On the fourth Sunday of Christmas fast, Metropolitan Alexander headed the Liturgy in the Iversky Church of the Chuvash Metropolis

December 22, 2024-a week 26th Pentecost; Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “unconscious Joy”; The memory of the conception of the righteous Anna of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Divine Liturgy in the Temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Iverskaya”, the village of Chandrovo, was headed by a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan and Kazakhstani Alexander.

The head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District was co-served by: Metropolitan of Cheboksarsky and Chuvash Savvatiy, Dean of the II district of Mitroforic Archpriest Nikolai Mazikov, secretary of the Cheboksary-Chuvash diocesium, Dean of the 1st District Hieromonk Job (Markelov), Rector of the Church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “The recovering of the lost” by the city of Cheboksary Alexander Spiridonov and rector of the Temple Priest Pavel Alexandrov; The deacon rank was headed by Protodiacon Sergiy Kulikov.

Liturgical chants were performed by the choir led by Elena Emelyanova.

Priest Pavel Alexandrov gave the sermon after the overcoming verse.

At the end of the service, the Metropolitan and Kazakhstani Alexander heartily welcomed the head of the Chuvash Metropolis of the Metropolitan of the Cheboksary and Chuvash Savvaty, clergy and believers, after which he uttered the word of teaching.

The manager of the Chuvash Metropolitan on behalf of the episcopate, clergy and laity thanked the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan for the visit and the joy of the general prayer.

“The time of the Christmas post is abundantly filled with the grace of God:“ The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light”(Rom. 13:12), and therefore it is impossible to lose it in vain. We are more given to means and strengths to reject the “deeds of darkness”, change our life to good and transform the world around us. This is a sincere prayer, good deeds for the glory of God, abstinence in feelings and desires. And the “deeds of darkness” according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers is an unusual life filled with passions. Therefore, this state of man is called “darkness”, because he does not see his mistakes, does not realize the evil that spreads around. According to the wise Solomon, such a person has every way straight in his eyes (parable 21: 2), everything that he does seems to him correct and worthy, or at least natural. But in a real spiritual life is not so. “Bold the person who does not see his sins and imagines a lot about himself. All the proud and conceited by the heart of the stord in the eyes of God,”warns us with the new -common elder - the Monk Gabriel Samtavriysky. The Monk Arseny, called the Great Church, already reaching a huge number of virtues and putting together righteousness, prayed: “I did nothing before you, Lord, good, but let me put the beginning by your grace”, he teaches us daily and teaches us and teaches us and teaches us and teaches us Saint John Chrysostom in the evening prayer rule. Through abstinence and prayer, through the non idle visit of the Temple of God and participation in the sacraments of confession and communion, an attentive and good attitude towards neighbor, through the study of the Holy Scriptures, reading the patristic literature and knowing the foundations of our faith in Christmas fasting, we are able to put a good one and we will scatter the sinful The darkness that enveloped our souls. " From the teaching of the Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstani Alexander.