21 May 2026
Dear brothers and sisters!
I wholeheartedly greet you on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord!
The Gospel opens a wondrous picture for us today: after witnessing the Saviour's ascension into Heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem not in sorrow but with great joy. And one of the main mysteries is revealed therein: the Ascension is not a parting. It is a new, unprecedented closeness.
While the Lord was on earth in the flesh, He was seen by few. After His Ascension, He is no longer limited by either place or time. He is with everybody who opens his heart for Him.
There is also another, even more penetrating truth in this great feast. The Lord ascended the human nature, feeble and wounded, which He had assumed in the Divine Incarnation, to the Throne of the Father. And it is thenceforth in God forever. And if God Himself so elevated man, who and on what authority dares to humiliate, persecute, murder him? Today, when our land is exhausted by war and poisoned by gunpowder, lies, and arbitrariness, when our people are overwhelmed by fear, lawlessness, and the cynical trampling of rights and freedoms, this question sounds particularly acutely.
History knows no exceptions: evil does not last forever. There is a limit to countries' resources, people's patience, and, even more so, God's longsuffering to those who shed blood and multiply grief. God is not mocked.
But the Ascension shows not only the inevitability of the Last Judgement. First of all, it shows that the path upwards is open for those who seek salvation. This path stretches over all lies, over fear, over malice and hatred, over everything which pulls downwards. Christ has walked it first and called us to follow Him.
'Why do you stand gazing up into heaven?', Angles said to the Apostles. These words are directed to us as well today. A time to just watch and wait has passed. The Lord has entrusted His Church, this world, our neighbours, and our own souls to us. Hence, faith ought to become life itself: ardent prayer, resilience, mercy — and help to those who are suffering near us.
Yes, it is easy to get tired and lose heart in such most difficult times. But the Ascension tells each of us quietly and firmly: you have been made for Heaven — and no earthly darkness will cancel it.
May the Ascended Lord fortify us on this path, give peace to hearts and strength and wisdom to souls, and help, in the darkest hours, to keep faithfulness to God, the Holy Mother Church, and our high calling to be Orthodox Christians.
Happy Feast of the Ascension of the Lord!
All related news I wholeheartedly greet you on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord!
The Gospel opens a wondrous picture for us today: after witnessing the Saviour's ascension into Heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem not in sorrow but with great joy. And one of the main mysteries is revealed therein: the Ascension is not a parting. It is a new, unprecedented closeness.
While the Lord was on earth in the flesh, He was seen by few. After His Ascension, He is no longer limited by either place or time. He is with everybody who opens his heart for Him.
There is also another, even more penetrating truth in this great feast. The Lord ascended the human nature, feeble and wounded, which He had assumed in the Divine Incarnation, to the Throne of the Father. And it is thenceforth in God forever. And if God Himself so elevated man, who and on what authority dares to humiliate, persecute, murder him? Today, when our land is exhausted by war and poisoned by gunpowder, lies, and arbitrariness, when our people are overwhelmed by fear, lawlessness, and the cynical trampling of rights and freedoms, this question sounds particularly acutely.
History knows no exceptions: evil does not last forever. There is a limit to countries' resources, people's patience, and, even more so, God's longsuffering to those who shed blood and multiply grief. God is not mocked.
But the Ascension shows not only the inevitability of the Last Judgement. First of all, it shows that the path upwards is open for those who seek salvation. This path stretches over all lies, over fear, over malice and hatred, over everything which pulls downwards. Christ has walked it first and called us to follow Him.
'Why do you stand gazing up into heaven?', Angles said to the Apostles. These words are directed to us as well today. A time to just watch and wait has passed. The Lord has entrusted His Church, this world, our neighbours, and our own souls to us. Hence, faith ought to become life itself: ardent prayer, resilience, mercy — and help to those who are suffering near us.
Yes, it is easy to get tired and lose heart in such most difficult times. But the Ascension tells each of us quietly and firmly: you have been made for Heaven — and no earthly darkness will cancel it.
May the Ascended Lord fortify us on this path, give peace to hearts and strength and wisdom to souls, and help, in the darkest hours, to keep faithfulness to God, the Holy Mother Church, and our high calling to be Orthodox Christians.
Happy Feast of the Ascension of the Lord!
