On the Sunday of the Last Judgment, His Eminence Vladimir celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Metropolitan Cathedral

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5, 10)

On the Sunday of the Last Judgment, Metropolitan Vladimir celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Nativity of the Lord Metropolitan Cathedral in Chisinau.

The archpastor was assisted at the Divine Service by archpriest Vadim Cheibas, metropolitan secretary and Cathedral dean, and the group of priests and deacons of the Cathedral.

The Gospel Reading of this Sunday (Matt. 25, 31-46) relates to the Lust Judgment:

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The Gospel read out in the Church on the Sunday of the Last Judgment puts us in front of the mystery and the goal of our liberty; it refers to our personal choice of the way we want to use our liberty in our earthly life. Have we used our freedom in order to cultivate love and mercy for the people around us, or we have confused our liberty with neglect and indifference to other people’s needs? The Gospel teaches us that only spreading goodness, sympathy and kindness can we become free and live our life as God’s blessing.

Thanks-Giving service followed after the Divine Liturgy, after which Metropolitan Vladimir congratulated the faithful on the approach of the Great Lent and the beginning of the White week, the last before the Great Lent.

Synodal Sector of Institutional Communication and Relations with the Mass-Media

source: mitropolia.md