Now in churches there is no idea of any teaching-catechumenate of anyone! And those who want to do something – hurry to quickly teach! Whom? The deaf, the blind, who understand nothing, because they cannot understand! And you hurry to “preach” something! Do not rush to teach, but hurry to study the candidate, and only after fruitful research work, start catechizing the obedient! Therefore, the Church first studies the catechumens and teaches them obedience, to be obedient (this is the beginning, middle, and endless end of prayer-communication), and only then the obedient are taught to pray – diligently keeping God’s Commandments, that is, preparing for the Mystery of communication with God and the image of God, which in due time the Lord will perform by the Holy Spirit. The Fathers in monasteries first do not give the novices a prayer book or Scripture, but send them to work in the field in obedience-slavery to the agronomist, or to the farm, or to the forest for logging, or to the hayfield – there to learn simply to listen, to do not complicated physical work. A person gradually learns to be silent and listen to what is being said to him, to listen to another… To listen, unfortunately, almost no one knows how (and almost no one learns), as well as to read – what benefit from those millions of “beautiful,” “Orthodox” words, sermons, calls?! Only the pride of the speaker-writer grows, and the deception of both: both the one who speaks-tells, and the one who listens-reads and thinks he is gaining!
The teaching of obedience, listening precedes catechumenate! This is not yet catechumenate – this is preparation for catechumenate – preparation for preparation for the Operation-Baptism of Bodily Transplantation, for Marriage with Christ! And now no one cares about catechumenate, let alone the science of obedience. And obedience – is not even catechumenate! Lord, have mercy! How “Christians” have gone astray: no one even begins to prepare for catechumenate, not to mention catechumenate, no one begins to prepare for repentance (repentance = Catechumenate → Baptism → Eucharist; and catechumenate is preceded by the teaching of obedience, the ability to hear-learn, be obedient – this is the zero level, and now with a spotlight among “Christians” you will not find). To show the blind something – you need to take care that he can see at least a little; to tell the deaf something – you need to take care that he can hear at least a little… Before conveying anything to anyone (a thought, vision), giving, you need to take care that he can accept the gift (so that at least there is some communication). Therefore, before catechumenate, the Church first cares that a person can listen (at least a little for a start, and as obedience grows, the atrophied, lost bodily hearing develops, then the soul’s hearing, and later the spiritual hearing), to be able to listen, learn to be obedient – that is, prepares for catechumenate! Otherwise, there will be only delusion!
Obedience, born from trust, grows trust, which goes from strength to strength, until it is fulfilled in faith-knowledge. Trust (see part II) – implies obedience-check by deed. The Mother of God – absolute obedience-trust in God, and it is this humble submission that became the condition for the Incarnation, grace, the fullness of the Holy Spirit (the Glory of God – saving, deifying energy-action of God).
“I am the handmaid of the Lord – let it be done to me according to God’s will!” This is what we are called to learn in catechumenate – humble absolute obedience-trust in God! The Mother of God, the Instructor of all the obedient – the most obedient, the most humble of all people and angels (“Rejoice, Gracious One, all creation, the angelic choir, and the human race!” “Mother of God, Most Holy Theotokos, more honorable than the cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim”). Perfect obedience – slavery, complete self-surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ!
For those who like to collect quotes from Scripture, we will write a few words-testimonies of the apostles about careful, responsible listening to the word of God and obligatory fulfillment of God’s will. “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven… Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them… And who hears and does not do them… the ruin of that house was great” (see Matthew 7:21-27, Luke 6:46-49). “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (see Luke 8:21, 11:28).
“How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?… But they have not all obeyed the gospel… So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (see Romans 10:14-21). “The Mother of God (and the Church) kept (keeps) all the words of the Son of God in her heart” (see Luke 2:51). “The seed is the word of God… Those by the wayside, on the rock, among thorns, are those who hear the word of God, but then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, or they, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but having no root, believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away, or hear the word, but go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But those on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience… He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (see Matthew 13:1-23; Luke 8:4-15, 21). “My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak… But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves… Faith without works is dead… Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many things” (see the epistle of the apostle James).