Appeal from E.S. Bhakti Vijnana Goswami Maharaj:
The most wonderful month - Kartika - begins, and during this month devotees sing Damodarashtaka. 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 a vow to remember Krishna more, to devote more time to directly serving Him, serving devotees.
Some devotees recite thirty-two rounds instead of sixteen, or at least twenty rounds, or twenty-five rounds. Some devotees take a vow of additional service or some additional prayers, protective prayers that they say.
Each of us can recite at least one round of the protective mantra “Ugram viram maha vishnu jvalantam sarvatom ukham narasimham bishanam bhadram mrityu mrityum namam yagham” - I bow in great respect to Lord Narasimhadeva, who is like Vishnu and burns with 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 in one way or another, we will feel very much real power.
Let's not miss this wonderful opportunity that time itself presents to us. The time itself is now conducive to this. The placement of the planets and everything, one way or another, helps us, if we take vows, to keep those vows, and ultimately gain victory and receive strength or grace as a result of it. It is very important that we really truly tune in to this mood, because if we insist, in this attunement, 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.Hare Krishna.Hare Krishna.Hare Krishna.Hare Krishna.Hare Krishna .
Evgeniy, hello! I was very glad to read your kind, sincere letter. It shows that you are a believer and want to please God with your life. However, before making a vow to God, it is extremely important for us to gain knowledge about our Creator by studying His Holy Word - the Bible. This will not only help us understand which vow is best to take, but will also help us get closer to God. Compared to the vastness of the Universe, people seem small and insignificant. Chances are, you have once asked yourself this question: “Can an ordinary mortal man become a friend of Almighty God?” This is only possible if God himself, whose name is Jehovah, wants us to develop friendship with him. But does he want this? The answer to this question can be found in the eloquent address of the Apostle Paul to the enlightened Athenians. It is recorded in Acts 17:24-27. Let us pay attention to four aspects that Paul mentioned in his speech.
First, Paul says that God created “the world and all that is in it” (verse 24). The beauty and diversity of the world around us fills our lives with joy and also testifies to the care and love of our Creator (Romans 1:20). It would be absurd to suggest that such a sensitive God would deliberately distance himself from those he loves.
Second, Jehovah “gives everyone life and breath and everything” (verse 25). He is the One who sustains life (Psalm 37:9). All the necessities of life—air, water, and food—are gifts from our Creator (James 1:17). Is it reasonable to think that our generous God would keep himself aloof and thus deprive us of the opportunity to learn about him and get closer to him?
Third, God “from one man...made every nation of men” (verse 26). Jehovah is impartial, that is, he is completely alien to any partiality or prejudice.—Acts 10:34. How can God treat people differently? He created “one man,” Adam, from whom all races and peoples came. God “desires that people of all kinds should be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, every person has the opportunity to develop a close relationship with God, regardless of skin color, nationality or origin.
Finally, Paul reveals another beautiful truth about God: Jehovah “is not far from each of us” (verse 27). Although Jehovah is the Most High God, he is always available to those who wholeheartedly desire to approach him. God's Word assures us that Jehovah is not far from us. On the contrary, he is “close to all who call on him” (Psalm 146:18).
As can be seen from the words of the Apostle Paul, God offers his friendship to people. However, only those who seek and try to “feel” him can have a close relationship with the Creator (verse 27). According to one manual for Bible translators, “the verbs ‘seek’ and ‘sense’ express a real possibility or a feasible desire.” For example, imagine being in a dark but familiar room, trying to find a switch or door by touch. You are confident that you will be able to do this. Likewise, if we sincerely seek God, trying to “experience” him, we can be sure that our efforts will be rewarded. Paul assures us that we will definitely find God (verse 27).
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Discuss with an expert20.01.2014
Very often people of different religions take vows. What is it: This is a promise before God not to do something ever again or, on the contrary, a promise to do a useful deed, donation, and so on. But not all vows are made for the rest of your life. They can also be temporary.
There are many types of vows. For example:
- celibacy
- vow of silence
- monastic vow.
Breaking a promise you made to God is a serious and terrible sin. Therefore, you need to carefully weigh everything, make sure of your abilities and fulfillment of your vow.
Reasons for such drastic actions
Decide for yourself why you need to take a vow. Of course, any actions have their own meaning and reasons. The reasons may be varied. Perhaps you are making this decision because of your religious views, you just want to prove something to yourself, you are planning to take your energy and life in a different direction.
For example, if you are taking a vow of celibacy, you want to avoid falling into the trap of sexually transmitted diseases and having children you don't want. The reason could be absolutely anything. The main thing is to understand yourself and identify the meaning of your actions before renouncing anything. After all, this is a very serious step, once taken, it will be very difficult to go back.
How is a vow or right to a new life given?
First of all, be sincere with yourself. Your decision can radically change your life, both for the better and for the worse. You must be aware of this.
- Share this plan with your loved ones. We want to keep some decisions in our lives secret, but if your relatives support you, it will be easier to keep the vow.
- Avoid temptation by any means necessary. A situation that will help you break your vow will always come into your life at the wrong time. You must be strong in spirit and understand your strengths. You shouldn’t look for the object of temptation yourself, otherwise you’ll have to constantly fight with your past life. Make a commitment to avoid all kinds of unnecessary situations.
- Review your life in a couple of months, then after another period of time. If you feel free, happy and successful, then your decision was thoughtful and correct. Keep up the good work. If everything turned out differently, and you are often visited by thoughts of abandoning your vow, try to calm down and analyze everything again. Decide whether you need such a waiver or whether it is worth making a temporary vow if you made a mistake.
Having described the structure of services, it is worth asking one extremely important question - perhaps central to this book. The question was formulated by one of the readers of the first version of this book before its publication...
The basis of many disputes is the personal life of all clergy. This caste of people lives and is raised according to its own rules, which are dictated by their faith. The daily life of a current priest First, every...
Alexander KOPYTYUK
“We live in the 21st century,” a resident of this “most unique” century proudly asserts. Yes, it really is the 21st century outside. However, the numeral “21st” irrefutably indicates that there was a century, the 20th, the 19th... Many of us happened to live in the previous century. Question: what actually changed in society after the century-old barrier, except for an increase in... anxiety for the future? The idealization of the present creates in the contemporary an undisguised contempt for the entire past. And this, in essence, is a denial of the stable, the eternal. But is life itself possible without the constant? Isn’t this the “fever” of our 21st century? Analyzing the reaction of a resident of the last “super century” to eternal divine values, one involuntarily agrees with the diagnosis: “final stage fever.”
Evidence of this critical state is the phrase “what’s so great about them?” that is proudly uttered in response to the proposal to turn to eternal biblical values. For real supporters of divine truths, this reaction is understandable: “deceivers will prosper in evil, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). And here a wise recommendation is given about behavior in this situation: “And you continue in what you have been taught” (v. 14). What specific, unchangeable and eternal Scripture offers today for the formation of stable character? Among a number of living pieces of advice, one can single out a vow to God.
I had the opportunity to visit Armenia several times and visit numerous churches with Christian students. I remember one of them, completely carved into the rock. Believing guides talked about those who devoted themselves for many languid years to ensure that this masterpiece of art appeared. Without personal dedication to this type of service, it is practically impossible to achieve results. After this incident, an accusation directed against myself became firmly entrenched in my mind: where is your endurance and constancy? Are you capable of doing for long, painful years something that, perhaps, only after your life on earth will bear good fruit? It is impossible to deny the fact that thanks to such selfless Christians who lived in all centuries, spiritual values have reached us. What will the future generation get from us other than living for our own pleasure with an endless set of “justifying arguments” in favor of pleasure?
Our reasoning brings us very close to a currently pressing question: how to set yourself up for stability? Undoubtedly, a vow provides reliable assistance in this.
So, a vow to God. What it is? According to the dictionary, this word means “promise, oath.” This idea appears many dozens of times in the Old Testament and only a few times in the New Testament (Acts 18:18, 21:23). Let us pay attention to the direct connection of the vow with what is so rarely seen today among Christian believers - personal dedication to serving the Lord: “... if a man or woman decides to take a Nazirite vow in order to dedicate himself as a Nazirite to the Lord, then he must...” (Numbers .6).
A vow can be defined as “the desire to promise, to be,” to devote oneself to the fulfillment of a promise.
Another important reason to talk about a vow is the amazing modern “dedication” to another source: “I just like to eat good food, relax, listen and watch what I like...” Stop! Isn't this also dedication, but not to God? Dedicating ourselves to something develops in us dependence on what we devote ourselves to. And dependence is based on insatiability, which has only two daughters with the same name “Go, Go” (Prov. 30:15), and not one of them will say: “Enough, stop.” I wonder if someone forces us to live for our own pleasure? Doesn't the question itself at least make you smile a little? So, does this mean that we voluntarily choose to depend on pleasure that knows no boundaries? It turns out like this! Why not direct your right of free choice in the opposite direction? And inside you immediately hear “well, you’re infringing on yourself.” Well, maybe I should still take the risk?
What is unique about Scripture's approach to vows is this. It is not prescribed as something obligatory, but is an act of good will, and therefore does not cause immediate resistance (a common reaction of modern man to biblical commandments). The Creator knows his creation very well, knows that there have always been and will be people who are ready to take a special step of trust and dedication to Him, and therefore offers the opportunity for those who want to make a vow. Why? Even in our sincere desires the deepest errors can manifest themselves. A striking illustration of this is Jephthah’s vow (Judges 11:30-39). Everyone must weigh everything and, based on their capabilities, make a vow.
It is better not to promise than to promise and not fulfill (Eccl. 5:1-4) - Scripture warns us. According to the Old Testament tradition, when making a vow, the name of God was usually invoked as a witness. Because of this, breaking a vow was considered an offense against the third commandment (Deut. 22:31). Therefore, everything should be carefully weighed. A frivolous promise goes hand in hand with lies and breaking a word given to God. This severity does not repel, but elevates the vow to the highest level of responsibility and seriousness.
The vow has a number of significant benefits.
1. This is, first of all, the true and indisputable indicator of our consecration to God.
2. The essential and dominant feature of the vow is to promote a real awareness of dependence on God: “Taste and see how good the Lord is!” (Ps. 33:9). Is it possible to taste the food without tasting it? The goodness of God cannot be comprehended by theory!
3. A vow helps improve memory: after all, one should always remember the promise given in the presence of God, otherwise - a violation of the previously mentioned commandment.
4. It helps to develop a quality that is scarce today - constancy.
5. Teaches us to constantly work with joy for “the God of my joy and gladness” (Ps. 43:4).
What are the vows for today? They can be divided into two groups: general, affecting practically everyone, and individual.
First of all, our water baptism is a common one. It is traditionally called “a promise to serve God in a good conscience” (1 Pet. 3:21, the text requires fundamental exegetical analysis). For what period of time is it given? Am I ready to testify that I keep my promise with joy? Further, when young people enter into a life together, they again promise to love and remain faithful until the end of their family life. Maybe in this case there is courage to boast?
Quite often in a critical situation we cry out to God: “If You deliver me, I will do this and that.” These are also words of vow! How much are we really enough? One of the important aspects of individual vows is its confidentiality, that is, the promise is made not in society, but in the personal presence of God.
Let's touch on just a few.
1. Until the completion of any service, a vow is made not to marry. Sometimes a decision is made not to get married at all. This is a healthy phenomenon, but it should be consciously approached after sincerely standing before God, having received from Him confirmation of the correctness of this decision for oneself.
2. A Christian devotes himself to some kind of work - the period of dedication is pronounced before the face of God.
3. Property is dedicated (house, car, land, etc.). There are cases when believers keep fruit-bearing trees for the Lord. The fruits of these trees do not belong to their earthly owner.
One day an interesting incident occurred with one of the Christian students in the south of Ukraine. He had a good car, which was always dedicated to helping others. During night prayer, the attackers stole her. The owner was calm when we met, saying: “This is not my car, but God’s. If He still needs her, He will return her to me.” Soon they called him and said: “If you want to get your car back, prepare such and such an amount.” Many convinced him: “Give me the money, the police won’t help. Don't forget where you live." The brother was calm: it was no longer his business, but the real Master was in charge of it. After a while, he received a call from the police station: “Come get your car.” A criminal group of car thefts was uncovered, stealing and making a lot of money on absolutely all the cars, with the exception of... the one belonging to our brother. When our “victim” met one of the hijackers, he sincerely told him: “Friend, I have no grudge against you. I give you the Gospel: now you will have a lot of time to read it.”
4. To overcome bad habits, various kinds of addictions, passions, a vow is also made not to do them again. Previously we considered our voluntariness in doing our whims. Why can’t we also voluntarily give them up? This decision is usually preceded by an awareness of the sinful danger of my situation and a sincere confession. Only after this, in the face of the Lord, is a vow not to do more than what he confessed. God himself is called upon to help fulfill the words. The author of these lines has repeatedly used this successful method.
Let's analyze what has been discussed. It is difficult today to boast of stability in spiritual life. Of course, we do not agree to “now go far, then cling to Him again.” You can observe the self-deception that quite often we fall into, trying to make new promises to God in the hope that this will help: I will read the Bible, pray daily, quit using drugs, alcohol, I will not get involved in “thumping music”, pornography, mind-blowing and zombie games in any version, etc., - without confessing the sin of violating previously given data, even the same ones. Stop self-delusion! Don't expect to live a successful life with the terrible burden of deliberately deceiving God.
What to do? - On your knees with prayer! When? Now and only now!
So how do you feel about vowing to God in this progressive age?
Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin)
LIFE OF THE CHURCH
ABOUT VOWS
Several years ago I made a vow in front of the icon of the Mother of God, asked with all my heart for one mercy, promised to keep my vow! I can’t, I don’t have enough willpower, the thing I asked for seems to be progressing, but not to the end, it’s just a little bit lacking. I see the connection! Tell me, father, maybe this was wrong from the very beginning, or does the Lord still believe me and wait for the fulfillment of his vow?
Before making a vow, you need to consult about this with the priest with whom you are confessing. The Bible says that vows should not be made quickly, but once made, they should be kept. If the vow is unfulfillable, you can contact the priest so that he can remove the vow and replace it with another, at his own discretion. But if we fulfill the vow, then it is broken or refusal may lead to unforeseen sorrows.
You advised me to contact a priest. You also advised me to change the vow to another one that was within my power. Father, forgive me for being importunate, but explain again - is it necessary to take another vow? Is it possible to do without this? I just now understand how important this step is. If this is necessary, then please advise whether such a vow is suitable - in the evening rule, read a prayer for the deceased father every day, since the unfulfilled vow was associated with him?
You must ask the priest of your church, to whom you are confessing, to read a prayer for the revocation of your vow. The question of what new vow can replace an unfulfilled vow must be decided by the clergyman himself, taking into account the circumstances of your life. In principle, the priest may not impose another vow, but I am afraid that in this case, instead of replacing the vow, unexpected grief will be sent to you. One must pray for one’s father without any vow or penance.
Praying for a solution to my problems, I made vows, most of all to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and received help from above, but most of the vows remained unfulfilled, and now I want to fulfill them, but I can’t remember them all. Please advise what I should do.
Try to fulfill the vows that you remember and that are within your power; and as for the rest, ask the priest with whom you are confessing to replace them at his discretion with other vows that he finds expedient and useful for you.
Is it possible not to fulfill the blessing (not requested) received from the priest with his sign of the cross to the person being blessed? Or must it be fulfilled, treating it as a vow?
The blessing must be performed if the priest is your spiritual father, to whom you are in obedience, or if this blessing is a penance during the Sacrament of Confession. In other cases, the blessing should be taken into account, but accepted as advice and good wishes.
What does it mean to make a vow to God, why is it done and how to make a vow to God?
The word: “vow” means “promise.” Vows to God can be of a different nature, for example: pilgrimage to holy places, almsgiving to the needy, caring for the sick, decorating a temple, a prayer rule that must be corrected, and so on. Vows should be made with the blessing or advice of the spiritual father. Breaking vows through one's own negligence is like cursing oneself. A vow can be revoked by a clergyman for the following reasons: 1) if it is physically unfulfillable; 2) if it is harmful to a person, for example, a vow of strict fasting for certain diseases. And even in such cases, vows must be replaced by others more appropriate to the person’s condition. Usually a vow is made in difficult circumstances, when special help from God is needed. Vows can also be given for no apparent reason: out of love for God and a feeling of gratitude to Him. A special place is occupied by the monastic vow, which determines the entire future life of a person.
