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, one of the Twelve Great Feasts, and on Orthodox Youth Day, celebrated today.
The Meeting is a feast of encounter. However, it is not merely a historical meeting described in the Gospel and very important for only a few people. The mysterious event commemorated today in fact extends into eternity. The righteous Simeon, who received the Infant Jesus, became an image of every human soul thirsting for God. The Child Whom the elder embraces in his arms (refrain to the 9th ode of the canon) is the very same Christ Who stands at the door of our heart and knocks (Rev. 3:20), waiting for us to receive Him and to love Him with all our soul and with all our mind(Matt. 22:37).
Our life is sometimes oversaturated with various events, but behind the fog of vanity and the abundance of cares it is important not to miss what matters most. What matters most is that for which every person lives: the encounter with God — this is what can fill our existence with true meaning and lasting value, and give the firm foundation and spiritual support that every one of us seeks, but especially young people.
On this festal day I prayerfully wish all of you that, by opening your hearts to the Lord, you may find invincible peace of soul, true happiness and life more abundantly (John 10:10).
May the blessing of the Savior of the world be with you all.
+KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA