The Sunday of Forgiveness at the Nativity of the Lord Metropolitan Cathedral

All those of you who take up the ascetics of fasting and prayer, all those who want to gather rich harvest through your repentance, listen to the word of God, listen to God’s commandment – and abandon, forgive your neighbours’ mistakes (St. Ignaty Brianchaninov).

On the Sunday of Forgiveness (of Expulsion of Adam from Paradise), the last day before the Great Lent, H.E. Metropolitan Vladimir celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Nativity of the Lord Metropolitan Cathedral in Chisinau.

His Eminence Vladimir was assisted at the Divine Service by His Grace Ioan, Bishop of Soroca and Metropolitan Vicar, His Grace Siluan, Bishop of Orhei and Metropolitan Vicar, Archpriest Vadim Cheibas, Metropolitan Secretary and Cathedral Dean, and the synaxis of priests and deacons of the Metropolitan Cathedral.

The Great Lent starts tomorrow. Today’s Gospel Reading talks about forgiveness, mercy, and fast – three virtues that help us to renew the grace of Holy Baptismal, increasing the effort of moral awareness and spiritual renewal.

If through sin the humanity fell off the heaven of communion with God, now, just like Adam once, we are called to increase spiritually within these forty days of ascetic effort, to meet mysteriously with the Risen Lord. This is possible if we renounce ephemeral pleasures and invest in the eternity and true values.

In the end of the Divine Service, the Metropolitan called all those present to experience the Great Lent in full peace with the people around, in order to purify and reach the bright Feast of the Resurrection of Christ.

The church-goers were advised to experience true fast, with restraint and fervent prayer, in order to enjoy true fruits of this ascetic deed.

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

source: en.mitropolia.md