What does it mean to make a vow. Say "no" or make a vowWhat is a "sobriety vow"

God is merciful to all people, even fools. I was twenty years old when I started smoking. I smoked two packs a day. And in just three years, he managed to plant his health to such an extent that he began to choke when walking. To continue the journey, I had to stop and take a few deep breaths.

I knew that I was killing myself. But I also understood that I would not have enough willpower to quit this addiction. And then I decided to resort to military cunning. Around the same period, I had just entered the Church. And I read in the letters of St. Ambrose how he reproaches his spiritual daughter for having made a vow to God. He wrote to her something like this: you don’t need to make vows, there are commandments - keep them, God does not require anyone to exceed the commandments. But if you dare to make a vow - look, do it. Otherwise, be in trouble.

I read this, and came up with such a slightly crafty way to deal with my own smoking. In the morning I woke up, smoked my first cigarette with pleasure. Then he stood in front of the icon and said: “Lord, I promise that today I will not smoke anymore.”

My logic was something like this: I'm not capable of quitting smoking completely. And I can't stop doing this for a week. And for three days too. And even for two. But for at least one day I can endure without this poison, can't I? I'm not quite a weak-willed being, after all! However, even for such a small effort, I needed an additional incentive, shaky health was not enough. And I decided every morning to make a vow to God that I would not smoke until the end of the day, that is, until 24.00.

Now it looks funny, and even stupid. But then I was not laughing at all.

The school day flew by. And in the evening my little personal nightmare began. I suddenly began to quietly hate all smokers. I could smell cigarette smoke almost from the next floor. He growled at everyone who tried to smoke nearby, and stared at the dial wrist watch. But now it's midnight. The chimes played on the radio. Under their chime, breaking matches with trembling fingers, I lit a cigarette, took a long-awaited puff, and ... Instead of the expected pleasure, I got a very strange effect. No, from the point of view of physiology, everything happened as usual - the usual wave of nicotine influx ran through the body. But this time, for some reason, I did not perceive it as a pleasure. Something was felt, there were some sensations, yes. But I kind of watched them from the outside, not participating in the process. And only one thought was spinning in my head: “So what? For the sake of this, you rushed about all evening, losing your human appearance?

The next day, everything was repeated exactly: I smoked a morning cigarette, promised God that I would not smoke again today, and endured it until twelve o'clock in the morning, winding my nerves around my fist. Then, to the sound of the chiming clock, breaking matches, he lit up. And again I felt that the longed-for nicotine high was going, as it were, “past” me. And the same thought sounded in a stupid head: “What? For the sake of these goosebumps did you suffer so much?

On the third day, having washed up until midnight, I grabbed matches, took out a cigarette, and ... And - I did not light it. He twisted it in his hands, looking in surprise, put it aside. And he never smoked again in all the twenty-three years that had passed since then. If someone had told me at that time that I would be able to quit smoking forever in three days, I would not even laugh at such a game.

A stupid way, of course, what to say ... But thanks to him, I was convinced then that God is merciful to all people. Even to stupid people like me.

SINS AND VOWS. IS IT DIFFICULT TO OUTSIDE YOUR CONSCIENCE AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU DO NOT FULFILL YOUR VOW?

The confessor of the Tver diocese, rector of the St. Nicholas Church in Torzhok, hegumen Kornily (Malinin) answers
How to start correcting your spiritual life?
- First of all, you need to realize, feel the need in yourself for, in the spiritual life. The desire to live spiritually is inherent in each of us from birth, and conscience, as the voice of God in the soul of each person, leads and calls us to this. Spiritual life is life with God. Only our sins separate us from God, they create a barrier between us and the Lord. To destroy this barrier, we must wage a constant struggle with sin in ourselves, getting rid of harmful addictions. Spiritual life is not possible without prayer, without communion with God in the Holy Mysteries.
– Why does a person, fighting against his sins and passions, often break down?
– Human nature is corrupted by sin, so we are more inclined to sin than to good. We need to make a great effort on ourselves in order to do good, the fight is most often done by us easily, as if spontaneously.

Orthodox monk's vow

In what cases are vows made? Is it possible to make a vow from gluttony and how to fulfill it?
– A vow is a voluntary obligation to fulfill something given to God: to do a good deed, donate, make a pilgrimage to holy places, etc. It is important to emphasize that a vow is a voluntary commitment. A vow is given by people, as a rule, in gratitude to the Lord for the help provided or when praying for God's help.

Promises are different. The most important of them are those that a Christian gives in his life in the Sacraments. First of all, this is the Sacrament of Baptism, where a person renounces Satan, his passions, sins, promises (gives the first vow of his kind in his Orthodox life) to God that he will fight with them and live according to conscience, according to the commandments of God . The Apostle Peter in the First Epistle says: “So now we too are baptized like this image, not washing away the uncleanness of the flesh, but the promise to God of a good conscience, which saves us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). That is, a person in Baptism is cleansed of sins, washes his soul and brings a promise to God of a good conscience. He also gives a vow of marital fidelity in the Sacrament of the Wedding. He renounces family life, from everything worldly and devotes his life completely to God in the vow of a monk, a vow is also given in the Sacrament of the Priesthood. …Breaking a vow, not fulfilling it, is a grave sin, so one must be very responsible in accepting it. In any case, when making a vow to God, it is important not to overestimate your strength and not to promise something that may not be fulfilled.
– How to go to Communion if there is no way to reconcile with the offender?
- With such a question, you should contact the priest with whom you are confessing, the confessor. At the same time, we must remember the words of the Lord, spoken in the Gospel of Matthew: “So if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go, first be reconciled with your brother yours, and then come and offer your gift. Make peace with your opponent quickly, while you are still on the way with him, so that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge, and the judge does not hand you over to a servant, and plunge you into prison; Truly, I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid every last penny” (Mt 5:23-26).
- Is there a salvation for the lazy? Is it possible to take a vow against laziness?
– Laziness is a sin with which one must fight, one must force oneself to work, work on oneself, cultivating one’s will. The Lord arranges our lives in such a way that we have to take care of our neighbors. And we must do our duty, it compels us to work. For people who have strength and opportunity, it is necessary to take care of helpless, sick, infirm people. A person who serves his neighbor becomes purer in soul, grows spiritually. Reading spiritual literature helps to get inspired for spiritual life and get rid of despondency and laziness.
What sins are committed simply out of stupidity?
- "Above all virtue is prudence" - so said St. Isaac the Syrian and many other saints. If we do something without thinking that harms us and the people around us, then this is a sin. Most often this is manifested in our words, conversations. It is very easy to injure a person with a word, harm, even destroy.
- Will it be possible to replace one passion with another - less harmful?
“If we think like that, we will soon get confused in our thoughts and fall into another sin and self-deception. Only demons offer such compromises. In response to this, the words of the apostle James are recalled: “Whoever keeps the whole law and sins in one point, he becomes guilty of everything” (James 2:10).
– Advice for those who are constantly losing in the fight against sin and have already despaired…
“Lord, Jesus Christ came for us sinners. “Hearing this, Jesus says to them: It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mk 2:17). The Lord does not look at how a person falls, but how a person gets up after a fall. The Lord appreciates even the intention of a person to rise from sin, an irreconcilable attitude towards sin. We only need to make the first move, the first step in the fight against sin, calling on God's help, and then the Lord will give us the strength to rise up and move on along the path of salvation.
What is a vow? How many vows does a monk have? What does it mean to be faithful to a vow (vow)? Be careful when making a vow before God. By the way, in the Middle Ages, it was very “fashionable” for knights to take a vow.

A vow is a voluntary commitment or promise made to God. Usually a vow is made on the condition that they receive special favors from God.

The vow must meet the following conditions:

one). Man is aware of complete dependence on the will of God and that he is obliged to thank Him;

2). He realizes that the vow is quite legal;

3). He realizes that the vow is acceptable to God;

four). He realizes that the vow contributes to his spiritual growth.

A vow can only be given by one who has a sound mind. A vow can only be given after mature reflection. Since a vow is an act of worship, it should not be taken lightly. Finally, the vow is given voluntarily, without coercion.

Is the vow legal? Opinions on this subject almost never differ. That it is legal is clear from the following considerations. First, by its very nature, it is a promise to God. It can be an expression of gratitude for what has already been given to a person, or a promise to give thanks for any desired good, if God pleases it. Jacob promised that if God would bring him back to his father's house, he would donate a tenth of what he had to Yahweh. Throughout the Bible, especially in the Psalms, there are many examples of such vows expressing gratitude to God. Second, the vow is legal because there is much evidence in the Bible that the vows were strictly kept. This is strong evidence that in certain situations the vow is acceptable in the eyes of God.

“It is better for you not to promise than to promise and not fulfill” Eccl. (5:4).

Thirdly, the validity of the vow is evident from the fact that the baptismal covenant has the nature of a vow. The element of vow is clearly implied in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. In both sacraments, the believer consecrates himself to Christ and makes a vow of allegiance to him. This also applies to the marriage contract - the spouses make promises not only to each other, but also to God. A vow should never be taken lightly. This is shown with particular force by the example of Jephthah (Judges 11:1-40) and is clearly formulated in Proverbs (20:25) “A network for a man is to hastily make a vow and after the vow to ponder.”

One young Christian mother, having received her first child in her arms, with deep reverence made a vow to God to bring him up from early childhood in the teaching and admonition of the Lord.

Every evening, having prepared the little one for the night, the mother knelt down to pray, and at that time, as she held both hands of the child in one hand, with the other hand she covered the little eyes and prayed that the Lord, who loves children, would save and bless her child .

When the baby was strong enough, the mother put him on the bed and pressed his cheek to hers, always covering her eyes with one hand, and while the other hand held the child’s arms, and so she prayed constantly.

After some time, the child became very ill. The mother, the doctor and all the relatives made every effort to save his life. He was still too small to say where and what hurt him, and when, after a while, he calmed down, the doctor said: “I think that the danger has passed, and if the child now falls asleep, then nature will do the rest” .

But the child's eyes were still looking for something, and the little hands stretched forward. His mother leaned over and asked, "What do you want, my little one?"

Immediately both hands found themselves in the mother's hand, the head pressed against her cheek, and her eyes closed. For a moment everything was quiet, because the mother thought it would be inconvenient to pray in the presence of a doctor. But the child's blue eyes opened again, his little hands firmly grasped his mother's hand, and the lively babble of a pleasant childish voice broke the silence.

"He wants something," the doctor said, "you don't know what?"

Then the mother with tears remembered the vow she had made to God. She, not ashamed, knelt down and said a few short words of prayer, and the child immediately fell asleep. The doctor standing there had tears in his eyes, and putting his hand on the head of the praying mother, he said:

"I would like every child to grow up like your child."

And what a blessing it is when mothers, when raising their children, make a vow to God to bring them up according to the Word of God!

ADVICE TO PARENTS IN EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.

1. Be yourself what you want your children to become.

2. What you require from children, then do it yourself.

3. What you forbid children refuse from that and you.

4. Be an example for children, not only when they see or hear you, but also in their absence.

5. Having noticed the shortcomings of children, pay attention to your actions, your words and actions.

6. Finding shortcomings and mistakes in your life, try to improve, and then correct the children.

7. Remember that what surrounds you is often nothing but a reflection of your inner "I".

8. If you daily seek purification from the Lord through repentance and prayer, then you are daily in communion with Him, and your children along with you.

9. If in Everyday life The Lord guides you, then the children will be all the more willing to obey your guidance.

10. The more obedient you are to God, the more obedience your children will show you.

11. As educators begin to neglect the company with the Lord, so in children begins to take root negligence for the instructions and advice of parents.

12. Any barrier between educators and the Lord is a great harm to the spiritual development of children.

13. An example of the life of parents without reasonable love for children is like the light of love for children, which, although it shines, does not warm. An example united with heartfelt love in the Holy Spirit for children is like the light of the sun, which both shines and warms, and makes life full of pure and holy joy.

Message from E.S. Bhakti Vigyan Goswami Maharaja:

The most wonderful month begins - Kartik, and in this month the devotees sing "Damodarashtak". During this month, devotees offer a lamp or wick, as a symbol of the love that burns in our heart.

And in this month, the best vow we can make is to remember Krishna more, to devote more time to His direct service, to the service of the devotees.

Some devotees read thirty-two rounds instead of sixteen, or at least twenty rounds, or twenty-five rounds. Some devotees take vows of additional service or some additional prayers, protective prayers that they say.

Each of us can read at least one circle protective mantra"Ugram viram maha vishnu jvalantham sarvat ukham narasimham bishanam bhadram mrityu mrityum namam yagham" - I bow in great respect to Lord Narasimhadeva, who is like Vishnu and is full of anger from all sides. He is great, auspicious, and death itself fears Him.

Every devotee can do something, and this will be our contribution to the common cause. If we feel that all the devotees are attuned to this in one way or another, we will feel a very great real power.

Let's not miss this wonderful opportunity that time itself presents to us. The time itself is now conducive to this. The alignment of the planets and everything somehow helps us, if we make vows, to keep those vows, and eventually win and receive power or grace as a result of this. It is very important that we really truly tune in to this mode, because if we insist, in this tuning, among other things, in itself, there is or is hidden, hidden, a very great power.

Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. .

The life of our reverend father Theodosius, hegumen of the Caves, tells:

“During the abbess of the Monk Theodosius, one boyar of Prince Izyaslav, named Sudislav Geievich, in holy baptism - Clement, setting off with his prince for war, made the following promise: “If God vouchsafes me to return home in good health, then I will donate to the Feodosiev Church -Pechersky monastery two hryvnias of gold, and for the icon Holy Mother of God I will make a golden crown."

Many people fell in this battle, but still the enemies were defeated. The boyar, returning unharmed from the battlefield, forgot about his promise.

A few days later, he was sleeping peacefully in the afternoon at his house, when suddenly he was awakened by a terrible voice, calling him by name:

Clement!

Waking up, he saw before him the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was in the monastery of St. Theodosius, and heard a voice emanating from it:

Why, Clement, did you not sacrifice to Me what you promised; so I now remind you of this; try to keep your promise.

As soon as the voice uttered these words, the icon immediately disappeared from the eyes of the boyar. The boyar was terribly frightened of the vision and prepared, as promised, gold, and also, having made a golden crown to adorn the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, he immediately went to the monastery and gave it all to the Monk Theodosius.

We often make vows to God when we are in danger. But when the danger has passed, we are in no hurry to fulfill them. Yes, God, who created and controls everything, does not need our offerings. He only wants us, as His children, to be virtuous. But what is the virtue of a liar and a deceiver? And the one who does not fulfill his vows is a deceiver, and a liar, and a thief. After all, if he promised to donate a certain thing, but did not give it away, then he owns it lawlessly - it is no longer his. And if it is a sin to deceive your neighbor, then what a most terrible sin is to deceive God!