What to do with church calendars. What to do with used church calendars and other Orthodox periodicals
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Date: 02/04/2015 13:00:10
What to do with worn icons, broken crosses, etc.?
Protodeacon Dmitry Polovnikov answers
Hello. Please tell me what to do with old Orthodox calendars, worn icons, broken crosses, rancid consecrated oil, bottles after holy water, including glass ones, video films, etc. Thank you.
An icon on which the image cannot be seen can be removed from your home iconostasis and replaced with a new one. Moreover, it is now relatively easy to do this. But the icon, which has gone out of prayer use, nevertheless, cannot be disposed of with ordinary garbage. The icon is consecrated with a special rite and sprinkled with holy water. If the icon was in your prayer corner, then you turned to the Lord through it. An old icon, crosses, bottles of holy water can be brought to the temple and left in a specially designated place, which you can ask the temple workers about. Also, the icon can be burned or buried in an impregnable place. An untroubled place is a well or a pit, closed from walking over it. Usually a special well is arranged in the temple, where the remnants of unused holy water or water used in worship. Notes from the service, and other church items that can be burned, are burned on the territory of the temple in a special stove and the ashes are buried so that people do not walk on top of it, trampling it with their feet. But it is not necessary to carry everything to the temple, oil, holy water can be poured into clean river, and the icon that has become unusable can be burned, and the ashes buried, but so that this place is away from roads and paths.
Number of entries: 327
Hello! Every year my husband and I buy church Orthodox calendars for a year. A year passes, we buy new calendar but what to do with the old one? The hand does not rise just to take it and throw it away, because icons are depicted on them. Tell me what to do with such calendars?
Svetlana
Svetlana, we usually burn such things, for example, at the dacha on the site, and the ashes can be buried under a tree.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello! Recently I found in the fence of the house an icon of the Mother of God "Seven-arrows" stuck in half, broken in half! What does it mean?
Lydia
Lydia, that means someone threw away the icon. It is a pity that people do this with the shrine. Take this icon and take it to the church.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Is it necessary to consecrate the icon again - an old one, bought from the hands of an ad.
Oleg
Oleg, yes, of course, an icon bought from hand must be consecrated in a church.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Good afternoon! Bless, father! Tell me, the grandmother who sells icons in our church said that you can’t hang icons in the bedroom, since my husband and I are in sin. We are married and have three children. We try to live right. I really want our wedding icons to have fun in our room. Thank you.
Maria
Marina, you shouldn't listen to grandmothers in church. You have a priest in your church, try to resolve all such issues with him. Icons should be in every room and in the kitchen. It is very commendable that your marriage is crowned. Your wedding icons must hang in your bedroom, pray in front of them.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello. I really need your answer. In our house there is someone else's ancient icon of the Holy Virgin Mary, it was brought to us by a stranger to us, who lived with us for some time as a roommate of my mother. But in the end, he turned out not to be who he claimed to be, and put his mother in huge debts, left somewhere, and has been hiding for several months, and people are demanding their money from us, they have already given a period of 10 days. We would like to somehow get out of these debts by selling this icon. I think this is not some kind of bad intention, but for the good, probably ... We're just tired whole year to live in anticipation of when he will return these debts to us so that we can pay off people. What will happen if we still sell it, will it turn into a great sin for us, or will God forgive us in our situation and for deceit on his part?!
Olga
Olga, I think you can sell in your situation. This happened before, icons were both sold and bought, so you should not be very embarrassed by this. Just try, please, so that the icon does not fall into the hands of merchants who will rip off gold and everything they see fit from it, but into the hands of decent people.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello! Father, please explain how the Church relates to the image of God the Father in Orthodox churches and icons? When I see them, I can't help but feel embarrassed. Thank you for the answer!
Julia
Hello Julia! God the Father - First Hypostasis Holy Trinity- we will not depict at all. And according to the rules Orthodox cathedrals it is forbidden to depict God the Father in the form of an old man, as well as the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove (except for the icon of the Epiphany). Only the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, was seen by human eyes when the Lord deigned to incarnate. Other Persons of the Most Holy Trinity - God the Father and the Holy Spirit - appeared to the prophets only in mysterious spiritual visions. Worshiping the image of Christ the Savior, we confess the Incarnation, the appearance of God the Word into this world. According to St. John the Theologian: "No one has ever seen God; the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He revealed" (John 1, 18), therefore the Image (in Greek - an icon) of God the Father is the Son God's Jesus Christ. How should we relate to the image of the New Testament Trinity? Do not be embarrassed, but know that these images are not canonically correct. If such an icon is already in the house, do not burn it or throw it away. You can leave it in your home "iconostasis".
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Hello, I would like to ask if it is possible to hang icons at the head of the bed? Thanks for the answer.
Alexandra
Alexandra, there should be icons in every room and in the kitchen. They can be placed on shelves or hung on walls. At the head of the icon can also be hung.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Father, hello. Tell me, please, is it possible to re-gift the icon of the Mother of God that was given to me? It was bought in Greece in the Holy Temple.
Irina
Irina, giving icons is a good tradition. It is possible to give an icon that was given to you to another person.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello. Now I wear a baptized metal cross on a string. I have a gold chain with an icon. Can I buy a gold cross and wear it with the icon, and put a metal cross? And yet, can I hang a metal cross on gold chain? But the chain and the icon are not consecrated.
Julia
Julia, everyone Orthodox Christian must wear pectoral cross. You can buy a new gold cross and wear it along with the icon. You can also hang a metal cross. Of course, the chain and the icon must be consecrated in the church.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Good afternoon. Please help me to solve my problem. The fact is that I purchased the icon Image of the All-Seeing Eye of God. I confess that I don’t understand icons well, but they told me that this icon is very good and you can safely buy it. Decided to buy. But then it became interesting what kind of icon this is, and I began to look for information. As it turned out, many people are interested in the question regarding this icon. Some sources write that this icon must be destroyed. In others, that she can be prayed for from all troubles. What do i do? Have I been deceived? Lied about the icon? But at the same time, without being convinced exactly how it will be right: to destroy the icon or leave it, I will not raise my hand to burn it, as one person who asked the question was advised. Dispel my doubts. If this icon is indeed forbidden or inappropriate, then is it necessary to go to church to pray for the sin of buying the wrong icon out of ignorance? I hope my question is clear. Thank you.
Olga
Hello Olga! The icon "The All-Seeing Eye of God" is not canonical. Her fate in Russian Orthodox Church very difficult. In Russian iconography, this plot appears relatively late - only at the end of the 18th century. It was then that Freemasonry penetrated into Russia, and even came into fashion, with its symbols and paraphernalia. One of the main symbols of Freemasonry is the All-Seeing Eye. By the beginning of the 19th century, this image is gaining some distribution, already as an independent icon, although it still does not become canonical. The drawing of the icon in its form is more reminiscent of a graphic image for oriental meditation. In modern spiritual practice, occultists use this image with pleasure. There is no sin in the fact that you bought this icon. It is also not necessary to burn it, you can leave it at home, unless you do "meditation" in front of it.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Hello everybody! Help, please, advice. I have an old grandmother's icon at home. It is made like a window frame, behind the glass there are 4 images in a frame, around which are artificial flowers, completely blackened from time to time. Tell me, can I open the frame to wash the glass on both sides, paint the wooden frame, and most importantly, change the old flowers for new ones? And if I can, then where to put the old flowers? Thanks in advance.
Oksana
Oksana, icons need to be looked after and observed in the proper form. Of course, it is not only possible, but it is necessary to put the old icon in order. Wash everything, paint. Old flowers can be burned on suburban area or bury it in the ground in a place where people do not walk, for example, under a tree. With God.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello! Tell me, please, how to do it right? Arriving at the temple, you must first put a candle near the icon, and then read a prayer and ask for help, or vice versa? And in general, how to approach the icon correctly? Thank you.
Ludmila
Lyudmila, it doesn't matter what you do first, the main thing is your heart during prayer, your trust in God and faith in what you ask for. Approaching the icon, you can first cross yourself, and then kiss the icon.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello, I watched a video about the Mother of God icons, I was very interested in the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "The Appearance of the Holy Trinity and the Mother of God the Savior in Kosin", but in our city (I live in Kazakhstan, in Almaty) I did not find a list of this icon in church shops. Maybe because this icon is still quite new and it has not been brought to us yet? Or new icons are not recognized yet? I ordered this icon to a friend who lives in Russia, but for some reason I began to doubt whether it could be put in the red corner? Thank you.
r.b. Tatyana
Dear Tatyana, this picture cannot be recognized as an icon, if only because it is based on a false vision, which, in turn, is based on a pagan belief that Holy Mother of God more merciful than God. Of course, such images (as well as the "icon" "Resurrection Russia" mentioned in this video) cannot be in the home of Christians. I advise you to read the material, which discusses in detail the reasons for the emergence of such "icons" (http://www.anti-raskol.ru/pages/750). God bless you!
Archpriest Andrey Efanov
Hello, father! Having started the construction of the red corner in my room, I was faced with the fact that on the icon of the Savior I bought, which I really liked, there was no crown. In the church shop, where I turned for help, they explained to me that this is an icon with an incomplete riza; you can pray, but ... For a feeling of complete reverence, you either need to attach a new crown. Is it possible to do without it? After all, the Lord is not on the icon, but in heaven, and the icon is a window to His world.
Ilya
Hello Ilya! Your icon was consecrated and bought in a church shop, so do not be embarrassed, leave everything as it is and calmly pray in front of it.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
My parents are Muslims and I want to be baptized, can I do it? And is it possible to wear the Matrona icon if I am not baptized?
Hellas
Hello Ella! You can be baptized. If you are an adult, then godparents are not needed at baptism. Just come to the temple, pass catechumens and the priest will admit you to baptism. And you will wear the icon after baptism.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Hello, tell me, please, at home I found a wearable icon of the Mother of God "Seven-arrows", where it came from, I don't know, and whose it is, all the more so. We searched for the owner, but did not find it, no one had lived in the apartment before us. What to do with her? Can you keep it and wear it? Thanks for the answer.
Christina
Yes, Christina, of course, you can leave it, just take it to the temple and ask the priest to bless it. This is God's blessing to you.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
hello, I want to buy pendants with the image of the Mother of God for my children, tell me, will they protect my children or is a cross better? Thanks in advance,
Olga
Olga, in the church there is no such concept at all - "amulet". Every Orthodox Christian is obliged to wear a pectoral cross as visible mark our involvement in Orthodoxy. It is necessary to regularly confess and receive communion - for you and your children. When we are in close fellowship with Christ, God Himself keeps us.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Number of entries: 327
Hello, bless, father Maxim! Of course, it is very difficult to understand a person whom you know only by correspondence. I understand that you are very busy man. But I have no other opportunity to dispel my doubts, only eagerly catching every moment of conversation with the priest. Forgive me for taking up your time. I am not lying when I write that the most sinful in the parish. Here, I will come to the Temple, confess, take communion. The soul becomes joyful, like a swallow flew into the soul. I leave the Temple, and I will do so many sins that even cry! And then suddenly such despondency attacks that even prayers do not come to mind. You helped me a lot, thank you and low bow. I have more requests for you. Advise what books you need to read in order to properly build your relationship with the priest? I suddenly realized that believers are different. This is a new world that I don't understand yet. I want to understand this world. But how, I don't know. My faith is still superficial, prayers do not penetrate into the soul. I believe in the Lord, but, I confess, there is no such love that I could give my life for faith. May I ask you some questions? Two old icons were brought to our parish for the Temple. The boxes of icons have been eaten by a hornet, we will restore them. But I can't find foil anywhere to replace vestments. Maybe you can tell me where I can write out the foil? With a low bow to you,
Ludmila
Of course, ask. You correctly noted that believers are a different world. And it's very complex world, not only with virtues, but also with their illnesses. Even the traditional "God save you" can be said with different meanings. I will give you bold advice: read such authors as Olesya Nikolaev (mother of Father Vladimir Vigilyansky). This is an artistic Orthodox reading. You can read Mother Yulia Sysoeva (the widow of the murdered Father Daniel). All this is on the Internet. There is a site "Russian magazine". There is something on it. For example, "Maine, tekel, fares" by Nikolaeva. And I don't like the foil on the icons.
Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy
Is it possible to hang the Icon over our heads where we sleep?
Ludmila
Hello Ludmila. In principle it is possible. But, it is better to place the goddess in a place where you will only pray, and where it will be convenient to approach.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Hello! My daughter is getting married. Please tell me how parents should Orthodox tradition bless the newlyweds and with what icon? What prayers can be read to the mother for adult daughter and for a young family? Thank you in advance for your answer.
Natalia
You can bless the young with the icon of the Mother of God, and the groom's parents with the icon of the Savior, and then these icons can be used at the Wedding. Pray to Saints Peter and Fevronia, Blessed Xenia of Petersburg.
Deacon Ilya Kokin
Hello Abbot Nikon! Two icons of St. Martyr Tryphon, they differ sharply from each other, why? Thank you.
Tatyana
This is quite normal, Tatyana, there is nothing surprising in this. The fact is that each icon - whether it is an image of a holiday or a saint - has a certain iconography, that is, established ways of depicting it. Accordingly, St. torment. Tryphon is displayed in several forms, images. I am not very strong in iconography, but as far as I can tell, the icon, where the martyr is depicted with a bird, gravitates towards the Athos letter from about the 18th century, and the other image - to the more ancient, Byzantine tradition.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father! 1. Tell me, is it possible to carry an icon of your saint in the glove compartment in a car? 2. Prayers transcribed from the Internet to a sheet of paper, where should they be stored? 3. In the apartment opposite front door you can attach the icon of the Mother of God "Softening evil hearts", or do you need another one? 4. I bought it in a church shop, which is located in grocery store, a new consecrated Orthodox cross ik. The cross that I had before, can I carry it with me with my license, or should I put it at home in the corner where the icons are? 5. Can I splash things, furniture with holy water? 6. Is it necessary to follow what is written in the Old Testament? Or should I only read the New Testament? The question is - do not read and follow what is written in the Old Testament? For example: do not be too smart to do your job; do not praise a man for his beauty; do not bring every person into your house, etc. 7. Tell me, what prayer to read to the holy martyr Charalambius? 8. I read that when you are asked for alms, you cannot give money, but you must, for example, buy something from food. It is right? Thanks for the replies.
Alexander
1. Alexander, icons should not be kept in the glove box, they should be put in the most worthy place. You can attach the icon in the car so that it is in front of your eyes, then you can pray even while on the road. 2. Prayers should be kept together with the prayer book in the place where you usually pray. By itself, the leaflet cannot help; prayers must be read. 3. First of all, you need to sanctify the home. Any icon can be placed in front of the entrance, as long as it serves you not for beauty, but for prayer. 4. The cross must be on the chest. If you have two of them, then one can be stored in a holy corner with icons. 5. You can sprinkle things with holy water with a prayer: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen". On the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, there is a tradition to sprinkle the dwelling and everything in the house brought from the temple holy water. But this sprinkling does not replace the consecration of the house or certain objects, which can only be done by a priest. 6. Must read Old Testament, as well as the New, together they make up the Bible, Holy Bible. Christ said: "Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17). However, the Lord made the law more perfect, so not all Old Testament regulations need to be fulfilled. For example: “You heard what was said: love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44). 7. Prayer of St. Charalambius: Oh wonderful Hieromartyr Charalambius, passion-bearing insurmountable, priest of God, intercede for the whole world! Look at the prayer of us who honor your holy memory: ask the Lord God for forgiveness of our sins, may the Lord not be completely angry with us: we have sinned and are not worthy of the mercy of God: pray for us the Lord God, may the world descend on our cities and our weights may he deliver us from the invasion of foreigners, internecine strife and all sorts of strife and disorder: affirm, holy martyr, faith and piety in all the children of the Orthodox Christian Church, and may the Lord God deliver us from heresies, schisms and all superstition. O merciful martyr! Pray for us to the Lord, may he save us from hunger and all kinds of diseases, and may he give us an abundance of the fruits of the earth, cattle multiplication for the needs of man and all that is useful to us: most of all, let us be honored, by your prayers, with the Heavenly Kingdom of Christ our God, to Him honor and worship appropriate, with His Father without beginning and the Most Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. 8. Alms should be given according to the situation. If you are sure that a person suffers from the passion of drinking wine and will spend money to satisfy his passion, then it is better to give him food or clothing - as needed. But there are situations when money is really needed, for example, for medicines, etc.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
HELLO! TELL, PLEASE, IS IT POSSIBLE TO SELL AN ANCIENT ICON WHICH BLESSED GRANDMA, MOTHER, GREAT-GREAT GRANDMA, IS IT A SIN? AUNT SAYS, IF I SELL IT, I WILL CURSE MY CHILDREN AND RELATION! I DO NOT USE IT, IT IS IN THE CABINET, I NEED RESTORATION. ANOTHER Aunt SAYS: TAKE IT TO THE CHURCH, IT SHOULD NOT BE WITH ME, OR I WILL LIVE THE FATE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAD IT, IS IT TRUE? NOW I WORRY, EVERYTHING IS NOT GETTING GOOD. MAYBE BECAUSE OF THIS? WHEN MY FATHER DIE, SAID I TAKE IT FOR MYSELF, WILL IT NOT BE A TREASON IF I SELL IT? I AM CONFUSED WHAT TO DO? HOW TO BE?
NATALIA
May I have a question, Natalia? Let's imagine that you sold it, but everything still doesn't work out for you - what will you nod at? On the closet in which the icon lay? Will we get rid of it too? Listen, where did you get all this heresy from? Who advises you there such nonsense? All this is absolute nonsense from the first sound to the last. It is better to consult with the priests, and let those "advisers" be silent and not fantasize, if they do not understand belmes! As for your wonderful icon, collect the money, restore it and leave it at home. Such a shrine! So many generations prayed before her! And you don't use it. It's a shame to neglect such great shrine! If now you don’t feel it very much, then later you will regret that you gave it away.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, please advise. I feel very unpleasant in the apartment, I want to sanctify it. I bought today an icon of the Mother of God of Vilna Ostrabramskaya. Is it possible to hang it in the house before the priest blesses the apartment? Or is it better to do it after the consecration?
Olesya
You made the right decision, it is better to consecrate the apartment, and you can hang the icon right now.
Deacon Ilya Kokin
Hello. Here is my question. I want to give dear person(guy) silver pendant (angel). The guy always wears a chain with a cross. Is it possible to wear this angel on the same chain with a cross (if the angel is consecrated in the church). Thanks for the answer.
Jeanne
Zhanna, it’s hard for me to answer in absentia, because I don’t know what kind of angel you want to give, you have to see if it’s possible to wear it at all. On the same rope with a cross, you can wear images of saints. Show this angel in the church to the priest. But I can say for sure that the main thing is the Orthodox cross, it cannot be replaced by anything. Higher and stronger than the cross, neither an angel nor a saint can be.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello, father! I have icons on the closet at home, my father, having hit the closet door, slammed it in a fit, and the icon of the Mother of God fell to the floor. I picked her up, kissed her and asked for mercy. I'm so worried about this. Tell me, is this not a sin or a defilement, or something else? After all, it happened by accident.
Natalia
Natalia! You did everything right. From now on, just be more careful, and if your conscience worries, repent at confession.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
I embroidered an icon, is it necessary to consecrate it?
Victoria
Victoria, all icons, painted or embroidered, or otherwise, must be consecrated in the church.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello! I can not find nominal icon for the name Ulyana. Is there such an icon or is it possible to have another one?
Oksana
Oksana, there is a saint with the name Juliana, this is the same as Ulyana, only in a church way. If you do not find such an icon, then you can purchase a common icon of All Saints.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Good day, father! I have an icon, it is in a frame, the frame has begun to peel off, the paint is old, and I don’t like the color either. Is it permissible for a layman to paint this salary, if not, what to do with it? Thanks for the answer.
Maxim
Hello Maxim. It is permissible, but it is necessary to find a specialist restorer, and let him do what is necessary. If this is not yet possible, you can remove the salary and carefully store it until better times, and then restore it and return it to the icon. Self-restoration always leads to a deplorable result. I strongly do not recommend. Help God.
Priest Sergiy Osipov
Good afternoon, father. Recently, my goddaughter and her family came to visit me. Before that, she was very seriously ill, I prayed for her recovery. She had never heard of the Holy Matronushka, to whom I prayed, and I gave her the icon that I had. She was very happy about this and promised to pray to Matronushka. After some time, I bought myself exactly the same icon. And today my husband began to scold me for the fact that I gave my icon and said that it was impossible to do this. Please tell me if I'm right.
Tatyana
You did the right thing! No need to be tempted!
Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy
Good evening! Help, please, I can not find the answers for several years now. Our family has an old icon that belonged to my great-grandmother. It is kept in a chest. I heard that you can't do that with icons. But I can’t get it either, because my grandmother (great-grandmother’s daughter-in-law) didn’t allow me to do this. Last time When my sister and I tried to look at it, my grandmother was very unhappy, and a week later she was gone ... I don’t think that the grandmother’s death and the icon are somehow interconnected, but since then the fear of this icon has not receded. Tell me what to do - I would like to leave it, this is a memory, and is it prayed for, or can it be presented as a gift to the church? I can't decide...
Julia
Why are you, Julia, in such unworthy fears?! Get the icon immediately, it is not worth it to wallow in a dark chest. And don’t fantasize about some kind of relationship between the icon and the grandmother’s death. Put the icon in the red corner and pray as expected. Your grandmother, apparently, was afraid to get it because the times used to be dangerous, that's all. Do not be afraid, get it soon, put it in order and pray!
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, I have not had children for a long time. What icon should you have at home?
Marina
Marina, to be honest, looking at your email address, I just want to cross myself! No words - continuous tears! And as for the question, you know, it's not about the icons - it's about the person: the Lord very often does not give children until the parents themselves grow spiritually enough to be able to give something useful to their child. In short, you have to grow up to this. And you'd better "kill" your "demon" - we'll start with this.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Good afternoon! Please tell us where to put calendars or other printed matter with the image of icons? And another question: my husband often travels around the country in connection with work, and on almost every trip his mother gives him small paper icons. He already has all his wallets and documents full of icons. Is it possible to leave some of them in the house, some to take to the church? Or what's the best way to do it? And is it possible to refuse mom once more take icons? There really is nowhere to put them. Thank you!
House of none Orthodox family does not do without icons, it is an intermediary between us and the saints. Prayer in front of the icon is stronger, so we have a visual image of the person we are addressing, which helps a lot to focus. Icon painting has been known for more than one millennium, and during this time a huge number of icons have appeared, but they cannot exist in an unnamed state forever. If the image is badly damaged, the face of the saint is not readable on it, of course, its owners may have a desire to get rid of the icon. The only rule to remember forever is that icons should not be thrown away like regular trash.
What to do with an old icon?
Shabby, old icons should be taken to the temple. If the image has completely lost its appearance, then it will be burned in a church oven. You can burn them yourself, but not with garbage, but separately, clean. An icon always remains an icon, no matter how deplorable it is. A slightly tarnished icon or with minor damage can also be taken to the temple, perhaps one of the parishioners will pick it up. Not far from the entrance to the temple is usually a memorial table, where parishioners bring food to honor the memory of the dead. The icon can be left on the memorial table, it would also be good to bring food, thereby expressing love for your deceased relatives. Unnecessary image can be given to the church shop. You should not give someone an icon in bad condition, that would be disrespectful.
Very old icons can be restored, sometimes it turns out to be more profitable from an economic point of view than buying a new one.
Indeed, often the image is a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation, losing which is simply unbearable for family members.
Icons of the former owners of the house
It often happens that when buying a house or apartment, new tenants discover abandoned icons. In this case, as in any other, you can not throw out the icons of the old owners. The icon is a sacred thing, it must be treated with respect. There is nothing wrong with leaving them. But if you are in doubt because of the unknown history of their stay in the house, the icons can be re-consecrated.
In ancestral homes, icons are usually kept that belonged to deceased relatives that the young do not want to leave. Again, not new icons from your home can be taken to the temple or donated if the images have retained their appearance. Many people mistakenly believe that it is impossible to give and receive images from someone else's hands, but the church believes that giving them is a good tradition. The icon cannot harm you, as it is a sacred object. If you doubt her former owners, you can bring it to the temple and ask to consecrate it.
Icons that belonged to strangers
Sometimes old wedding couples, icons that are handed to the young during the sacrament of the wedding, or icons of guardian angels of deceased relatives or old owners of the house, sometimes remain in the houses. You can keep these images. An icon is not a talisman, they pray to a saint in front of it, and therefore it doesn’t matter at all who the shrine belonged to before and for what reason it appeared with the past owners. The wedding couple usually consists of the icon of Jesus Christ "The Lord Almighty" and the Mother of God - "Kazan mother of God". These images of saints can go from couple to couple or even get to a single person, this is acceptable.
An icon is a symbol of faith. Unlike modern paintings, holy images carry an instructive meaning. Each icon is a work of art, with its own history and idea. Many icons very reliably convey the events described in the Gospel, the plots from which are very often used by icon painters. Therefore, they should be treated with respect and awe, and not as a piece of furniture. And even if you decide to say goodbye to the old icon, you need to do it according to the rules so as not to offend the saint, whose face is depicted on the icon, and not to harm yourself with reprehensible actions.
An icon on paper, an icon on a newspaper or magazine page, an icon on the cover of a notebook, a calendar full of icons. Everyone saw it. This is common and not surprising. But the question arises: how normal is this? In this huge stream of sacred images imprinted on lightweight and short-lived material, is there something dangerous, offensive to the shrine? The question may seem strange, but nonetheless.
Here is a quote from the dogma of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. Establishing a connection between the image and the Prototype, the Council then orders "to put in the saints God's churches, on sacred vessels and clothes, on walls and on boards, in houses and on paths, honest and holy icons, painted with paints and from fractional stones and from another substance capable of this.
Let's take a closer look at the list of places worthy of placing holy images. These are the walls of churches, sacred vessels, clothes, boards, houses. According to the materials, these are wood, fabrics of vestments, plastered stone, etc. And if at the beginning, starting a conversation about the modern abundance of icon images on paper, it was noted that this material - paper - is lightweight and short-lived, then the materials mentioned in the text of the dogma are hard, heavy and designed for very long term ministry.
This may seem like a small thing, but it's hardly true. One can try to imagine how our pious ancestor, especially the holy father, would have reacted to the need to remind in small print at the end of a newspaper sheet: “The newspaper contains sacred images. Please do not use it for domestic purposes. Indeed, someone can use a newspaper with iconic faces as a wrapping material, they can simply throw it away, and the wind will ruffle it at the feet of passers-by. Yes, and just lying in piles in printing houses and publishing houses of newspapers with icons would have caused a culture shock in the fathers.
It used to be that the iconoclast had to furiously take away the image, stab it with a spear, burn it, beat it to pieces. Today, a person can be made an iconoclast by simple inattention or negligence. Take at least calendar cards with faces. A year has passed, what to do with calendars? Put it in a wallet compartment? By the way, known practice. Priests in parishes regularly have to arrange a strange auto-da-fe from obsolete calendars, newspapers and magazines, and this cannot but sadden and alarm at the same time.
It is out of fear of angering God, offending the Mother of God or a saint that people often cut out holy images from a variety of publications, and this gives rise to another oddity. Namely - these variegated, small icons become absurdly many. The number of icons should not tend to infinity. Sometimes one prayerful image is enough, as in the cell of St. Seraphim, which would attract the eye and not allow to be entertained. There may be more of them. But so that the icons hang glued and pinned, lay and gather dust everywhere, it definitely should not be so. It doesn't inspire awe. This creates embarrassment.
Not everything here depends on us. The icon can also be found today in the form of a sticker on a wine bottle. Moreover, the most ordinary or even nasty wine, categorically unsuitable for the Liturgy. And we will get tired of suing the manufacturer if we want to stop this, in fact, blasphemy. There may be other precedents that are not directly dependent on the Church and Christians. Let's leave that for now. And let's get back to ourselves, to what depends on us.
An increase in quantity always threatens to lose quality. Having wrested the painting of icons from the hands of icon painters, turning the “writing” itself into production, i.e. into stamping and entrusting stamping to machines, we get a certain new reality, directly related to the Seventh Ecumenical Council. The icon, having turned into a small one, made on a printing machine from a lightweight and short-lived material, doesn’t it expose our faith, faith modern man? Maybe this is some kind of indication that our faith itself is becoming utilitarian (fitting in a wallet), lightweight, unable to survive the ages? Still, Rublev's frescoes are still looking at us, but obsolete calendars with holy faces are annually burned as unnecessary.
There is something corresponding to the era, something modern and terrible.