Unidentified Flying Father

In his youth, hegumen Job wanted to become an astronaut. But he didn't. As he assures, this dream no longer disturbs him. “Would I like to be an astronaut now? he asks and gives the answer without any hesitation: “No! I want to be a real monk. But in...

In his youth, hegumen Job wanted to become an astronaut. But he didn't. As he assures, this dream no longer disturbs him. “Would I like to be an astronaut now? he asks and gives the answer without any hesitation: “No! I want to be a real monk. But I would fly into space.”

This is how the film "Space as Obedience" begins. Recently it was shown on the TV channel "Culture". And at the Kiev festival "Pokrov" he was given two awards.

The success of the film, as well as its release on television, preceded the revelation of Patriarch Kirill that he was not averse to visiting space. That is why the film “Space as Obedience” is “our time a case”, as Porfiry Petrovich said in “Crime and Punishment”.

Space and its inhabitants are increasingly attracting the attention of believers - proof of this are Internet forums where young Orthodox priests, without the slightest irony, discuss how to preach to humanoids correctly, how to be the first to proclaim the truth to the aliens before Muslims, Catholics and Jews. In a word, everything indicates that the Earth is becoming cramped for believers.

Soon the first swallows-missionaries will fly into space. The film “Space as Obedience” shows that we are ready for a bailout. Because the union of Orthodoxy and astronautics is growing stronger day by day.

Here Abbot Job is dressed in a spacesuit. Gray eyes look kindly, glasses gleam dully through the helmet. He descends under water to feel what overloads the astronauts have to endure. The priest is taken from the depths to be subjected to new tests. Now he floats in weightlessness. And why does he claim that he did not become an astronaut?

The text of the film is almost poetry: “For the first time in the history of astronautics, an Orthodox priest blessed a foreigner. I wished a guardian angel on the road. And, I must say, the angels had a lot of work on that expedition ... For six months at the Mir station, all life support systems went out of order.

It turns out that particles of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh have already flown into space - as explained in the film, "known as the patron saint of the Russian land." Father Iov told cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov: "How many times you fly around the Earth with relics, so many times our planet will be consecrated." And the astronaut flew around many times.

Here is another priest, also the spiritual leader of the cosmonauts, Archpriest Sergiy Bychkov. He does not hide his triumph: “Once it was decided that not all rockets should be consecrated. And when the unconsecrated rocket took off, it fell somewhere near Karaganda. After that, they began to consecrate all the launches.

As stated in the film, "for the high effectiveness of prayers" Father Sergiy Bychkov was enrolled in the staff of the combat crew of the cosmodrome. Without it, not a single start passes. We are shown how Father Sergius blesses the rocket, which is also “this ship of the air”.

Astronauts being baptized before the flight, a priest in a spacesuit, relics sent into space - all this is part of the new reality. The authors of the film considered that they could simply and unpretentiously tell about it, the main thing at the same time was to assure menacingly that unbelieving astronauts were in danger of death, and there would be no way for unconsecrated rockets. The believing cosmonauts will see God, and the consecrated rockets will fly even farther than they were sent.

As a result, instead of a documentary film, a religious-cosmic comic book turned out. But very timely.

When so much is said about Orthodoxy in space, one gets the impression that there is already so much of it on Earth that there is more than enough to send into space.

Many expect from the church a brighter position, statements on issues that concern today's society. And they receive phenomena of a cosmic order.

The lack of social activity of the Orthodox Church now, apparently, will be compensated by unprecedented cosmic activity. The already sluggish speeches of church hierarchs about the growing xenophobia will be replaced by calls to be more tolerant of aliens.

Instead of appeals to mercy (well, for example, to people who are killed in prisons), space travel of the relics of saints will be organized. Fortunately, a start has already been made.

When Patriarch Kirill took over the ROC, many hoped that the church would become a more modern institution. But to that much?