Gennady entrance biography

Hieromonk Gennady Politshko, head of the sector of the parish education of the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechization of the Russian Orthodox Church. The beginning of the path for the first time I clearly realized that God has existed, probably, at twelve years. It was a year. It seemed that then everything was breathing not only in the new words “Perestroika, publicity, democratization” ...

Everything around talked about what happened in Rus' years ago. She was baptized ...

Therefore, interest in religion, in faith in God was genuine for many. This was facilitated by the “thaw” in relation to the church by the state. Quite unexpectedly, I then turned out to be in Vladimir. I remember some people on the street distributed a new covenant. I took it. He came to the hotel, opened it and began to read: “Abraham gave birth to Isaac, Isaac gave birth to Jacob” ...

words that are understandable. It seems to be ...? This Maria could give birth to someone, Anna could. But Abraham and Isaac?! I read on: "And I said to say ...". Again, nothing is clear, I can not break through all these complex constructions. He began to leaf through ... Finally he reached the revelation of John the Theologian. And then suddenly it seemed to me that I was catching some sense, that everything here was clear, and clearly felt that behind all the reality described here is the one who is called God.

And although this book is one of the most difficult in the Holy Scriptures, I had the feeling that in a hydrant, a seal tore off and a fountain of living faith hit up. But I must admit, it passed for more than one year, while I consciously came to church. I entered the History Faculty of Brest State University, our course turned out to be incredibly religious. Discussions about faith, about Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism, atheism have been the norm from the first weeks of study.

Somehow after the first year I was invited to one television talk show. In my opinion, the topic sounded like this: “Do young people need faith in God? We were not familiar and only after the broadcast shook hands. And a month later I meet him at the university. It turned out that he sings on the Church and is going to go to the seminary. I had no similar plans at all.

Very soon, thanks to him, I also began to sing in the church. Yes, I already realized myself Orthodox, I knew something about the doctrine, but I did not have clear ideas about the basics of spiritual life. Then I began to read a lot of spiritual literature. But this was clearly not enough. For 10 years, even despite the fact that I was in the temple every week and sang on the clergy, it took communion only once five.

I seemed to understand that this is important, but no one told me about the fact that this could and should live. And life went on as usual. At twenty-six, I was already the deputy head of the apparatus and the press secretary of the Governor of the Brest region. And five years later, I suddenly realized that I was not in the church for a long time. Inside, longing for the sky grew like a home house, where they are waiting for you very much.

And I must say, at the beginning of that year I had a strange feeling that in two months I would die. It seems that everything was wonderful: a beautiful career, a great life. And suddenly this is a foreboding. And the same acute longing across the sky covers. I thought: “Why would it be? Then I stood in front of the icon of the Savior and asked: “Lord, how do you want me to live?

And then he sat down at the table and began to prepare for confession: he took a sheet of A4 format and began to record ... I wrote three sheets from both sides and then caught myself thinking: now I’ll go to the temple, and from there they will drive me with “dirty rags”. He came to the temple in the center of Moscow, went to the priest, to whom there was no queue, confessed ...

And after confession, I suddenly felt the air rapidly poured into the lungs. I seemed to emerge from the bottom. Even the head was spinning. After that, I tried to confess every Saturday and take communion at least on Sunday. And I still adhere to this rule. The feeling of rapid approach of death has gone, he was replaced by joy from gaining the present.

But I could not imagine that I would be a priest. Yes, even a monk. I perceived myself exclusively as a specialist in the field of marketing communications and a PR man, although sometimes I began to think about how to devote all its time to the service of God, the Church and people. Once we drank tea in the company of church guys. Word for the word, it turned out that in one temple we need a singer, and I have long wanted to continue to sing on the choir.

I was brought to the regent. We met, and then she says: “We have an icon of the novel of the Sweet -Owl recently on the Church. And no one knows where she came from. " He took her carefully and hung her on the wall. So it still seems to be on the church in that temple and hanging. Goodbye, career! There were more and more important and interesting church affairs, but meanwhile, my business projects began to slowly close.

I especially did not want to promote alcohol companies in the market, although these were key customers. At some point, I keenly realized that my life as a Christian and such a business are incompatible. I tried to understand how to allow this contradiction that tormented me. On Friday evening I went to confession.He said about this to the priest - they say, I think that I do badly, helping to promote such companies in the market.

And in response, he still asked for a good way to think through everything, probably believing that it was all "neophytake". I was surprised by his reaction ... and was even more perplexed. Monday of the working week has come. And the strangest thing began: one after another, customers began to call me to report that for various reasons, projects are paused. Almost everyone turned out to be closed in a week.

I just raised my head up and said: "Only you could arrange it." I had to move out of a rented apartment and even spend the night with a friend in the kitchen. I wander around the apartment and think: "Lord, if I find them now, I will give them to a person who is very needed." And for some reason I thought about you right away. So: I found them, and now I am fulfilling the promise to God.

I thanked, took the money and gave it for classes. And then it became light and joyful for me, and I thought: "The shells around are torn, but not a single fragment will fall into you." Neither the horror of the night is terrible for you, nor during the day the launched arrow, nor the plague, stolen in the night, nor the mor in broad daylight. A thousand fell next to you, ten thousand on your right hand, but the trouble will pass you!

You are just a witness ... We went to nature with friends, and read the gospel together. In fact, every day I sang on the choir. I am especially grateful to God for this period, because he showed me all the beauty of life in the church and the Church itself in its holiness and simplicity of human relations and purity, like a bride in a snow -white robe. And it supports and motivates me now.

Yes, I see different moods and opinions in church society, and this is normal. But that vaccination, the charge that I received at the time of my churching still supports my immunity. I then did not think about the seminary, nor about the priesthood, nor about monasticism. Of course, later I graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary, but at that moment I did not know where to go.

I thought only about one thing: I want to serve God constantly and my whole life. And once my friend from the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechization invited me to work for them. I had no idea what I would do there, but I still went to the first meeting with the chairman of the department Metropolitan Mercury Ivanov. I saw a charismatic, bright, educated person. But he still doubted.

Until he saw how the Metropolitan performs the liturgy with what kind of trepidation and reverence, it serves by the throne by limitless dedication. This finally approved me in the decision. The moment of truth was January. I was already the head of the information service of the department. I heard something very important now about your life.