His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia delivered an address on the occasion of the celebration of Orthodox Youth Day.
Dear brothers and sisters!
I cordially congratulate all of you on the great feast of the Meeting of the Lord, on which, according to the tradition established in our Church, we also celebrate Orthodox Youth Day.
Today we commemorate a momentous event that has not only historical but also enormous spiritual significance. On the one hand, in the persons of the righteous elder Simeon and the Divine Infant Jesus there takes place a symbolic meeting of the Old and New Testaments. And on the other hand, it is the meeting of a specific person with God.
The encounter with God holds a completely special place in our life. Together with faith we acquire the true meaning of existence and a firm moral foundation, and when we strive actively to embody the words of the Gospel in our daily struggle, the Lord grants us spiritual vision and the ability to look at many things with discernment. These valuable qualities, as we see, are in great demand today, for it is sometimes extremely difficult to make sense of the avalanche-like flow of information. Just as it is sometimes difficult to resist the attempts of malicious forces to draw us into reckless adventures and dubious and even dangerous undertakings.
But spiritual vision is by no means the lot only of gray-haired elders, as it might seem at first glance. You surely remember well from history lessons the heroic deeds of Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky, whom the Russian Orthodox Church venerates among the saints. I would like to recall that the Grand Prince won the battle on the Neva at the age of 19 and defeated the Livonian knights on the ice of Lake Peipus before he was 21. Despite his youth, he was endowed by God with amazing wisdom, spiritual and physical strength, and a deep understanding of what was beneficial for the country and the people.
This year we celebrate the 800th anniversary of the birth of the right-believing prince. To mark the church and state celebrations timed to this date, I am glad to declare this jubilee year the “Year of Alexander Nevsky,” to launch the all-Russian creative competition “Alexander Nevsky,” and to invite young people to show their talents in memory of the Grand Prince. May the life and podvig of this remarkable Russian saint inspire you not only to create vivid works of art and music, but also always serve as an example to follow, and perhaps help some of you to encounter God and partake of the rich spiritual treasury of Orthodox culture.
I invoke upon you all the blessing of Christ.
+KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA