Schedule of divine services in the temples of Chernihiv. Temple consecration

On March 11, 2018, on the 3rd Sunday of Great Lent, the Adoration of the Cross, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed the rite of great consecration of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov of the Patriarchal Chernigov Compound in Moscow and officiated the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the newly consecrated church.

His Holiness was co-served by: Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Rector of the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles (OCAD); Archbishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchy; Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for the city of Moscow; Archpriest Nikolai Krechetov, Dean of the Moskvoretsky District of Moscow; Hieromonk John (Kopeikin), Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the OCAD; priest Dimitry Safonov, secretary of the OCAD Academic Council; Hieromonk Nikolai (Ono), inspector of the OCAD; Hieromonk Pavel (Cherkasov), Assistant to the Vice-Rector of the OCAD for Academic Affairs; Archpriest Andrei Marushchak, cleric of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow; OCAD students Archimandrite Sinesius (Viktoratos) (Orthodox Church of Greece) and hegumen Georgiy (Stankovich) (Serbian Orthodox Church); clergy of Moscow.

The patriarchal service was attended by: Rector of the National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI" M.N. Strikhanov; rector of the North Caucasian Federal University A.A. Levitskaya; Rector of the Moscow State Pedagogical University A.V. Lubkov; Rector of the Moscow Architectural Institute D.O. Shvidkovsky; member of the Supreme Council of United Russia O.M. Budargin.

Prayers at the Liturgy were teachers and students of the General Church postgraduate and doctoral studies, benefactors of the revived church.

Liturgical hymns were performed by the Moscow Synodal Choir (leader - Honored Artist of Russia A.A. Puzakov).

The service was broadcast live on Soyuz TV channel.

After a special litany, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church offered up a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

During the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill ordained Deacon Sergius Evteev, cleric of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica in the village of Vostochny, Moscow, to the rank of priest.

The sermon before communion was delivered by Hieromonk Pavel (Cherkasov), Assistant Vice-Rector of the OCAD for Academic Affairs.

At the end of the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was greeted by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk:

“Your Holiness, Most Holy Master and Gracious Father!

Allow me to greet you in this heavenly church in the name of the holy martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov, built on the very spot where the autocrat John the Terrible met the relics of the honest martyrs after they were brought to the capital city of Moscow.

Your Holiness, nine years ago, after your accession to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne, at the very first meeting of the Holy Synod after this event, a decision was made to establish a Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral program in Moscow. You headed the Supervisory Board of this educational institution, and I was blessed to be its rector. From that moment, restoration work began at the Chernihiv Patriarchal Compound. And today the next stage of these works has been completed, for the second church of this compound in honor of the holy Chernigov martyrs has now been consecrated by Your Holiness.

Restoration work here took place under your direct supervision with the participation of the city of Moscow. And those paintings that you see today on the walls are partially restored frescoes of the 19th century. For example, the scene depicting Christ and the sinful wife from the Gospel of Luke crouching next to Him has been partially preserved. Also some episodes from gospel stories. And what was not preserved was restored according to the found samples. And today this temple appeared in the splendor in which it was originally created and decorated.

Your Holiness, with your blessing, within the walls of the Chernigov Patriarchal Metochion, the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Schools are located - the higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, where students and postgraduates from different countries study. The Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies also interact with secular educational institutions. Quite recently, our educational institution received state accreditation, which opens up new opportunities for us both for studying and for interacting with secular universities.

On the basis of the General Church Postgraduate School, with your blessing, various projects are being developed, including the creation of the first Dissertation Council in the history of Russia, whose decisions are recognized by the state. The first defense of the dissertation took place, the decision of the dissertation council on this dissertation was also recognized by our Russian state.

Everything that we do within the walls of this educational institution, we do with your blessing so that our students can receive a full-fledged education, and so that, in cooperation with secular higher educational institutions, we can build a system of theological education throughout the space of our Fatherland .

On this day, I would like to thank those who made their significant contribution to the reconstruction of this holy temple, first of all, Oleg Mikhailovich Budargin, who put a lot of work and attracted a lot of money to paint this temple, build an iconostasis, so that today's event took place.

I would like to thank everyone who took part in the restoration of this church, everyone who takes part in the life of our educational institution, and, above all, you, Your Holiness, as the Bishop of Moscow, as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the All-Church Postgraduate School. Allow me on this very important day for us to present you with the image of St. Alexander Nevsky, who is your heavenly patron, because in his holy monastery you received all degrees of the priesthood, and wish you that the prayer of this saint, spiritual relative of the holy prince Michael of Chernigov always accompanied to you on your primatial path. Many years, Your Holiness!”

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill spoke in response:

“Thank you, Your Eminence, for your kind words. Indeed, when I became a Patriarch, I made the decision to create a Church-wide postgraduate school, which could contribute to the development of theological education in our Church, and experience has shown that this is how it happens. I can say with joy that the renewal of our theological education today is taking place in almost all theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church, somewhere with great success, somewhere with less; but in order for you to understand that the development of spiritual education is indeed becoming a priority for our Church, I will only note that in recent years there has not been a single meeting of the Supreme Church Council at which issues related to the development of theological education have not been discussed.

I rejoice at the success of our General Church Postgraduate School and hope that it will fully develop everything that the Church considers important today - so that the world believes, so that the Church learns to speak the language of theology with those who, unfortunately, do not yet perceive the voice of the church sermon, helping them to see in patristic Tradition, Holy Scripture, patristic creations that great eternal wisdom, relying on which we can actualize the ancient, but always youthful Divine revelation.

The Primate of the Russian Church also delivered the First Hierarchal Word to all participants in the service.

As a gift to the newly consecrated church, His Holiness Vladyka gave the icon of the Mother of God "The Burning Bush".

In consideration of his assistance in the restoration of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill awarded O.M. Budargin and General Director of JSC Trust Koksokhimmontazh S.V. Fufaev.

In attention to the work in the field of spiritual education and in connection with the 70th anniversary of the birth of Professor of the Department of Theology and Liturgy of the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies V.N. Katasonov was awarded the Patriarchal Letter.

The Church of the Holy Martyrs Michael and Theodore was erected in memory of the meeting of the relics of the Chernigov miracle workers, their honest relics, by order of Tsar Ivan IV, were transferred to Moscow in 1578. Together with the Metropolitan of Moscow, the boyars and the common people, the sovereign met the relics on the territory of the modern Patriarchal Chernigov metochion, near the walls of the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist near Bor. The place was not chosen by chance: the road from Moscow to the Golden Horde passed nearby, where Prince Mikhail and the boyar Theodore (now Bolshaya Ordynka Street) died.

The relics were laid in the temple in honor of the Chernigov miracle workers in the Kremlin, near the Tainitsky Gate. In 1774, by order of Empress Catherine the Great, the relics were transferred to the Archangel Cathedral, where they remain to this day.

In memory of the meeting of the relics, a wooden temple was first erected in honor of the Chernigov miracle workers, the first mention of which dates back to 1625. The temple was attributed to the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist near Bor. In 1675, at the expense of the merchant Juliana Ivanovna Malyutina, a stone five-domed single-altar church was built in its place. This temple gave its name to Chernigov Lane, connecting Bolshaya Ordynka and Pyatnitskaya streets, as well as to the Patriarchal Chernigov metochion - one of the most beautiful church and cultural complexes of Zamoskvorechye.

The temples of Chernigov Lane did not escape the sad fate of many temples and monasteries after the revolution. The Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist was closed in 1917, the Church of the Chernihiv Wonderworkers - soon after. Since 1924, there was a Baptist prayer house in the building of the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs, in 1934-1977 - a warehouse.

In 1969, a prominent specialist in the history of Moscow churches M.L. Bogoyavlensky described the state of the church of Saints Michael and Theodore of Chernigov in the following way: “The church is currently decapitated, the plaster has fallen off in places, the bell tower has been painted, there is no gilding. Inside is placed “Management of food products. District Trade Department of the Soviet District.

In the second half of the 1970s, when the capital of the USSR was preparing to receive foreign guests in connection with the upcoming 1980 Olympic Games, large-scale restoration work was carried out in the city. The temples of the courtyard were also restored, along with a free-standing bell tower in Chernigovsky Lane. At the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs, the heads were covered with emerald tiles, and the top with kokoshniks was uncovered. The walls of both temples were plastered and whitewashed, the refectory and the bell tower were painted. Restoration work continued until 1984.

The last owner of the temples was the Ministry of Industry of Building Materials of the USSR.

In 1991, the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. On October 3, 1993, it was consecrated.

After the transfer in 2010 of the Chernigov metochion to the General Church postgraduate and doctoral studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, a comprehensive restoration of churches and adjacent buildings began.

On October 3, 2017, the rector of the General Church Postgraduate School and the rector of the metochion, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in almost a hundred years in the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

For centuries, Russian princes went to bow to the Horde, the path to which began along the road that became Zamoskvorechye Street - Bolshaya Ordynka. Not everyone returned alive.

Killed in the camp of Batu in the Golden Horde, Prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Chernigov and boyar Fedor for refusing to undergo a pagan rite, in 1246 the church canonized. The relics of Prince Michael and the boyar Theodore were buried in Vladimir in 1246, and then were transferred to Chernigov.

Back in 1577, a temple was erected for the relics of the saints in the Moscow Kremlin, located above the Tainitsky Gates and later named the Cathedral of the Chernihiv Saints. The sovereign himself wrote an "inviting letter" addressed to the saints, calling them to the reigning city of Moscow, "as if they were alive."

On February 14, 1578, at the walls of the Church of John the Baptist, the people with Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Metropolitan Anthony of Moscow solemnly met the holy relics of Prince Mikhail of Chernigov and his faithful boyar Fyodor, transferred from Chernigov recaptured from the Poles.

On August 25, 1770, after the abolition of the Chernigov Cathedral, the relics were transferred to the Sretensky Cathedral, which is in the entrance hall, and on November 21, 1774, to the Archangel Cathedral, where the silver shrine, stolen by the French in 1812, was arranged by the care of Empress Catherine II.

The relics of the saints in a bronze reliquary are still buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

1625: A wooden temple in the name of the Chernihiv wonderworkers operates

In memory of the meeting of the relics of the Chernigov saints, the king built a wooden temple in the name of the Chernigov miracle workers, the first mention of which dates back to 1625. The temple was attributed to the temple of the Beheading of John the Baptist near Bor.

1675: Merchant Malyutina, according to her husband's will, builds a five-domed church of the Chernihiv miracle workers

In 2011, when archaeologists were restoring the foundation of the church, a burial and a tombstone from the 17th century were discovered under the floor. An inscription in the Old Slavonic language has been preserved on the stone, indicating that the famous merchant of the cloth hundreds, the ancestor of the Malyutin family, who participated in the adoption of the first Moscow Trade Charter, rests here. It is believed that it was he who bequeathed to his wife to build a stone church of Saints Michael and Theodore on the site of a wooden one - at that time it was considered a very generous gesture.

In 1675, at the expense of the merchant Juliana Ivanovna Malyutina, on the site of a wooden temple in the name of the Chernigov miracle workers, a stone five-domed single-altar church was built, which is still there, and its composition included a hipped bell tower that has not survived to this day.

The main shrine of the temple - the Old Testament Trinity, (circa 1675) - is located in the Tretyakov Gallery, where she entered in 1934. Cleared in the State Tretyakov Gallery by A. V. Kirikov in 1954.

The Old Testament Trinity, with being. About 1675. Armory School. The board is lime, with an ark, dowels are mortise, counter. Pavoloka, gesso, egg tempera. 133×127 cm

This is how this icon is described in the book by Antonova V. I., Mneva N. E. "Catalogue of ancient Russian painting of the 11th - early 18th centuries. Experience of historical and artistic classification" (1963):

The main theme of the biblical story about the meal of the three angels by Abraham and Sarah is combined into a single composition with "existential" scenes located in the depths of space, in interiors, on the platforms and stairs of the building, near the oak of Mamre and hills.

Scene plots:
Meeting of three angels by Abraham;
Washing the feet of angels;
Cooking food;
Seeing angels;
The expulsion of Lot from the city of Sodom and the transformation of his wife into a pillar of salt;
Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac.

The figures of angels sitting at the table in the foreground are large and overweight. Abraham and Sarah, who give food to the angels, are half that. In the depths of space, the figures are depicted as very small. People are written vividly and completely non-iconographically. The faces are executed in a black and white realistic manner. Robes of olive and crimson red with wide gold gaps. The table and seats are carved and gilded. On the table is a white tablecloth, golden dishes, knives, spoons, bread, berries. In front of the table, on the ground, among the flowers, on a pallet are two golden kungans. Hills, on which naturalistically painted flowers grow, light yellow tones with reddish and greenish shadings. The buildings are painted somewhat variegated - in green, pink and yellow shades. On a mighty oak with a thick trunk and a wide crown, the leaves are decorated with gold, the background is greenish-blue. Fields are yellow.

On the back, under the top key, there is an inscription in ink and two wax seals. Inscription: "... the Church of the Chernihiv Wonderworkers 1811 September 26". On the seals - the letters "KID" under the image of a bird and the inscription: "Dvukraeva ... regiment. Ivana ... new.

1740: A chapel of St. vmts. Catherine

In 1740, a chapel of St. vmts. Catherine, and the roof with kokoshniks was turned into a hipped one. In 1820-30s. the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs was assigned to the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist near Bor, and the Ekaterininsky chapel was abolished and dismantled along with the upper part of the temple bell tower.

1917: Closing of the temple

The neighboring Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist was closed in 1917, the Church of the Chernihiv Wonderworkers - soon after.

1924: In the building of the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs, the Baptist Prayer House

Since 1924, the building of the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs has housed a Baptist prayer house.

1934: The Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs was turned into a warehouse

Around 1934, the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs was turned into a warehouse. And so it was a warehouse until 1977. The heads were dismantled, the plaster peeled off. The Church of John the Baptist looked no better either. In 1969 M.L. Bogoyavlensky, one of the leading experts on the history of Moscow churches, described its condition in the following way: “The church is currently decapitated, the plaster has fallen off in places, the bell tower has been painted, there is no gilding. Inside is placed “Management of food products. District Trade Department of the Soviet District.

1970s: Restoration of churches before the Olympics

In the second half of the 1970s, when the capital of the USSR was preparing to receive foreign guests in connection with the upcoming 1980 Olympic Games, large-scale restoration work was carried out in many of the ruined architectural monuments. Both churches were also restored, along with a free-standing bell tower in Chernigovsky Lane. In the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs, the domes were restored and covered with emerald tiles, the completion with kokoshniks was revealed. The walls of both temples were plastered and whitewashed, the refectory and the bell tower were painted. Restoration work continued until 1984.

1991: Return of the temple to believers

In 1991, the Church of the Chernihiv Martyrs was returned to believers, and on October 3, 1993, it was consecrated.

1993: Consecration of the temple

2010: Beginning of restoration

2017: Conducts Divine Liturgy

2018: Patriarch Kirill performed the rite of the great consecration of the temple

His Holiness was co-served by:

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles (OCAD);

Archbishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate;
Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, Secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for the City of Moscow;
Archpriest Nikolai Krechetov, Dean of the Moskvoretsky District of Moscow;
Hieromonk John (Kopeikin), Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the OCAD;
Priest Dimitry Safonov, Secretary of the OCAD Academic Council;
Hieromonk Nikolai (Ono), inspector of the OCAD;
Hieromonk Pavel (Cherkasov), Assistant to the Vice-Rector of the OCAD for Academic Affairs;
Archpriest Andrei Marushchak, cleric of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow;
OCAD students Archimandrite Sinesios (Viktoratos) (Orthodox Church of Greece) and
hegumen George (Stankovich) (Serbian Orthodox Church);
clergy of Moscow.

The patriarchal service was attended by:

Rector of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI M.N. Strikhanov;
rector of the North Caucasian Federal University A.A. Levitskaya;
Rector of the Moscow State Pedagogical University A.V. Lubkov;
Rector of the Moscow Architectural Institute D.O. Shvidkovsky;
member of the Supreme Council of United Russia O.M. Budargin.

Prayers at the Liturgy were teachers and students of the General Church postgraduate and doctoral studies, benefactors of the revived church.

Liturgical hymns were performed by the Moscow Synodal Choir (leader - Honored Artist of Russia A.A. Puzakov).

The service was broadcast live on Soyuz TV channel.

After a special litany, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church offered up a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

The sermon before communion was delivered by Hieromonk Pavel (Cherkasov), Assistant Vice-Rector of the OCAD for Academic Affairs.

At the end of the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was greeted by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk:

“Your Holiness, Most Holy Master and Gracious Father!

Allow me to greet you in this heavenly church in the name of the holy martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov, built on the very spot where the autocrat John the Terrible met the relics of the honest martyrs after they were brought to the capital city of Moscow.

Your Holiness, nine years ago, after your accession to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne, at the very first meeting of the Holy Synod after this event, a decision was made to establish a Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral program in Moscow. You headed the Supervisory Board of this educational institution, and I was blessed to be its rector. From that moment, restoration work began at the Chernihiv Patriarchal Compound. And today the next stage of these works has been completed, for the second church of this compound in honor of the holy Chernigov martyrs has now been consecrated by Your Holiness.

Restoration work here took place under your direct supervision with the participation of the city of Moscow. And those paintings that you see today on the walls are partially restored frescoes of the 19th century. For example, the scene depicting Christ and the sinful wife from the Gospel of Luke crouching next to Him has been partially preserved. Also some episodes from gospel stories. And what was not preserved was restored according to the found samples. And today this temple appeared in the splendor in which it was originally created and decorated.

Your Holiness, with your blessing, within the walls of the Chernigov Patriarchal Metochion, the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Schools are located - the higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, where students and postgraduates from different countries study. The Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies also interact with secular educational institutions. Quite recently, our educational institution received state accreditation, which opens up new opportunities for us both for studying and for interacting with secular universities.

On the basis of the General Church Postgraduate School, with your blessing, various projects are being developed, including the creation of the first Dissertation Council in the history of Russia, whose decisions are recognized by the state. The first defense of the dissertation took place, the decision of the dissertation council on this dissertation was also recognized by our Russian state.

Everything that we do within the walls of this educational institution, we do with your blessing so that our students can receive a full-fledged education, and so that, in cooperation with secular higher educational institutions, we can build a system of theological education throughout the space of our Fatherland .

On this day, I would like to thank those who made their significant contribution to the reconstruction of this holy temple, first of all, Oleg Mikhailovich Budargin, who put a lot of work and raised a lot of money to paint this temple, build an iconostasis, so that today's event took place.

I would like to thank everyone who took part in the restoration of this church, everyone who takes part in the life of our educational institution, and, above all, you, Your Holiness, as the Bishop of Moscow, as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the All-Church Postgraduate School. Allow me on this very important day for us to present you with the image of St. Alexander Nevsky, who is your heavenly patron, because in his holy monastery you received all degrees of the priesthood, and wish you that the prayer of this saint, spiritual relative of the holy prince Michael of Chernigov always accompanied to you on your primatial path. Many years, Your Holiness!”

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill spoke in response:

“Thank you, Your Eminence, for your kind words. Indeed, when I became a Patriarch, I made the decision to create a Church-wide postgraduate school, which could contribute to the development of theological education in our Church, and experience has shown that this is how it happens. I can say with joy that the renewal of our theological education today is taking place in almost all theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church, somewhere with great success, somewhere with less; but in order for you to understand that the development of spiritual education is indeed becoming a priority for our Church, I will only note that in recent years there has not been a single meeting of the Supreme Church Council at which issues related to the development of theological education have not been discussed.

I rejoice at the success of our General Church Postgraduate School and hope that it will fully develop everything that the Church considers important today - so that the world believes, so that the Church learns to speak the language of theology with those who, unfortunately, do not yet perceive the voice of the church sermon, helping them to see in patristic Tradition, Holy Scripture, patristic creations that great eternal wisdom, relying on which we can actualize the ancient, but always youthful Divine revelation.

The Primate of the Russian Church also delivered the First Hierarchal Word to all participants in the service.

As a gift to the newly consecrated church, His Holiness Vladyka gave the icon of the Mother of God "The Burning Bush".

In consideration of his assistance in the restoration of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill awarded O.M. Budargin »

On March 11, 2018, on the 3rd Sunday of Great Lent, the Adoration of the Cross, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed the rite of great consecration of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov of the Patriarchal Chernigov Metochion and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the newly consecrated church. At the end of the service, the Primate addressed the faithful with a sermon.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Today we read a passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews (4:14-5:6) - a very significant text that helps to understand a lot about the feat that the Lord Jesus Christ did for the sake of the human race. You have just listened to a preacher who was interpreting the words, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with us in our infirmities, but who, like us, is tempted in everything, except sin." I interpreted it correctly, but this text has not the only meaning, because it is not only about infirmities arising from the weakness of human nature or from external temptations. This text is about something much more significant. He testifies that Christ is the High Priest who passed through the abyss of human suffering, for His temptations are suffering, suffering in the highest degree.

Very often, non-religious people explain their disbelief in God by the presence of suffering in the world, in human history, referring to wars, various kinds of cataclysms, tsunamis, earthquakes - whatever they refer to! The conclusion is simple: if God, the Creator of everything, really existed, would He really allow this? So, everyone who until now, knowingly or ignorantly, makes this false argument, you need to read today's passage from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews. If God, in His Incarnate Son, deigned to pass through the abyss of human suffering, what does this mean? That there is no God, how flatly and illogically assert those who appeal to the presence of suffering in human life? Or that God is evil? But He Himself showed solidarity with all who suffer, through real participation in terrible suffering.

Today's text really reveals the secret of the Divine plan for the world and man. God created man, He started the mechanism of human history, but He gives freedom to man and does not limit the operation of physical laws until we ask Him to do so. In a very lofty, almost philosophical sense, prayer is a request to God to limit our freedom. And we turn to the Lord not in pride, but, realizing our weakness, we ask Him with humility: “Lord, help me! We can't handle life's situations on our own! Lord, protect us from the invasion of foreigners, from internecine strife, from sudden death, from earthquakes and tsunamis! Enter our world, limit its laws and our freedom!” And after all, the Lord responds to such a prayer and saves, as we know, in wars, and in earthquakes, and in tsunamis.

The High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, cannot but sympathize with us, because He Himself passed through the abyss of human suffering. And today, when we remember the sufferings of the Lord and Savior on the Cross, reminds us of the participation of the God-man in this abyss of human suffering, human disorder and human grief. And the Cross is not only a symbol of the victory of Christ. The cross is a symbol of the presence of God in human grief and human suffering. When it becomes hard for us, when we cry, when we lose hope, when grumbling against God comes to our mind and heart, let us remember the Cross of Christ and all that the Apostle Paul said about Christ as the High Priest, Who cannot but sympathize, because and Himself passed through the abyss of suffering.

The Lord came to reveal to us the meaning of life, and it is impossible to understand the meaning of life without understanding the meaning of human sorrow. May the Lord help us, through the worship of the Holy Cross, through hearing His word, to comprehend the great truth about the power of Divine love and Divine wisdom, which, touching our mind and our heart, gives us great strength to go along the path of life, overcoming suffering and not repenting from mourn, remembering that our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, descended to our infirmities, passed before us along a more terrible path of life. Amen.