February 12, 2015
Moscow: Epistle of Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow & All Russia on the
Occasion of Orthodox Youth Day
On March 12, 2002, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church
resolved to hold Orthodox Youth Day on the feast of the Meeting of
the Lord throughout the canonical territory of the Moscow
Patriarchate. In conjunction with this, His Holiness Kyrill,
Patriarch of Moscow & All Russia, has released his annual epistle,
the text of which is available below. With the blessing of His
Holiness, all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church are asked to
read the Patriarchal epistle upon completion of the Divine Liturgy
on February 15 of this year.
Dear
brothers and sisters!
I sincerely congratulate all of you on the feast of the Meeting of
the Lord, as well as the Day of Orthodox Youth, which we now
celebrate.
Today we prayerfully recall how the Most Pure Virgin Mary brought
her Son – the Divine Infant Jesus – to the Temple in Jerusalem,
where they were greeted by the elder Simeon, a man – as Scripture
bears witness – just and
devout, and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25). This man
had lived a long and God-pleasing life, and at its very end was
vouchsafed to behold the Messiah promised by the prophets, the
Savior of the world.
The majority of us – and this applies above all to young people –
encountered Christ long before we reached old age, in our youth or
middle age. We received this precious opportunity from the Lord
freely, as a gift, and we are called upon to preserve the flame of
faith and love for God that has been ignited in our hearts. And the
brighter the light from this fire is, the stronger will be the power
of that love, the more joyous and warm this world will be for us and
for our loved ones.
Today
I would like to call upon all of you, but especially on the youth,
not to waste away your time. Remember that no man is able to rewrite
the events of his life from scratch, as if on a fresh sheet of
paper, reactivating the potential he once had. In the words of the
Apostle Paul, walk ye
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time,
because the days are evil… Be ye not unwise, but understanding what
the will of the Lord is… and be filled with the Spirit (Eph.
5:15-18).
People in older generations are well aware how complicated and
dangerous life’s paths can be. In order to walk it firmly and
confidently, without tripping over the stones of temptation and
successfully overcoming all obstacles, we must have God Himself as
our companion. Then the Lord will constantly be with us, and will
grant us His great mercies in abundance. He will give us much more
than what we deserve, more than we should have even imagined at the
time. And when the time comes to conclude our earthly journey and
step over the threshold of eternity, may we be found worthy to meet
Christ, Who calls us to commune of
His incorruptible blessings,
which He hath prepared for those who love Him. Amen.
+KYRILL
Patriarch of Moscow & All Russia
Media Office of the Eastern
American Diocese
