27 September 2024
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, we celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord — a Feast that reminds us of the incredibly high price which was paid for our salvation. The Cross is the key which opens the path to eternal life. With love we adorn and solemnly honour this former instrument of shameful death, which has become not only a symbol of the Saviour's redeeming sacrifice but also a sign of His great victory over sin and death.
Much is seen differently in the spiritual light compared with seeing it through the curved mirrors of screens. We see how easily people who have given in to proud self-delusion and who live blinded by sin fall into a spiritual abyss, trying to take with themselves as many living souls as possible. How the combination of multiple specific betrayals and transgressions leads to a global catastrophe.
In the spiritual light, one can also see very well those who with God's help bear their crosses, who fearlessly overcome the abyss of sin, who humbly and with love go through all the troubles, sufferings, bitter losses, false accusations, unjust reproaches, cruel threats, and blatant persecution. Those who still keep this world from falling over the edge and console and warm up their neighbours with the warmth of their hearts.
No one will avoid the Judgment of God. One's conscience and one's eternal soul should be prepared for it. And no matter who we are, how we live and at what level of the social ladder we have been put by the circumstances of life, there is only one way out of the common state of fall — Christ. Only penitential work, selfless love, and forgiveness of all can carve the path to Him. A man cannot reach it on his own without God and His Church. And he who invokes God and His help should be ready to accept his own cross as well. Only in this way are sin and death defeated, the distorted human nature is corrected, and the harmony of mind and heart is achieved. Only in this way do peace and grace enter one's soul, and man gains freedom and hope for salvation.
Today, when the whole world has become like a stormy sea, the Cross of Christ is our guide, our hope and protection from all evil. It is an instrument with which we can defeat darkness and lies. It unites us around itself and strengthens us in our desire to retain faithfulness to God, our Holy Mother Church, and our spiritual values.
On the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, we pray the Lord to help us to bear our small life's crosses, overcome all trials falling to our lot, and keep peace in our hearts. We pray that the Cross of Christ may protect our people, our persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church, her clergy, and all the faithful.
Dear brothers and sisters, this day, let us bow at the saving Cross of Christ and accept it as an inexhaustible source of strength and grace. The Lord will not forsake us in trials if we are on His side and if we are united and strong in our faith. May this Feast inspire us for good deeds, fill us with hope, strengthen us in prayer for our long-suffering land, and give us peace, spiritual joy, and unity!
All related news Today, we celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord — a Feast that reminds us of the incredibly high price which was paid for our salvation. The Cross is the key which opens the path to eternal life. With love we adorn and solemnly honour this former instrument of shameful death, which has become not only a symbol of the Saviour's redeeming sacrifice but also a sign of His great victory over sin and death.
Much is seen differently in the spiritual light compared with seeing it through the curved mirrors of screens. We see how easily people who have given in to proud self-delusion and who live blinded by sin fall into a spiritual abyss, trying to take with themselves as many living souls as possible. How the combination of multiple specific betrayals and transgressions leads to a global catastrophe.
In the spiritual light, one can also see very well those who with God's help bear their crosses, who fearlessly overcome the abyss of sin, who humbly and with love go through all the troubles, sufferings, bitter losses, false accusations, unjust reproaches, cruel threats, and blatant persecution. Those who still keep this world from falling over the edge and console and warm up their neighbours with the warmth of their hearts.
No one will avoid the Judgment of God. One's conscience and one's eternal soul should be prepared for it. And no matter who we are, how we live and at what level of the social ladder we have been put by the circumstances of life, there is only one way out of the common state of fall — Christ. Only penitential work, selfless love, and forgiveness of all can carve the path to Him. A man cannot reach it on his own without God and His Church. And he who invokes God and His help should be ready to accept his own cross as well. Only in this way are sin and death defeated, the distorted human nature is corrected, and the harmony of mind and heart is achieved. Only in this way do peace and grace enter one's soul, and man gains freedom and hope for salvation.
Today, when the whole world has become like a stormy sea, the Cross of Christ is our guide, our hope and protection from all evil. It is an instrument with which we can defeat darkness and lies. It unites us around itself and strengthens us in our desire to retain faithfulness to God, our Holy Mother Church, and our spiritual values.
On the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, we pray the Lord to help us to bear our small life's crosses, overcome all trials falling to our lot, and keep peace in our hearts. We pray that the Cross of Christ may protect our people, our persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church, her clergy, and all the faithful.
Dear brothers and sisters, this day, let us bow at the saving Cross of Christ and accept it as an inexhaustible source of strength and grace. The Lord will not forsake us in trials if we are on His side and if we are united and strong in our faith. May this Feast inspire us for good deeds, fill us with hope, strengthen us in prayer for our long-suffering land, and give us peace, spiritual joy, and unity!
