessary to go to the hospital. Where people with special education will, if possible, put a person’s condition in order. But the question is, if a person’s spiritual condition has deteriorated, where can one turn in this case? They say that if the soul hurts, then there is damage to the person. They get rid of such an ailment exclusively with the help of prayers.
Sergius Lavra, lecture
Always and everywhere, reprimands were treated differently, some believe that damage as such does not exist, and these are all human inventions, and some firmly believe that with the help of induced damage, evil spirits can “ destroy" a person from the inside.
Readings in the monastery - Trinity-Sergius Lavra. It is in this place that prayers are read by Father Herman, over those people in whom the demon, or evil spirits, has “possessed”. God's servant Father German is an Orthodox novice of the Lord, and in essence a very kind, sympathetic person.
Father German Sergiev Posad, lecture
Father Herman is a sincere novice of the Lord who lives according to God's laws. There are many cases in which he helped people for free when it seemed impossible to help. With his help, a large number of people got rid of the demons living inside.
Father Herman performs the ritual of exorcism in the Church of John the Baptist every day, seven days a week.
This action is performed with the help of prayers; it is here, to Father Herman, that people come for both physical healing of the body and spiritual healing of the soul.
People come here for two reasons, physical illnesses, deviations, underdevelopment;
People possessed by evil spirits are also brought here.
Opinions are divided regarding obsession; some believe that it is simply a mental or psychological illness. Others are sure that demonic possession has existed since time immemorial, and it can come to absolutely any person. No doctor can help with demon possession; this fact has been proven and verified.
Reading prayers over such a person gives him the opportunity to completely get rid of the disease. Every word spoken by Father Herman gives a person peace of mind and destroys the evil spirit. The ritual can only be performed if the “patient” himself wants to be cured, and firmly believes that everything will work out. If the possessed person’s heart is not pure and his thoughts are evil, it will be more difficult to work with him, and in order for the reprimand to be effective, it is necessary to talk with him.
Reprimand through prayers
When the holy fathers want to cast out demons from a possessed person, they read prayers composed back in the 4th century.
After reading the prayers, the holy fathers begin to conduct certain rituals.
Anointing;
Sprinkling with holy water;
Carrying a cross near a possessed person.
During such rituals, demons can show themselves in various manifestations:
growling, croaking;
those possessed may experience tremors throughout their entire body, or incomprehensible body movements.
There were situations when the “sick” were so seriously ill that they were taken to the Holy Father already tied up.
Exorcism
Before starting the lecture, a sermon should be read, which will talk about the causes of the disease, as well as the condition of the person as a whole.
According to church concepts, Jesus uses the infusion of evil demons into the human soul for the purpose of punishment. Evil spirits can pass through a wall, through a person, and only by the will of the Lord settle in a human body. Evil spirits immediately attack human organs.
Spirits can cause hellish torment to a person and present hallucinations before the eyes, visions of which a healthy person would not actually see. Evil spirits manifest their will in the form of various visions and hallucinations.
Reprimand from damage and the evil eye
Damage affects a person in the most negative way, and makes a person suffer from pain throughout the body, but along with the pain of the body, the soul also hurts. The prayers that are said in the process of expelling demons, removing damage, and so on, have enormous God’s power, and have the greatest influence and destroy all evil.
In addition to getting rid of evil, prayer gives a person a feeling of calm and tranquility.
It is humility and peace of mind. It can be a strong protection against the evil eye and damage. After all, when the soul and heart are with God, then they are under the protection of God.
Reading through psalms
Psalms also become a method of purification. Each of the existing ones is responsible for a certain area of life.
Against the demon – 45, 67;
For physical diseases – 29, 46, 69;
Protection from induced damage and witches – 49, 53, 58, 63, 139.
Tell someone off in church- the most reliable and effective method against demons, demons, and other things. After all, God's power is in the word. It is the word of God that is a guarantee of protection, because faith in God will protect and give peace.
The place where the reprimand is carried out by Father Herman
Father Herman helps in the Church of the Holy Prophet John the Baptist, which is located above the very arch of the entrance to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The service takes place daily and begins exactly at one o'clock in the afternoon.
Before starting the service, you must ask for the blessing of St. Sergius. It is allowed to bring children and relatives who themselves are not able to come due to physical or mental abilities. In order to ask your father for some holy water, you need to have a small container with you.
Father Herman's reprimand will help in any situation. When a person is desperate and doesn’t know what to do in life, when not a single doctor takes on the matter, and not a single psychologist helps, do not despair, Father German will help all those who suffer, and will restore peace to the soul and faith in the Lord. You should not rely on your own strengths and prejudices; do not hesitate to turn to the Lord. It’s not for nothing that they say that we assume, and only God disposes!
Often, people turn to fortune tellers, witches and sorcerers in order for them to remove damage or the evil eye, but this choice is not the right one! Open the door to the Lord in your heart, and with your faith, give him the opportunity to help you.
You can pray for your peace of mind on your own, but it is better to entrust the exorcism of demons and the removal of damage to the holy father. You shouldn’t turn to fortune tellers, because they are people just like the rest of us, but God is higher, and only he knows what’s best.
Believing with your soul and heart in the Lord's help and the help of the Holy Father, the result will be guaranteed!
We urge you all: stop divorces in your families, stop fornication, drunkenness, theft, witchcraft - these are all demons tempting you to the destruction of your soul... The voice of Archimandrite German (Chesnokov) thunders under the arches of the Church of John the Baptist in Trinity-Sergius Lavra. He gives a special sermon. Immediately after it, the priest begins, in church language, the rite of reprimand, or the expulsion of evil spirits from those who came to the temple today for this purpose.
“I was assigned to lead it in due time,” Archimandrite Herman will later tell. - Why they chose me, I don’t know. Service is like service, the interlocutor assures. - Any priest who has received the bishop's blessing (but no less) has the right to do this.
Of course, Father Herman knows better. But the very set of key words of the sermon, the rite of reprimand - “demons, sorcerers, damage...”, as well as the “process” itself, evokes conflicting feelings. Some have an involuntary chill, others, perhaps, irony. What is happening in the temple is completely irrational. This is not science, not medicine and cannot be such by definition. And the Orthodox priests themselves, with whom I had the opportunity to speak on a given topic, have different attitudes towards reprimanding. Some accept, some condemn. But the rumor that it helps, that one can “find healing” from Father Herman, spreads far and wide. Among those who strive to get into his service, there are many, in Father German’s terminology, possessed by demons. And they go "to exorcise evil spirits."
In hospitals, of course, the diagnosis of “demon possession” is not made. And the temple itself is in no way a hospital ward, and the service is not a reception of patients at a district clinic. But we are often talking about diseases known to psychiatrists, which in the Church are called “damage” and “possession.”
“If a very serious shock to a person’s psyche has occurred,” the priest explains to me after the sermon, “then in such cases I say that the demon has entered the person’s heart.”
But is it worth arguing about terms? Moreover, I’m not going to convince anyone. All this is very personal, my own. Here, in the famous Lavra, those who believe in all this come to Father Herman from the most remote corners of Russia. Including a miracle. Or those who have nothing left but hope. Everyone with whom I had the opportunity to communicate has their own pain, their own problems. Something went wrong in the family. There are troubles at work. But what if Father Herman helps?.. Hope for the incredible, when one gives up, is the last thing to die.
They come to services at the Church of John the Baptist early in order to have time to take a seat. Otherwise, you may not be able to get inside at all. Intense attention and some special mysterious silence under the arches. The temple, filled with scaffolding, is cramped. Hot. People stand patiently shoulder to shoulder.
Almost every day 600-800 people gather. Parishioners, knowing that the service will be long (more than three hours), take off their outer clothing in advance, laying it on window sills and construction platforms. They open the windows so that there is an influx of fresh air and so that those who have a place on the steps at the entrance can hear the words of the sermon.
The crowd of believers is of all ages. There are no more elderly people than young people. The average age of those who are now in the church is approximately 40 - 50 years old. Everyone is decent, and some are even dressed festively. I don’t see anyone in rags or dirty clothes. There are approximately equal numbers of men and women.
“Demons,” if you believe in this, of course, apparently, overcome Russians of both sexes equally... In people’s views there is expectation and wariness. When demons come out, experts explain to me, a person makes contortions, he even screams. At what point this happens, none of the neighbors can say for sure. It’s not easy for me, raised on militant atheism, to take all this seriously. All that remains is to look closely at those around you. And to yourself too, just in case. I remember what happened at work, at home. The traffic cop was nagging, but he didn’t seem to look like a demon, although he got it...
I now know that services can be quiet and loud, when demons emerge not from one or two, but from dozens of worshipers. That demons don’t like it when a priest sprinkles holy water on parishioners. And Father Herman does this with a generous hand. At this tense and, probably, the most crucial moment, the preacher’s assistants present one after another large silver vats of blessed water...
Next to me is Nina, an ambulance paramedic from Korolev near Moscow.
“I just can’t heal,” the woman tells me confidentially. - From what illness - I don’t know myself. I went to the doctors, took medications, but it didn’t help. My husband’s driver told me the other day that I was melting before my eyes. The weakness is terrible. I can't even stand for long. That week I came to Father German for a lecture, but after that I lay down for several days - my back hurt terribly. That’s why I brought a stool with me today. I think the envy of my colleagues is to blame. They told me one thing, but behind my back they said something completely different.
- Did it help after the first service?
- Hardly. But they said that you have to come here three times...
“...The sins of our relatives lie on us,” a younger woman joins in our whispering. - They are passed on from one generation to another. It’s like spiritual genetics... In general, my family seems to be normal, but I also have health problems... I don’t know where they come from...
Some grandmother patiently holds a color photograph in her hands. It shows a young guy hugging a girl.
“This is my grandson Andrei and his wife,” explains the old woman. - He served in the army, everything was fine. Then he worked at a company as an accountant. And suddenly it was cut short - both the heart and the stomach seized... The further, the worse. He is now being treated in a military hospital near the Los station. I couldn’t come myself, so I brought his photo.
When Father Herman reads a prayer, the grandmother raises the photograph higher so that the priest’s words “reach the grandson.”
“These are demons,” the preacher’s words are heard under the arches of the temple, “they inflict wounds, illnesses, and sorrows on us.” They deceive us, tempt us into every sin...
Father Herman does not accept everyone. Only Orthodox and provided that the parishioner has a pectoral cross. The priest especially and strictly warns about this: “Presence in church without a cross, especially at such prayers, is unacceptable.”
The entire church eagerly catches the words of the sermon.
- A man lived, lived, smoked, fornicated, stole, drank, and everything was fine, and now he lies weakened. From what? From their sinful, vicious life... Sinners say: “They brought damage to me. Evil people, sorcerers...” And don’t sin!
It’s a sin to watch TV that shows depraved films, scenes of murder... “Children watch all this and tomorrow they themselves begin to do exactly the same. The question is, how can one raise a kind, merciful person?”
It is a sin to read romance novels and deceitful, depraved brochures.
It is a sin to be treated by hypnotists, psychics... “The church forbids contacting all these healers... We have hospitals and clinics - you can go there, but you cannot contact these people...”
It is a sin to be coded, which is essentially “the deliberate, conscious possession of a demon in a person with the consent of the patient and against his signature. This is a clear violation of human nature.”
The Shepherd calls everyone to kneel. The priest's voice is even louder.
- By the command of God, every disease goes away...
...- Demons run away, illnesses go away...
The tension under the temple arches is growing. A handsome young man not far from me suddenly begins to yawn widely. And more and more often. And then suddenly he starts howling. Screams are heard here and there in the crowd. Someone else starts howling, someone else becomes hysterical...
-...And bring down your tormentor...
The words of the prayer that drives out evil spirits were not invented by Archimandrite Herman. They come from the 4th century, when the rite of reprimand was especially common.
...After the service the people did not leave for a long time. There was a queue to see Father Herman. And he himself takes his time, listens, gives advice.
He and I also talked for a long time after the service.
“Not everyone who has serious illnesses needs to undergo an exorcism,” the priest assures. - In cases where a person requires, say, surgery, I simply give the doctors’ phone numbers. But more often doctors refer patients to us.
- The screams of the people that were heard during the service - how sincere is all this, Father Herman?
- Differently. I know when demons really come out, after what kind of prayer. There are very strong prayers... And therefore I recognize the deceit when they deliberately pretend to be healed, they pretend. I’ll come closer, calm you down, pat you on the shoulder: don’t, they say, it’s not a theater... I’ve learned to see people.
It happens that we swear, howl, growl, hit the floor - and this is all a natural reaction to prayers: demons resist, manifest themselves with inhuman voices. Once a general came to lecture me. He fell, began to roll along this corridor on the floor, cried, begged: “Father, help, save”... Once I took a blind woman here. And suddenly she saw the light... Sometimes they bring in mentally ill people tied with ropes or even chains... They become normal...
- Does all this affect you, do you change yourself?
- I think no. God protects me. And my character, believe me, does not change. And there is no special philosophy in the service as such.
For those who hope in the Church, it is important to understand that “healing” primarily depends on the desire, the will of the person himself, self-hypnosis - on whether the Lord will help or not. If something hurts, then this is also a reason to think about what sins of yours caused the illness...
- And yet you cast out demons.
- That's not entirely true. I read a prayer asking God to help.
- What ailments do people come to you with most often?
- With schizophrenia, many epileptics, those who suffer from hallucinations. They come because of their own children. Adults complain that young people drink and do not listen to their elders. Women beg to return their husbands. In such cases, I suggest bringing your spouse to the sermon to read a prayer over him.
- What are the most common and dangerous sins you would highlight?
“Perhaps, pride harms us most of all.” Then in my mind there are murders and drunkenness. Television is very dangerous. Pornography and debauchery are coming from the West to Russia; for some reason nothing is prohibited... Sorcery, hypnosis, coding... All sorts of conspiracies are also a sin. Dejection, envy. Anyone who is addicted to cigarettes smokes incense for the devil.
-But what is happening now in the Caucasus, what is it connected with?
- With hatred first of all. The Laws of God about loving each other are clearly violated.
- What would you wish for the readers of Trud?
The shepherd took the notebook from my hands, drew a cross and wrote under it: “I wish them health, correction of their sinful life in order to inherit Eternal life. With Christian love, Archimandrite Herman.”
...After that meeting with Father German, we arrived in Moscow late in the evening. And then the radio reported that bandits had taken spectators hostage at the Theater Center on Dubrovka. Demons have come to the capital. These, as you know, were expelled in a different way...
... "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" ... The crucifix in the hands of the priest only touched the head of a woman about 40-45 years old. And suddenly... a terrible animal roar shook the reverent silence of the temple. The woman was literally thrown away from the cross by an unknown but terrible force. With all her might, her portly body collapsed to the floor and began to convulse. The crowd, which had previously been so dense that it seemed there was nowhere for an apple to fall, dispersed almost instantly. People, clinging to each other, looked down with compassion and horror at the bending, beating, shaking, growling man...
Believe me, this is not an excerpt from the script of another horror film. Life, as often happens, presents scenes more terrible than any fantasy. The described event took place in the real dimension just a few months ago. The scene of the action is the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where the abbot of the monastic brethren of the monastery, Father German, conducted his next “reading.”
From the history of the issue
The word “exorcism” is probably not familiar to every modern person. In the old days in Rus', this sophisticated overseas term corresponded to a simpler, but no less creepy definition - “exorcism of demons”!
Almost any religion, including Christianity, recognizes the existence of dark forces - evil spirits, demons living in the astral world and obeying the prince of darkness, who has fallen away from God. In various revelations he is called differently - Ahriman, Iblis, Satan. However, everywhere his essence is defined the same way - an enemy of the human race, an insidious liar and a fighter against God.
We find the first mention of exorcism in Christianity in the Gospel itself. During His earthly life, Jesus Christ repeatedly cast out demons who trembled before Him from people possessed by these infernal (i.e., hellish) entities. But perhaps the most impressive is the episode of Holy Scripture that tells how our Lord caused a whole crowd of evil spirits (remember: “our name is Legion!”) to move into a herd of pigs. The animals, distraught from such an unexpected “neighborhood,” threw themselves off the cliff into the sea.
The most experienced adherents of Christianity in spiritual life sometimes received the power to cast out evil spirits, commanding them in the name and power of Christ the Savior. However, a practice of this kind is fraught with very serious consequences and at all times required from a person incredible moral purity, mastery of his physical instincts, ascetic exercises and an ascetic lifestyle. Not everyone, even a warrior of Christ experienced in spiritual battles, dared to enter into essentially open combat with the forces of hell.
"I know Jesus, and I know Paul"
In the most difficult battles with demons, the unclean spirit “immigrated” into the caster himself.
Thus, in the “Acts of the Apostles” (19, 13-16) there is a story about some would-be exorcists: “Even some of the wandering Jewish exorcists began to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying: We conjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches. This some seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva were doing. But the evil spirit answered: I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you? - and the man in whom the evil spirit was rushed at them, and, having overcome them, took over them such force that they ran out of that house naked and beaten.”
"Strong Pop"
During another prayer service, a young woman of about thirty-five, turning her face away, suddenly began waving her arms in front of her like a dog—light puffs of incense burned in the priest’s censer reached her.
It is difficult to describe in words the intonation of her voice when she angrily shouted at Father Herman: “S-old fool,” and then, as if with regret in her voice: “Uh... strong priest!” Accustomed to everything during his numerous “reprimands,” the elderly priest paused only for a moment and, standing half-turned, in a stern voice only imperiously said to the one who, sitting inside the woman, was boldly spewing blasphemy at him: “Come on, shut up.” now!" More this one someone He didn’t express his thoughts about what was happening - he just grumbled dully and dissatisfiedly inside the woman.
There have been much more serious cases. One possessed person was brought to Trinity-Sergius chained to a bed. When he was just being brought to the gates of the Lavra, he began to rage terribly and break out of his bonds. He supported his actions with the most selective obscenities. The verbal constructions built from profanity were so multi-story that you can’t hear similar “pearls” in every “eatery.” Calm came to him after several hours of Father German’s prayer service in the church, where the demoniac was brought right from the bed.
Burns of a demoniac, or Why the baby screamed in a man's bass voice
Usually at the prayer services of Abbot Herman, held in the church of St. Prophet John the Baptist, up to a hundred people gather. Among them, as a rule, there are from three to five possessed.
However, they are not necessarily present at every service. If there are such people in the church, then “oddities” begin almost with the first words of the prayer service: some incomprehensible and frightened cries, groans, murmurs, incomprehensible movements. Children who have “something” in them begin to cry for no reason. At the mere approach of Father Herman, one such baby roared in a real man's bass and began to go berserk, tearing himself out of the hands of his mother holding him. And this was at a time when other children happily offered their faces to be washed with holy water. Many of them even seemed to brighten outwardly, smiling happily and listening to something mysterious that was happening inside them.
Obsessed people behave completely differently. When splashes of holy water fall on them, they writhe and cower as if from burns. During the service, Abbot Herman goes around everyone present several times, anointing with holy myrrh and sprinkling with holy water - each individually. Those who have an “anomaly” of an infernal nature usually roll their eyes with a roar, stagger back, and sometimes fall. The woman mentioned at the beginning of the article fell to the floor four times while the service was going on. And every time - convulsions, spasms, roars...
The lady who slandered the priest (who came to the temple, as it later turned out, with a friend and son of 6-7 years old), at the end of the service with difficulty approached kissing the Crucifixion. The picture was heartbreaking: she herself - the image and likeness of God - was reaching out to the Cross, and the one sitting inside her was shying away from him with all his might. It is impossible to describe this scene. You must see it with your own eyes!
Despite the obvious tactlessness, I, unable to contain my professional journalistic curiosity, approached this woman with questions: “What did you feel? Why did you scream like that?” Suffering, tired eyes looked at me: “I don’t know. Everything happens against my desire.”
Revenge of the Prince of Darkness
Possession is not contagious, like, for example, tuberculosis or scarlet fever. But one thing should be remembered: you cannot mock the forces of darkness, even if you are a convinced materialist and a “Voltairian”! Satan, being a liar and deceiver who does not recognize any divine laws, nevertheless knows them well and, like a lawyer-hook-maker, always defends the rights of the “injured party” before God. His “cassation appeal” appeals to the original justice of the Creator, who established the Universal Law, before which everyone is equal and for the righteousness and immutability of which all creation glorifies God. At the moment a person inflicts an “offense” on Lucifer, it does not matter that the latter rebelled against God (for this, Satan has already received punishment - eternal excommunication from the Almighty with deposition to Tartarus!). The Prince of Darkness hypocritically cries out to God, like a creature, without any reason on his part, “offended” by a specific “word or action” of an individual.
In accordance with the justice of the Law established by Him, the Creator is forced to grant any “offended” person the right to repay the “offender” in the same measure. There is a so-called God's connivance with the forces of darkness. And the latter will not keep you waiting with vengeance: generosity and nobility are not the lot of fallen angels, they take revenge cruelly and mercilessly!
Instilling thoughts of suicide, despondency, despair, hatred, anger, troubles in material life - the arsenal is large. There is only one goal - the enslavement of the human soul! The most optimal way is to move inside a person.
What the seers said about the end times
Orthodox Christians flock from everywhere to the Lavra, to the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Judging by their appearance, clothing, and speech, people from Moldova, Siberia, and the Urals come to Sergiev Posad, the capital of all Russian Orthodoxy, for spiritual nourishment. There are a lot of visitors from Ukraine. Believers, often families, travel hundreds of kilometers specifically to do only one thing - to venerate the holy relics of St. Sergius, the great wonderworker and abbot of the Russian land. To those relics that have been incorruptible for six hundred years now and to which our ancestors have reverently venerated - just imagine! - Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great. But, as often happens, many of us, who have lived for decades just an hour’s drive from Sergiev Posad, have never visited this great Russian shrine in our lives. Are there not enough of us like that - mired in the everyday bustle?!
People come here from all over Russia, among other things, to get to the spiritual children and heirs of St. Sergius - to Father Naum, who has the gift of clairvoyance, or to Father Herman, who casts out demons in his services.
And this is the thought that came to my mind. Almost exclusively believers and religious people come to the latter’s prayer services, but even among them there are those possessed. How many of these, imperceptibly carrying an unclean SOMETHING within themselves, exist among us, mere mortals, many of whom, living to the point of whitish gray hair, never knew the way to the Temple - who, like St., did not find it. to the Apostle Paul, on his way to Damascus?!
Ancient seers spoke of the last times as a terrible bacchanalia, when demons, before the coming of the Antichrist, escaped from hell and began to move in droves into people who had opened their souls to them with their godlessness, debauchery, vices, malice, hatred, envy, love of money, selfishness and dislike. Look around! Do not the morals of modern times (“O tempere, o mores!”) correspond to these descriptions of sinful people, first given as the most important characteristic of the proximity of the end of the World two thousand years ago by St. by the Apostle Paul in one of his epistles. The official church, which has always been very skeptical and wary of all sorts of homespun prophecies about the dates of the End of the World, today openly claims that we are all living in the last times. Father Herman also speaks about the terrible coincidence of signs of the approaching End in his sermons. Perhaps it’s time to seriously think about the perishability of existence and the future of our immortal souls!..
P.S
For those who are interested in the article, I will add that Abbot Herman receives all those who suffer in the church of St. Prophet John the Baptist, located above the very arch of the entrance to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (directions: to the Sergiev Posad station, then about three hundred meters on foot). Services begin every day at 13.00. No one will ask you for money, entry is free. However, if you take with you five to ten rubles for donations to the Lavra and alms for the poor, then, frankly speaking, this will not be a sin.
Before the service begins, you must venerate the relics of St. Sergius and ask for his blessing in your soul. You can bring children and sick people with you. And take a small container with you: Father Herman’s water-blessing prayer service - pour some holy water for your home.
God bless you!
Alexey Verda