Address by the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, before the beginning of the Nativity Fast

Dear brothers and sisters, residents of the blessed land of Kazakhstan!

The holy days of the Nativity Fast are approaching – the time of preparation for the celebration of peace and God's love for people – the Nativity of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The approaching fast has its own special character – it is filled with the joy of the coming bright celebration and a feeling of deep gratitude to the Savior, Who came to us to honor us with great and precious promises and make us partakers of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Every Nativity Fast, we remember the centuries-old expectation of humanity for the Messiah-Christ and together with the wise wise-magi, make a spiritual journey to the Bethlehem manger. In the darkness of the Old Testament times, the prophet Isaiah, expressing the aspirations of the people, prayed to God: "Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down!" (Isaiah 64:1). This thirst of God closeness to man, the expectation of His mercy, the desire to be close to Him, should be present in each of us today. The Lord Himself instructs: "Seek first His the kingdom and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).

Through the coming of Christ into the world, people were given the opportunity to find grace and truth (John 1:17). Grace is the Divine power given by the Creator to man for salvation. By this power sin is conquered and every virtue is multiplied. Without grace, evil cannot be conquered, therefore, everything that darkens our lives cannot be overcome; without the grace of God, we cannot change ourselves for the better or transform the reality around us. Saint Seraphim of Sarov believed that the very purpose of a Christian's life was to acquire, to obtain the grace of the Holy Spirit. This same great ascetic pointed out the means by which this Divine power is attracted into human hearts: "Fasting and vigil, prayer, almsgiving and every good deed done for Christ's sake."

The Holy Fathers and teachers of Orthodoxy, who ascended from earth to Heaven through their lives and labors, left us many teachings and advice on how to properly observe the fast. Saint Basil the Great offers us one of the important ascetic laws: "Along with physical fasting, there must also be spiritual fasting. Physical fasting is when the stomach fasts from food and drink. Spiritual fasting is when the soul abstains from evil thoughts, deeds and words." From intemperance, as we read in the opening book of Genesis, our ancestors fell into sin. The first people transgressed the Creator's command because they were intemperate. The Lord gave them everything they needed for life, but he also gave them a commandment that was supposed to educate them - to improve their will, to strengthen their connection with God. However, man did not want to abstain, but acted according to his own desire. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said in one of his sermons: "If we analyze any sin, then intemperance always stands behind it as a reason." The fast commanded to us by the Church, which combines spiritual and physical feats and restrictions, opens the way for us to acquire grace, makes us capable of managing our thoughts, feelings and deeds in accordance with Divine commands. Apostle Paul, reflecting on the power of sin that dwells in human nature, complains: "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing" (Rom. 7:19). From the Holy Scriptures we know that if sin comes through intemperance, then liberation from sin, renewal of soul and body, purification of mind and heart begins with abstinence. The Savior warns: "whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke 16:10). If a person cannot curb his carnal desires, does not want to control material needs, then how will he resist the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12), how will he find righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). Therefore, the Church of Christ invites us to take these small, insignificant steps for the sake of our immortal souls - to abstain from certain types of food, from overeating, from unreasonable entertainment, from empty talk and gossip, from idle time watching TV and wandering around the Internet. All these restrictions in no way make us inferior and unhappy, but, on the contrary, open the way to repentance, the path of returning to the Heavenly Father. “Choose life, that you and your children may live” (Deut. 30:19), God calls to man in the voice of the ancient prophet. The only true choice is the choice of eternal blessed existence with the Lord, which helps us to accomplish the feat of fasting.

Wonderful days lie ahead of us and how important it is not to miss the opportunities that are now opening up before us. How important to break away from the hustle of everyday life, to look at ourselves, our loved ones, our lives, our aspirations from the Gospel point of view that Christ revealed to all of us. Participation in the Divine Liturgy and regular communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ during Lent is a visible and obvious testimony of life with God. Confession, fervent prayer, abstinence, care and concern for others, like any spiritual work are sealed as if with a royal seal by the sacrament of the Eucharist and communion with the most pure Body and precious Blood of the Lord and Savior. Let us reverently reflect on the great mystery: in the Eucharist, not figuratively, not symbolically, but absolutely really, is present Christ, the Perfect God and the Perfect Man, the same Lord and Savior, Who was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, Who died on the Cross for our salvation and rose from the dead. How can we not strive for Him, how can we not desire to partake of this living Bread, which came down from heaven (John 6:51)? Saint John Chrysostom says that Christ “calls Himself the Bread of Life because our life, both present and future, depends on Him.” Let us not only bow in awe before this great Sacrament, but also, having a contrite and humble heart (Psalm 50:19), participate as often as possible in the most holy Eucharist.

I congratulate you all, dear brothers and sisters, on the onset of the Nativity Fast and wish all of us in these holy days, through the intercession of the Queen of Heaven and the prayers of the new martyrs and confessors of Kazakhstan, according to the word of the apostle, to glorify God both in our bodies and in our souls, which are the essence of God (1 Cor. 6:20).

Invoking God's blessing,

HEAD OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF KAZAKHSTAN

METROPOLITAN OF ASTANAI AND KAZAKHSTAN