The good things of this world intoxicate a person; vanity despoils the soul and the mind, and sobriety is lost. The mostwise Ecclesiastes understood that the soul is not capable of fi nding peace and perfect wisdom in this world. And though the meaninglessness of the world oppresses a person, inattentive people fail to notice the terrible maelstrom into which we are all caught up. The only escape from it is Christ.

This prayer book is intended for independent use by children ages 5–12. O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fi llest all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of Life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Know your enemy, it is said. The passions and those who help them take root are the seed of the devil. The fight against this seed lasts one’s whole life, and only he who turns to God will emerge victorious.

Every Christian gives thought to the question of how oft en one should commune. In asking the advice of various priests, one may hear opinions that discourage frequent communion by the laity, or on the contrary one may be advised to approach the Holy Chalice as oft en as possible, especially on holy days.

The question of how to learn God’s will is one of the most important in a person’s life. God’s will is the most accurate and precise measure of our actions. If a person acts according to his own will instead of God’s, he may err and become doomed to a life of wandering in the darkness of this world.

How often young men and women, when choosing their companion for life, think his or her faith to be of no importance! “We love each other, and he (or she) doesn’t mind that I go to church.”