The relics of people, which are kept in temples, churches and monasteries, have long been considered sacred to all Orthodox. They represent the bodies of saints that miraculously survived for many centuries, they do not smolder and can heal like the best healer.
What are the relics of saints? The answer to this question is kept in the hearts of all Orthodox, each of them gives his own definition. It is believed that a person who throughout his life endures the pangs of hunger and deprivation, but at the same time does not renounce faith, preaches it and guides those who have gone astray, becomes a saint. His body acquires the status of a temple of the Holy Spirit, which allows it to be preserved for many years.
Since ancient times, the Christian Church has a special attitude to the burial places of the bodies of martyrs. On such places, monasteries or temples were built, if there was no such possibility, then the rite of worship was performed. But holy relics cannot be revered like icons, blasphemously, the attitude towards them should be pious, no more.
Science and the incorruption of holy relics
The imperishable ashes of the saints are virtually impossible to explain. In a world where every element is destroyed sooner or later, the preservation of relics is wonderful. Moreover, even coffins, clothes, and individual things that the saint touched do not smolder. Many examples indicate that such remains triumph over physical decay. Plus, there are real stories when holy relics helped people, exuding their wonderful grace. All these facts elevate the thoughts of mankind beyond the limits of the familiar and ordinary world, where everything has a scientific justification and proof.
In an attempt to explain what the relics of saints are, scientists put forward two assumptions. In the first case, they make the "culprits" of the people themselves. If you keep a strict fast throughout your life, refrain from any temptation, then the moisture of the body decreases. This allows it to last for a long time. There is some truth in this, because the saints actually exhaust themselves with fasts and deeds. However, only those bodies that are generally devoid of any moisture can remain incorruptible for several centuries. As far as a man is concerned, without liquid he will die, not to mention any abstinence. Therefore, this assumption has its weaknesses.
There is another fair observation of scientists. It is based on the properties of the soil. For example, some holy relics in Irkutsk are preserved, according to the definition of science, because the soil contributes to this. Such an assumption has a place to be, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the incorruption of the bodies of the saints. Neither the Church nor strangers divide the dead intosaints and sinners, all are buried in the same way, in the same land. But most of the remains quickly turn to dust, and some remain in the state in which they were buried. Mineralogy, medicine, chemistry and physics today are as close as possible to perfection. However, none of the scientists has yet expressed an exact definition under what conditions the human body remains incorruptible. Therefore, the assumption was put forward, but was not proven.
Thus, science cannot say exactly what the relics of the saints are. Other than a miracle, there is no other way to explain this phenomenon.
Life and death of Saint Matrona
Matrona of Moscow is a blessed old woman, one of the revered saints of the 20th century. During her lifetime, she was an illiterate peasant woman, she had no home, no sight, and often had seizures that, due to pain, did not allow her to move. For 25 years she traveled around Moscow, wandering from one house to another. Despite all the misfortunes that fell on her, Nikonova Matrena Dmitrievna was able to earn the respect and honor of the people. She succeeded thanks to the gift of divination and healing. However, what she really remembered for her contemporaries and their descendants is her deep faith, unshakable and steadfast. This is probably why the relics of the Holy Matrona in Moscow are the main shrine of the city.
Unfortunately, there were no chroniclers near Matrona, for this reason there is very little information about her. It is only known that she had no eyes, and her eyelids were always closed. At the age of 17, the girl lostability to walk - legs failed. All this - lack of vision and illness - led to the fact that Matrona could not influence her environment. In fact, it was, but her bright mind and true faith helped not only to cope with her own troubles, but also to solve the problems of other people. Despite the fact that the canonization of Matrona happened only in 2004, people knew about it long before that. Her grave was never abandoned or lonely. Crowds of Christians came to her for help, both in life and after death.
Relics of Saint Matrona
The relics of the Holy Matrona in Moscow are located in many Orthodox places. However, the most visited is the Pokrovsky Monastery. No matter what the weather is outside, what day of the week, there is always a queue for this shrine. Christians are willing to wait several hours just to receive the grace of the Matrona.
The reasons for visiting relics are common problems that occur in everyone's life. This is the treatment of diseases, the solution of family strife or troubles at work, requests for he althy children or a successful marriage. Some come not at all to ask for something, but to thank for the help already rendered.
But not only in the Intercession Monastery you can see the relics of St. Matrona. 2014 allows you to bow to these shrines in many churches. Moreover, her remains are taken around cities and countries so that all the inhabitants of the planet who are related to the Christian faith can feel the gracethis saint. For example, in September of this year, the relics of the Holy Matrona visited Irkutsk. First, the remains were taken to the chapel "Irkutsk sky", then they created a procession around the city. The rest of the days they rested in the Sibexpocenter, where any Orthodox could turn to the saint with their problems.
Special attention should be paid to the church of St. Martin. In house 15, on Solzhenitsyn Street, not the relics of Matrona are stored, but her funeral shirt, which also radiates a healing effect on everyone who asks for help.
St. Luke: patron of medicine and doctors
From an early age, St. Luke helped people, but his relics do not refuse to help to this day. Even before this man turned to the church, he operated on thousands of people, each of whom invariably got rid of his illness. After accepting the church order, Luke began not only to treat his patients, but also to guide them to the faith if they got lost or were not originally in it.
Luke's life wasn't hard at first. He did his job, gave back to people, working as a surgeon, and even won the Stalin Prize. However, arrest, torture and repression were not far off. But even after all the torments that this saint endured, he did not even think of betraying his faith. And since 1961, since Luke was no longer alive, Christians began to notice that prayers addressed to him give miraculous healings. The sick, who seemed to have no hope of recovery, gained strength to fight their disease. And in the end theywere completely healed. This is how Saint Luke was and is.
Relics in Simferopol: miracles of St. Luke after death
Luka Voyno-Yasenetsky was a doctor who had been treating people all his life. He was also a professor, passed on his knowledge to students. He was also a prisoner, spent some time in prison under constant torture. It is impossible not to note his love for sermons: having become a preacher, he gained new powers that miraculously helped him in his work. He often tossed between medicine and the service of God, but managed to reunite both sides. Despite all the facts of life unfounded by science, one cannot argue with the miraculous power that St. Luke possessed.
Relics in Simferopol help only in healing. If other remains of the saints cope with any troubles, problems at work, family discord, and so on, in the event of a prayer appeal to them, then Luke is an assistant to the sick. But many people are ready to give the last thing they have in order to regain their he alth. Most often, Luke bestowed sight on those who lack it, but often helped with other ailments.
Where are the relics of St. Luke
Speaking of where the relics of St. Luke can be seen, one should pay attention to the Crimean peninsula. Here, in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, there is a shrine, not only of this sacred place, but of the entire Crimea as a whole. In 1995, at the end of November, Luke was canonized, and a year later the cathedral acquired a shrine in the form of relics. In 2000, he was received as a saint by the Russian OrthodoxChurch.
The life of St. Luke was full of various amazing events that are of interest not only to residents of the city of Simferopol. The relics of the saint are not the only thing Crimea has to offer visitors. Opposite the Holy Trinity Cathedral there is a museum where you can get acquainted with everything that Luke de alt with. The famous surgeon left behind a great legacy. These are treatises, and various other records. In general, the museum is quite bright and cozy, it is pleasant to be in it.
Since 1946 Archbishop St. Luke conducted his services only in the Crimea, his relics are deservedly located there. But from time to time, every Christian has the opportunity to personally pray to them - the cancer with the remains travels the world. Every year, she pleases several cities, and even countries with her miraculous powers.
Life and death of Saint Spyridon
St. Spyridon was born in the village of Askia, located on the territory of the island of Cyprus. According to the sources, from an early age this man tried to imitate all the saints who were known at that time. He earned his living by herding sheep, and by adulthood he had accumulated enough we alth to start a family. But his own worries and hardships did not at all prevent him from becoming an assistant to many people. People came to him from all over Cyprus, hoping to find shelter, food or shelter. And everyone who contacted him, he always helped. After death, these concerns were taken over by the relics of St. Spyridon.
It is believed that whenSpiridon's life was endowed with various talents. He could cast out demons, see the future, heal those who were not helped by the medicine of that time. The virtuous life did not go unnoticed, and in 337 Spyridon became a bishop. From that time on, miracles began that became famous throughout the world. For example, once Spiridon led a service, and the oil in his lamp ran out, as a result of which it began to gradually go out. However, this did not happen. Before the eyes of dozens of parishioners, the lamp filled with oil and continued to burn even brighter than at the beginning of the service.
Each service was accompanied by a miracle. For example, the angels could sing at the end of the prayer. But there are also cases of miracles outside the temple. Spiridon cured Emperor Constantius, when all the doctors and healers only shrugged.
However, Spiridon cannot be called completely virtuous. He was fair, and even when it was necessary to teach unscrupulous citizens a lesson. So once a grain merchant was punished for starving a small town.
The holy relics of St. Spyridon have been kept in Kofr in a silver reliquary since 1984. There is a belief that this man travels the world without waiting for the moment when people themselves turn to his relics for help. As a result, his shoes wear out. Therefore, every year the saint's shoes are changed, and those that were worn earlier are brought as a gift to other Orthodox.
So the relics of the saint appeared in Moscow, because recently one of the removed shoes was transferred to the Danilovsky Monastery. They can be approached with requests or prayers in the same way asif you refer to the remains.
Tradition of the Orthodox Churches about the reverence of holy relics
The fact that the holy relics in Simferopol, Moscow, Irkutsk or any other modern city can give a person not only faith in everything miraculous, but also the miracle itself, has been known for many decades. But how exactly did the worship of the incorruptibles begin? When did this tradition begin?
For a long time, even at the origins of faith, it was believed that the human body is a temple, but only in a reduced size. Someone fills it with their faith, good deeds and miracles, while someone refuses such actions due to their personal considerations. The first actually become proof that they are a kind of temple, as they help anyone they meet in life and after death. Therefore, from the very beginning of the existence of Christianity, the attitude towards the remains of the martyrs is special. Since the truth of faith is determined by the blood of the martyrs, the construction of temples or churches on the burial site was quite logical. If the burial site did not provide opportunities for construction, then the relics were transferred to other temples.
However, initially in the 3rd-4th centuries, more than half of the clergy were quite critical of the remains of the saints. They were not so much embarrassed by the worship of relics as by the barbaric attitude towards the graves of the buried. After all, before these remains begin to respond to the requests of Christians, they are removed from their coffins. Such barbarism was unacceptable. But later the clergy changed their minds for a number of reasons.
As for the help of the relics of the saints,Church history is replete with such stories. There are many examples when, with a pious attitude towards the remains, a person receives healing or other gifts that he asks from the corresponding saint.
Adoration of relics: how to behave properly
Holy relics, like any other church shrine, require a certain attitude. In order to ask for something from the remains of a saint, you need to approach this in the same way as you would with icons. It is recommended to leave all extraneous thoughts aside, not to rush, and pay attention during your prayer, first of all, to gratitude to the saint. Only after the tribute has been paid can one ask for something.
Ideally, to prepare for the meeting with the holy relics, you need:
- Stop thinking about all your worries and problems for a while.
- Fill your thoughts with the life of the saint whose relics you plan to turn to for help.
- Bow. These bows can occur both in the mind of a person and in reality. However, it is not always necessary to worship holy relics in churches or monasteries, because long queues line up at the shrines. And the Christian who intends to bow delays the progress of the rest of the people.
The most important component of the request to the holy relics should be the belief that they will really help. If there is at least a minimal amount of skepticism, then it is better to abandon the campaign. Let this refusal be temporary, but bowing to the relics is always accompanied by faith.
One morea nuance of worshiping holy relics during a long queue is a certain rush. For this reason, most Orthodox are baptized not 3, but 2 times before worship. They perform the third crossing on the side so as not to interfere with the others.
There is another opinion, which is that every person, when in close proximity to the holy relics, intuitively feels how he needs to behave. People involuntarily recall all those good deeds that the saints did during their lifetime. They compare their existence and theirs, and strive for the ideal that the "earthly angels" set. And this feeling makes a Christian pray not at all about his problems, with which he, in fact, came to the relics, but about the gift of faith, fortitude. At the same time, appeals in prayer are not oriented at all to the saint near whose remains a person is located, but to everyone who has ever set a high bar for Christian belief. Therefore, there is no need to prepare for a hike, to study a large amount of information. Everyone, according to their feelings, will understand how to behave.
Miracles from holy relics
Despite the fact that holy relics have many mysteries, especially for science, their main property is not this at all, but miraculous. For example, the relics of the Holy Matrona heal more than half of those who turn to their help. Often, when personally observing such amazing things, people who did not believe before turned to the Lord. But miracles associated with holy relics appear much earlier than their direct help to Christians.
It was stated above that initially the clergy refused the holy relics, as it was necessary to violate the integrity of the grave in order to extract the remains from there. But they quickly changed their minds. The thing is that the very discovery of the considered shrines from the very beginning is accompanied by miracles. After all, somehow people must understand that in a certain place there are relics that have been preserved for decades or even centuries.
Most often, they are reported by the saints themselves, appearing to various clergymen or even ordinary Christians in dreams, less often in reality. During a short dialogue, they report that their remains can be removed and placed in a temple or monastery as a shrine. Sometimes everything happens differently, a special fragrance spreads over the grave of the saint, which indicates that his remains do not smolder. There have also been cases when a certain light fog rises over the burial every night.
Only after the clergy discover maximum evidence that Christ really wants the relics to be obtained, work begins on the opening of the grave. Otherwise, no one will ever risk disturbing her, since the burial has always been a sacred place. The excavations are carried out in the presence of many people, so that there are as many witnesses as possible to the extraction of the shrine.
So, for example, the relics of the Holy Matrona were actually discovered by accident. Her burial was transferred from the Danilovsky cemetery to the territory of the Intercession Monastery. During this action, the reburial commission discovered thatthe remains did not decay. Although it was assumed earlier that Matrona is a true saint, because people always came to her grave with their requests and prayers, but now there was evidence of her faith and holiness.
Among the good deeds of the Matrona, there are several main ones. Once she helped Father Sergius cope with the misfortune that tormented him. It consisted in the fact that the Baptists planned to build their center near the cross established by Christians. This would have a negative impact on all Orthodox, because the call to faith was violated. Matronushka helped not only to protect the place near the cross from the construction of the center, but also quickly healed Father Sergius from illnesses, and he did not even ask her about this. Another real miracle was getting rid of drug addiction. A certain parishioner asked Matrona for her brother, and he got rid of the disease in a matter of days without the help of clinics or procedures. Often the saint helped get rid of cancerous tumors, they miraculously disappeared without surgery. Doctors literally shrugged.
The holy relics of St. Luke were removed in 1996 on the night of March 18th. All members of the clergy, dioceses and ordinary people gathered at the cemetery. During this action, there was a gusty and cold wind near the burial place, it was about to rain. However, after the removal of the remains, the sky instantly cleared up, the windy squalls stopped. When the Liturgy was served, a golden cloud hovered over the relics, which seemed to be fed by the prayers of the parishioners. The lanterns burned relentlessly and never ran out of oil.
The holy relics of St. Luke emitted incense all overHoly Trinity Cathedral. There are many witnesses of these miracles, about 40 thousand people came to bow to the remains, turn to them with their prayers. And today, after a while, the relics continue to emit incense and help people.
Despite many assumptions about what the relics of the saints are, it is impossible to definitively draw a conclusion regarding this miracle. Directly the incorruption of the remains is initially an inexplicable fact, but the miraculous does not end there. These shrines help people cope with any of their problems, but most often they heal. That is why all the clergy who talk about the holy relics mean the healing of the person who turned to them.
