What is common between a participant in a high-speed hamburger eating competition, stuffing fifty rolls with a cutlet in ten minutes, and a “phytonyash” drinking vitamin mixtures on schedule? Between a smoker from boredom and a gamer spending 6-8 hours a day behind a monitor? All these people are united by the sin of gluttony, no matter how strange it may sound.
What is gluttony?
How to resist this destructive passion? First you need to understand what gluttony is. This sin includes not only gluttony to unconsciousness, but also any pleasing of the flesh. For example, computer games without restrictions, instead of labor that is useful for society and the person himself, a long time on the weekend or doing nothing on vacation. Excessive effort to improve your body in sports.
There is nothing wrong with sports, but when a girl or a young guy sculpts his body in the gym for 6-8 hours a day, they are blind to the state of their soul. They notice only the degree of inflation of a particular muscle group, while they do not have time to go to the temple for Sunday service.
The Optina elders, who left a huge spiritual legacy alive today, said that sin is where there is too much. For example, nutrition to maintain vitality in the required amount is not harmful. Gluttony is already a sin. Physical activity for muscle tone is necessary, but the "modeling" of the figure is the same addiction. Dependence, without which a person can not do.
The same definition applies to smoking, drunkenness, and endless running around beauty salons and plastic surgeons. The sin of gluttony affects almost all people on Earth. Exceptions are made only by monks, and even that is not all.
What does gluttony lead to?
Nowadays, everyone knows the problem of obesity. Diseases of the heart, digestive organs, shortness of breath - faithful companions of addiction to overeat. Doctors recommend a diet, adhere to a certain food culture: dine a couple of hours before bedtime, avoid an abundance of hot spices and sauces, do not eat monotonous dishes.
Even schoolchildren are aware of any addiction, the dangers of drunkenness, the use of stupefying drugs, smoking and focusing on the beauty of their own bodies, but the person is fully aware of the problem that torments him - in old age. It is to old age that people understand what “mortal sin” is, and that it leads directly to the edge of the abyss.
How to get rid of addictions?
From the point of view of the Orthodox culture, one can protect oneself from sin if one constantly remembers the soul and does not give free rein to passions. The ancient desert-makers gave us the experience of accustoming themselves to a certain amount of food, so they brought up their students.
On the first day, the old man gave the novice the will to eat as much as he wants. In this case, the student was given some task, feasible physical labor. In the second - the portion eaten the day before, the hermit divided in half. Work and prayer circle remained the same. On the third day, the student ate half of the measure of the second day. If a person felt malaise, hunger, could not bear the measure, the old man made indulgence and for some time the novice stopped at that portion, which was acceptable to him.
Then he again tried to accustom the student's body to smaller portions of food, but without prejudice to health. Such requirements were due to the fact that in the cells of the hermits there was traditionally little food, and the old man sought to instill in the novice the ability to manage a little bit. This experience is quite applicable to our life, we need only self-control and a strong desire. Prayers from gluttony and gluttony, Orthodox rules from the monastery charter will help to withstand the test of food. When starting a struggle, it must be remembered that excessive asceticism can be harmful to health.
Prayer for gluttony and gluttony: whom to ask for help?
Starting the fight against any sin, you need to ask for God's help. The first prayer is to Jesus Christ:
I pray to you, Lord, save me from satiety, voluptuousness, and grant me, in the peace of mind, to reverently receive your generous gifts, and by tasting them, I will receive the strengthening of my spiritual and physical strength to serve you, Lord, in a few remnants of my life on earth.
Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov tells how to properly evaluate the works:
Often priests are asked what prayers from gluttony and gluttony are the most working. As you can see from the video, first of all, you need to evaluate the result that has been achieved. One can read the entire prayer book, but not achieve anything. And it’s enough for another person to sincerely, with a feeling of asking - and his desire begins to come true.
The Lord does not evaluate the number of words a person utters. He sees the heart and soul, the willingness to follow the intended path, with dignity to withstand difficulties. If a person sincerely desires and asks for help, God will surely give strength. The Orthodox Church remembers several saints who have the power to help in this disaster:
- Rev. Irinarch.
- Alexy, the Man of God.
- Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov.
Without faith, reading prayers from gluttony and gluttony will not bring results.
Rev. Irinarch
The saint is known for his exploits. For 38 years the ascetic spent chained, wore chains, avoiding temptations in every possible way. It was this old man who inspired and blessed Prince Dmitry Pozharsky to go to battle with the Lithuanians in Moscow. The saint is asked to be strengthened in the fight against passions.
Prayer from gluttony and gluttony to the Rev. Irinarkh, Rostov recluse:
Oh, the great mercy of God and the blessed miracle worker, most reverent is our Irinars! Look at us, sinful, in the affliction and the circumstances of ours, earnestly crying out to you and to you by Boz, all our hope rests upon us. We ask you with tenderness: by your representation to the Lord God ask us for peace, longevity, brotherly love, fertility land, good air, good rain for all beginnings. Deliver all of us with your holy prayers from all troubles: the city, the city, the flood, the fire, the sword, the harmful wounds, the corruptive winds, the deadly wounds and the most unhappy ones. a companion to the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, let us glorify the good with you all the Good Givers, the Triune God of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Alexy, the Man of God
A righteous man was born in Rome from pious wealthy people. When they decided to marry Alexy, he did not resist and went to the altar, but on the first night he ran away from his newly-made wife to Edessa. There, dressing in poor battered clothes, he asked for alms at the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Relatives who were looking for a young man did not recognize their son and husband as a beggar. The saint only ate bread and water, and prayed at night.
Prayer from gluttony and gluttony to the Monk Alexy:
Oh, great Christ’s pleasing, holy man, God Alexis, with our souls in Heaven to the throne, the Lord is to come, and on earth given by great blessings, perform various miracles! Look mercifully at the coming holy icon of your people, praying with emotion and asking for help and intercession from you. Stretch out in prayer to the Lord God honestly rutse yours and ask for us from Him remission of sins of our voluntary and involuntary, in neduzeh suffering healing napastvuemym intercession, Comforter of the afflicted, the needy ambulance, all the same thought upon thee peace and Christian belly death and the good response to the Day of Judgment Christ. She, more holy than God, was not shameful in our hope, even lay on thee according to Boz and the Virgin of God, but be our helper and patroness for salvation, so that by your prayers you would be kindly blessed, and you would be kindly blessed. and worshiped by God, and your holy intercession now and in the place, and forever and ever. Amen.
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
A zealot of truth, sensitive to injustice and not subject to harmful influences, the bishop of Stavropol and the Caucasus lived in the nineteenth century. From childhood, Ignatius was distinguished from his peers by an "internal compass." Having lived a quarter of a century, he became a monk, and, thanks to the judiciousness and obvious election of God, he quickly rose to the bishop. The creations of the saint are a handbook of many monks and laity, including prayer from gluttony and gluttony. Orthodoxy respects Ignatius Brianchaninov as a lamp of faith, a wonderful teacher for the fragile minds of modern seminarians. The saint always helps those who turn to him with faith and hope.
Prayer for gluttony and gluttony Ignatius Brianchaninov:
Oh, great and wonderful pleasing of Christ, to the blessing of the Holy Father Ignatius! Mercifully accept our prayers, with love and thanks to you! Hear us dumb and helpless, who come to you with faith and the love of love and your warmth of representing us before the Holy See of the Lord who is asking. Of all the things, it seems that many may pray the prayer of the great-priest, the Propitiate Lord. From the years of the infantile Lord you have ardently fallen in love with him and delighted the One to serve the One, all the red world of this has been counted worthless. You have surrendered unto yourself, and we have taken your cross. Christ was given to you. You are the path of a narrow and deplorable life of a foreign person, I chose to be one, and in this way the great virtues got hold of him. You have written with your hearts of people deeply reverential reverence and humility before the Almighty Creator, performed sin, and your sinners were blessed with gracious words of grace and sacrifice of their grace. You never came to you, you rejected Yes, but to all your father a lover of love and a good priest was Yes. And now don’t leave us, praying earnestly to you, and your help and representatives of those who ask. Ask for us at chelovekolyubivago Lord our health of mind and body, strengthen our faith, strengthen forces of ours iznemogayuschiya into temptation and skorbeh of this world, warm fire prayer ohladevshaya our hearts, help us, repentance cleansed, Christian death belly of this poluchiti and chamber Spasov preukrashenny look with all the chosen ones and humbly bow with you to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Remember, only sincere prayer will help to cope with the addiction.