Metropolitan Hilarion: Life is granted to human beings so that they meet with God

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On 15 February 2012, the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of “Joy to All the Afflicted” icon of the Mother of God. Concelebrating were archpriest Vladimir Shmaliy, vice-rector of the Ss Cyril and Methodius Postgraduate and Doctoral School; ordained staff members of the DECR; and clerics of the church.

Mikhail Strikhanov, rector of the National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI), worshipped with the parishioners.

After the Liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion delivered archpastoral homily. Speaking of the feast, he emphasized that St. Simeon had given people an example of righteous life of a man who lived by the expectation of meeting with Christ. “This meeting takes place in our earthly life, and after it man is not afraid of passing to the other world, as he knows that waiting for him there is Christ whom he loves. To make this meeting real, we should be always up to our Christian vocation and remember that we have been vouchsafed to be the communicants of the Body and Blood of Christ. The feast we celebrate today reminds us that life is granted to human beings so that they meet with God.”

The archpastor invited the worshippers to pray to the Lord for the forgiveness of sins and for the real meeting with Him any time we come to the Divine Liturgy and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

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Metropolitan Hilarion: Life is granted to human beings so that they meet with God

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons