13:17 — REGNUM
On the second week after Pentecost, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of All Saints who have shone in the Russian land. The history of this holiday is not simple. It was established in the first years of the reign of Ivan the Terrible and was happily forgotten (or rather, purposefully supplanted by Peter’s policies) in the Synodal era. After the revolution in 1918, it was restored, and since 1946 the holiday began to be solemnly celebrated on the second week of Pentecost, after All Saints Sunday.
However, ambiguity and drama accompany not only the history of the holiday, but also their main characters - the saints. In the mass perception of believers, saints are like supermen, demigods. It is enough to read the life of St. Dmitry of Rostov (his colleague in the rank of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov spoke quite critically about this work) to be convinced of this. An outside reader, little familiar with this genre of church epic, may get the feeling that these people were already programmed from above with their mother’s milk for holiness. But even churchgoers for the most part are unable to distance themselves from such a mythical, childish perception of the saints.
It’s sad, but it’s a fact that sometimes the level of religious literacy among believers leaves much to be desired. This state of affairs essentially does not motivate one to live a Christian life following the example of the same saints: “ They're saints! Where are we, sinners before them??. You hear words like this all the time. And the result of this mood is that the veneration of saints is reduced to magnificent cult ceremonies. And the larger and more spectacular this is presented, the more confidence it gives us that the saints are with us and everything is fine.
Is this really true? Let’s try to ask ourselves three questions, which in the mood described above may seem unacceptable, but without them we risk remaining at the level of an unctuously everyday, blurred perception of an important event in church reality. The questions are:
1) Saints - who are they? Holiness = sinlessness?
2) How will the Church recognize them?
3) What does veneration of saints mean?
Replying to first question Let us say that Christianity has an extremely sober attitude towards man. The Gospel is the good news that salvation from evil, sin and death is an act of God's love and mercy, it is a gift of grace from Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross (Eph. 2:8). Those who accept this Message with faith and follow Christ, rejecting every attempt and even the thought of earning salvation for themselves through their own righteousness (Phil. 3:9), thereby participate in the holiness of Christ and become, according to the word of the Apostle, partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1 :3−4). There is no violence, automatism or magic here, but only the determination and awareness of a person to follow Christ, that is, to make the commandments of the Gospel his life priority in the place where he was called by God (1 Cor. 7:20−22). This is the path of faith in which a person grows. Such growth goes through trials and even some mistakes, but its main criterion is not infallibility, but loyalty to the path, to one’s calling.
Second question, perhaps the most interesting and complex. It is this that is either bypassed or deliberately kept silent. If saints are the fruit of the Church and its property, then why does the Church often persecute and repress them, and then, as if contradicting itself, glorifies them? There are not a dozen such saints in the Russian Orthodox Church. Many worthy representatives of Orthodoxy have thought about this question. In particular, our contemporary, martyr, remarkable theologian and shepherd, Archpriest Valentin Sventsitsky, accurately and aptly described this unpleasant phenomenon in Christian history: “ Every sin in the Church is a sin against the Church" In other words, the saints were a kind of catalyst and litmus test. While the Christian majority lived in careless peace and developed a habit of their Christianity, and ceased to perceive it as a priceless gift, as the fire of God’s love, but became “ just warm"(Rev. 3:15-16) application to the established way of life, then these troublemakers appeared, who, by the very fact of their presence, made both the clergy and the world feel extremely awkward.
For them, following Christ, according to Alyosha Karamazov from Dostoevsky’s novel, was much more serious than giving two rubles to a beggar and going to mass. And if it was possible, at the very least, to peacefully limit the zone of their influence in some remote monastery, then the repressions might not have taken place, or had a latent nature, which rarely happened, since these people had an active life position on the pressing issues of their time. Their holiness - that is, otherness, dissimilarity (this is how the biblical word “kadosh” is translated - holy, different) encouraged those around them either to imitate them, increasing the degree of their Christian life, or to drive away the triggers of conscience (Acts 17: 1-6) .
Concerning third question about the veneration of saints, it is important to note that we are talking specifically about veneration, and not about worship, which belongs to God alone. What does veneration mean? This is the ability to recognize the action and presence of God in the life of a person. And if we talk about saints, then veneration of them is, first of all, imitation of their burning spirit. Not blindly following their ascetic practices, which can end sadly, but a thirst to have the same determination, to let God into all areas of your life and solve current problems in a evangelical way at this particular period of your life. This is the understanding of holiness and its veneration in Orthodoxy. Otherwise, all this turns into magic, everyday hype and ideology, which lead people away from Christ and the Gospel.
HISTORY OF ALL SAINTS DAY
In the 4th century, the first mentions of this holiday began to appear. In the sermon of St. John Chrysostom (IV century) he glorifies “ all the saints around the world who suffered” and indicates a special day of their veneration. St. Petersburg also mentions this holiday in his hymns. Ephraim the Syrian (IV century).
Around the 5th century, the celebration in honor of All Saints began to be celebrated on the first Sunday after Trinity; later this holiday was officially assigned to this date by the Church.
ALL SAINTS DAY
The Church considers the main idea of this day to be the glorification of all the Saints, who are our intercessors before God and helpers in prayers to the Lord throughout our lives. We often turn to one or another Saint and ask them to help pray to the Lord for us, and Saints often respond to these requests, because they see our efforts in finding our spiritual path, in forgiveness and repentance.
It is no coincidence that All Saints' Day is celebrated immediately after. After all, Trinity is considered the Birthday of the Church and, like a small sprout planted in the ground, She blossomed in the person of the holy martyrs and confessors, saints, saints and holy fools.
None of these people were born saints. They were not sinless, they all had some sins, but the most important thing is to realize them and sincerely repent. Church canons warn the Orthodox that saints cannot be considered sinless.
The Gospel says that even sinners enter heaven. To the right of the crucified Savior, a thief hung on the cross, who in the last minutes of his life repented to God and asked Jesus Christ:
“Remember me, Lord, when You come in Your Kingdom”
In this short sentence one could feel faith in Jesus, in His Divinity and the thief’s readiness to repent. She turned out to be sincere, otherwise this man would not have gone to heaven.
People came to their holiness in different ways, but the result was God's grace, which, according to St. John of Damascus, made them " pure dwellings of God».
God's grace comes with the Holy Spirit, so people who prayed earnestly to the Lord and worked to "acquire" the Holy Spirit were strong in their faith. They were given a lot, but this gift of God was honestly “earned” by them and they did not “keep” this gift to themselves; with God’s help they helped people.
At a time when Rus' was conquered by the Mongol-Tatars, Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky visited the Horde more than once, all the time softening the Tatar Khan with his meekness. Thus, he practically saved Rus' from the extermination of Christianity by the Tatars; the invaders practically did not touch Orthodox churches and did not force our people to worship their gods.
The revered Russian Saint, Reverend Sergius of Radonezh, more than once came to the princes and asked them for mercy in the form of relief for his peasants, and it was not surprising that the Saint’s requests were fulfilled, because he was strong in the Holy Spirit.
It is unknown how many Saints there are in Christianity. The feat of many people will remain unknown to people. Only God knows about this. He knows everything - about the deaths for faith in Christ, about the torment, about the work of ascetic monks who lived in difficult conditions, renouncing the world, and prayed for us people before the Lord.
After a godless time, the exploits of many thousands of ordinary people who ended up in Soviet camps for their faith became known. These people “only” preached the Gospel, love for God and people, honesty and decency in their lives, and not Marxism-Leninism. While tortured, they were tempted with freedom for signing on a piece of paper, which stated that there is no God. At the cost of their health or even their lives, they did not renounce God. These are real Saints!
But in our understanding, they were ordinary people, they also went to shops, studied, worked, lived a simple life, these people lived quite recently and there are still those who saw them, who talked to them.
It turns out that God's grace does not go back to the early or middle ages, it is very close to us.
To be closer to God, it is necessary, as with everything in life, to make an effort, as did those people whose memory is honored on All Saints’ Day, who acquired the Holy Spirit and found the anointing of grace.
All Saints' Day is not a holiday in the sense that we perceive the word. This, to be more precise, is veneration and thanksgiving to them, pure and bright people who worked miracles for the glory of God. Who did not spare their lives for the glory of Christ, won the love and respect of people.
We are all under someone's protection and patronage; each person at baptism received a name in honor of some saint. It is very useful to read about your patron, how he lived, why he became a saint. Perhaps his example will help us become at least a little like him, improve our lives and learn to live the way your patron saint did.
In his sermon on All Saints' Day, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said:
“If we want to give glory to the saints, glorify our saint, justify that this name has been entrusted to us, we must learn to live as he lived, as Christ lived, as we are called to live. Otherwise, every praise that we utter to a saint will someday be a reproach to us: he knew - and did not do it ... "
SERVICE ON ALL SAINTS' DAY
On Sunday, at the morning service, the eleven Gospels are read, telling about the resurrection of Christ. And at the evening Sunday service, excerpts from the Old Testament are read to the Glory of the Saints.
At the morning service the next day, Monday, a liturgy is held, at which the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle to the Romans are read (during the Easter period, the Acts of the Holy Apostles and the Gospel of John were read).
On the same day, Orthodox Christians begin the Apostolic (Petrov) Fast.
WHO ARE THE SAINTS
In our prayers we turn to the Lord God, to His Most Pure Mother, to the Holy Angels and Holy People.
The Mother of God stands above all the Saints, she is closest to God. Angels are “messengers” from God, disembodied spirits who carry out His will.
Pleasers of God- these are holy people who pleased God with their righteous life on earth. They pray to God for us and help us.
Prophets- the saints who lived before the coming of Jesus Christ predicted the future, mainly about the Savior.
Apostles - disciples of Jesus Christ, after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, they preached the Christian faith throughout all countries. At first there were twelve apostles closest to the Lord, and then seventy more were called. Peter and Paul are the Supreme Apostles; they worked more than others in spreading Christianity. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Evangelist are the Evangelists who wrote about the life of Jesus Christ.
Equal to the Apostles - saints who, like the apostles, spread the faith of Christ on Earth (the blessed kings Constantine and Helen, the blessed Holy Prince Vladimir).
Martyrs - accepted cruel torture or death for the faith of Christ.
Confessors- saints who died peacefully later, after suffering torment.
Great Martyrs- saints who died after severe suffering (Holy Great Martyr George (the Victorious), Holy Great Martyrs Barbara, Catherine).
Saints - bishops or bishops who pleased God with their righteous lives (St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow).
Hieromartyrs- saints who suffered torment for Christ.
Universal teachers- these are the teachers of the entire Christian Church (Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom).
Reverends- these are righteous people who have retired from worldly life and observed a vow of celibacy, who have pleased God. They mostly lived in deserts and monasteries (Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov).
Venerable Martyrs- saints who suffered torment for Christ.
Righteous - lived like us in the world, were family people and led a righteous life pleasing to God (Righteous Saints Joachim and Anna).
Unmercenary - They healed people without any payment, healing physical and mental illnesses (healer Panteleimon, Cosmas and Damian).
Fool for Christ's sake - people who, for the sake of Christ, show the world strange actions, but in fact are filled with deep wisdom. They are also called blessed (Xenia of Petersburg).
A week after Trinity Orthodox Christians celebrate All Saints' Day. In Orthodoxy this holiday is called All Saints Cathedral. After All Saints' Day comes Petrovsky post, the duration of which is associated with the day of Easter.
When is All Saints' Day celebrated in 2017?
Because the Trinity (Pentecost) in 2017 it was celebrated on June 4, All Saints' Day in Orthodoxy accounts for June 11. Catholics and Protestants celebrate All Saints' Day in the fall - for them the holiday is immutable and is always celebrated Nov. 1. Catholics call All Saints' Eve Halloween and is celebrated on the evening of October 31st.
What is the Cathedral of All Saints
All Saints Day, in Orthodoxy - the Council of All Saints - is the worship of all saints to the son of God described in the “Revelation of John the Theologian”.
The term “all saints” covers both canonized saints and those who, despite their feat of faith, remained unknown during their lifetime and therefore are not revered.
In Orthodoxy, All Saints' Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Trinity (Pentecost), that is, on the eighth Sunday after Easter. Read more about the holiday of Trinity in Federal News Agency.
The holiday All Saints' Day has been known since the late 4th - early 5th centuries. There is a sermon John Chrysostom in memory of “all the saints who suffered throughout the world.” The connection between All Saints' Day and Trinity is very important: the church believes that although the saints lived at different times and were glorified by different exploits, they all received the grace of the holy spirit poured out on the day of Pentecost.
The Cathedral of All Saints is the last day before Peter's (apostolic) fast, which reads 12 June.
And a week after the general All Saints Day, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates another holiday: the Council of All Saints who have shone in the Russian land.
Petrov fast in 2017
In 2017 Petrov (Petrovsky) post will last a month - from June 12 to July 11 inclusive. The duration and beginning of Peter's Lent depend on the date of Easter. Peter's Fast always begins on Monday, the 57th day after Easter and a week after Trinity Day. The longest fast can last one and a half months, the shortest - eight days.
The tradition of fasting at the beginning of summer was established by the apostles, who called for celebrating one week (week) after Pentecost, and then fasting in order to prepare for the gospel service. In Orthodoxy, the Petrine Fast is established in memory of the apostles Peter and Paul. The fast ends with Peter's Day, which is very important in folk tradition, since it falls in the very middle of summer.
What can you eat on Petrov fast?
Unlike Great Lent, Peter's Fast is not so strict. During this period, you cannot eat meat, eggs and dairy products, but on some days fish and seafood are allowed, and wine is also allowed on Sunday. And the presence of a large amount of fresh vegetables and fruits makes this post easier than Lent.
Christians zealously honor the traditions of their ancestors, not ignoring any holiday that the church has prescribed to be remembered and celebrated. One of these days is All Saints' Day. This holiday exists not only among Catholics, but also in Orthodoxy. From this article you will learn when and how All Saints' Day will be celebrated in different Christian denominations (Catholicism and Orthodoxy) in 2017 and what traditions exist that have formed during the long history of this holiday.
When is All Saints' Day in 2017?
It should be noted that the date of this holiday among Orthodox Christians is constantly changing (it is movable), but is always celebrated on the next Sunday after Trinity, and since Trinity in 2017 falls on June 4, then accordingly All Saints Day in 2017 For the Orthodox it falls on June 11.
In turn, the date of the holiday among Catholics is permanent, that is, it is always celebrated from year to year - Nov. 1, including in 2017.
Holiday All Saints Day in Orthodoxy
Not all people know that in the Orthodox Church there is such a holiday as All Saints' Day. The fact is that it is not as “promoted” as its Western counterpart among Catholics, although it has a similar essence. Orthodox Christians celebrate this holiday on the first Sunday after Trinity. The holiday dates back to the fourth century AD, but it was only a century later that it was officially adopted by the church. 
It is believed that this is a truly special date for all Christians, because Trinity is the (conditional) birthday of the church. Orthodoxy “grew” not from an empty phrase, but from the efforts and devoted faith of minions and followers of the teachings of Christ, of whom a very large number have accumulated over the many centuries of the existence of this religious movement. To honor each holy martyr, the church decided to set aside a special date on which to remember the exploits of those who gave their lives or suffered torment in the name of their faith.
Traditions of celebration in Catholicism
Almost every resident of our country is well aware that in mid-autumn Catholics celebrate a holiday called Halloween, which foreshadows the onset of another interesting event - All Saints' Day. The meaning of the holiday for Catholics is the same as for Orthodox Christians: honoring all those who dedicated their lives to the service of Christianity and suffered in some way because of their faith. However, Catholics view this event a little differently. On this day, it is customary to dress up in scary costumes, make noise, sing and have fun in every possible way. And the reason for this behavior was the pagan roots of the holiday. Previously, it was believed that all evil spirits were coming out of their hiding places and looking for victims for their dark plans. Therefore, the common population tried to transform into dark forces as plausibly as possible, so as not to attract attention to themselves, or to avoid showing up from home at all. 
On All Saints' Day 2017 - November 1, Catholics will try to visit the cemetery to honor the memory of their deceased relatives. Those who did not have time to do this on this date can do it the next day - November 2, All Souls' Day.
All Saints' Week, or All Saints' Day , a moving church holiday, is celebrated among Orthodox Christians on the first Sunday after Trinity - Pentecost, thus completing a series of holidays associated with the holiday of the Resurrection of Christ: Ascension, Trinity, Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. A week in our usual perception is seven days from Sunday to Sunday, but in the Church Slavonic understanding a week is called Sunday, and these seven days are called a week. So, to avoid confusion, let’s make a reservation right away: this holiday lasts one Sunday day.Immediately after the holiday of All Saints' Week on Sunday, the Petrov post. Its duration depends on the day of celebration of Easter and, accordingly, Trinity. Peter's Fast continues until July 11 inclusive, since it ends on July 12 - the day of remembrance of the holy apostles Peter and Paul.
The meaning of the holiday
On this day we glorify and thank, and in the hymns of the festive services we bless all the saints in all their ranks: patriarchs, forefathers, prophets, apostles, martyrs, holy martyrs, confessors, saints, reverend and righteous fathers and mothers and all saints, but most of all and before everyone - the Unbrided Bride, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, the Ever-Virgin Mary.
After the Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, it is quite natural to glorify all who received the special gift of God’s Grace, becoming His co-worker here on earth. Our saints - and revered by the entire Christian world, such as Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and Queen Helena, Saints Nicholas of Myra and Spyridon of Trimythus, Mary of Egypt and Andrew of Crete, Saints Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov, Thomas Aquinas and Francis of Assisi, and those who were almost our contemporaries - the holy metropolitans John of Kronstadt and Luke of Crimea - the spiritual educator of difficult times and the great surgeon, too many to count, are an example to follow.
It is important, as many clergy note on this day during sermons at the festive Divine Liturgy, to know the very deeds of the saints, to have before oneself their inspiring examples and to realize what grace-filled gifts the Lord rewards for ascetic and loving service to Him. Love means non-violent, not through “I don’t want, but I have to,” but voluntary, heartfelt, sincere, for He himself said: “I ask for mercy, not sacrifice.” “Mercy” is translated from some Slavic languages as “love”, but it does not mean a private feeling, not passion, but love, both supramundane and universal for all things. Such a heartfelt feeling was brought to the Ever-Bearing God by all the saints from the first times, from the Old Testament prophets to the saints of our time, and it returned to them a hundredfold, giving strength and joy to overcome temptations, labors and frequent persecutions in earthly existence.
This is how our saints, their earthly lives became living, historically real examples of how everyone living after Easter, the Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is able to unite with God so much as to, in a certain sense, gain the Kingdom of God on earth. And in praising our saints on their feast day, the words of St. John Chrysostom are remembered: “Do not praise us, do not glorify us, but become like us.” Of course, we will praise and sing out of a grateful feeling, but becoming like them is also a type of gratitude. Every saint is both a teacher and a mentor, and there is no greater joy for a teacher when he sees that a student follows him, as all of them, starting with the apostles, followed Christ.
The Apostles of Christ were also once simple, ordinary people who had an ordinary biography; their lives would have continued and ended “like everyone else” if Christ had not called them to ministry and discipleship. On this occasion, Bishop Anthony of Sourozh, in one of his sermons on the Sunday of All Saints, said: “This is not only the glory of the church, this is a call addressed to each of us. Today we are called upon by the Gospel reading and inspired by the Apostolic Letter to love God so much as to become His true disciples. And this means that our faith in Him must be and become more and more realistically faithful every day, so that, seeing us, seeing how we live, who we are, other people can believe that Christ came to save the world and that it is worth following Him as a Teacher and friend.”
It is known that God does not have time, as we imagine it, dividing earthly life into the Past, Present and Future. God has only Eternity. Glorifying all the saints, we also glorify those for whom there is only God’s plan. He already exists in the Eternity of the heavenly world, awaiting the hour when he must be embodied in earthly existence, in that human personality who has yet to live earthly life and perform his ascetic work for the glory of God until the second coming, which all souls await, as it is said in the Creed: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”
History of the celebration
The history of the celebration of All Saints' Day dates back to the end of the 4th - beginning of the 5th centuries, and we find mention of it in the sermon of St. John Chrysostom, in the hymns of St. Ephraim the Syrian, where the firm date of the holiday is indicated - May 13, in Syria during the same period of time among Christians celebrated this holiday on Friday of Bright Easter Week.
In the Roman Empire, All Saints' Day was also celebrated according to Ephraim the Syrian - May 13, on this day in the year 609 (according to other sources, 610) Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon, which in ancient times was the sanctuary of the pagan Roman gods, and the temple became a temple in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos and all martyrs. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III changed the date of the celebration to November 1, consecrating one of the chapels of St. Peter's Basilica in the name of All Saints. Another century later, Pope Gregory IV again changed the date of the holiday, establishing it on October 31, and the day before should have been fasting. But in the West, the holiday, which was established to commemorate all the saints - and who were already glorified and known, and those whose name history hid from us, and even those who were yet to glorify the Lord's name with their holiness, has strangely degenerated - otherwise there would be no you say - on Halloween, the day of revelry of all sorts of, not at all good, forces. The holiday, in general, is a joke, but it has rather the opposite relation to the memory of All Saints...
In Orthodoxy, praises to saints are full of the most beautiful epithets. Here is the kontakion and troparion from the festive service.
Troparion, tone 4
Even as Thy martyr throughout the world, Thy church has been adorned with scarlet and fine linen, with the blood of Thy one, O Christ God, he cries out: send down Thy bounties upon Thy people, grant peace to Thy living and great mercy to our souls.
Kontakion, tone 8
As the firstfruits of nature, to the Planter of creation, the universe brings to Thee, O Lord, God-bearing martyrs, whose prayers in the deep world are Thy Church, Thy life preserved by the Mother of God, Omni-merciful.
In other hymns, the saints are praised as “unpleasant luminaries.” Undelightful - that is, those who cannot be seduced by temporary joys, which sooner or later will turn to dust. In the morning canon they are called the “divine cloud,” for their spirit, like a cloud, embraces and envelops the throne of God, and they “clarify the church sky.” For their patience, suffering and steadfastness they are called “patient-hearted” there, and in the troparion we read that with their blood, shed for the true faith, the Church, which here is meant as all its members, is decorated with scarlet and visor - precious garments symbolizing the robe of the Lord , for “God is marvelous in his saints.”
At Vespers, Old Testament saints who anticipated New Testament events are remembered in proverbs by reading verses from the prophet Isaiah and Wisdom: “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “you and My servant whom I have chosen” (Is. 43:9-14); “But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and torment will not touch them. In the eyes of the foolish, they seemed dead, and their outcome was considered destruction, and their departure from us was considered destruction; but they remain in peace” (Wis. 3:1-9) - there is no fear of being destroyed on earth if Eternity is found in the hand of God, and in this passage one hears a prophecy about the first Christian martyrs. “The righteous live forever; their reward is in the Lord, and their care is with the Most High. Therefore they will receive a kingdom of glory and a crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord, for He will cover them with His right hand and protect them with His arm” (Wis. 5:15 - 6:3), and this is the promise to His righteous, His saints of “the life of the world to come” through The symbol of faith, which will receive its full approval at the Council of Nicea and for centuries will sound under the arches of temples and churches.
Iconography
By the beginning of the 18th century, a canonical image of the Week of All Saints had developed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. On the icons, the center of the composition was the image of the Lord Jesus Christ in His second coming. He is above, under the heavens on His throne. Around Him are holy angels and people, to the right and left are bowed Adam and Eve. The Old Testament ancestors of the tribe of Abraham are depicted here - Abraham and Jacob, and in the lower part of the icon, in the middle, is the prudent thief who said: “Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). “And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43). This image reminds us that anyone who is imbued with faith, even an inveterate one,
Finally
Who are our saints? These are those who have heard the call: “Whoever has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:27-30). This does not mean, of course, that all who believe must literally abandon everything and everyone and begin the life of a monk, without feeling a calling to this. We are shown the prioritization that was emphasized in the lives of the saints as Christ called for it. First to God, then to others, remembering that we live in New Testament times, when the gap between the world above and the world below was abolished by the feat of the Son, and our saints, who each repeated this feat in their own way, show us this gracious and sacred spiritual path.
