On August 9, 1945, the Manchurian operation began (the battle for Manchuria). It was a strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops, which was carried out with the aim of defeating the Japanese Kwantung Army (its existence was a threat to the Soviet Far East and Siberia), liberating the Chinese northeastern and northern provinces (Manchuria and Inner Mongolia), the Liaodong and Korean Peninsulas, and eliminating the largest military bridgehead and military-economic base of Japan in Asia. By carrying out this operation, Moscow fulfilled the agreements with the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition. The operation ended with the defeat of the Kwantung Army, the surrender of the Japanese Empire, and the end of World War II (on September 2, 1945, the act of surrender of Japan was signed).

Fourth war with Japan

Throughout 1941-1945. The Red Empire was forced to keep at least 40 divisions on its eastern borders. Even during the most brutal battles and critical situations of 1941-1942. in the Far East there was a powerful Soviet group, in full readiness to repel the blow of the Japanese military machine. The existence of this group of forces became the main factor that held back the beginning of Japanese aggression against the USSR. Tokyo has chosen a southern direction for its expansionist designs. However, as long as the second hotbed of war and aggression, imperial Japan, continued to exist in the Asia-Pacific region, Moscow could not consider security on the eastern borders as secured. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the factor of "revenge". Stalin consistently pursued a global policy aimed at restoring Russia's positions in the world, and defeat in the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905. damaged our position in the region. It was necessary to return the lost territories, the naval base in Port Arthur and restore their positions in the Pacific region.

The defeat of Nazi Germany and the unconditional surrender of its armed forces in May 1945, as well as the successes of the Western coalition troops in the Pacific theater of operations, forced the Japanese government to begin preparations for defense.

On July 26, the Soviet Union, the United States and China demanded that Tokyo sign an unconditional surrender. This demand was rejected. On August 8, Moscow announced that from the next day it would consider itself at war with the Japanese Empire. By that time, the Soviet high command had deployed troops from Europe on the border with Manchuria (the puppet state of Manchukuo existed there). The Soviet army was supposed to defeat the main strike group of Japan in the region - the Kwantung Army and liberate Manchuria and Korea from the invaders. The destruction of the Kwantung Army and the loss of the northeastern provinces of China and the Korean Peninsula were to have a decisive effect on accelerating the surrender of Japan and hastening the defeat of Japanese forces in South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

By the beginning of the Soviet offensive, the total number of the Japanese group located in North China, Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands amounted to 1.2 million people, about 1.2 thousand tanks, 6.2 thousand guns and mortars and up to 1.9 thousand aircraft. In addition, the Japanese troops and the forces of their allies - the army of Manchukuo and the army of Mengjiang, relied on 17 fortified areas. The Kwantung Army was commanded by General Otozo Yamada. To destroy the Japanese army in May-June 1941, the Soviet command added 27 rifle divisions, 7 separate rifle and tank brigades, 1 tank and 2 mechanized corps to the 40 divisions that were in the Far East. As a result of these measures, the combat strength of the Soviet army in the Far East almost doubled, amounting to more than 1.5 million bayonets, over 5.5 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 26 thousand guns and mortars, about 3.8 thousand aircraft. In addition, more than 500 ships and vessels of the Pacific Fleet and the Amur Flotilla took part in the hostilities against the Japanese army.

By the decision of the State Defense Committee, the commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East, which included three front-line formations - Zabaikalsky (under the command of Marshal Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky), the 1st and 2nd Far Eastern fronts (commanded by Marshal Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov and General of the Army Maxim Alekseevich Purkaev) , was appointed Marshal Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky. The hostilities on the Eastern Front began on August 9, 1945 with a simultaneous strike by the troops of all three Soviet fronts.

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the US Air Force dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, although they were of no military importance. In the course of these strikes, 114 thousand people were killed. The first nuclear bomb was dropped in the city of Hiroshima. It suffered terrible destruction, out of 306 thousand inhabitants, more than 90 thousand died. In addition, tens of thousands of Japanese died later due to wounds, burns, and radiation exposure. The West launched this attack not only to demoralize the Japanese military-political leadership, but also to demonstrate to the Soviet Union. The USA wanted to show a terrible action with the help of which they wanted to blackmail the whole world.

The main forces of the Trans-Baikal Front under the command of Malinovsky struck from the side of Transbaikalia from the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic (Mongolia was our ally) in the general direction of Changchun and Mukden. The troops of the Trans-Baikal Front had to break through to the central regions of Northeastern China, overcome the waterless steppe, and then pass the Khingan Mountains. The troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front under the command of Meretskov were advancing from the side of Primorye in the direction of Girin. This front was supposed to join the main grouping of the Trans-Baikal Front in the shortest direction. The 2nd Far Eastern Front under the leadership of Purkaev launched an offensive from the Amur region. His troops had the task of pinning down the opposing enemy forces with blows in a number of directions, thereby helping parts of the Trans-Baikal and 1st Far Eastern fronts (they were supposed to surround the main forces of the Kwantung Army). Air force strikes and amphibious assault forces from the Pacific Fleet ships were supposed to support the actions of the ground forces strike groups.

Thus, the Japanese and allied troops were attacked on land, from sea and air along the entire 5,000-strong section of the border with Manchuria and up to the coast of North Korea. By the end of August 14, 1945, the Trans-Baikal and 1st Far Eastern fronts had advanced 150-500 km deep into northeastern China and reached the main military-political and industrial centers of Manchuria. On the same day, in the face of imminent military defeat, the Japanese government signed a surrender. But, the Japanese troops continued to offer fierce resistance, because, despite the decision of the Japanese emperor to surrender, the order to the command of the Kwantung Army to cease hostilities was never given. A special danger was represented by sabotage groups of suicide bombers who tried to destroy Soviet officers at the cost of their lives, to blow themselves up in a group of soldiers or at armored vehicles, trucks. Only on August 19, the Japanese troops ceased resistance and began to lay down their arms.

Japanese soldiers surrender their weapons to a Soviet officer.

At the same time, an operation was underway to liberate the Korean Peninsula, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands (they fought until September 1). By the end of August 1945, Soviet troops completed the disarmament of the Kwantung Army and the forces of the vassal state of Manchukuo, as well as the liberation of Northeast China, the Liaodong Peninsula and North Korea to the 38th parallel. On September 2, the Empire of Japan surrendered unconditionally. This event took place aboard the American ship Missouri, in the waters of Tokyo Bay.

Following the results of the fourth Russo-Japanese War, Japan returned South Sakhalin to the USSR. The Kuril Islands also became part of the Soviet Union. Japan itself was occupied by American troops, which continue to be based in this state to this day. From May 3, 1946 to November 12, 1948, the Tokyo Trial took place. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East has convicted the main Japanese war criminals (28 people in total). The international tribunal sentenced 7 people to death, 16 defendants - to life imprisonment, the rest received 7 years in prison.

The defeat of Japan led to the disappearance of the puppet state of Manchukuo, the restoration of Chinese power in Manchuria, and the liberation of the Korean people. He helped the USSR and the Chinese communists. Units of the 8th Chinese People's Liberation Army entered Manchuria. The Soviet army handed over the weapons of the defeated Kwantung Army to the Chinese. In Manchuria, under the leadership of the communists, government bodies were created, and military units were formed. As a result, Northeast China became the base of the Chinese Communist Party, and it played a decisive role in the victory of the Communists over the Kuomintang and the Chiang Kai-shek regime.

In addition, the news of the defeat and surrender of Japan led to the August Revolution in Vietnam, which broke out at the call of the Communist Party and the Viet Minh League. The leadership of the liberation uprising was carried out by the National Committee for the Liberation of Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. The Vietnamese Liberation Army, which in several days increased more than 10 times in number, disarmed Japanese units, dispersed the occupation administration and established new authorities. On August 24, 1945, the Vietnamese Emperor Bao Dai abdicated the throne. The supreme power in the country passed to the National Liberation Committee, which began to carry out the functions of the Provisional Government. On September 2, 1945, the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh announced the "Declaration of Vietnam's Independence."

The defeat of the Japanese Empire sparked a powerful anti-colonial movement in the Asia-Pacific region. So, on August 17, 1945, the committee for the preparation of independence, headed by Sukarno, declared the independence of Indonesia. Ahmed Sukarno became the first president of the newly independent state. Great India was also moving towards independence, where Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who were freed from prison, were the leaders of the people.

On August 9, 1945, the US Air Force carried out the second nuclear bombing in the history of mankind. On this day, the atomic bomb "Fat Man" was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

Throughout the war, Nagasaki was a fairly safe place and only on August 1, 1945, an air raid was carried out on it. But it also could not be compared with the carpet bombing of Tokyo - only a dozen high-explosive bombs fell on the city. Some of them ended up in the shipyards and docks in the southwestern part of the city. Several more hit the Mitsubishi steel and arms factories, and there were also direct hits at the Medical School and hospital.

Although the damage from this attack was relatively small, it created significant disturbance in Nagasaki. As a result, some of the people, mainly schoolchildren, were evacuated to rural areas, thus, by the time of the atomic attack, the city's population had somewhat decreased. Nagasaki may well not have gone down in history in such a terrible way - after all, it was a backup target of a nuclear bombing. The main target was the city of Kokura.

On August 9, at 2:47 am, an American B-29 bomber under the command of Major Charles Sweeney, carrying an atomic bomb "Fat Man", took off from Tinian Island and headed for Kokura. It should be noted that in contrast to the "smooth" first bombing (Hiroshima on August 6, 1945), the second immediately went awry. Even before takeoff, a malfunction of the fuel pump was discovered in one of the spare fuel tanks, which, however, did not lead to the cancellation of the operation.

The troubles for the pilots did not end there - at 8:10, after reaching the rendezvous point with the other B-29s participating in the departure, it was not found there. For 40 minutes, B-29 Sweeney circled around the rendezvous point, burning fuel, but did not wait for the missing aircraft to appear.

At 8:50 B-29, Sweeney, deciding not to wait any longer, headed towards Kokura, where he arrived at 9:20. Only then the second "lost" plane joined him. However, by this time, the sky itself was taken under protection of Kokuru - strong clouds thickened over the city, which did not allow visual bombing. At 10:32, after three unsuccessful approaches to the target, at the end the annoyed Sweeney headed for a backup target - the city of Nagasaki. At the same time, the navigator reported to him that due to a malfunction of the fuel pump, there was only enough fuel for one approach to the target.

When at 10:53 the two flying B-29 fortresses came into view, the Japanese decided that it was just reconnaissance and did not give an air raid signal. Nevertheless, many people, noticing the planes, ran for cover, because after the bombing on August 1, they believed that heavy raids were being prepared on the city. This ultimately saved many lives.

Although clouds thickened over Nagasaki too, Sweeney had no options - reluctantly, he “gave the go-ahead” to less accurate radar bombing.

True, at the last moment the Americans were finally "lucky" - the bombardier-gunner Captain Kermit Behan noticed the silhouette of the city stadium in the gap between the clouds, which allowed him to orient himself in the terrain, at 11:00 he dropped an atomic bomb. The explosion occurred at 11:02 local time at an altitude of about 500 meters. The explosion power was about 21 kilotons.

The explosion affected an area of ​​approximately 110 km², of which 22 km² falls on the water surface and 84 km² were only partially populated.

According to a report from Nagasaki Prefecture, "people and animals died almost instantly" at a distance of up to 1 km from the epicenter. Nearly all houses within a 2 km radius were destroyed, and dry, flammable materials such as paper ignited up to 3 km from the epicenter. Of the 52,000 buildings in Nagasaki, 14,000 were destroyed and another 5,400 severely damaged. Only 12% of buildings remained intact. Although there was no firestorm in the city, numerous local fires were observed.

The death toll by the end of 1945 ranged from 60 to 80 thousand people. After 5 years, the total death toll, taking into account deaths from cancer and other long-term effects of the explosion, could reach or even exceed 140 thousand people.

Next year, humanity will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, which showed many examples of unprecedented cruelty, when entire cities disappeared from the face of the earth within days or even hours and hundreds of thousands of people died, including civilians. The most striking example of this is the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the ethical justification of which is questioned by any sane person.

Japan during the final stages of World War II

As you know, Nazi Germany surrendered on the night of May 9, 1945. This meant the end of the war in Europe. And also the fact that the only enemy of the countries of the anti-fascist coalition was imperial Japan, which at that time was officially declared war by about 6 dozen countries. Already in June 1945, as a result of bloody battles, its troops were forced to leave Indonesia and Indochina. But when on July 26, the United States, together with Great Britain and China, presented an ultimatum to the Japanese command, it was rejected. At the same time, even during the Soviet era, he committed to launch a large-scale offensive against Japan in August, for which, after the end of the war, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were to be transferred to him.

Prerequisites for the use of atomic weapons

Long before these events, in the fall of 1944, at a meeting of the leaders of the United States and Great Britain, the question of the possibility of using new super-destructive bombs against Japan was considered. After that, the famous Manhattan project, launched a year earlier and aimed at creating nuclear weapons, began to function with renewed vigor, and work on the creation of its first samples was completed by the time the hostilities in Europe ended.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki: reasons for the bombing

Thus, by the summer of 1945, the United States became the only owner of atomic weapons in the world and decided to use this advantage in order to exert pressure on its longtime enemy and at the same time a comrade-in-arms in the anti-Hitler coalition - the USSR.

In this case, despite all the defeats, the morale of Japan was not broken. As evidenced by the fact that every day hundreds of members of her imperial army became kamikaze and kaiten, directing their planes and torpedoes at ships and other military targets of the American army. This meant that when conducting a ground operation on the territory of Japan itself, the Allied forces would expect huge losses. It is the latter reason that is most often cited by US officials today as an argument justifying the need for such measures as the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. At the same time, it is forgotten that, according to Churchill, three weeks before I. Stalin informed him about the attempts of the Japanese to establish a peaceful dialogue. Obviously, representatives of this country were going to make such proposals to both the Americans and the British, since the massive bombing of large cities put their military industry on the brink of collapse and made surrender inevitable.

Target selection

After obtaining agreement in principle for the use of atomic weapons against Japan, a special committee was formed. Its second meeting took place on May 10-11 and was devoted to the choice of cities to be bombed. The main criteria used by the commission were:

• the mandatory presence of civilian objects around a military target;
• its importance for the Japanese not only from an economic and strategic point of view, but also from a psychological point of view;
• a high degree of significance of the object, the destruction of which would cause a resonance throughout the world;
• the target did not have to be damaged by the bombing for the military to assess the true power of the new weapon.

Which cities were considered as targets

Among the "applicants" were:

• Kyoto, which is the largest industrial and cultural center and the ancient capital of Japan;
• Hiroshima as an important military port and city where army warehouses were concentrated;
• Yokagama, which is the center of the military industry;
• Kokura is home to the largest military arsenal.

According to the surviving memories of the participants in those events, although Kyoto was the most convenient target, the United States Secretary of War G. Stimson insisted on excluding this city from the list, since he was personally familiar with its sights and represented their value for world culture.

Interestingly, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not originally planned. More precisely, the city of Kokura was considered as the second target. This is evidenced by the fact that before August 9, an air raid was carried out on Nagasaki, which caused anxiety among the residents and forced the evacuation of most of the schoolchildren to the surrounding villages. A little later, as a result of long discussions, reserve targets were chosen in case of unforeseen situations. They are:

• for the first bombing, if Hiroshima fails to hit, - Niigata;
• for the second (instead of Kokura) - Nagasaki.

Training

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki required careful preparation. During the second half of May and June, the 509th Joint Aviation Group was redeployed to the base on the island of Tinian, in connection with which exceptional security measures were taken. A month later, on July 26, the atomic bomb "Malysh" was delivered to the island, and on the 28th, some of the components for assembling "Fat Man" were delivered. On the same day, who at that time held the post of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, put his signature under the order instructing to carry out a nuclear bombing at any time after August 3, when the weather conditions are suitable.

The first atomic strike against Japan

The date of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki cannot be named unambiguously, since the nuclear strikes on these cities were carried out with a difference of 3 days.

The first blow was struck at Hiroshima. And it happened on June 6, 1945. The "honor" to drop the "Kid" bomb went to the crew of the B-29 aircraft, nicknamed "Enola Gay", commanded by Colonel Tibbets. Moreover, before the flight, the pilots, confident that they were doing a good deed and their "feat" would be followed by an early end of the war, visited the church and received an ampoule each in case of being captured.

Together with "Enola Gay", three reconnaissance aircraft, designed to find out the weather conditions, and 2 aircraft with photographic equipment and devices for studying the parameters of the explosion, took off into the air.

The bombing itself went completely without problems, since the Japanese military did not notice objects rushing towards Hiroshima, and the weather was more than favorable. What happened next can be seen by watching the film "The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" - a documentary made from newsreels made in the Pacific region at the end of World War II.

In particular, it shows which, according to Captain Robert Lewis, who was a member of the crew of the Enola Gay, was visible even after their plane flew 400 miles from the place where the bomb was dropped.

Bombing of Nagasaki

The operation to drop the "Fat Man" bomb, carried out on August 9, proceeded in a completely different way. In general, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the photo of which evokes associations with the well-known descriptions of the Apocalypse, was prepared extremely carefully, and the only thing that could make adjustments to its conduct was the weather. This is what happened when, early in the morning of August 9, a plane took off from the island of Tinian under the command of Major Charles Sweeney and with the atomic bomb "Fat Man" on board. At 8:10 the plane arrived at the place where it was supposed to meet with the second - B-29, but did not find it. After 40 minutes of waiting, it was decided to carry out the bombing without a partner aircraft, but it turned out that 70% cloud cover was already observed over the city of Kokura. Moreover, even before the flight, it was known that the fuel pump had malfunctioned, and at the time the board was over Kokura, it became obvious that the only way to drop the Fat Man was to do it during the flight over Nagasaki. Then the B-29 went to this city and dumped, focusing on the local stadium. Thus, by chance, Kokura was saved, and the whole world learned that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had taken place. Fortunately, if such words are at all appropriate in this case, the bomb fell far from the original target, quite far from residential areas, which somewhat reduced the number of victims.

Aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

According to eyewitness accounts, within a few minutes everyone who was within a radius of 800 m from the epicenters of the explosions died. Then the fires began, and in Hiroshima they soon turned into a tornado due to the wind, the speed of which was about 50-60 km / h.

The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki introduced humanity to such a phenomenon as radiation sickness. The doctors noticed her first. They were surprised that the condition of the survivors first improved, and then they died from the disease, the symptoms of which resembled diarrhea. In the first days and months after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was carried out, few could have imagined that those who survived it would suffer various diseases all their lives and even give birth to unhealthy children.

Subsequent events

On August 9, immediately after the news of the bombing of Nagasaki and the declaration of war by the USSR, Emperor Hirohito called for an immediate surrender, subject to the preservation of his power in the country. And 5 days later, the Japanese media circulated his statement on the cessation of hostilities in English. Moreover, in the text, His Majesty mentioned that one of the reasons for his decision is the presence of the enemy "terrible weapon", the use of which could lead to the destruction of the nation.

Located in the west of the island of Kyushu in Japan and is the administrative center of the prefecture of the same name. The city arose on the site of a fishing village, and was one of the main points through which Japan's contacts with foreign states were made. During Japan's isolation, Nagasaki was the only port through which limited trade with the Dutch and Chinese was conducted.

With the outbreak of World War II, Nagasaki not only did not lose its importance as a major seaport, but also acquired important military importance due to the many industries operating in the city, primarily shipbuilding, weapons and steel factories.

Nagasaki was located in two valleys, through which two rivers flowed. The mountain range divided residential and industrial areas. It was he who determined the chaotic development of Nagasaki and the fact that less than 4 square miles of the total area of ​​the city - 35 square miles were built up. Nagasaki developed for many years without an agreed city plan, and therefore residential buildings and factory buildings throughout the industrial valley were as close to each other as possible. On one street, the Mitsubishi steel plant and the shipyard of the same company were located on the south side, and the Mitsubishi torpedo workshops - Urakami - on the north. The main business and residential areas were located on a small plain near the edge of the bay.

Nagasaki had never been subjected to large-scale bombing before the atomic bomb exploded. However, on August 1, 1945, several high-explosive bombs were dropped there. Some of these bombs hit the shipyards and docks in the southwestern part of the city. Several ended up in the Mitsubishi steel and arms factories, the Medical School and the hospital. Although the damage caused by this attack was relatively small, it caused considerable concern in the city and some people, mostly schoolchildren, were evacuated to rural areas; thus, by the time of the atomic attack, the population of Nagasaki had decreased somewhat.

The US planned to drop the atomic bomb "Fat Man" ("Fat Man") - a plutonium bomb (isotope of plutonium-239) with a capacity of 20 kilotons and a mass of 4.5 tons - on August 11, then the date was postponed to August 9.

On August 9, at 11 hours 2 minutes, the crew of the carrier aircraft dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The bomb exploded high above the industrial valley of Nagasaki, almost halfway between Mitsubishi's steel and weapons industries to the south, and the Mitsubishi-Urakami torpedo factory to the north, two main targets in the city.

More than 73 thousand people were killed and went missing, later 35 thousand more people died from radiation and wounds. More than 50% of the victims were burned, up to 30% were injured from the shock wave, 20% were exposed to penetrating radiation.

The fires destroyed most of the residential buildings.

The atomic explosion over Nagasaki affected an area of ​​approximately 43 square miles, of which 8.5 square miles were water surface and only 9.8 square miles were built-up. The rest of the space was only partially populated, which helped to avoid even more casualties.

The consequences of the second bombing were no less dire than after the first operation. In one of the Japanese reports, the situation observed in the territory of Nagasaki was described as follows: "The city resembles a cemetery in which not a single tombstone has survived."

Currently, the epicenter of a nuclear explosion is a thriving suburb of Nagasaki. Only the so-called Epicenter Park reminds of the disaster. In the center of this park is a black stone column - just above the place where the bomb exploded.

Nearby is the Peace Park, in the center of which a colossal figure of a seated half-naked man is installed on a high pedestal. His right hand is raised up, as if pointing to a falling bomb, and his left is extended horizontally and symbolizes peace and forgiveness.

In the south of the Peace Park is the Atomic Bomb Museum, which opened in 1996. The terrible exhibits of this museum make an indelible impression on visitors. A clock with hands frozen at 11.02 - the exact time of the explosion of the atomic bomb on August 9, 1945 - became the emblem of Nagasaki.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, while experiencing the events of this week, you and I can plunge into that state of mind that implies the need for a Christian to at least to a small extent participate in an event related to the feat of God for the sake of people.

The Path of Love presupposes a person's readiness to learn the most complex art, the mastery of which was shown by the Lord Himself, having come to earth, having reduced Himself to a human body, clothed with flesh and then gave it up to be crucified for human sins, showing an example of great humility. In this self-humiliation of the Lord, the amazing depth of His mercy and readiness to show how many paths there are to the Heavenly Kingdom are revealed before us.

With His most pure hands, He washes the feet of disciples, people of low profession, His followers, called to the apostolic ministry. Calling them with Him to a special feast, to a meal where the first Eucharist is celebrated, He, lamenting, but loving the disciple who betrays Him, until the last moment wants to save him, but the soul that has departed from God with difficulty returns to its Savior. Here is the tragedy of a student who quickly sets an example of despair leading to suicide. Next, we see the example of the apostle Peter, who claims that he will not deny, but then does just that. And each of us in his life, unfortunately, repeats his path, expressing one thing with his lips, and manifesting another with his deeds. Then a prayer sounds in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Lord calls the disciples three times to pray together, but the apostles are asleep ... And the Savior asks the Father to grant Him the mercy that He must bear.

We need to understand that what we can contain is only partially revealed to us, only a part of that pain and suffering. It is about the dialogue of the Lord within Himself. After all, the Savior turns to God the Father, who is in Him. This is one of the deepest mysteries of theology when it comes to the Holy Trinity. But at the same time, these words give us an example of what we must do in situations of special stress and trials: we must call God for help, adding at the same time: "Thy will be done!"

Then we hear about the betrayal that the disciple commits by kissing Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. What was it for? It was a sign. The fact is that after Communion the apostles were transformed and became so much like the Savior that it was difficult to determine who among these people was their Teacher. The Apostle Jude points to Jesus and is arrested. And here mercy is shown when the Lord asks to remove the knife, saying that the one who came with a knife or with a sword will perish. Here, both the external and internal components of a Christian's life are indicated, which presuppose prayer, humility and a willingness to sacrifice oneself as a weapon. An amazing door opens before us, difficult to pass, but the only possible one for the salvation of our soul.

Let us try, dear brothers and sisters, to be attentive to words as much as possible in our life. Let us learn the art of following Christ in a willingness to start small, in a determination to show our efforts in bearing our cross. Amen!

Archpriest Andrei Alekseev