For a long time, religious activity remained prohibited by the authorities, but today no one oppresses Christians in Russia. Thanks to authoritative preachers of the Church, most Christians are advancing religiously, expanding their own horizons of spiritual life. The activities of clergyman Andrei Tkachev are especially highlighted.
Missionary activity of the archpriest
A priest of the Orthodox Church of Russia is a cleric (reader) of the Church of St. Basil the Great. A. Tkachev holds the title of mitred archpriest, preacher and missionary, and is also a TV presenter. This person does not stop there, is not afraid to confirm what was previously said, writes books and actively preaches.
Read about church figures who were canonized as saints:
The biography of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev indicates that the clergyman was born on December 30, 1969. His hometown was the Ukrainian Lvov. The child was baptized in early childhood and educated in a Russian school. When he was 15 years old, he entered a military school, and then continued his studies at the Military Institute. I didn’t complete the course because I had no particular desire to gain specific knowledge. While serving in the army, he became acquainted with the holy book of Hinduism - the Bhagavad Gita.
On a note! According to Archpriest A. Tkachev, his conversion to the Christian faith came from an awareness of the meaninglessness and melancholy that he felt as a teenager. The formation of a priest was influenced by a certain friend from Lvov, who was fond of reading the Gospel.
- Returning to his hometown, the young man tries the professions of a loader, sexton and security guard in an Orthodox monastery. After some time, Andrei Tkachev entered the theological seminary, having listened to the advice of senior priests.
- During his studies, he meets the future archimandrites Longin and Kirill. For failure to attend lectures, he loses his place in the theological seminary. The archpriest admits that he was unable to master full-fledged training due to his active lifestyle.
- According to the biography, Andrei Tkachev received the rank of deacon in the spring of 1993 in the city of Lvov. And this fall he becomes a priest. A. Tkachev was a member of the clergy of the Church of St. George the Victorious for 12 years. At this time, he read religious treatises on Christian principles and taught the Law of God, which is called ethics in schools.
- In 2005, the archpriest, who signs an agreement to participate in religious programs, sold his apartment and moved to Kyiv. While he did not have an official transfer document, he served in several monasteries.
- From 2006 to 2014 he served as rector of the Church of Agapit of Pechersk. In 2013, he assumed the post of manager of the missionary department. A year later, Andrei Tkachev moved to Russia and was appointed to the Moscow clergy.
- Today the priest is the rector of the temple built in honor of Basil the Great. Andrei Tkachev gives sermons, writes books, articles and participates in a number of television programs for Orthodox TV.
Role of a journalist and writer
In his books, the clergyman tries to convey to his contemporaries the idea of serving the Almighty. Calling himself a journalist, Andrei Tkachev writes articles on highly social topics for the Russian people and does not forget to introduce divine guidance into his own thoughts.
The priest tries to reveal topicality and hopes that the works of his pen will be relevant in 100 years. The most popular essays include:
- “Return to Paradise” is a collection of the author’s reflections on topics close to every Christian.
- “Letter to God” is a collection of vivid episodes from the lives of saints and ordinary people.
- “The Air of the Heavenly City” - stories of the archpriest about the saints of the Almighty.
- “Fugitive from the World” - in this book, the archpriest critically examines the personality of the philosopher G.S. Skovoroda notes that studying his works is a complex undertaking that requires a prayerful approach.
A complete list of the clergyman’s published books can be found on his official website. http://www.andreytkachev.com/knigi/
The author's short works absorb his worldview, eloquently and succinctly reveal to the reader the incidents that happened to Christian ascetics. The author, with his sermons, calls on the common people to turn to the commandments of the Son of God and observe them.
Read about the Commandments of God:
Most of the stories are structured in the form of a dialogue between the author and the priest, where the reader finds answers to intriguing questions. Andrey Tkachev touches on the subject of the birth of children, emotional complexes, and relationships between men and women. The priest does not ignore more important substances: God, life and death, old age.
The archpriest is well versed in human psychology and determines the reasons for the emergence of life's passions. In his works, lay people find answers to questions that have long interested them.
In addition to writing books, priest Andrei Tkachev participates in the development of websites on the topic of Orthodoxy, and also writes articles for religious magazines.
Preacher's Thoughts
Andrei Tkachev's sermons occupy a significant place in his missionary activities. The priest directs his words to all segments of the population. Old people and young people, believers of various faiths and atheists listen to him with equal attention. There is no excessive pomposity or desire for persuasion in the archpriest’s speeches. The priest expresses himself in simple and clear language.
Many sermons can be heard during meetings with the archpriest, or found on his official website on the Internet.
Advice! There is also Elitsy.ru - a project where you can listen to instructions and ask questions to the missionary.
Andrei Tkachev's sermons have a modern look and are often peppered with authoritative quotes from ancient sages. This allows you to destroy the illusory nature of the material environment and reveals the pattern and predetermination of all events. The archpriest claims that the individual becomes stronger within society, but improves spiritually at a distance. Loneliness is necessary, since life among people gives rise to a certain underdevelopment. To maintain and increase health, avoiding bad influences, the individual needs privacy.
On a note! Speaking about love, the clergyman calls on you to withdraw from society for a short time in order to restore your emotional strength, because today's realities have completely changed social guidelines.
The missionary also does a lot of outreach work among young people on social networks.
Archpriest Andrei Tkachev is a famous Orthodox figure who received recognition due to his sincere desire to help people. The clergyman is something of an innovator. He is not afraid to express personal opinions regarding the canons of the church and carefully examines the Holy Scriptures. The archpriest expresses his thoughts in books, sermons and lectures. Many of them can be found on the Internet.
Since 2014, the life of the archpriest has changed a lot. He left his native country with his family, but difficulties did not break this courageous man.
Looking at extraordinary people, you always want to know their path and try to mentally walk it with them. Fortunately, Andrei Tkachev is not inclined to hide his personal life. All necessary information is widely available.
Childhood and youth
The following is truly known about the early life of the priest:
Missionary
Andrey was engaged not only in the activities of a shepherd, but also missionary. Then his first works were published. He was also involved in educating the younger generation, reading the Bible in Lvov schools. His sermons became widely known. Then he attracted the attention of one of the TV channels in Kyiv.
A television
By participating in television programs, the priest actively shares his knowledge. Many topics were touched upon, one way or another, of concern to modern society.
One of the projects was the program “Bedtime for the Future”, which was led personally by the archpriest. The program was a ten-minute conversation with a priest. Listeners could learn something new for themselves, ask questions and get answers for themselves. It was a very successful project with thousands of grateful responses.
The Holy Father could talk interestingly about the existence of saints, correct prayer, and the meaning of individual verses from the Bible. With all this, Andrei’s lectures were not characterized by moralizing, everything was very concise and fascinating.
Later another project appeared "Garden of Divine Songs", in which the presenter introduced people to the psalter. The priest not only read the psalms, but also conveyed the history of that time, connecting them with the events when they were written.
Life in Kyiv
Television activity not only made Tkachev famous, but also brought him extra trouble. Living in Lvov, Andrei had to overcome a long journey to work in Kyiv. This lasted six years. Then the clergyman decided to change his life:
- In 2005, tired of the frantic pace of life, he moved to the capital. This was a very decisive action, because the priest did not have any parishes or referrals. For a short time he conducted services in several churches. And a month later I received an invitation to the temple of Agapit of Pechersk. Here he becomes a cleric and then a rector.
- In 2007, another temple, built in honor of Luke Voino-Yasenetsky, came under his control. For his devoted service, in 2011 Patriarch Kirill awarded him a special award - miter.
- In 2013, the priest took on a new task - leading the missionary department of the Kyiv diocese.
Journalism and writing
In his articles and books, Father Andrei tries to reach modern society. He calls himself a journalist, writing about topical, current events. He tries to capture the present time for future descendants in his reports and write in such a way that what is presented is interesting even after centuries.
- "Letter to God";
- "Return to Paradise";
- "We are eternal!"
These books are a reflection of the archpriest's thoughts, enclosed in stories. Usually, each story is written in a succinct, concise form, but very bright and exciting. The author conveys well the episodes of the life of the saints, and also describes the life of ordinary Christians.
Many books are dialogues with a clergyman and are built on the principle: question - answer. The topics of the dialogues are very diverse: giving birth and raising children, sports, art, love relationships, personality psychology. But there are also deeper headings: fear, passion, old age, questions to God, life and death.
The author’s work “Fugitive from the World” caused widespread discussion. We are talking here about the famous philosopher of the 18th century - Grigory Skovoroda. Tkachev looked at him without embellishment, looking at all the features. Many predecessors almost deified Skovoroda. Tkachev remained objective and expressed his own unbiased opinion.
In addition to his activities as a writer, the archpriest participated in the work of Orthodox magazines and websites. With the help of magazines about Orthodoxy, the clergyman directed his efforts to educate and bless the younger generation. An example of such a project is Otrok. ua. Here the priest has been working for many years as an author and member of the editorial board.
Lectures and Sermons
Sermons occupy a special place in the life of a clergyman. In them he addresses all people, no matter who is in front of him. His audience consists of different classes of society, be it sincere believers, desperate pensioners, carefree students, marginalized people, or even bearers of a completely different faith.
He speaks succinctly and clearly, without trying to entice the listener or persuade him to accept his point of view. Everyone will hear for themselves what they need.
The position of the archpriest makes him a very controversial person, but at the same time it brought him fame. In his sermons, Tkachev often uses quotes from ancient thinkers and reveals the real picture of the world.
On the website “Elitsa” the priest maintains a video blog. You can also find video recordings on YouTube.
In video conversations, Andrey Tkachev touches on a very important topic about the love of other people. Today people think more about personal gain; they have lost real guidelines in life. Watching all this, it is very difficult to find yourself. To find yourself, you need to go away for a while. Conscious solitude will allow you to recover.
He often mentions that society and loneliness are interconnected and impossible without each other. Personality manifests itself in society, but develops without it. A person needs solitude.
Very popular lectures by the archpriest on the multiblog are conversations where he talks about Xenia of Petersburg and Prince Rostislav.
Some of the priest's statements were repeatedly criticized for being excessively aggressive and incompetent. In one of the interviews, Tkachev replied that he was presenting the truth that actually exists, but would try to be more balanced in his words in the future.
One of the most famous scandalous incidents involving Tkachev. The sermon on video had the effect of a bomb exploding. In it, the priest spoke unflatteringly about women who did not retain their virginity before marriage, and allowed himself to make incorrect statements. Perhaps it is really difficult for the archpriest to maintain self-control in some matters.
Personal life
The priest tied the knot in 1992, when his life was not yet connected with the church. The most important thing for Archpriest Andrei Tkachev is his family. The priest never puts photos of his wife and children on public display.
The priest is a family man, but in his interviews the minister does not name the mother and children, and does not answer questions about their ages. But he does not hide the fact that he has four children. This approach shows care. This is also protection from public opinion and influence.
Current activity
Tkachev always strived for openness in communication with listeners, because his speeches on the topic of what was happening on the Maidan caused persecution.
In 2014, persecution by radicals began. In order to fulfill his manly duty and protect his family, the priest had to leave the country and settle in Moscow. After all, it was Russia that extended a helping hand to him and showed him hospitality during this difficult time.
In Moscow, Tkachev was appointed cleric in the Church of the Resurrection of the Word, and the main place for service is the gymnasium of St. Basil the Great in the Moscow region.
A very strong man Andrei Tkachev Archpriest. The latest sermons are still charged with a special inner strength. He did not go underground, he still conducts conversations on the Internet, hosts television projects, and participates in the work of the Orthodox channel “Soyuz” and radio “Radonezh”.
Andrei Yuryevich Tkachev became widely known thanks to his love for the church and people. In those times when the Bible is rarely updated with new sermons and parables, and the church lives according to long-recognized canons, the archpriest continues to innovate the scriptures.
He actively preaches Orthodoxy, writes and publishes books, and is interested in the history of Christians. In 2014, the biography of Andrei Tkachev was replenished with unpleasant events, due to which he was forced to leave his native Ukraine, taking his family, whose photo is not in Internet resources, to the territory of the Russian Federation.
Biography of a priest
Tkachev was born on December 30, 1969 in the Ukrainian SSR, the city of Lvov. According to custom, he was baptized from birth, and he really became interested in church scriptures as a teenager. At that time there were many schools in Lviv where they taught in Russian. Therefore, Andrei studied in a Russian school. His hometown inspired a young man walking in search of beauty.
The most memorable architectural monuments for him were churches. These majestic temples of Faith attracted Andrei, enchanted him and forced him to admire them. As an adult, he returned to his hometown more than once to revisit his favorite architectural monuments.
The parents of the future priest dreamed that their son would make a military career, wearing a beautiful green uniform. Therefore, the boy was sent to study at the Suvorov School in Moscow, where he was supposed to turn into a real man with bearing and iron self-control.
Having received his first education, Andrei went to the Military Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense to study the Persian language at the Faculty of Special Propaganda. It was at this moment that the biography of Tkachev began, who decided to follow not the will of his family, but the call of his heart. The reason for the sharp change in mood for him was his friendship with an informal guy who instilled in Andrei a love for the church. A friend regularly read church literature, quoted the Bible, and loved to go to churches to listen to hymns. Under the influence of this man, the future archpriest decided to radically change his life.
When collecting documents from a higher educational institution, young Andrei wrote in an explanatory note about the reason for leaving: “due to unwillingness to study.” Thus, he rejected the possibility of getting back on course. In this regard, the young man was drafted into the army. While serving, Andrei enjoyed reading in his free time. One day, when he was standing guard and reading the book Bhagavad Gita, a soldier approached him and an interesting conversation began between them about faith. Subsequently, the future priest began to read books that a new acquaintance brought him. It was these publications and the thoughts revealed in them that served as a beacon for Andrei Tkachev, leading him along a new path to the Orthodox Church.
Andrei Tkachev, whose biography will never be supplemented with photos of achievements in military service, returned to his hometown of Lviv, where his family was waiting for him. At first, the failed military man worked as a loader at a grocery store, as well as a sexton and a security guard at a temple. And a year later, inspired by life in the church, he entered the Kyiv Theological Seminary. There he met new people who influenced his way of being and thinking. While undergoing training, Andrei worked as a minister in the church, learning new interesting things about the life of the church. He failed to graduate from the Kyiv Theological Academy; he was expelled for regularly missing classes. Tkachev explains the lack of time for study by the fact that all his free time was spent working with parishioners and family.
Archpriest Andrei admits that for him and his wife the most terrible events of the 90s passed fleetingly and unnoticed. The reason for this is the refusal to watch TV and any news channels.
During this period of time, Tkachev paid more attention to work at the church, which did not focus on earthly problems. According to the preacher, this way of life is the most acceptable for a person. Having detached himself from the constant stress against the backdrop of events taking place in the country, the citizen stops paying attention to problems that in most cases do not concern him. It is at this moment that time is freed up for self-development and other more important matters, and a person lives in health and develops.
At the beginning of May 1993, Andrei Tkachev was ordained a deacon, and in November - a priest. For the next twelve years he was a member of the clergy at the Church of St. George the Victorious in his hometown of Lviv. He was engaged in social activities, reading “The Law of God” at Lviv schools as part of a general education project.
Changes with the times
2005 was marked by a new event for the priest, accustomed to his parishioners. He felt the need to appear in television programs, the purpose of which was to gather a larger number of believers. To implement this idea, the young priest went to the capital of Ukraine. At first, he was not assigned to any church, preaching in various temples and churches at the invitation of his friends. But, after some time, he was summoned to the temple of Agapit of Pechersk due to numerous requests from parishioners.
Soon Andrei Tkachev turned from a priest into the rector of the temple, replacing a sick colleague. He served in his new position from 2006 to 2014. During this period of service to the church, Tkachev began publishing his books, the first of which was published in 2008. Since 2013, he was appointed head of one of the departments of the Kyiv hierarchy and began to regularly appear on the Orthodox TV channel “Kievan Rus” as a TV presenter.
Personal life
Andrei Tkachev married in 1992, when his biography was not yet connected with the church, but the famous preacher tries not to show photos of his family. In an interview with the press, the church minister does not hide the presence of a wife and four children. But at the same time he does not indicate their names or ages and tries to shift the conversation to other topics. As a public figure, he strives to protect loved ones from public interference.
As a church minister who writes books and regularly appears on television, Tkachev always tried to be honest and open in his communications with parishioners, viewers and readers. It was his truthful speeches against what was happening on the Maidan in 2014 that became the reason for persecution by radicals. Wanting to protect his family, the young priest left hostile territory, taking refuge in a country that offered him protection and support, as well as the freedom to maintain his opinion, no matter the circumstances.
Having moved to the capital of Russia, Andrei Tkachev still avoided registering on social networks and publishing photos of his family, and his biography began to develop completely differently.
He was appointed supernumerary cleric at the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on the Assumption Vrazhek, and his main place of service was the St. Basil the Great gymnasium near Moscow.
Archpriest Andrei continues to publish his books, but on the territory of the Russian Federation. Some of them are printed in printing houses at churches, but there are also publications published by such well-known publishing houses as ESMO. Andrei Tkachev’s last book was published in 2016 under the title “The Air of the Heavenly City.”
Archpriest Andrei Tkachev calls for beating women
This is not unexpected.
Evolution (sorry, degradation) is visible (or are these just links in one chain?):
I. Calls for beating women:
Blog of Yuri Chornomorets ||
That is, if a priest advises a specific man to beat a specific woman, is that normal? How can this be normal? If someone advises killing not many people, but just one, then is this no longer inciting murder?
How about. Andrei Tkachev justified himself: it turns out he advised beating a specific woman
People really want their favorite characters to be good. And they get very confused when they turn out to be “bad people”, and they turn out to be so obvious that it’s as obvious as two times two. And therefore, many people want the bad but beloved character to either justify himself, or apologize, or correct himself.
In our case, so far there is a drama in two acts. In the first act Fr. Andrey commits a crime, in the second he tries to justify himself.
1. Act one.
Error or crime:
“The next constant topic of “Wednesday conversations” is henpeckedness. Question from the note:
“Is it possible to look for a wife if there is no money to support her?”
The answer took 20 minutes and boiled down to the following:
“Well, women will be offended, of course, but it seems to me that a woman wants to be put in her place.”
“This means that if he once breaks her in the horns, she will either leave him - and goodbye, or stay and reform”
“A man has no right to be henpecked! I’m sure of it. You need to break a woman over your knee, beat off her horns. With a crowbar. With the edge of your palm. Whoever is strong.”
“... and there are fools who... their impudence is off the charts... which means you need to take it upon yourself.
Or simply say: “Darling, goodbye. There’s an elevator, so there, you press the button, there. Button 1. Go downstairs. Everything so that I don’t… stink of you here, you bad goat. Get out of here!”
2. Act two.
An attempt to justify myself.
“Recently, your statements regarding women who are trying to make henpecked men out of men have caused heated discussions on the Internet. Could you comment on the situation?
When we say something to each other, we see who we are saying to. Any speech implies an addressee - an interviewer, or an audience, or a class, or a congregation. If someone records this on media and then gives it to those to whom it was not addressed, then those who were not there where it was said will have questions.
The problem here is that other people's ears are listening to what you said to the wrong ears. Ask me, for example: can you say something for all Christians? Certainly can. I won’t say: “Beat your wives”...
And here a specific question was asked, to which a specific answer followed. And the fact that this passage was reproduced throughout the Internet is already the dishonesty of those who leaked it to the World Wide Web. I think that St. John Chrysostom would have been condemned to exile much earlier if there had been writing devices then, if the saint’s sermons had been recorded not only by cursive writers, but also by dictaphones. He would have been exiled five, or even ten, years earlier. He might even have been executed...
Today's media allows you to take phrases out of context. And people always have a lot of anger towards those who tell them “against the grain.” Therefore, of course, a precious gift is to find a quote from the speeches of someone you don’t like, take it out of context, as if he personally told it to you, surround it with interpretations, leak it into public use and thus create a negative image for the person.”
3. What is his fault?
Once upon a time, the first person made a mistake, but did not repent before God, but began to justify himself. And thereby he sinned even more.
O. Andrei Tkachev, instead of asking for forgiveness for his obvious mistake, begins to make excuses.
Let's think about his self-justification. It turns out that he did not speak to all men - although he knew that the conversations were recorded and listened to by many as the word of truth.
He spoke to a specific person. That is, if a priest advises a specific man to beat a specific woman, is that normal? How can this be normal? If someone advises killing not many people, but just one, then is this no longer inciting murder?
Illustration from life:
An Orthodox woman comes for a consultation with an Orthodox psychologist. Her eardrums burst because her Orthodox husband beat her very hard. According to Fr. Is there anything wrong with Andrey Tkachev? All within the framework of the women's educational program? An Orthodox woman who is crippled - did she want to be crippled? Did God intend this?
In general, no matter how self-justifying Fr. Andrey Tkachev - his words were criminal. Even if they were told to a specific man about raising a specific woman. These words are like spitting into the Eucharistic chalice. What difference does it make how many times blasphemy is committed? What difference does it make that in other cases Fr. Andrei set an example of a reverent attitude towards women and family.
I think about. Andrey should not justify himself, but admit his guilt. And repent. Or resign from the priesthood of the Orthodox Church and say after that whatever you want and however you like.
II. From the pulpit he sends curses, i.e. essentially practicing witchcraft
Black magic.
**
And now he is licking Putler.
But now this is the final verdict.
Because black magic in the pulpit can also be explained by an emotional impulse (the evil one has misled), a state of passion, etc.
but the text for the media is not. It is calmly thought through and purposefully published.
However, hatred of women speaks of deep mental trauma. A mentally unhealthy person cannot hold the position of priest.
Anglus to this chernomorets:
Wonderful Scripture Quotes. And in general, at the wedding they read the letter to the Galatians. Love your wife as Christ loved the Church. How? To death! Moreover, he loved and died even when everyone was sinners. In general, read the New Testament, especially St. Paul - as Fr. calls for. Tkachev - and you will understand how much Father Tkachev said a blasphemous, anti-Christian thing. And to what extent his words are stupid, stupid, erroneous, and do not enhance him as a man - you can judge for yourself. Such sermons are disgusting and disgusting.
Did Tkachev only give sermons while drunk in your presence? There is no video, but is there anyone confirming this? After all, 8 years have passed, maybe your memory is failing you, and if we mention this somewhere, then what should we answer if someone sees something strange in this?
It’s still strange that out of the entire audience of thousands, you were the only one who discovered this (and even then, many years later).
Oh no, Shevchuk was furious!
And, by the way, that’s why Tkachev dropped out of the 2008 tour of Ukraine.
lana_korobova
five minutes of hatred from a Russian archpriest, born in the *stagnant* times so praised and glorified by him. Tkachev is like this in life, on the adrenaline of his psychosis. YouTube stores footage of this archpriest spitting on the pulpit during another lesson in hatred, cursing, and hurling choice curses.
On the one hand, they have grotesque and cartoonish features, absurdist, on the other - recognizable, hyper-realistic, weathervane, clearly reacting and pointing to the political situation in the country, to the political request of the Kremlin.
I was born in Lviv. There are three such vibrant centers of gravity in Ukraine: Lviv, Kyiv and Donetsk. There was no Ukraine yet, but Lviv already existed and belonged at different times to Poles, Austrians, Jews... It belongs to a completely different type of civilization, differs from all Ukrainian cities, so many political trends, including aggressive ones, come from there. Ideological Russophobia lives there, a meaningful attraction to the West is also born there. It is, however, superficial and often consists of one phrase - “I want to live better,” that’s all. Nothing else matters.
Unfortunately, many Ukrainians have little understanding of what they need to pay for a good life, and how far Europe has come to reach the standard of living that it relatively enjoys today. Few people understand what needs to be done to travel this historical path in a shorter time. And in this environment, in Lvov, I was born and studied at a Russian school there. During my childhood there were still many Russian schools. Then he studied at the Suvorov Military School, then at the Military Institute in Moscow. But he didn’t finish it and left with the wording “due to unwillingness to study”...
-What was the path to Orthodoxy?
My own. That is, it did not come from the family, nothing outside moved me towards Orthodoxy. It should be noted that Lviv is a very religious city. There are many churches there, and different ones. The dominant religion today is Greek Catholicism. I was never drawn to him - neither in my early nor in my older years.
My search for Christianity was driven by the angst and nonsense that I had been acutely aware of since I was a teenager. I was baptized in early childhood, like the overwhelming majority of residents of Lvov. There, baptism in adulthood has always been very rare.
So the search for Christianity was connected precisely with ridding oneself of melancholy and a whole series of sufferings, so I still understand the madness of a young man, which forces him to rush from one extreme to another. Modern man is very unhappy. He is specifically unhappy. And now more than in the days of my youth. Nowadays a much larger number of temptations fall upon a person, grabbing him at the basest “chakras”, I apologize. And it’s really difficult for a young man, because he has no weapons, no protection, he risks becoming crippled even before he has gray hair.
- Can Orthodoxy become a kind of weapon against temptations?
This is the only weapon! Christianity is generally the only thing that heals the melancholy that lives under the skin of any person. Moreover, well-fed and successful. And Orthodoxy is something unique in its depth. If we talk about why I chose Orthodoxy, then my humanitarian love is Russian literature. And after reading Dostoevsky, I had no doubt where I would confess for the first time: in a Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox church. After the chapter “Russian Monk” and “The Brothers Karamazov” in general, it was clear that this would be an Orthodox church. The question remained: when?
- When were you ordained?
18 years ago I accepted my deacon’s ordination, and six months later my priest’s ordination. It was in Lvov. In the complex city of Lviv. But since he is native to me, I love him, there is no language barrier, there are many relatives there, so it was normal. To this day, many former flock come to visit me in Kyiv. Thank God there are good transport connections between the cities. So we communicate, although not as actively as before.
So, for the first 12 years I served in Lvov. These were busy years that came at a time of great change.
And, of course, it is very important that you come across at least one or two people on your life’s path who have already taken several more steps on this path towards the Truth than you have. At least one step ahead. They help you follow yourself. It doesn't matter who it is.
It so happened that an older friend helped me - one of the famous informals, such a hippie from Lvov. This man read the Gospel when I did not yet know this word, and went to monasteries. More precisely, at first he simply became interested in church music and began to travel to monasteries simply to hear men’s choral singing, and then this led him to God. He was a man who helped a whole circle of his friends, which included me. Firstly, it helped to read good books. Secondly, listen to good music. Thirdly, to travel to monasteries and learn things that I myself would not have thought of for another few years.
And the second such person was one of the officers in the army. Then, in Soviet times, he had the rank of major, but now I am not authorized to say his rank, first and last name. He was then on duty at the unit, and I was the chief of the guard. One day this man came to the guardhouse for a check and we started talking. I had the Bhagavad Gita on my table then and I was reading it. He very gently turned the conversation to the topic of God in general, and then came to the barracks when I had changed and gave me a couple of books. Then I was visiting him and these few conversations over six months that he gave me became beacons for several years. So we are self-taught.
It's just a matter of personal choice. Do I agree to live like a Christian, more strictly, and not in temptations? And this choice, of course, was difficult. And I did it.
- What about theological education?
According to the documents, mine is a seminary; I have not yet graduated from the academy. More precisely, he entered and was expelled for not attending lectures. There's just a lot to do at the parish. Being married, being in the thick of things and studying is very difficult. It’s difficult to pass exams and write papers. Therefore, in my condition, full-fledged education is problematic.
For my wife and I, many of the political changes of the 90s passed as if they had never happened. It’s just that for the first four years we didn’t have a TV or even a radio at home. This was a conscious step. Also, for the first five years I went everywhere and always only in a cassock, rarely took off my priestly clothes, and did not have anything at home that would eat my brains. That is why such things as the shelling of the White House and other events that stirred up the public went unnoticed for me. I once read an interesting phrase from an American: “Since I threw away the TV, you, it turns out, have experienced three economic crises, and I didn’t even know about it.” And it is true. Because if you switch off from the so-called information field, which often deals with other things instead of informing, a person gets the opportunity to gain inner integrity and greater mental health.
- Well, now do you use modern technologies?
I write for some online publications, send my works and reviews. But, for example, I haven’t been to VKontakte or Odnoklassniki and I don’t plan to, I don’t have time. My children are also not very active on the Internet. The eldest daughter can communicate with someone “In Contact”, the rest cannot.
Somehow it happened that at a certain time the era of television and life on trains began for me. Night on the train - to Kyiv, day there and night back to Lvov. Thus began active missionary activity, which was not interfered with.
You see, superiors often deserve maximum praise not for doing something good, but for not stopping others from doing something good.
I cannot say that I chose the missionary position. It was she who “chose” me. You could calm down that you had found your way and not go further than the temple. I didn’t go to the authorities and didn’t knock on doors, saying, take me, I know how to preach. This did not happen. Often the priest's task is to agree to the proposal. This is the first tiniest, lowest level for which we must be prepared.
I moved to Kyiv six years ago and purely for television business. I was just tired of traveling back and forth every week, and my missionary TV show was in demand. More precisely, there were several of them. The longest is daily 10-minute conversations on a variety of topics, “For bedtime.” Day after day for almost six years. There was no longer any physical ability to wander around. Moreover, the opportunity arose to buy an apartment in Kyiv by selling yours in Lvov. I moved without having any parish and no direction from the authorities except an absentee letter from the Lvov diocese. I still had to register in the Kyiv Metropolitanate. For a month I lived, one might say, nowhere. I served with friends in five or six churches, so as not to bother anyone.
And then there was a call from one priest, to whom the parishioners advised him to take me to the service on the day of Peter and Paul. I arrived, we served together, then he asked where I served and invited me to his place. Soon I received permission from the metropolis to be a cleric of this temple - the Church of Agapit of Pechersk. Then this priest, Father Alexander, became very ill and died. But while he was still alive, we submitted a petition and I was made rector. Then we served in a hospital building, in an abandoned morphological building, the temple was considered a hospital. Actually, the church was a hospital corridor, and the sexton and part of the altar were one of the rooms. It was very crowded. Then we decided to build a wooden temple and were busy with the design of the land. I have been serving there for four and a half years now.
And nearby is a huge stone temple. He is only two years old. He is still signing, but we serve there on weekends and holidays. We plan to finish the painting by Christmas 2012.
The main burden of financing was taken on by one person whom I have known for a long time. There is a small plaque on the temple in memory of his mother Julia, but he asked not to be named. It was his mother who always asked him to build a temple, and now, after several unsuccessful attempts in other places, he did it for us.
- Father Andrey, how did the missionary experience begin?
I had an interesting period in my life when I worked as a teacher at school for a year. There was an experiment in the Lviv region and I was invited to teach Christian ethics. The Lviv authorities at the regional level initiated the teaching of the Law of God, called it ethics, and this subject is not exactly what is now called the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture. After all, the region is very religious, and in order to remove contradictions between faiths, a program on Christian ethics was developed by representatives of all the main faiths in the region. The Orthodox took part, although the main violin was played by the Greek Catholics. And then we started visiting schools. Russian schools, naturally, were interested in having Russian priests come to them, the city government turned a blind eye to the fact that we did not have pedagogical diplomas, the main thing was that we agreed to work for them. And so from 5th to 11th grade I taught Christian ethics for a year. It was an interesting experience of inner growth, I understood many things in a new way.
Hard work, really. But I am with both hands “for” teaching Christian, culture-forming disciplines at school, although I understand that the percentage of those who can do this is extremely small.
- Should this be a person in rank?
Not necessary. But he must have extensive experience in churching, have lived well in the church for many years, know the church from its glorious and weak sides, and not be embarrassed by the sin that disguises itself in its clothes. He must know the church and love it no matter what. But this should not be a neophyte who is delighted, who squeals with joy and jumps on the spot. This must be a serious, thorough person who loves the church very much, while knowing a lot about it, including negative ones. Here the question is not only about money-grubbing or some kind of sexual sins, the question is that many people simply get tired and break down from fatigue in the middle of life, and then serious sins come as a result of despair. This also needs to be understood. This is the first characteristic.
The second characteristic is that he must be a person with pedagogical flair. It doesn’t matter where it comes from - from special education, good parents or your own large family. Maybe he just has a talent from God to listen, understand, endure, and choose the right words. There must be quite a lot of knowledge that exceeds the teaching program in scope. The principle is like in the army: in order to pass the standard for 10 pull-ups, you need to be able to do at least 15 pull-ups, so that later, even in the most tired state, you can give your 10. If you want to run a good kilometer, run three more often. Therefore, a person must know more than what he teaches, and he must love what he teaches.
The third characteristic is that the nature of teaching Christian discipline should be dialogical. Like in Aristotle's Academy. There is no clear question-answer system; there must be a discussion, a method of groping for a thread for dialogue. It is the conversational genre that is present. You need to communicate with a person like an elder with a younger one in the mode of compassion. You need to feel like an elder. Otherwise, simply repeating some postulates without being sure is very dangerous.
I believe that among the most needed people in society and the church are doctors, lawyers, representatives of law enforcement agencies and scientists. So, when a believing officer appears in the army, then a priest may also appear in the army. At the right time in the right place. Chaplain. Maybe just a local priest living next door to the unit, who can come with some kind of edification. Also, a priest will appear in the school when the percentage of believing teachers increases. Then it will be appropriate, useful and organic at school. But it seems to me that this very much depends on the regions themselves, their specifics, and territory.
You understand that Ukraine is also a large, colorful, populous state. For example, a resident of Lviv may not understand a resident of Transcarpathia, a resident of Poltava - those who came from Lugansk, etc. But we have a sufficient number of Christians who work as doctors, teachers and treat ministry like real Christians. It is important. No priest and no healthcare reforms can replace a Christian doctor.
In this sense, the name of our patron saint Luke of Crimea helps a lot. Even today it missionizes better than all of us. Both secular books “Essays on Purulent Surgery” and “Regional Anesthesia” and spiritual works are read and studied. And when future doctors get acquainted with his life, their jaws drop and goosebumps run through their skin. How can one not fall in love with such a person and not be horrified by the abyss that separates “like” doctors from “not like that”? How can you not want to be like Luke? This is impossible for a person with a conscience.
Our Saint Luke, with his life and the church veneration that is shown to him today, is accomplishing the greatest work. This is life like a sermon. Indeed, to this day hundreds of cases of his intervention in operations and treatment have been recorded. He still visits hospitals around the world in his bishop's vestments and white robe. He was seen in clinics in Germany, Japan, and Greece. The fact is that the posthumous fame and veneration of Valentin Feliksovich Voino-Yasenetsky (St. Luke of Crimea) is also characterized by his posthumous activities. He comes to patients with surgical instruments and helps doctors at the operating table. And this is not one fact that can be attributed to an exalted imagination, but there are hundreds of facts. That's so many lives saved! He commands the operation and then disappears. There are many miracles to this day...
Nicholas of Japan and Macarius of Altai managed to churchize entire nations alone, but now it seems that the state’s policy is aimed at this and all its efforts, but it’s not very successful. What is missing?
In Ukraine, as in Russia, this is also a huge problem. We want to rest on historical laurels, as they say, lick the sour cream without milking the cow. We often believe that we have the right to boast about Orthodoxy, without even understanding the essence and without strengthening it. This is well illustrated by Krylov’s fable about geese. When the shepherd drove the geese into the kitchen with a whip, and they said to him: how dare you, because we saved Rome! To which he said: it was they who saved you, but what have you done in your life? Just send you to the kitchen. And he drove on.
Here we are too - those geese who try to puff out our cheeks and stick out our chests in conversations about Orthodoxy, without actually doing anything for Orthodoxy. And this shameful phenomenon covers a large number of people, although there has been a tendency towards a decrease in self-praise and attempts to analyze the situation. After all, there can be no creative work without a sober analysis of the situation. While we puff out our cheeks and say: “We are Orthodox!” and at the same time it is not enough to read, think and drunkenly assess one’s strengths, all that remains is to write a canon of repentance and suffer about one’s insignificance. And if there is a sober analysis and sober words, this will be missionary work. You need to be able to tell yourself that you, the diocese and your parish are insignificant, admit it, shake yourself up and act. Saying as an excuse: I don’t know how to preach is sometimes easier than starting to do it.
Isn’t it time, in your opinion, to legislatively unite the church and the state, so that, as before, “for the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland”?
I understand little about politics, but I am sure that such things should not be done hastily. You shouldn’t complicate your life because of some formal things. I like the words of Father Andrei Kuraev that “the church should not be a state church, but it should be a people’s church.” These are different things. There is civil society, and there is the state, government structures and regulatory bodies. And our excessive ingratiation with the authorities, despite the fact that we should not be completely indifferent or oppositional, is our sin.
The Church should not be domineering. It must be popular, that is, necessary for everyone: the intellectual, the peasant, the worker, the youth, the girl, the old man, the sick, the healthy, the athlete, the newly born and ready to die. That is, it should be of interest to absolutely everyone, everywhere and be present everywhere organically and usefully. Like the sun, which penetrates with its rays everywhere... But when symbiosis with the authorities begins, these are dubious, ambiguous matters.
But, you see, on the other hand, opposition is also not the business of the church. We cannot be indifferent to the fate of a country that is culturally and historically our country.
Understand that each of us does not live only our own lives. Lewis has this phrase: “each sperm contains the entire history of mankind and half the personal history of the future person.” That is, behind our backs there are thousands of people who left us their experience and invested it in us; we unconsciously carry it under our skin.
Do you know who is absolutely indifferent to power and politics? First generation emigrants. When people come from their own country to a foreign land, which becomes a new homeland for them, which accepts them and allows them to live and earn a living. But these people are the most silent and indifferent, they are nobody, the calmest. But already in the second generation they have the right to elect and be elected, their children master the language and can go out to demonstrate with demands.
So here it is. If we, Orthodox Christians, behave in OUR countries like first generation emigrants and are afraid to open our mouths, then this will mean that this country is not ours. We have the right and we are obliged to say that, for example, this is not good, from the point of view of history and tradition, from the point of view of the psychological portrait of a resident of our country, from the point of view of a believer. In fact, there is a great future for the popular movement and civil society. It’s good that now people are speaking out louder and louder and don’t want to remain silent. Social networks allow you to share opinions, so you need to understand that these issues are the future.
- All that remains is to fill them with Christian truths?
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky wrote that “I would rather agree to be without truth if it is mathematically and immutably proven to me that truth and Christ are not the same thing. I will be with Christ, not with your mathematical truth.” This is what I read in my youth, and what gave me the understanding that if I ever kneel before the Gospel and repent of my sins, it will only be in the Orthodox Church, because the Orthodox Church gave birth to Russian culture. And Russian culture has complete internal self-evidence for me. This is the most obvious evidence of truth in its best manifestations - musical, philosophical, poetic.
For me, Russian literature is the most obvious fruit of the Gospel, its dearest child. I believe in it and feel it. If there is Russian culture, then Christ has risen! This became obvious to me in my youth. Only a fool can argue with this, and I don’t like talking to fools. Only Russian culture enters the all-human orbit; Ukrainian culture does not reach the universal scale. Russian culture will give new names in cinema, ballet, and real literature for a very long time, as long as God willing. And one cannot say that everything ended in the 19th century. We should rejoice at every person with a non-Russian surname who considers Russia their homeland, and not discuss the fact that Brodsky and Kushner were Jews. This is also unique: people with completely different blood chemistry were ready to cut our throats out for Russia! A person may have different roots and surname, but he needs to be loved, he is a precious person. It's the same as with an adopted child. He always gets the best piece, the best. If you can grab your own by the ear, then you shouldn’t grab your adopted one. It may be wrong, but we have no right. There is no need to feel the distance through blood. It's the same with culture.
- The traditional question is about plans for the future.
You know, a boy I know, when they asked him: “Are you going to do well at school?” He sincerely answered, “I don’t know the future!”
- But do you become less active over the years?
Something is missing. And book publishing, and television, and services... I’m afraid I might burn out. But! “This music will last forever if I change the batteries” (laughs). So far we are only dreaming of peace, and I don’t feel tired of life.
I absolutely cannot understand priests who do not preach, and, unfortunately, there are many of them. They served, went to work, and that’s it. I wish I didn't understand this until the end of my days. Because if a person is overcome by dumbness in relation to our Lord Jesus Christ, if he is not interested in talking to people about Christ, he is no longer a priest. To remain silent about this is a crime. I don’t understand how a priest can talk about fishing, about politics, about types and varieties of something, but in relation to Christ his lips are sealed...
You see, Christ is the most interesting, the only healthy one among the sick and, in general, how can you not love him?! The Church is the most beautiful, the most intelligent, the most transparent, the most crystal, the sweetest, the deepest, so colorful... How can you not love it? It’s better to smash your head on the corner of the house and not live in vain.
Interviewed by Maria Strygina
