22 February 2025
On the eve of Great Lent, the Church reminds us about an event which is inevitable for every man. The day of the Last Judgment of Christ is neither a myth nor a scary story. It is a moment of truth, promised by God, when all illusions will crumble, all masks will fall off, and only pure truth will reign. When we will all stand before the Creator with our accomplishments: everybody will present the fruit of his glory and his shame, and likewise every people will.
As the Scripture says, when mankind, which has fallen away from its Creator, plunges this world into the Apocalypse, the Lord will come in all His glory to judge the living and the dead, so as to correct everything. This day will become the last one in the world as we know it. Everything people are so proud of — their political and social achievements, glory, and ambitions — will turn out to be just a pile of dust before the face of Eternity.
The hidden depths of hearts will be revealed then as well, and the only criterion according to which the Lord will make His judgment will be our love — its presence or its absence.
The Lord will not ask what position you occupied during your life, what flag you walked with, what you fought for, what songs you sang, what party you voted for. He will ask: were you Man? Did you help a person in need? Did you forgive a person who had sinned against you? Did you take pity on a person who was in a bad way? Did you give a hand to a person who had fallen?
It will then be revealed that our every deed is a deed before God. If you fed a hungry person, you did good to Christ Himself. If you turned away from a person in need — you turned away from God. If you stole from your people — you stole from God. If you spread lies about someone — you lied before God. If you sowed enmity and hated for a different opinion, for dissent — you hated God.
What to say of those who doomed hundreds of thousands of people to death, who ruined the lives of millions, who, for the sake of keeping their temporary earthly power, subjected the Holy Church of Christ to persecution, seized churches, threw into jail and beat priests as well as believing, brave, honest, and non-indifferent people?
Such people — no matter how high they flew in their temporary lives — will hear the frightening words of the ultimate verdict: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." For the Judgment of God is just and impartial.
It is frightening in that it is final. Before this court, there will be no double standards, loopholes, bribery, or political pressure. There will be no lobbyists or PR specialists, an army of law enforcement officers or secret informants, calls from influential persons or large amounts of money aimed at "settling the matter". The Judge at this Court cannot be retired with a stroke of the pen, intimidated, or bribed. It will be impossible to "settle the matters" at this Court by buying oneself off for fields of rare-earth metals or shares of stocks in state enterprises. At this Court, it will be impossible to be acquitted through acting, eloquent words, or cunning tricks. Everyone will get here what corresponds to that which was hidden in his soul.
That is why a week before Great Lent, the Holy Church again and again reminds us about this main and final trial. It is as if she wakes us up so that we may think: are we ready?
In the Creed, we profess Christ, Who "shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead". The entire earthly life is preparation to this Meeting. We do not know when it will happen, but while we are still alive, we have a chance to change our fate and bring good into this world. While we are still on the road, we have time to hear the herald of the Last Judgment — our conscience — repent, ask for forgiveness, correct mistakes, and, before it is too late, gain true love.
Let us use this God-given gracious time of fasting so that the day of the Last Judgment may become for us not a day of fear but a day of hope and joy of meeting God.
Amen.
All related news As the Scripture says, when mankind, which has fallen away from its Creator, plunges this world into the Apocalypse, the Lord will come in all His glory to judge the living and the dead, so as to correct everything. This day will become the last one in the world as we know it. Everything people are so proud of — their political and social achievements, glory, and ambitions — will turn out to be just a pile of dust before the face of Eternity.
The hidden depths of hearts will be revealed then as well, and the only criterion according to which the Lord will make His judgment will be our love — its presence or its absence.
The Lord will not ask what position you occupied during your life, what flag you walked with, what you fought for, what songs you sang, what party you voted for. He will ask: were you Man? Did you help a person in need? Did you forgive a person who had sinned against you? Did you take pity on a person who was in a bad way? Did you give a hand to a person who had fallen?
It will then be revealed that our every deed is a deed before God. If you fed a hungry person, you did good to Christ Himself. If you turned away from a person in need — you turned away from God. If you stole from your people — you stole from God. If you spread lies about someone — you lied before God. If you sowed enmity and hated for a different opinion, for dissent — you hated God.
What to say of those who doomed hundreds of thousands of people to death, who ruined the lives of millions, who, for the sake of keeping their temporary earthly power, subjected the Holy Church of Christ to persecution, seized churches, threw into jail and beat priests as well as believing, brave, honest, and non-indifferent people?
Such people — no matter how high they flew in their temporary lives — will hear the frightening words of the ultimate verdict: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." For the Judgment of God is just and impartial.
It is frightening in that it is final. Before this court, there will be no double standards, loopholes, bribery, or political pressure. There will be no lobbyists or PR specialists, an army of law enforcement officers or secret informants, calls from influential persons or large amounts of money aimed at "settling the matter". The Judge at this Court cannot be retired with a stroke of the pen, intimidated, or bribed. It will be impossible to "settle the matters" at this Court by buying oneself off for fields of rare-earth metals or shares of stocks in state enterprises. At this Court, it will be impossible to be acquitted through acting, eloquent words, or cunning tricks. Everyone will get here what corresponds to that which was hidden in his soul.
That is why a week before Great Lent, the Holy Church again and again reminds us about this main and final trial. It is as if she wakes us up so that we may think: are we ready?
In the Creed, we profess Christ, Who "shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead". The entire earthly life is preparation to this Meeting. We do not know when it will happen, but while we are still alive, we have a chance to change our fate and bring good into this world. While we are still on the road, we have time to hear the herald of the Last Judgment — our conscience — repent, ask for forgiveness, correct mistakes, and, before it is too late, gain true love.
Let us use this God-given gracious time of fasting so that the day of the Last Judgment may become for us not a day of fear but a day of hope and joy of meeting God.
Amen.
