Q&As to a Priest about Church Life
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    We always welcome new people, and enjoy having a conversation with you. Interested in our content? Have a question that concerns you or does not let you sleep at night? Want to find out more about the doctrine, teachings or practices of the Church, and how they are different from the other churches? Wish to hear the Christian Orthodox perspective on an ethical or social question? We will be happy to take your questions, share our views and hear back from you. Use the form on this page to ask your question to Father Andrey Lemeshonok, prior of Saint Elisabeth Convent.Please allow two to four weeks to receive your answer. A copy will be sent to your e-mail. Prepare to wait longer during the Lenten weeks and peak times. Please indicate your gender and country (they will not be published on the site) to help Father Andrey personalise his answer.

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    Answers of priests by topic:

    Question

    Father Andrey, your blessing. I believe in our Lord Jesus Christ but currently, I don’t go to church, I don’t pray in the morning and the evening. I haven’t confessed nor taken communion for a very long time. I commit a lot of sins. My soul yearns for God but in reality, I can’t even go to church. What can I do about it?

    Answer
    I don’t get it. What do you mean? I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13). You’ve got to break free from the obstacles that hinder you and distract you from the church, i.e., your sins, such as laziness, faintheartedness, or something else. Arrange a date and do whatever it takes to get to church and to take communion and partake of the Eucharist. Once you’ve done that, don’t be neglectful and keep coming to the confession and communion regularly and as frequently as you can. Little by little, it will become the rule of your life. That’s how people grow as Christians. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence (Matthew 11: 12). Your feet won’t run to the church without your brain telling them to do so. Condoning yourself is bad. When one wants to eat, one goes to a grocery store, whether one likes it or not. You have to go to work, and you go to work because otherwise you’ll be fired and lose your livelihood. And still, we can’t go to church… Don’t our souls demand some food, light, and love, too? Where do we find it? Only God can supply your soul with everything she needs for a normal Christian life.

    Archpriest Andrey Lemeshonok

    Question

    What do I do if my relatives do not share my enthusiasm about God and the Church?

    Answer
    Apostle Paul says that an unbelieving husband is sanctified by his believing wife. If you have just turned to God, it’s your natural desire to bring your entire family to him and have a monastery at home. It won’t happen overnight. In fact, it may never happen… You should take care and be cautious. You can talk persuasively and insist on something but it will cause a knee jerk reaction of aversion, lead to quarrels and misunderstandings. This is why you should build up the strength of your inner self and look for opportunities to go to church, to confess, to take communion, and keep growing steadily. You should seek God’s will every day, do your best to serve your neighbours selflessly, try to understand and accept them. It is through you that your family can be saved. It will happen only if your relatives see God inside you, if they come to realise how great it is to live with him, how much beauty and might there is in the Church. Apostle Paul said, Bear ye one another burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ… The most important goal is not to lose the grace that you’ve received. It can get lost if we judge others, complain, or doubt. The devil will try to do everything possible to destroy peace in your family. This is why “he who treads softly goes far.” Confess and take communion. If someone is annoyed at seeing you make the sign of the cross, don’t do it to show off. If it is possible, bring your children to communion but only if your family members do not protest against it. Look for balance. I had that period when I came to the faith and my relatives thought I fell mentally ill, too. I had to pray secretly, in the bathroom or in the toilet, so that no one could see. My soul was on fire for God. Later, everybody started going to church and I didn’t have to hide anymore, but the fire ceased to burn. I had to force myself to pray. May God grant you strength, courage, patience, and humility. May Christ enter your home and consecrate it. May there be a home church in your home. You have to be very careful and tactful not to do any harm.

    Archpriest Andrey Lemeshonok

    Question

    I suffer from despair… How do I brace up and get to church?

    Answer
    There is a fixed time of worship, and there is your spare time that you have to sacrifice to come to church for help. This painful condition of your soul has a certain reason. It has causes and circumstances that you have to change if you want to break free. What do you need to do it? First of all, you should consider how you got into this place, how you have lived your life since you were 7 (assuming you have never confessed before). Perhaps, your conscience rebukes you? Perhaps, you understand that you do wrong and would like to abstain from something but you are unable to do so? Secondly, you should have a clear vision of what you want from God. Do you want God’s love to make you a different person? Are you willing to accept his love, to obey God and to struggle with sin? If you feel bad and want to change something, come to church no matter what. Confession is a Sacrament during which you stand not in front of a man (a priest) but in front of God. It is through the priest — in his presence — that you petition God and receive help from him. Your sins can be forgiven provided that you repent genuinely. You have to be willing to repent and to have at least a little faith. A new life will begin as soon as you allow God to enter your heart. Of course, you will have to coerce yourself because the devil will impede it. The outside world will also hamper you, as well as the sin inside you. However, you should make yourself come and stand in the queue for a confession, and not to leave the church at all costs. The priest may tell you something you won’t like… You should be patient and humble yourself down. If you come to a doctor, there are different doctors, kind and less than kind and completely unkind… But they do treat people. God heals people through them. Then you will receive the Holy Mysteries, the Eucharist if the priest allows you. Since that time, your new life, where there is no place for despair, will begin. It will be a life filled with faith, hope, and love. Welcome to God’s House!

    Archpriest Andrey Lemeshonok

    Question

    What should we be thinking about when we approach the Crucifix located in the centre of a church during the Veneration of the Cross Week?

    Answer
    The Cross is a weapon against the devil. It is the lighthouse that helps us find our way in the sea of earthly troubles. The Cross is love that enables us to live and learn to love one another. The Cross is the mountaintop of love: we carry our little crosses and attempt to ascend it like our personal Golgotha to crucify our flesh with the affections and lusts (Cf. Galatians 5: 24) and to be born into the new life.

    Archpriest Andrey Lemeshonok

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