How to get rid of fear and start living? What is fear? Orthodox priests about fear and anxiety.

I arrived in the village of Tereben on the eve of Christmas, having covered sixty kilometers from Pushkinskie Gory. It was quiet, overcast and cold. Fine fluffy snow swirled in the air.

On that day in Terebeny, in the local church, Baba Lena, a ninety-year-old old woman, who died quietly and unnoticed the day before, was buried. The coffin stood on a table in front of the altar. The only candle in their heads crackled in the emptiness of the cold temple. The service was going on in the adjacent aisle of the church. The sermon was read by a local priest, Father George.

I carefully opened the door and entered quietly, trying not to disturb the priest and the parishioners. There were no more than ten parishioners, mostly elderly men and women. Father Georgy is a heavy-set big man, with a powerful broad beard, thick hair, with lively, shining, close-set eyes, unexpectedly quiet, even somehow everyday and just talking to his parishioners. I stood in the corner and listened to this amazing story about the life and death of Baba Lena.

There was no more conscientious and zealous parishioner in Terebeny than Baba Lena. Her faith was strong and unshakable, and she asked God for only one thing - a quiet death. Prepared for it, was going to.

It turns out that by faith she was rewarded, - said Father George. - Baba Lena left calmly and quietly. Worthy, as well as lived. We should learn something from her,” he finished after a pause. - In adulthood, one must begin to prepare for oneself a springboard on the other side, in order to leave without horror and fear of the inevitability of death, in order to calmly and boldly look at the door where everyone will have to enter sooner or later ...

It's easy to say, - I objected to him when we were sitting at the wake. - Haven't you ever been afraid because your life will inevitably come to an end, that this whole world will remain, and you will no longer be in it? Don't you ever feel this is unfair?

And how! he replied. - For the first time I despaired of the inevitability of death, in my opinion, at the age of seven. Just numb with fear. Then it happened again ten years later, at a fairly adult age. I confess to you that things reached the point of neurosis: it began to seem to me that I was dying. Then I realized that I had to somehow resolve this issue for myself once and for all.

Succeeded?

Not immediately, but succeeded. I was tormented by thoughts for quite a long time, I read a lot, and then one day it dawned on me: why it is unbearable for me to think that I won’t be, why I didn’t think about the fact that I didn’t exist until very recently.

Did this thought bring you peace?

With her, I went on the mend. I imagined myself in the womb, where, of course, I was calm and good. I probably felt quite comfortable and happy before I was born into this world. Probably, I did not want to leave there for another world. But the inevitable happened: overcoming fear, I was born with a cry. So, maybe the fear of death that I experienced in childhood and youth is nothing but my genetic memory of the fear of birth? And in order to get rid of the fear of death in yourself, the fear of the inevitability of non-existence, you need to understand that you are only taking the next step...

Suppose. But what exactly should a person develop in himself who wants to meet death without fear and mental pain?

The main thing, he said, is to be able to give up yourself. When a mother, overcoming sleep and fatigue, runs in the night to a crying child - this is an act of self-denial in the name of the baby, understandable to everyone, embedded in the gene memory of motherhood. But when a person cultivates in his soul the ability to consciously renounce his own pleasure, comfort in the name of another person, in the name of a good deed, in the name of helping someone in need - this is the renunciation of oneself. And the first act committed in this direction is the first step towards fearlessness before death. A person who has embarked on the path of self-denial gradually, step by step, matures, gains wisdom and peace of mind. In my conversations with parishioners, I often give one example. If a child in the womb refused to be born, he would inevitably die. But only by giving up himself, from the pleasure of living in a comfortable and warm world - he is born for a new life. To understand this simple thought, as it turns out, our life is needed.

Even today he lives here, in Terebeny, teaches his parishioners, learns from them himself, and at the same time is a simple and visual lesson for all those who still want to learn. It is necessary, as he believes, that a person does not take on overwhelming burdens, but does what he can and must do: so that he is born loudly and joyfully, lives with dignity and meaning, and meets death calmly, without fuss and fear.

You, Uncle Yura, return to Tereben, - he said goodbye. - Here everything is better and simpler, and the air is cleaner - you can see further.

Rev. Ephraim the Syrian:

The fear of the Lord is the pilot of the soul.

The fear of the Lord in every occupation gives grace to those who fear the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is the source of life.

The fear of the Lord enlightens the soul.

The fear of the Lord destroys wickedness.

The fear of the Lord mortifies every other desire.

The fear of the Lord weakens passions.

Whoever fears the Lord will not stumble, because he walks in the light of His commandments.

Fear the Lord, and He will be your wall, and on the day of death you will find grace.

The fear of God will always be before your eyes, and sin will not prevail over you.

The great light in the soul is the fear of the Lord, which casts out darkness from it and makes it pure.

Whoever has the fear of God is never careless, because he is always sober.

Whoever has the fear of God is easily saved from the wiles of the enemy. The enemy does not trap him in anything, because out of fear he does not allow himself carnal pleasures.

Whoever does not have the fear of God is open to the attacks of the devil.

Whoever does not have the fear of God, he soars with his mind and is indifferent to goodness, sleeps without measure and neglects business.

Whoever always has the fear of God and who has a pure heart does not like to slander others, does not delight in other people's secrets, and does not seek comfort in the fall of others.

The fear of God is the pinnacle of knowledge; where there is none, there you will not find anything (truly) good.

Saint Anthony the Great:

Light, entering a dark house, drives out darkness from it and illuminates it. Thus, the fear of the Lord, having entered the human heart, drives away its darkness, fills it with all the virtues and wisdom.

Abba Euprenius:

If a person humbles himself, if he is disinterested, if he refrains from condemnation, then the fear of God will come to him.

Rev. Abba Isaiah:

The perfection of the entire monastic life lies in the fact that a person reaches the fear of God in the spiritual mind and the inner ear begins to listen to the conscience directed by the will of God.

If a person says that he is afraid of God, but does not find the fear of God in himself, when he is needed, in order to curb anger, insolence, an attempt to teach another what he himself has not learned by experience, in order to curb man-pleasing, or the search for human glory, or any another passion - all the exploits of such a person are vain.

The fear of God grows and intensifies in the heart of that person who reflects from himself the glory of man through humility.

The evidence of faith in God lies in the fulfillment of the commandments of God, and the evidence of the fear of God lies in the careful obedience of conscience.

The fear of God is the guardian and protector of the soul; he is the guardian of the mind, this king who rules over inner man; he strikes all the enemies of the king.

From the constant thought of the Judgment of God, the fear of God is born; he who tramples on conscience loses virtue.

Ask God from all your strength to send down His fear into your heart. The fear of God mortifies all the passions that struggle with the unfortunate soul in order to separate it from God and take possession of it.

If you are glorified and you accept praise with pleasure, then there is no fear of God in you.

If they say something unfair about you and you are embarrassed, then there is no fear of God in you.

If you visit the glorious world with the intention of making a short acquaintance and friendship with them, then there is no fear of God in you.

If you are ashamed of sinners like you, lest they see you sinning, how much more should you fear God, who perfectly sees the secrets of your heart.

If you follow the guidance of the fear of God, no passion can forcibly control you.

Woe to those who do not fear God, for they will fall into many sins and will be punished in this and the next life.

Whoever has the fear of God bears fruits of virtue in purity and cuts off branches.

The source of all virtues is the fear of God.

He who has the fear of God takes care that there is no lack of any virtue in him.

Venerable Pimen the Great:

A person needs humility of wisdom and the fear of God always, as in breathing.

Abba Serapion:

Just as the bodyguards of the king, standing before him, cannot look either to the right or to the left, so a person, standing before God and feeling His fear, cannot pay attention to anything else.

Sayings of the nameless elders:

He who has the fear of God has a treasure full of good things: the fear of God keeps a person from sin.

Saint Basil the Great:

If the fear of God does not govern our lives, the body cannot be sanctified.

Just as those who are nailed remain motionless and inactive, so those who are seized with the fear of God avoid any passionate overwhelm with sin.

He who is restrained by fear from every unworthy act is not devoid of strength for any virtue, but is perfect and does not lack any of the perfections inherent in human nature.

Knowing that our Lord is strong, be afraid of His strength and do not despair of His philanthropy. In order not to do wrong, fear is good; but in order that, once having sinned, not to neglect oneself out of hopelessness, the hope of mercy is good.

In whom the expectation of a threat is clearly imprinted, fear does not give him time to fall into rash acts or thoughts.

Saint Gregory the Theologian:

Where the fear of God is, there is the observance of the commandments; where the observance of the commandments, there is the purification of the flesh - this cloud that darkens the soul and prevents it from clearly seeing the Divine ray. But where there is purification, there is illumination, and illumination is the fulfillment of desire for those striving for the highest objects or for the Highest, the One who is above all that is high.

Saint John Chrysostom:

The most glorious of all are people who have the fear of God, even if they were brought to extreme poverty.

The fear of God constitutes true bliss.

From the moment someone knows the fear of God, he completely surrenders himself to God and can no longer dispose of himself, because he submits himself to the law of God.

He who has kept the fear of God pursues lies, having a judge in his own conscience. He who has fallen into oblivion of the fear of God is doomed to unceasing worries, anxieties and sorrows.

Truly, nothing destroys a person so much as the loss of the fear of God, and, on the contrary, nothing saves so much as turning one's eyes to God.

Rev. Isaac the Syrian:

The fear of God leads us to the ship of repentance, which crosses the sinful sea of ​​life and goes to the divine harbor - love.

Reverend John Ladder:

When the fear of the Lord comes into the heart, it shows him all his sins.

The increase in the fear of God is the beginning of love.

Rev. Abba Dorotheos:

A person acquires the fear of God if he has the memory of death and the memory of torment; if every evening he tests himself - how he spent the day and every morning - how the night passed; if he is not bold in his dealings, and finally, if he is in close fellowship with a man who fears God.

The fear of God and the feeling of His righteous retribution crush the flesh and bones like a stone lowered by a machine and crushing grapes, previously trampled in a winepress. For first they trample the grapes with their feet, and then they crush them with a stone in order to squeeze out the last juices. So the fear of God causes a person to become a trample of all people. And when his pride and the conceited wisdom of his flesh are completely erased, then the lightest and most good stone falls on him from above - holy humility. And he squeezes out of him all the dampness of carnal pleasures and passions, and makes the soul pleasing and good, thus humbled and broken down by tears flowing like a river. And he makes this soul a source of living water that heals the wounds of sins and washes away their impure blood. And the whole person becomes whiter than snow.

Blessed Diadoch:

Just as wounds on the body, if they are not cleansed and prepared as they should, do not feel the medicines, but when they are cleansed, they feel their effect and are thereby completely healed, so the soul: while it remains negligent, covered with the leprosy of voluptuousness, cannot feel the fear of God. , even if someone would incessantly interpret to her about the Terrible Judgment of God. And when she begins to purify herself, paying close attention to herself, then she begins to feel how a kind of life-giving medicine, the fear of God, burning her, as if on fire, with a certain action of reproofs, and thus, gradually purifying herself, finally reaches perfect purification. At the same time, to the extent that love increases in it, fear decreases to the same extent, until it comes to perfect love, in which there is no fear, but perfect dispassion, produced by the action of the glory of God. Let there be praise for us in unceasing praise, firstly, the fear of God, and finally, love - the fullness of perfection in Christ.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov:

Peter says, "Get out of me, Lord! for I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8). Peter confesses himself a sinner and condemns himself to be unworthy of the contemplation of Christ. He, as it were, imprisons and casts himself out from the presence of Christ, as if saying: I am ashamed of my sins, but I fear Your face. O Just One, who sees the hidden! I do not dare to look at You, I am not worthy to be before Your face, but I am worthy to stand far from You, as condemned and exiled. But "Where can I go from Your Spirit, and where can I flee from Your presence?" (Ps. 138:7). You Yourself leave me for a while, as the sun leaves this visible hemisphere and then shines again. Go away from me. My light, with the fear of Your justice, which I am horrified until I ask my conscience, examine my sins in detail and pronounce judgment on myself. Then again shine on me, my Sun, illuminating me with the rays of Your grace.

Such is the meaning of Peter's words, such is the meaning, such is the mystery. O good image of the salvation of sinners! O good advice to all! Do you want, sinner, not to be condemned at the Last Judgment of God? Condemn yourself, forestalling the Judgment of God by your self-condemnation. It is not in vain that the apostle says: "... if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged" (1 Cor. 11:31). If each of us learns to know and judge our sins, we will be delivered from eternal condemnation.

With whom God does everything good, and everything good happens to him, and with whom there is no God, he does everything evil, and everything evil happens to him. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31), but if God is not with us, then all our enemies will rise up against us and overcome us. If God is with us, then the web will be a solid stone wall for us; if there is no God with us, then the solid stone walls will be cobwebs, they will not protect us. Whoever God is with, that is good, and whoever is without God, woe to him.

With whom God is and with whom He is not, it is easy to answer this for everyone: who is virtuous, pleasing to God, while God abides, and whoever does evil and angers God, while there is no God. God is with a good person, but not with an evil person. It is true that God, by His omnipotent, all-containing and all-controlling power, is with every person, just as with evil as with good, as He is everywhere and fulfills everything. "He commands his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). He also maintains the life of all - good and evil, righteous and unrighteous, "for we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). But by His special grace, merciful, saving, helping, covering and observing, He is not with every person, but only with those who, having turned their mental eyes to Him with heartfelt love and fear, always see Him before them, according to the word of David. : "I always saw the Lord before me" (Ps. 15, 8), and for the sake of His presence, for the sake of love and fear, everything that he does, speaks and thinks, does pleasing, speaks truly, thinks good, often repeating to himself the words: “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand,” or, to put it more broadly, as the Lord lives, before whose all-seeing eyes I walk, stand, do, eat, drink, speak, converse, think, and whatever I do, I do before His eyes and therefore I do not dare to do anything bad, or say, or think ...

Why does a person transgress the commandments of God, good, holy, soul-saving? Because there is no God before him. Why does he dare to offend his neighbors, to rob, kidnap, rape, embitter? Because there is no God before him. Why does a thief steal, a robber rob, a shameless man speak foul language, a liar lie, a perjurer swears a lie, an annoyer annoys? Why does a mercenary judge judge unjustly, a false witness bear false witness, and an evil one cheat? Because there is no God before them, they have no fear of God, they do not remember God, they are not afraid of His judgment, they do not expect eternal torment, nor the Kingdom of Heaven. There is no God before them, and their ways are defiled at all times. Oh, if God were before the eyes of the sinner, if the sinner remembered the future Judgment and punishment, then he would not dare to sin and anger God, His Judge and Avenger!

Where there is no presence of the Lord, where people do not have God before their eyes, where they do not look at God, there is nothing but the presence of demons and demonic malice.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk:

Surrounded and guarded by the fear of God, the soul is immovable to no evil. And if some demonic temptation and an evil thought comes to her, she is immediately horrified and cries out to God: "Lord, help me!" and so he stands and fights against evil. Therefore, the fear of God is the root of all blessings. "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord" (Ps. 110:10). For who is wise? He who always and everywhere carefully acts and sees the invisible God before him. "Therefore, be careful, walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise" (Eph. 5, 15). The beginning of this wisdom is the fear of the Lord. God's grace "teaches" man to fear the Lord (Ps. 33:12).

The fear of God is born from reasoning about the properties of God. The fact that God is omnipresent and knows every deed, word and thought. That God hates all lawlessness and all evil. That God is the Righteous Judge and will reward everyone according to their deeds. That even the most angelic ranks tremble before Him. That God holds all the light in His hand. That God, in the twinkling of an eye, can, in the very act of sin, destroy the sinner by righteous judgment. That God prepared eternal fire for sin...

Do I sit in the house - the Lord God is with me; if I leave the house - He does not leave me. If I go along the way - He is with me. Whether in the city, in the desert, with people or without people, the Lord does not depart from me. I do not see Him, for I walk by faith, and not by sight, but whether I do, or I speak, or I think, I do everything before Him, I speak or think. If I stand in prayer, I stand before Him, He looks at me and sees me, sees when I sit and stand up, and understands my thoughts. Before Him I bow my knees, and bow down, and worship, and sigh, and pray to Him, and ask, and seek His mercy, but I do not see Him Himself. I stretch out my hands and my eyes to Him, but I do not see Him. This reflection of mine teaches me always and everywhere to fear You, O God, and to tremble, with fear and apprehension, to live and act, do, speak, think and start something, like children before their father, subjects before their king.

Saint Theophan the Recluse:

"If you call on knowledge and call on understanding; if you seek it like silver and seek it like treasure, you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God" (Prov. 2, 3-5). The root of a godly life is the fear of the Lord. When he comes, then, as a creative force, he will rebuild everything in you and recreate a wonderful order in you - the spiritual cosmos. How to acquire the fear of God? He is in you, only muffled, resurrect him. To do this, give voice to your mind and open your heart to receive the suggestions of the Truth. Until now, the mind has not been given words, it was in bondage and did not dare to speak sound words; let him speak now. He will begin a speech about God's almightiness, holding you and being able to throw you at every moment; about God's omnipresence and omniscience, seeing everything in you and being angry with you for everything bad in you; about God's justice, ready to punish you now, but with mercy for the time being; about death, at every moment ready to seize you and bring you to judgment and retribution. Listen and bring your heart to the feeling of these truths. If you awaken a feeling, the fear of God will come along with it. This is the dawn of life.

The fear of the Lord hates unrighteousness, but insults and pride (Prov. 8:13). And if he hates, he will drive them away; if he drives away, then the soul will become pure from them and therefore will appear right before the Lord. And this is all that we are now looking for with such care. Therefore, restore the fear of God in yourself and support it - and you will have the most powerful means for self-healing. The fear of the Lord will not allow you to sin, and it will make you do every good thing, in every case. And the commandment will be fulfilled with you: "turn away from evil and do good" (Ps. 33, 15), which the prophet gives to those who seek true life. How to reach the fear of God? Seek and you will find. Here it is impossible to say: do this and that; the fear of God is a spiritual feeling, secretly conceived in the heart from its turning to God. Reflection helps, helps and strains oneself for this feeling, but by deed it is given from the Lord. Seek it as a gift, and it will be given to you. And when it is given, then only obey him unquestioningly - he will straighten out all your wrongs.

The fear of God, just as it leads to the beginning of a holy and charitable life, is the most faithful guardian of it when someone, following his suggestions, lays this foundation. The present apostle teaches us this, bringing to mind the formidable judgments of God and the punishments still here manifested over those who do not submit to His will. "He did not spare the angels who sinned" (2 Pet. 2:4). They were clean and lived in a bright dwelling. But as soon as they sinned, they were cast into the darkness of the underworld. Will he spare us with you if we go against His will?! Wickedness broke out under Noah. God brought a flood and destroyed everyone, except for the eight souls of Noah's family. I did not see that there were many wicked. Will He think of you alone - to destroy you or not, when you will not listen to His voice?! The Lord endured Sodom and Gomorrah for a long time. Instead of admonition, they hurried to the top of wickedness, for when they did not look forward, they were smitten with fire, in the image of eternal fire that awaits the wicked. You will not escape this fire if you follow the same paths. Bring all this to mind, sitting by yourself, especially in the stillness and darkness of the night, and, thereby kindling the fear of God, fear sin, as if a flame of eternal fire were sneaking up on you in it.

Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow:

If in the presence of the king we do not allow ourselves any negligence, and even more so indecency, but try to make every our word, every movement please him, all the more so if we imagine ourselves in the presence of God, we will not allow ourselves any sin, will be jealous of the holy deed pleasing to God.

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov):

The fear of God cannot be likened to any feeling of a carnal, even spiritual person.

The fear of God is a completely new sensation. The fear of God is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Whoever wants to approach God for His service must surrender to the guidance of the fear of God.

High and cherished is the feeling of the fear of God! Under its action, the mind often dulls its eyes, ceases to pronounce words, produce thoughts: with reverent silence ... it expresses the consciousness of its insignificance and the inexpressible prayer born from this consciousness.

Terrible is the Judgment that awaits all people after the general resurrection; terrible is the judgment that awaits every person after his death ... For what other purpose did the Lord announce it to us so clearly, if not for the purpose of arousing soul-saving fear in us?

There are two fears: one is introductory, the other is perfect; one is characteristic of beginners, so to speak, to piety, the other is the property of perfect saints who have reached the measure of love.

Whoever fulfills the will of God because of the fear of torment, he ... is still a beginner. The other does the will of God because of the very love of God... This love brings him into complete fear, because such a one fears and keeps faithful to the will of God, not in order to avoid torment, but because, having tasted the very sweetness of being with God, afraid to fall away, afraid to lose it.

A spiritual feeling of the fear of God, reverence and compunction accompanies spiritual prayer.

…prayer is very often and for the most part accompanied by tears. A person then partly understands what blissful dispassion means, he begins to feel purity, and from purity, the living fear of God, consuming the stoutness of the flesh, induced by a strange, hitherto unknown to man horror from a clear sense of his standing before God.

May the fear of God instruct us in sobriety, caution, and may the study of the Word of God and life according to the Word of God give us spiritual reasoning, which is the door to the chamber of virtues.

The first spiritual manifestation of love for God is revealed in the feeling of the fear of God, which, according to Holy Scripture, is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 110, 10).

Feeling the fear of God, feeling the presence of God during your prayer from the action of the fear of God, you will see the Invisible without form, spiritually, you will know that prayer is the coming at the Last Judgment of God.

Rev. Ephraim the Syrian:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body... be afraid of Him Who... can cast into hell" (Lk. 12:4-5).
He who fears the Lord is above all fear, he has removed and left far behind him all the fears of this world. He is far from all fear, and no trembling will approach him.

Where the fear of God prevails, humility reigns there, and there God descends, dwells in such a soul, and dwells and abides in it, and becomes, as it were, its guardian, and drives away all other fears.

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian:

He who fears God fears neither the aspirations of demons against him, nor their weak attacks, nor the threats of evil people. Being all like a kind of flame and scorching fire, he, even when he passes through dark and unlit places, puts to flight demons who, more than he, flee from him, so as not to be scorched by the ray of divine fire emanating from him.

Saint Theophan the Recluse:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and then are unable to do anything more; but I will tell you whom to fear: fear the One who, after killing, can cast into hell: yes, I tell you. Fear Him" ​​(Luke 12, 4-5) . Our biggest fear is the fear of death. But the Lord says that the fear of God must be higher than the fear of death. When circumstances arise in such a way that it is necessary either to lose your life or to act against the suggestions of the fear of God, it is better to die, but do not go against the fear of God. Because if you go against the fear of God, then, after bodily death, which is still inevitable, you will meet another death, which is immeasurably more terrible than all the most terrible bodily deaths. If this latter were always present in thought, the fear of God would not weaken in us and we would not have any deeds contrary to the fear of God. Let us suppose that the passions arise. At the time when they rise up, the conscience, animated by the fear of God, demands to go against them; refusal to demand passions seems to be parting with life, killing the body. Therefore, when the last kind of disturbing feelings are reborn and conscience begins to shake, hasten to raise the fear of God and the fear of the Judgment of God with its consequences. Then the fear of a terrible death will drive away the fear of the weakest death, and it will be easy for you to resist the demands of duty and conscience. This is how what is said by the Wise One is fulfilled: "... remember your end, and you will never sin" (Sir. 7, 39).

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk:

People are afraid of man, but they are not afraid of God. They are afraid of "those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul," but they are not afraid of "He who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). They are afraid of losing temporal life, but they are not afraid of losing eternal life. They are afraid of losing wealth, glory, honor and comfort, but they are not afraid of losing eternal blessings, honor, glory and the comfort of paradise. They are afraid of bonds, prison and temporary exile, but they are not afraid of eternal prison, bonds and exile. They are afraid of temporal dishonor, but they are not afraid of eternal dishonor. These words belong to them: "There they will be afraid of fear, where there is no fear" (Ps. 52, 6).

Let us fear, beloved, the One God, so that we fear nothing and no one. For whoever truly fears God fears no one and nothing (Ps. 25:32, 33, 35, and 36). He who fears God alone finds everything in God; to him God is honor, glory, wealth, consolation, life and all bliss, even if he has lost honor from people, glory, wealth, consolation and life. Because whoever fears God is in His favor, for he fears to anger and offend Him. And who is in the mercy of God, why should he be afraid of the disgrace and cruelty of his enemies? God is everything, and apart from God everything is nothing, and the malice of everyone, the devil and evil people, is nothing.

In order to be saved from temporary torment and death, a person leaves everything; what will he not leave if the fear of eternal death and hell strikes the soul? Without fail, this fear and sadness about the salvation of the soul will persuade you to leave everything worldly, about which the sons of this age are baked: worries about wealth, honor, glory and voluptuousness will drive out of the heart and, like a whirlwind of dust, will dispel all this fuss. Such a person will not refuse to endure dishonor, insults, beatings, prison, exile and even death, if only to get rid of eternal misfortune. This truth is obvious to those who feel the fear of eternal death. For a great fear destroys a small fear, and from a great sorrow a small sorrow disappears, and a great illness makes a small one imperceptible, just as a weak voice is not heard behind a great noise. The sadness of this age and the fear of temporary misfortune are quenched by sadness about the salvation of the soul and the fear of eternal death, like the light of a candle is quenched by the light of the sun. This fear in pious antiquity led to deserts and caves, made it better to live with animals than with lawless people; it is better to eat grass and roots than sweet food; it is better to wander in the woods than to be surrounded by temptations, and so on. This fear also shakes the demons themselves, the incorporeal spirits. And the demons are afraid of hell, to which they are condemned, and they try to make the sons of men participants in it, so that they will not suffer alone in it. It is amazing that people do not tremble before what demons - spirits tremble!

What is done out of human fear is not pleasing to God.

Saint Joseph, the son of Jacob, prefers to be in prison than to sin with an Egyptian (Genesis 39:20). Jewish women despise the lawless command of Pharaoh and do not kill a male child, for they "feared God" (Ex. 1, 17, 21). Three youths in a fiery furnace (Dan. 3, 21), Susanna (Dan. 13, 23) - are not afraid of death because of the fear of God.

Memorable tales:

Someone asked Abba Paisias: "What should I do with my soul? It is insensitive and does not fear God." The elder answered: "Go, cling to a man who fears God, he will teach you the fear of God."

One of the fathers asked Macarius of Egypt: "Why is it - whether you eat or fast - your body is always dry?" The elder answered: "A stick, which is turned over by burning coals, is constantly burned by fire; the same thing happens with a person if he purifies his mind with the fear of God - this fear consumes his body."

We are afraid of the troubles that may fall on our heads: the illness of loved ones, dismissal from work, the economic crisis, the fact that children will grow up ignorant, helpless, sick, that their son will be taken into the army ... We are afraid of products with harmful chemicals, crime on the streets of cities, we are afraid that the authorities can begin to interfere more persistently in our lives, we are afraid of environmental disasters, the end of the world. If our child went to school, to a circle, went for a walk in the yard, we are scared, no matter how something happens to him. The same thing happens when someone from the family stays somewhere after work. If today we have no personal reason to be afraid, we will be terrified by the television news, threatening with possible wars and other disasters. Fear dominates the hearts of many people. And a lot of what people do every day is dictated not by their own desire or need, but by fear.

Can such fears be present in the soul and thoughts of a Christian? Should a Christian be afraid at all? The fear of God is often spoken of in the sense that only God should be feared, and that the person who fears God should not be afraid of anything else. In fact, it often turns out that a Christian is afraid of both God and all worldly “terrible” things at the same time, and the fear of God becomes for a person not a deliverance from fears, but, as it were, a “main, supreme fear”, a fear that dominates other fears of his life. .

Does faith save from all fears in general? Should a Christian be completely fearless? What if, despite the fact that we are believers, church-going Christians, we are still afraid? Should we be afraid of the Last Judgment? To answer these questions, you need to figure out how fears affect a person, how they are harmful to us.

People whose souls are filled with fear defend themselves by getting angry at others.

People in a state of fear behave differently. Someone is paralyzed by fear, and someone becomes anxious, begins to actively move, rush somewhere, tries to do something, while all his actions remain inconclusive and resemble running in place. In any case, fear plunges a person into a state of helplessness, distrust of everything that surrounds him. The world becomes for him an evil, hostile environment, each person in it is a source of potential danger. As a reaction to the hostility of the environment, a person develops anger. From time to time we meet people who criticize and condemn everyone in a row, aptly notice and ridicule other people's “shortcomings”. Most often these are people whose soul is filled to the brim with fear, fear of people, their evil deeds towards themselves, and a person defends himself by rushing to be angry with people himself.

Feeling helpless and embittered, we are unlikely to respond to someone's request for help. In a state of fear, every man is for himself. Considering another person as an enemy, capable of attacking us at any moment, we are unlikely to be generous and kind to him.

Fear of "bad" people and "bad" events drives us into submission to circumstances

A person for whom fear has become a chronic state has a feeling of his inevitable dependence on those who, in his opinion, can ruin his life: from the employer, officials, policemen, the state. Thus, we often hear from some people the pronoun “they”, applied to any indefinite groups of people, from government to market sellers: these are “they”, from whom it is not known what to expect, who “have taken over everything” or “only think that they still have to squeeze out of us”, “they only care about themselves” or “they took our jobs”. Also, a person may feel dependent on those economic and natural processes, due to which the value of the dollar rises, floods and tsunamis occur. So the fear of "bad" people and "bad" events drives us into submission to circumstances that seem insurmountable to us. Instead of submitting to the will of God, we submit to our “insoluble situations”, “insurmountable difficulties”, stop building our lives in accordance with our desires and beliefs, stop acting on our own, easily submit to someone else’s, external will. We cease to follow the words of the Apostle Paul, who said: “And be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what (is) the will of God, which is good, acceptable, and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).

The soul of a person who is in constant fear feels constrained, it resembles a fetus frozen in the womb before a miscarriage can happen. And often people in a state of fear decide to commit suicide, wanting to leave the world where they are so scared as soon as possible. This state of mind affects a person's ability to work. I know people who are capable of much, but driven into a corner by their fears and fear of overcoming circumstances that have not brought fruit useful to people. Protracted fear prevents a person from realizing plans that develop his personality, grow his soul. In his life there comes a certain stop, which can drag on for many years!

For example, one of my acquaintances regularly began to refuse interviews. Once refused, two, three - as a result, he decided that he would no longer get a job. He began to sit at home and, as a “couch critic”, comment on everything that happens outside the window.

People shackled by fear tend to put off all important things until later, for that impossible time when the situation in the world will be more favorable, that is, for a time when the world will fully correspond to the sense of security of a frightened person. The time never comes. I met with married couples who did not dare to have children “in our time, when such an economic (political, environmental, etc.) situation”, and deprived their family of continuation, refused those changes in their spiritual life that provide motherhood and fatherhood.

Worry about loved ones often displaces love for them, replaces it

I also often met with such a problem: parents, in fear for their children, interfere with their personal and spiritual development. For example, one young man, under pressure from his mother, refused to continue his studies: his mother would not let him go to study in another city. Sometimes the case concerns not only children, but brothers, sisters, parents, other close relatives. Worry about loved ones often displaces love for them, replaces it, takes the place of love. A mother can spiritually “feed” a child with love, or she can nourish her with anxiety and fear for life. People full of fear always try to keep their loved ones with them, prevent them from making any changes in their lives: getting married, going to college, moving to another city, country. For them, comfort is what they call "stability" - this is when everything and everyone does not change with them and stands still.

Fear and faith are not compatible

Thinking about all this, we see that fear is not compatible with faith, with trust in God, hope in Him. The qualities that are important for a Christian: spiritual generosity, love for people, compassion, readiness to actively help another person, support, give confidence and peace of mind, a person who is numb with fear cannot develop in himself. A person who wants to give love to others, develop, bear fruit, should not be afraid; one who is always in the hand of God need not worry. The opposite of fear is trust. !

At the same time, any person, including a Christian, cannot become absolutely fearless. There is a natural, natural fear - as a means of self-defense at the moment of danger. It is clear that in the face of a real threat to their lives and the lives of loved ones, a person is afraid. Such fear is a signal that a person must concentrate and find best way to overcome danger. A prayerful appeal to God at such moments helps to choose the only right action. Often, as soon as a person begins to act in the right direction, the fear goes away.

Now about. These words are understood differently. One can be afraid that God will punish for sins now, in this life; you can be afraid of retribution after death - the underworld and the Last Judgment. For many people, the first steps on the path of faith begin with such fear, with the horror of the sin committed and the fear of retribution. Some begin to do “good deeds” mechanically, because the Church requires them to repent, out of fear of future punishment for their sin, and this also brings its benefits. Only later does their work become conscious, done because others need it, and the fear of retribution leaves the soul!

For a believer, the worst thing is to lose touch with God, not to feel, not to hear Him.

But a more serious understanding of the fear of God for an Orthodox Christian is rather to be afraid (or rather not want) to be out of God's hands, outside, in a field where evil is at work. The fear of God is the fear of doing evil. In the first chapter of Exodus we read about how Egyptian pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill newborn Jewish boys: "But the midwives were afraid of God, and did not do as the king of Egypt told them, and left the children alive." For a person who has some experience in faith, this is what usually becomes the most terrible thing: to break one of the laws of love and thereby lose touch with God, not to feel, not to hear Him. Being in such a fear of God, a Christian constantly cares about always remaining clean before God, keeping in touch with Him by deeds and prayer. In part, this may be similar to the fear of an unbeliever of contracting some kind of infection: regular washing of hands becomes a habit. Thus, fearing to fall out of the hands of God, a Christian habitually takes care of the purity of his soul. “Light, having entered a dark house, casts out darkness from it and illuminates it. Thus, the fear of the Lord, having entered the human heart, dispels its darkness, fills it with all the virtues and wisdom,” St. Anthony the Great speaks of the fear of God.

Worrying about loved ones, let us entrust them to God with our prayer

What should we do if we, being Christians, still worry about our loved ones, about their health? Yes, even if nothing happens to them while they are on the road?

Commit them to God with your prayer. Here, for example, is what is said in the morning prayer of the Optina Elders:

“Lord, give me peace of mind to meet everything that the coming day brings me. Let me completely surrender to the will of Your Holy One. For every hour of this day, instruct and support me so that I can see Your will for me and those around me. Whatever news I receive during this day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and with firm hope that everything is Thy holy will. In the very deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings, in all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that they were sent down by You. Teach me to act directly and reasonably with each member of the family, without embarrassing or upsetting anyone. Give me the strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and commit all the events of this day to Your will. Teach me to pray, hope, believe, love and forgive. Amen".

And also: “I lie down, and sleep, and get up, for the Lord protects me. I will not be afraid of those people who have taken up arms against me from all sides, ”we read in the 3rd Psalm of David.

We live in an age when apparently visible miracles do not occur often, and sometimes we are inclined to take for fiction or exaggeration the stories of miracles in the Old Testament, such as the story in the book about three men who were thrown into a fiery furnace and came out alive:

“And having gathered, the satraps, the governors, the captains of the army, and the advisers of the king, saw that the fire had no power over the bodies of these men, and the hair on the head was not scorched, and their clothes were not changed, and even the smell of fire was not from them” (Dan. 3 : 27).

Why do we, modern Christians, feel less confident in the hands of God than the Old Testament men? Perhaps for us the words “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28) are less significant than for the first Christians, if we still continue to be afraid? Are our circumstances more burdensome than those of the ancients? Or: "trust but verify"?

In addition to prayers asking for help, deliverance and protection, we will pray for the blessing of our loved ones. Such prayers will bring peace and fearlessness to our own souls. What can we worry about if we entrusted the life of our loved one to God, and what can threaten the one whom God has blessed at our request?

If we think about what is included in the concept fear, then we will see many false feelings here and understand: there is no reason for fear. Human life is conceived by God as calm and joyful. We should live happily ever after - why not? God gave us this life so that we could live in the world with pleasure and gratitude to Him for this gift. And that this gratitude (or thanksgiving, Eucharist), in turn, opened the way for us to Him.

Sometimes, when leaving the guests, I can accidentally forget some of my things - for example, a pen or glasses. And the owner of the house where I was staying, after some time sees the thing I forgot and says: “Oh, Father Andrei left it!” That is, when he sees my glasses, he remembers me, his thoughts rush in my direction.

Why do we give gifts? So that a person, looking at a gift, remembers the one with whom he was recently together, about the love of this person. And if another person begins to use our gift, and not the one for whom it was intended, then the gift loses all meaning. After all, we gave it so that we could have a connection with this person - a connection filled with warmth and love - and not just for ordinary use.

That's exactly what God does. He sends us to this beautiful world (which, however, we then turn into something completely different) - sends us here so that we enjoy His gifts, His mercy to us, so that we live in this world as calmly as how children live in their Father's house - without worries and sorrows ("We have a dad!"). After all, when a child has a gentle, loving father, he is not afraid of anything.

This is how God deals with us. That is why He allowed us to live in this world.

Once a very good doctor appeared in one program. He said that the human body is designed in such a way that we can live much longer if we lead the right way of life.

Of course, such a life proper nutrition. But not only. It is important to be a mentally balanced person, calm and peaceful. If we were all like this, we would live longer.

A person ages because of worries about their problems, because of stress, anxiety, uncertainty about the future. All this leads to the fact that his hair begins to turn gray at an early age - without any visible reasons just out of worries. Stress causes stomach ailments such as ulcers.

One disease is followed by another, and so on. How many diseases are caused by emotional distress! Therefore, if we really want to enjoy life and live many years, we should discover the ways that lead to longevity.

One of those ways is to live without fear. Life without anxiety, without this pain that corrodes our soul from the inside.

Once in one house I saw some old photographs. They depicted elderly couples - old men and old women. Have you ever seen such black and white photos - with your grandparents? Grandmother in a headscarf, grandfather with a mustache, in a jacket - stand and look at the camera with simple, innocent eyes, a look coming from the very depths of the soul.

Their faces are covered with wrinkles, they look tired, aged from hard work in the field, from many children, from constant worries. But in those photos, I noticed something else. The hands of these people were hardened from hard work on earth, the faces of women aged from frequent childbirth (and in those days there were from 5 to 10 or more children in families), but at the same time they had a calm, peaceful look. Their eyes radiated grace.

Tired, but calm, these people did not know what lifting, face masks, spa treatments were... They washed with ordinary soap, and even then not every day - and their bodies smelled not of sweat, but of earth, i.e. aroma of natural, real life. Their purity was different. Others were their beauty, their calmness, and this was reflected on their faces.

These people slept little, but a short sleep sated them. They didn't have nightmares, they didn't fall out of bed in their sleep. They fell asleep instantly, they did not need any sleeping pills, no special pills, sedatives or, on the contrary, invigorating teas - none of what we use today.

Honest daily work, a calm conscience, physical fatigue - these people slept like birds - little, but soundly, truly resting, refreshing their souls. And they woke up with a thirst for life, with renewed vigor. They had their difficulties, but they had a secret that helped them live happily, and above all - without fear.

They passed this secret from generation to generation, and thus healthy children were born who loved life, wanted to create families, worked and sailed on the sea of ​​life without fear and anxiety. They absorbed this thirst for life with their mother's milk. What happened? What was the secret of these people?

It’s just that in their lives they were guided not by themselves, but by God. These old people were in a living “leaven” with God and the Church. They didn't know much of what we know, but they had a living faith. They had no TV shows, no conferences, no magazines, no cassettes; they did not read either the Philokalia or other works of the Holy Fathers, but their whole life, at the same time, was one continuous love of the Philokalia.

Without leaving their village, they lived along the Paterik, in which we read today about ascetics and women ascetics who labored in the wilderness. Opening windows in the morning, they saw their neighbors and rejoiced; looking at each other, they learned patience, hope, determination, prayer, humility, love, repentance and forgiveness - all that we now draw from books.

If a person is thirsty and is shown a beautiful photograph of a waterfall, he will not stop being thirsty. Looking at the picture, he will see that somewhere there is water that someone can drink, but he can't! And continues to be thirsty. That's the problem. We read, we listen, but we don't feel. We do not have peace, because next to us there are no calm people.

Do you know that it is very contagious - both calmness and fear? They are transmitted from person to person. Never heard some people say, “Don't do this or that, because your anxiety is being transferred to me. I will panic too, and what will happen if we both start to get nervous?

Now, these old people had no such worries and worries.

One of my friends, a priest, came to Greece from Scotland, from Edinburgh. People there are calmer, they have a different rhythm of life, a different mentality, a different culture ... And this is not due to faith in God, but simply there is a calm rhythm of life. Of course, the economy of this country, and its politics, and history had an influence here ... So, my friend came to his homeland and went by bus to Athens on business. And when he returned from the city, he called me and said:

“Oh, my poor head! How she fell ill in Athens! What is life here? What is a crazy house? How do you handle all this? A flea market, wild twisted faces - people seem to be constantly chasing after something, but they don’t even know why! How can you live like this? I peered into the faces and did not see a single calm, peaceful ... All kind of crazy. Something is not right here. In Edinburgh people are different. Of course, they are not what the Lord and the Church would like them to be, but at least they are not as restless. And we Greeks are a people of the Mediterranean. We are filled with the sun, and therefore we are extroverted, dynamic ... But dynamism is one thing, and mental anxiety is another.

Fotis Kontoglu, in his book Blessed Refuge, says this about our "time of troubles": met a calm person! After all, everyone around is running somewhere, in a hurry, and no one is happy, does not enjoy life. We are all chasing after something, but, not having time to rejoice at our achievements, we again strive for something new.

This restlessness is the result of our selfishness. We want to do everything ourselves. We are sure that a person is the master of his life. But if, indeed, you begin to consider yourself as such, then, indeed, you can fall into terrible anxiety and excitement. How can you not worry if everything depends only on you! Especially when it comes to your own children.

But worry about children will disappear if we learn to say these words: God brought me into this life and gave me children. He used me to give them life, He brought them into existence through my body, with my participation, but He does not require me to do absolutely everything for them. I must do only what is possible for them, and I will entrust the impossible to God and will not worry because of my impotence. I will trust God and trust Him with my children. And then I'll calm down».

This is the right attitude towards life. And we take everything upon ourselves and think that the life of our child (or, for example, our career) depends on us. We want to control everything, and as a result we reach moral exhaustion: overwork sets in, strength leaves us, we give up everything, and then go crazy.

Are we able to keep everything in our heads and think about everything in the world? No, they are not capable. We need to give God the opportunity to do something. Let us entrust our children to His care. Of course, we must also make our efforts, but with prayer. With prayer, love and affection, and not with fear - after all, constantly worrying, you are not helping your children. On the contrary: your fear is transmitted to them.

For example, a child behaves badly, and the mother, worrying about this, also begins to behave “badly”. And even if, being in such a state, she wants to caress her child, the child will not feel this caress. He will feel maternal fear - and this is the worst legacy that a mother can pass on to her child. And vice versa: no wealth, no property or bank account can replace the most beautiful gift from their parents to children - peace of mind.

No money in your bank account? Don't worry, don't be afraid. "But what will I leave my child?" What was left for you at the time? How did you manage to build your house? Of course, you can’t leave a child in complete poverty, so there must still be some kind of inheritance.

But the real wealth that you can really provide for his life is the wealth of simplicity. The true treasure is simplicity: simple soul, simple thoughts, simple life, simple behavior. Let your child learn from you not to be afraid, but to live calmly and peacefully. And then someday he will say: “My parents were calm people. They trusted God in everything and therefore never felt a sense of fear. If only all of us, after leaving this world, could leave such a memory of ourselves!

How wonderful it is to trust God! You say you can't. Try! This is a great boon. As St. Gregory the Theologian says, "the greatest thing is inaction." Sometimes you can hear such words: "You do nothing in the Church." Well, try to do for yourself what the Church says, that is do nothing? Can you stay calm without doing anything? Try and you will understand how difficult it is. Because in fact, in this case, you are not idle. On the contrary, you put in a lot of effort to learn to trust God in everything. This is a great art - doing nothing, trusting everything in the Lord.

In the Patericon there is a story about a nun. Once she was asked how many years she did not leave her cell.

“Thirty years,” she replied.

What are you doing here, sitting in one place? they asked her again.

– I am not sitting, but am in a continuous wandering. That is, in appearance I really sit in one place, but this life, which may seem very calm, carefree and even indifferent, is actually very mobile. Because I'm praying.

So when I say don't worry, I don't mean that we shouldn't do anything. On the contrary, we must do all. This all- Surrendering oneself to the will of God. “Let us commit ourselves and our whole life to Christ our God.” This litany, a petition familiar to all of us, which sounds at the Liturgy, speaks precisely about this: that we betray ourselves, our loved ones and our whole life with all the problems, expenses, illnesses, marriages, purchases, children, property - with everything in the world, - in the hands of God. Therefore the name Christ God and is here in the dative case: Christ God.

Let us trust in Christ, who is our God. Let's trust Him in everything. Into Your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit. Word betray means that we completely trust the Lord and leave everything at His feet, in His hands and arms.

And when you trust God, you will immediately feel how everything inside you relaxes. Have you seen how a child sleeps in her mother's arms? He falls asleep, and after a few minutes his arms dangle, his legs too, there is no tension in his body, he is completely relaxed. His whole body is relaxed. Why? Because he is in the arms. In the arms of mom, or dad - they hold him, and he sleeps. The child has full confidence in his parents. In their arms, he calms down and seems to say with his appearance: “I have a dad, I have a mom. As soon as I wake up, they will immediately give me food.”

Have any of you seen a child in anxiety or restlessness? Even if such children come across, then, looking at them, you think: “Something is not right with this child!” Is it possible to imagine an ordinary child who wakes up in the morning and says: “What will happen to me today? What will I eat today? It's so hard for me! I'm afraid, I'm afraid of tomorrow. If I get dirty, who will change my clothes? And if I get hungry, who will feed me?” Children completely trust their parents and rely entirely on them.

Both the Lord and the Church call us to want to do the same - consciously, voluntarily and deliberately. So that, having made such a decision, we believe and do it.

Surrender into the hands of God, entrust Him with all your life, all your problems - entrust everything. And not to anyone, but to the God-man, Christ, Who can take care (and takes care) of everything in the world. Lord, You gave us everything and did everything for us, as they say in the liturgy of St. Basil the Great. And You will never leave us without Your help. At the last moment, when the situation seems hopeless, You will do everything for us. " I remembered the days of old, I learned from Your deeds

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- It is natural for a person to be afraid of many things in life. And pathological fear is probably such a fear that paralyzes the will and takes possession of a person so much that he loses the ability to act independently. Such fear does not warn against danger, but poisons a person's life.

- Why is one person afraid less, and another person in the same situation - much more, reaching this very pathological fear?

- This question is rather not for a priest, but for a psychologist. I will name only one reason, which to me personally, as a priest, also seems to be a serious reason, and which underlies so many fears. This is disbelief.

There is such an episode in Holy Scripture when the Lord says to one person who finds himself in a very terrible situation: “Do not be afraid, only believe.” These words are key for me in many ways when I think about what is the cause of fear and which way to go in order to overcome fear: don't be afraid, just believe.

Fear and faith are contrasted in this statement, although at first glance it may seem incomprehensible. If you make a survey on the topic, which word is the opposite of the word "faith", then in the first place, they will probably say "unbelief" or "atheism." But, judging by these words, fear. “Do not be afraid, only believe” means that the more you believe, the less you will be afraid, and vice versa: the less you believe, the more you are afraid.

There is another place in the Gospel when the apostles cross the sea in a boat. The sea raged, and the Lord fell asleep and sleeps; and the disciples, frightened, wake him up and say: “Master! do you not need that we are perishing? The Lord forbade the storm - it stopped, everything calmed down. He turns to them and says: “Why are you so timid? how do you not have faith?

If we go further from the Holy Scriptures, there are such beautiful verses in the Psalter - Psalm 26, it begins with the words: “The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom shall I fear? Lord Protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? These words—they sound very often in the Church—I think are also key. They explain the cause of many fears that fill a person.

When a service is performed in the temple, the priest repeatedly blesses the people praying in the temple with the words: “Peace to all!” What is the world? The world is, in general, the absence of worries, fears. After all, nothing disturbs the world like fears and anxieties. When our Liturgy ends, the priest always proclaims: “We will depart in peace!” It is assumed that all those who were in the service, who prayed, who took communion, who confessed, should have peace in their souls. And when this is not the case, when a person is separated from God, then any storms can rage in his heart.

I would not like to simplify and say that all believers are brave, they are not afraid of anything, and non-believers, on the contrary, are cowardly. This is not true. I know that among people who are completely far from the Church, unbelievers, there are very brave and courageous people, and they always have been; and vice versa. I understand very well that among the people who go to church and believe, there are people filled with fears. Therefore, everything is not so simple: I believe - and I am not afraid of anything. But still, I think this is the main pattern.

As for myself, I can say for sure (this is the experience of my life): to the extent that I remain in faith, all fears leave my soul, it becomes easy and nothing is scary, you are not afraid of anything. Faith, of course, does not leave - I can’t even imagine that faith would leave me, that I would be an unbeliever, but when, for one reason or another, faith is not as strong as it should be, due to sins or for some other reasons, then you begin to feel some kind of uncertainty, inner anxiety, and you hasten to return this world, this confidence, this strength by prayer and turning to God.

- So the first spiritual means of dealing with fear is prayer?

- Certainly. And not only his personal prayer, but also church prayer, participation in the Sacraments: confession, communion. In the book of Father Pavel Florensky “The Pillar and Ground of the Truth”, in the preface there are words that once struck me very strongly, when I was still unchurched and just taking my first steps: “Churchhood is the name of that refuge where the anxiety of the heart the pretensions of reason are pacified, where great peace descends into the mind.

It is in the Church, it is in churchliness that a person finds peace, tranquility, and certainty. It’s different for everyone, but I know for sure that before I came to the Church, before I became a conscious believer, by my nature I was inclined to worry, worry, and the state of anxiety, the expectation of changes for the worse was very inherent in me. I remember that I often couldn't get anywhere from this. anxiety state get away. But with my churching, when at first I became just a believer, I was baptized, I began to read prayers, go to church, go to confession, this state disappeared. To say that now, when I am already a priest, anxiety is completely uncharacteristic of me, it would not be true. It happens that I worry and worry about what I shouldn’t worry about, but this is already completely different, incommensurable with how it was before.

Probably, as long as we live, we will all be worried about something to one degree or another, but God forbid that this be within reasonable limits, so that it does not prevent us from living a full life and doing what we should do in life.

What other spiritual means of dealing with fear and anxiety are known?

One of the major human problems is self-centeredness. This also results in fear. The Christian position is just different. Ideally, a person should forget about himself altogether. There is an ancient prayer in which there are such words: "he who forgets himself finds himself." To the extent that I forget myself, to that extent I not only find myself, but also free myself from fears. Because selfhood, self-centeredness is such a soil on which all kinds of fears and fears grow. And vice versa, when a person gives himself to others, when a person lives not according to the principle of “taking”, but according to the principle of “giving”, then fears go away. Therefore, the more egoism, egocentrism, self-centeredness, the more fearful, cowardly and insecure a person will be, and vice versa.

What increases the fear of death? How to deal with it?

“Firstly, the fear of death is a normal fear. When I have to hear from some people that they are not afraid of death, I don’t even really believe in it. Let's see if they repeat these words when they are face to face before they die. If Jesus Christ is our model and there is no one higher than Him, then we know that Jesus Christ was afraid of death. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed until he was sweating blood, asking the Father to let this cup pass from him. This already indicates that He, as a normal person, did not want death, he was afraid of it.

It's okay to be afraid of something. Because fear is a natural reaction to something we don't want in our lives. But then another thing begins: who wins whom - this fear of man or man's fear? They say that a brave person is not one who is not afraid, but one who knows how to overcome his fear and act contrary to it in life. Jesus Christ prayed that this cup would be carried past Him, but when He heard from the Father that it was not, He had to go for it - He went, no matter how scary and painful it was.

Only love. Now we are celebrating Easter. Death is conquered, it is conquered by love. Love is the only force that is stronger than death. Hence, the fear of death. Therefore, the more love there is in a person, the less he depends on the fear of death, the less the fear of death possesses him.

If we talk about people who do not believe, then for them death is destruction, it is death. On the one hand, it’s scary, but on the other hand, some people think: what’s so terrible about it? Well, it won't and won't...

For a believer, death is the beginning of a new, different life. But a believer is also usually afraid of death. Why is he afraid? Because it's still a secret. Man stands before the unknown. And although even he believes that there is eternal life, believing does not mean knowing. Faith always involves some element of doubt. And it has already been noted that to the extent that a person reconciles with his offenders, forgives those who did him some harm, and, in turn, tries to correct the guilt, atone for it before those to whom he is guilty (in this and love is manifested), to the extent that the fear of death goes away.

In the sermons of Bishop Anthony of Surozh there is a wonderful example of a man who was dying of cancer. Vladyka Anthony (at that time he was still a priest) offered him to consecrate recent weeks or months of life in order to reconcile with all the people with whom he came into conflict in his life, had some kind of grievances. Vladyka says that they did this for quite a long time: he brought these people to him, they wrote letters, prayed for those with whom they did not have time to reconcile during their lifetime. Gradually, this list narrowed, people reconciled. At the end, when this man had a few days to live, he was already all dried up, yet such joy shone on his face! And then he said that I was already almost dead in body, but in soul ... - when I was healthy, I never felt so alive and living such a full life that my soul lives now; so now it's ridiculous for me to even think that death exists. I feel like there is no death.

The state that this person acquired by his reconciliation with everyone is internal; there is no need for any proof that there is no death - this proof is within you. I think that we, to the extent that we follow this path (and the Church leads us along this path, we must each time go to the Chalice of Communion, reconciled with everyone), to the extent that a person becomes free, rises above this fear of death.

One more thing is important for conquering the fear of death. This clear conscience. Many holy fathers write that the purer a person's conscience, the less he is afraid of death. Therefore, working with your conscience, clearing your conscience, following the dictates of your conscience, is a powerful means of gaining courage and not being afraid of anything.

Love, a clear conscience, reconciliation, forgiveness - these are the first things that come to mind, what a person must do so that the fear of death does not dominate him.

- How to deal with anxiety for loved ones? To many people, such fear, even to an excessive degree, seems normal, noble. Do you agree that fear for loved ones is quite normal, even if it comes to a painful state? How to deal with this fear?

- Initially, fear, worries about loved ones is a healthy, normal state. Rather, it would be surprising if my loved ones were in danger or a person was seriously ill, and I was calm about this. This would speak of my callousness, that I have a stone heart. We honor the holy fathers, even in the Gospel the Lord is sometimes worried. And the Apostle Paul in some epistles directly writes that he is experiencing, grieving, worrying about someone. Therefore, it is normal to worry about loved ones.

But it is clear that the state of morbid fear is an abnormal state, which means that it is not normal to reach this state. Here I return to faith again. At the Divine service, the following words are very often heard: “Our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Our Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin Mary with all the saints, remembering ourselves and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.” Look: let us commit ourselves and each other, and all our lives to Christ our God. Trust in the will of God. Trust in the will of God! Here is what is required of us.

We constantly read the prayer "Our Father", which reads "Thy will be done." There is a beautiful prayer of the Optina elders: “Lord, give me peace of mind to meet everything that the coming day will bring me; let me completely surrender to Your holy will ... ”This is the way in which a person overcomes anxiety for loved ones.

Anxiety for loved ones, perhaps even much more takes place than for oneself. The man says: well, whatever happens to me, but I can’t help but worry about my son, who is now in such a situation. Or for someone else. Therefore, worries about loved ones are correct, but what's next? Any strong feelings spill out into something. And here it is very important that they are correctly expressed. Let's say I can walk around and shake all over, call every friend and say: “How scary! What a disaster! ”, - in every possible way express your anxiety and do nothing at the same time.

Worrying about loved ones has its own energy. And this energy must be realized in something. And now it is realized in the fact that a person's hands are shaking, sweat comes out, his legs fail, or something else ... But this energy must be transformed into prayer. To the extent that I fear, to that extent I must pray earnestly. And then this fear will bear due fruit.

If you worry about someone - you are doing the right thing, worry if a person is in a difficult situation; but let this experience lead you either to the Church, where you will write a note, where you will pray, light a candle, make some kind of sacrifice, or simply pray yourself. If you transform your fear into prayer, into care, or into another useful channel, then this fear will bring its benefits.

In prayer, strength and sincerity are very important. If I see that some person is in danger, but this is a stranger to me, unfamiliar, and I, purely out of duty, will also pray for him: “Lord, help this person, he is in danger,” but I myself am not afraid for him . This will be one prayer. And when I worry about this person and pray with this experience, this is a completely different prayer. Such prayer can indeed bear fruit.

I now recalled an episode described by Father Sophrony (Sakharov). He told how on Athos they, the monks, watched through the window a boat that was supposed to land on the shore. There was a very strong storm, the boat was beaten. The people who were on the boat fought with all their might, but there was a danger that they would now be thrown onto the rocks, they would break and die. The monks look out the window, pray, of course, to help them. And the young monk suddenly said unexpectedly: “Oh, Lord! How my heart hurts for these people!” And then Father Silouan told him: “Since you pray for them with heartache, it means that they will be saved.” And indeed, soon they nevertheless overcame, saved themselves and hurried wet to the temple to serve a thanksgiving service.

Therefore, fear, pain in the heart for loved ones, let us not lead us to apathy, when a person gives up, stops doing anything, but let the person, on the contrary, act; and prayer, and those means by which, apart from prayer, he can act himself.

What is the fear of God, and does it have anything in common with ordinary fear?

- Of course it has. What does it mean to be afraid? It means not wanting something very strongly. Not wanting to such an extent that if it does happen, then it is perceived as some kind of terrible catastrophe. In this sense, the fear of God has something in common with any other fear.

But maybe that's where the commonality ends. The fear of God is the only fear that elevates a person, and does not humiliate. Any fear is painful. As the apostle John the Theologian says: “In fear there is torment. Perfect love drives away fear.” But the fear of God is not like that. It is not only that there is no torment in it, but on the contrary, it brings peace, joy to the soul, and even more than that - fun. In one of the church prayers there are such words: “Rejoice our hearts, in a hedgehog to fear Your holy name” (“Rejoice our hearts, to fear Your holy name” - ed.). And in some other prayers there is: “Lord, let me rejoice, being in Your fear” - approximately the same meaning.

At first glance, it may seem: how can there be fun in fear? But the fear of God is just such a property.

The fact is that usually different fears do not get along together. And the one who is afraid of one thing is no longer afraid of another. As they say, "a wedge is knocked out with a wedge," and one fear can crowd out another. It is human nature to be afraid of something. But when I'm afraid of something more, I stop being afraid of something less. I am in trouble at work, I know that tomorrow I may be reprimanded, I am very afraid of this. And suddenly, in the evening, they tell me that the tests showed a terrible diagnosis, that I need an operation. Naturally, I am already more afraid of this operation. Someone reminds me of work - but now I don’t have time for a reprimand, I have a more serious fear. Those. one fear replaces another.

So, a person who is truly afraid of God is no longer afraid of anyone or anything in life. And that's great. This is a truly courageous and courageous person. Because if something starts to scare him, he says: “I'm afraid of God! And I will still be afraid of you when I am afraid of God?!”

This was clearly seen during the Stalinist persecutions. In camps, in prisons, in exile, Christians, believing people, behaved most courageously. They were not afraid where others were afraid. Anastasia Tsvetaeva (sister of the writer Marina Tsvetaeva) said in her memoirs: when she was arrested, when she was interrogated, frightened, threatened, she laughed: “Why are you scaring me? I'm afraid of God. Whatever you do to me, it will all be to the glory of God, if I am in faith.” And they often lagged behind her, because they understood that you would not scare such people.

What is the fear of God? It is often thought that the fear of God is the fear of God's punishment. This is not entirely true. It is partly true that the fear of punishment; only God's punishment should not be perceived as punishment, revenge. As with a loved one: I can offend this person, offend, and he will turn and leave. He will not punish me in any way, he will just leave. And I will be without him. A person who already has the experience of being in the grace of God, who knows the feeling of closeness to God, has experienced being in the love of God, and who knows that any sin, any unkind word, bad deed leads to the fact that grace disappears, that person is afraid to lose it . He is afraid to lie, offend someone, afraid to condemn, because he knows that as soon as he does this, he will immediately feel that he has lost, lost that harmony, joy, that peace in the soul, which are given only by the grace of God. One of the sides of the fear of God is the fear of offending God, of pushing away the grace of God by some of our actions that are not compatible with the grace of God. Because God cannot dwell in impurity.

The other side of the fear of God is reverence. It is the feeling of standing before God. After all, we all believe that God exists. But we very often do not feel Him. Because we behave in such a way that a person from the outside, a non-believer, can say: "He also does not believe." Yes, because if you believed, would you say such words? You know you can't.

We all know that one cannot condemn anyone, one cannot slander. And, nevertheless, we, believing people, easily slander, condemn. And when they say: “Listen, well, you know what’s wrong?” “I know…” and you continue. “But imagine that here with us now, in a visible way, would be Jesus Christ. In His presence, would you say these words? - "Of course not." “So He is present here invisibly! Do you believe in it?” — “I believe. I believe, but I don't feel it...

But the fear of God is when a person not only believes that everything that happens in his life happens in the presence of God, but when he really feels the presence of God next to him with some incomprehensible feeling. And it is this feeling that prevents him from doing many things that he could do because of his infirmities.

Fear has always been seen as something unworthy. To say, for example, "I'm afraid to go to war" was a shame. But to say "I'm afraid of God" - this has always been considered the strength, the dignity of a person. Remember how on the cross, when two thieves are crucified next to Jesus Christ, one blasphemes Jesus Christ, and the second says: “Or do you not fear God when you yourself are condemned to the same thing? and we are justly condemned, because we received what was worthy according to our deeds, but He did nothing wrong. Just not being afraid of God in those days was considered something shameful.

I remember as a child, when I still knew nothing about faith in God, I read Pushkin’s words about the wind in my favorite “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” with bewilderment: “Wind, wind! You are powerful, You drive flocks of clouds, You excite the blue sea, You blow everywhere in the open. You are not afraid of anyone but God alone. Now these words are very close and understandable! This is what I want to wish everyone and myself: not to be afraid of anyone but God alone.

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