Farewell to the God -bearer

The writer and businessman Alfred Koch, whom friends call Alik, has long ... ─ I don’t know how to express it more precisely in simple everyday language ─ I went into spiritual searches. Being a baptized person. Orthodoxy is the faith of his ancestors on the maternal line. Maternal, perhaps, is more important than his fatherly. Motherland, there is such a phrase, and it is here that he lived and lives, which is also important. And not in Vaterland (father’s land). It’s not that it was about Galah, but the same Germans ─ this paternal line of Alik ─ use the term muttersPrache in everyday life, that is, the native language, and here, probably, the word MUTTER is clear without translation. The Russians have a certain analogue ─ the term “with mother’s milk”, of course, right? Such a Goyskaya Galah.

Orthodoxy for him ─ was for him an important topic. A man not just on duty said that he was a believer, but ─ he made efforts over himself within this framework. He went to the temple, set the service there, everything is as it should. Moreover, ─ traveled to monasteries! I worshiped the relics there. As you know, you can otherwise spend a financial and temporary resource, a million ways. But he chose one! (Stop grunting, who started!)

Moreover: Alik began to keep the great post for a long time! For us, drinking, this is the same test. If anyone tried. Here is a picture on the topic. Once we went to St. Petersburg with him, he ─ to give prizes to young mathematicians, from his money, in memory of his teacher Ovsievich, and I ─ as a reporter and comrade. And there, in the St. Petersburg House of Scientists, on the embankment, ─ and a banquet, from the same, of course, the source of financing. The buffet was rich. One misfortune: all of the trefty. Sausages, ham, cutlets, pastes and so on in that spirit.

─ Do you have anything lean? ─ We ask.

─ Lenten?! ─ The local manager was surprised, who somehow managed not to know in the face of the main sponsor of the entire celebration.

─ Well, yes, there are vegetables, potatoes.

─ What is it? Why don't you like our treats?

─ Yes, we understand, here we keep the post.

─ You know, this new Moscow fashion has not yet reached Peter, ─ a lady answered with a poorly hidden emotion in relation to the capital's assholes.

Well, I don’t know how much fashion is here. If even yes, then why not, there is also a “good” fashion; It was fashionable in Moscow to skip pedestrians on the zebra, which is bad.

Along along the way, Alik studied other religions. This began, I think, with an interest in culture. Like, how can Muslims be understood without reading the Qur'an? I understand that now in Russia a fashion for militant atheism, as it was in the 20s, then illiterate Komsomol members from the peasants were also fond of this. But we are not gopniks to laugh at a person who thinks about the meaning of life. There are people who say to themselves that they descended from the amoeba or from the monkey, hid from damp purely by accident, ─ we respect such views. But it is necessary to give a different point of view to give the right to life, no?

At some point, I was alarmed: it seemed to me that Alik's interest in the Qur'an began to go off the way. Go beyond.

─ What do you need? ─ He asked.

─ Well ─ how? I would not like ... Still ...

I knew one Orthodox, he was even once a priest who changed his suit: he accepted Islam. It is not surprising there, from the very beginning, there was a pure party apparatus on the habits. And ─ here?

─ Yes, I'll take it and go to Mohammedanism! ─ He was either joking or seriously aimed, I did not understand.

─ Do not do this! ─ I exclaimed. ─ You won't laugh!

He laughed back.

In connection with Islam, we, of course, touched on the theme of polygamy. How not to affect! We were then noticeably younger, and the topic was still very worried. For this case, Alik then once again the gospel and said: he said:

─ There is a lot about how to behave with his wife.

─ Well.

─ But nowhere is it said that the wife should be alone. Nowhere! This can be understood so that with each of the wives you need to behave in such a way and so.

About these all the searches, Alik and I wrote in the "Box of Vodka", there was such a book if anyone remembers. The simplest thing here is to say that here people with fat are furious, to do Necher, and if at the factory they had to get food for the family, then they would not be littered with nonsense and so on. Well, we will not develop this core, here everything is clear. Sapienti Sat, it’s clear to the fool.

Of course, Catholicism and Lutheranism did not stand aside, and they also aroused his interest. Alik is a scientific person, an economic candidate, he studies issues systematically. As a nature, I also thought about all this, but ─ in a simple way. Start comparing ─ you will see everything at once. Where are Catholics ─ there are loomy wines and delicacies, bliss and splendor, luxury and idleness. Where the Protestants ─ there are democratic beer with sausages, cheap shoes and considerable costumes, and it is supposed to work out of love for art, and to sacrifice the grandmother for charity, literally “give your property to the poor and follow me”, I quote from memory. Protestant ethics ─ here it is, in a nutshell if. And what to say about Orthodoxy, from which we began to dance? It’s not even necessary words, it is enough to give a list of Orthodox countries: Russia with two former Soviet sisters, Serbia, and also loud defendants in financial scandals ─ Greece with Cyprus. Moldova, Georgia, Ethiopia, ─ Who else is there, forgive the Lord? Neither the economy has the Brothers-Orthodox, nor order, nor clear meaning. I hope I have not offended the feelings of believers here? Yes, of course there is no ─ truth that everyone knows, cannot insult.

And here to these spiritual ─ in the good sense of the word ─ the search came up with a new surge of what hipsters call the word “obscurantism”. Climbers, the kissing of priests with the Chekists, the consecration of missiles, persecution of the blasphemers. It’s not necessary to tell for a long time. I myself have repeatedly spoke in approximately in this spirit:

─ In the early 80s, printing in samizdat, including Orthodox literature, being with clericals on the same side of the barricades, when Gabuha was driven by all of us ─ I thought that the priests would be happy with the Chekists who exploded the temples and drowned bishops in the ice hole?

Of course, I didn’t think about it then, and I am not a woman of Wang to know the future. In addition, I speak without a shadow of conviction, I just state the fact: I did not think about this, I didn’t wondered that it would turn everything. It’s just sometimes sad, but everything is fine.

In such a difficult environment, I stopped arguing with Alik. He ruthlessly asked me:

─ Do you like everything that the Patriarch does and says?

─ No. Not all. Like you.

─ Well, then what are you? ...

─ Where is the Patriarch ─ and where am I! He has his own affairs, I have my own. The church is not bureaucrats, it is different. And officials ─ they are all the same. It is impossible, looking at the Minister of Health, to say that rural nurses who save people for a penny ─ bad. That's when I printed the gospel underground, I was not interested in what the Patriarchate was doing at that time, it never occurred to me to go to ask Cyril to ask for blessings from Cyril, I don’t know who he went to and what he taught whom. Maybe he was friends with the same, with whom he would be happy today ... What is the case before? He will answer for himself when he is asked.

I also thought that this was a kind of temptation, that they feel us like this: you see, the patriarch is wrong, right? Well, it means that all faith is, as it were, wrong. Or such an example. Many years ago, one of my comrade, so it seems very pantry and all the churched, borrowed money from me. And did not give it. Well, I couldn’t send the bandits to him, to a large father! He really needed money, in default. And helped him out. All these years I somehow managed, there was no need to rush it. The idea that here he is, bastard, does not give money, and, therefore, all of them there ─ I drove from myself as too simple. Probably this is some other lesson. Maybe now this deeply church citizen will feel that I am shallow ─ and give a grandmother. Well, for example, I am not very clear about possible provocations from the outside.

Alik further beat under the breath:

─ Do you believe in the miraculous power of relics? In the remission of sins? All this theater? Are you able to worship the boards?

─ Yes, leave me alone!

─ No, answer!

─ Listen, this outside side of Orthodoxy is a part of the tradition, probably, it should be perceived.

─ So I have two traditions. I have Lutheranism in my father. That's what I will go there.

─ You don't like boards! You are! Also me, Leo Tolstoy. This way you will go barefoot, and "I can’t be silent!" You will write ...

A year or more has passed.

Alik called me and said that he was moving from Orthodoxy to Lutheranism. He called the date and place of confirmation, emphasizing that of all the Christian faiths of this procedure, only the Orthodox have no. I said that I would definitely come.

─ Do you want to join me?

─ In no case! I ─ so ... I want to see. Yes, and have not seen you for a long time.

A beautiful Sunday morning we met in the church of St. Peter and Paul, in Starosadsky Lane, in Moscow. First, the service passed. Sitting, of course, more convenient than standing. By the way, I remembered the words of someone from the fathers of the Church: "It is better to sit thinking about God than standing ─ about a stool."

The ceiling in Kirsch is tall, the windows are huge, full of light. Still, we have better, the dusk is so romantic, the smell of burning candles, which is sorry, there is no ... Grandmothers do not have enough such strict ones in scarves ... Psalms and prayers were in two languages ​​─ first in German, then translation. I spent an hour and a half in exile. Everything is clear, but somehow cold, with a lack of feelings.

The service is over.

But people did not disperse.

The bishop interrupted Alik, he went to the forefront, he was given a lit candle, he knelt ─ and the Germans took him back to his place, after four hundred years of the Kochi family in Rus'.

─ Thank you for coming to support me, ─ he said when it all ended. And for sure, I was the only one who came from the side ─ almost said the groom, ─ everyone else was just during the trip, in different countries, and completely non -Orthodox ones.

─ What support? If you notice, I discouraged you to the last. Although ─ if you take it off, then you will not move you.

And here's another what is interesting with them, Lutheran. When the service ended, first the clergy left their places. The priests became a line at the exit and said goodbye to the parishioners in a simple way, vouching. This is democracy! Somehow it looks unnatural in our area ...

We went to note this case. Lane in a familiar tavern, as they say.

They walked past the synagogue in Spasoglinishchevsky, the former Arkhipov.

─ Do you remember once people saw you here in a bype? And they decided that this is Coming out, that you are a Jew? ─ I asked, so to speak, neophyte.

By the way, the surname Koch is used by Jews too. For example, Einstein’s mother was called ─ not everyone knows ─ Paulina Koch.

─ And you were still joking then that you have hedged, Haha!

─ I was just at the festival of friends, I came to congratulate, everything is very simple.

─ Well, thank you for not going to Judaism.

─ This is impossible! To do this, it was necessary to be born a Jew.

We celebrated in, funny to say, chinkal. Hinkaley took 20 pieces for two, and before that, even in Kharcho. Alik doesn’t drink, how many years, ─ how Gaidara was buried ─ Well, and I decided not to thump in the same way, I would also be a holiday for one face without changing my hands.

─ You, Alik, are still lucky that you did not accept Islam then.

─ Why ─ lucky?

─ And now the Muslims should have killed you for apostasy. They have such concepts. And we, Orthodox, kind! Say thanks ...

At this time, the announcer of some radio that broadcast in the Khinkalnoye, not far from the synagogue, congratulated all those present, and means to us, noting the confirmation of the Russian-German businessman, with a World Catholic troll. Funny, really! Here it is, globalization in the modern world.