28 July 2024
Dear friends!
Brothers and sisters!
I wholeheartedly greet you on the Feast of the Baptism of Rus' and the commemoration day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr!
It was Prince Volodymyr who made the choice which had a decisive impact for the following centuries and millennia. It was Prince Volodymyr who ultimately asserted Orthodoxy as the main religion on our lands. It was Prince Volodymyr who divided the history of Rus' into 'before' and 'after' — an era of barbarism and an era of new life with accepting and understanding Christ.
A lot of temptations faced the young prince. Ambassadors of other states and internal advisers tried to make Prince Volodymyr politically dependent and turn him to their side, suggesting him variants of a spiritual (or, rather, political) choice. But the greatness of Prince Volodymyr was in the fact that he managed to reject external tinsel, personal gain, or tactical considerations and chose what was truly valuable — Eastern-rite Orthodoxy. And today, we ought to realise and assess how great and important his decision was.
It is hard to imagine how history would unfold and how the contemporary map of Europe and the world would look like but for Prince Volodymyr's choice, made by him 1036 years ago. For it is the foundation laid in 988 that is at the root of our history and culture. It is the Baptism of Rus' that is the basis of our identity, and any struggle against the Church and Orthodoxy is a struggle to destroy what connects generations like an invisible thread: from the times of ancient Rus' to present days, and for all centuries to come. It is a struggle to destroy our genetical code.
Chronicles provide two images of prince Volodymyr. First, he is described as a representative of an array of barbaric leaders: a cruel, vengeful, greedy cain, a perjurer, and a lecher. And at once, we see his transformation. Prince Volodymyr builds in Kyiv the first church since the adoption of Christianity — the Church of the Tithes. He spends time in prayer and repentance. He conducts broad educational activities and generously bestows gifts upon all of his subjects, particularly caring about the poor, the sick, and the feeble. It is no accident that the enlightened, transfigured prince, who gave people the true faith, received the name Volodymyr the Red Sun in folk memory.
The life path of Prince Volodymyr shows that any ruler has a chance to be spiritually transfigured, repent, and find faith, no matter how grave his sins and deeds were before. It is never too late to tame one's pride and, bowing one's head before the Lord, start acting according to His commandments. History and folk memory prefer those high-ranking persons who accepted and loved Christ. And Prince Volodymyr is exalted above a whole range of historical figures who might be more successful in the military field and more powerful in terms of conquering peoples and expanding the frontiers. But it is Volodymyr the Saint who will remain in the memory of the descendants as an unbreakable wall. And this is a lesson for today's politicians, especially for those who have dared to oppose themselves to God and the Church.
The history of Prince Volodymyr shows that a true leader should realise the responsibility for his choice and his deeds because they may have long-term consequences for the fate of the entire people. His one move may lead to the development and well-being of the country or bring people sufferings and troubles. Power is a huge responsibility, which requires will and strategic vision, not pettiness and pursuit of glory. Prince Volodymyr's choice determined our development even to the end of the age.
We live in tragic times. A bloody war is going on in Ukraine; hierarchs of the canonical Church, clergymen, and laymen are subjected to persecution; churches are desecrated. From the West, we are faced with a wave of rejection of the Lord and His commandments, atheism, and an aggressive imposition of that way of live which resulted in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah at one time. The freshest example is the scandalous opening of the Olympic Games in Paris. Thus, from a thousand-year perspective, the preciousness of the fateful decision taken by Prince Volodymyr, who asserted Orthodoxy in Kyiv and in Rus', is all the more clear.
From the moment of her Baptism, Orthodoxy was the strength of Rus'. It is our main wealth, which we ought to keep with all our effort, all our capabilities, like the apple of our eye. And it is equally important for us to preserve the purity of Orthodoxy, for we have received the faith pure and undamaged from our ancestors and must pass it down to our descendants in the same canonical purity.
I sincerely greet you, dear brothers and sisters, on this great feast — the day of the triumph of the Church on our land, the Commemoration Day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr. I wish all of us the quickest restoration of peace, steadfastness in faith, faithfulness to the Holy Mother Church, strength to pass worthily the trials which have fallen to our lot, and infinite love for our neighbours.
O Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr, pray God for us!
Happy feast, dear friends!
All related news Brothers and sisters!
I wholeheartedly greet you on the Feast of the Baptism of Rus' and the commemoration day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr!
It was Prince Volodymyr who made the choice which had a decisive impact for the following centuries and millennia. It was Prince Volodymyr who ultimately asserted Orthodoxy as the main religion on our lands. It was Prince Volodymyr who divided the history of Rus' into 'before' and 'after' — an era of barbarism and an era of new life with accepting and understanding Christ.
A lot of temptations faced the young prince. Ambassadors of other states and internal advisers tried to make Prince Volodymyr politically dependent and turn him to their side, suggesting him variants of a spiritual (or, rather, political) choice. But the greatness of Prince Volodymyr was in the fact that he managed to reject external tinsel, personal gain, or tactical considerations and chose what was truly valuable — Eastern-rite Orthodoxy. And today, we ought to realise and assess how great and important his decision was.
It is hard to imagine how history would unfold and how the contemporary map of Europe and the world would look like but for Prince Volodymyr's choice, made by him 1036 years ago. For it is the foundation laid in 988 that is at the root of our history and culture. It is the Baptism of Rus' that is the basis of our identity, and any struggle against the Church and Orthodoxy is a struggle to destroy what connects generations like an invisible thread: from the times of ancient Rus' to present days, and for all centuries to come. It is a struggle to destroy our genetical code.
Chronicles provide two images of prince Volodymyr. First, he is described as a representative of an array of barbaric leaders: a cruel, vengeful, greedy cain, a perjurer, and a lecher. And at once, we see his transformation. Prince Volodymyr builds in Kyiv the first church since the adoption of Christianity — the Church of the Tithes. He spends time in prayer and repentance. He conducts broad educational activities and generously bestows gifts upon all of his subjects, particularly caring about the poor, the sick, and the feeble. It is no accident that the enlightened, transfigured prince, who gave people the true faith, received the name Volodymyr the Red Sun in folk memory.
The life path of Prince Volodymyr shows that any ruler has a chance to be spiritually transfigured, repent, and find faith, no matter how grave his sins and deeds were before. It is never too late to tame one's pride and, bowing one's head before the Lord, start acting according to His commandments. History and folk memory prefer those high-ranking persons who accepted and loved Christ. And Prince Volodymyr is exalted above a whole range of historical figures who might be more successful in the military field and more powerful in terms of conquering peoples and expanding the frontiers. But it is Volodymyr the Saint who will remain in the memory of the descendants as an unbreakable wall. And this is a lesson for today's politicians, especially for those who have dared to oppose themselves to God and the Church.
The history of Prince Volodymyr shows that a true leader should realise the responsibility for his choice and his deeds because they may have long-term consequences for the fate of the entire people. His one move may lead to the development and well-being of the country or bring people sufferings and troubles. Power is a huge responsibility, which requires will and strategic vision, not pettiness and pursuit of glory. Prince Volodymyr's choice determined our development even to the end of the age.
We live in tragic times. A bloody war is going on in Ukraine; hierarchs of the canonical Church, clergymen, and laymen are subjected to persecution; churches are desecrated. From the West, we are faced with a wave of rejection of the Lord and His commandments, atheism, and an aggressive imposition of that way of live which resulted in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah at one time. The freshest example is the scandalous opening of the Olympic Games in Paris. Thus, from a thousand-year perspective, the preciousness of the fateful decision taken by Prince Volodymyr, who asserted Orthodoxy in Kyiv and in Rus', is all the more clear.
From the moment of her Baptism, Orthodoxy was the strength of Rus'. It is our main wealth, which we ought to keep with all our effort, all our capabilities, like the apple of our eye. And it is equally important for us to preserve the purity of Orthodoxy, for we have received the faith pure and undamaged from our ancestors and must pass it down to our descendants in the same canonical purity.
I sincerely greet you, dear brothers and sisters, on this great feast — the day of the triumph of the Church on our land, the Commemoration Day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr. I wish all of us the quickest restoration of peace, steadfastness in faith, faithfulness to the Holy Mother Church, strength to pass worthily the trials which have fallen to our lot, and infinite love for our neighbours.
O Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr, pray God for us!
Happy feast, dear friends!
