This Sunday, 31 August, the Crypt was resplendent, for we had the joy of receiving our Metropolitan John, invited by our rector. Concelebrating with the Metropolitan were, of course, Father Boris and Father Vasile Sevciuc of the Moldovan community of the Annunciation, which celebrates in the Crypt on Saturday mornings;
Many thanks to Subdeacon Emmanuel, to Reader Pierre of the cathedral, to Andrei, secretary of Metropolitan John, and to the altar servers for their precious help.
The choir was admirably directed by Ivan and carried our prayers throughout the service.
Metropolitan John preached on the Gospel of the 12th Sunday after Pentecost (Mt 19:16-26). The Gospel shows us a rich man asking Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life. Jesus reminds him of the commandments. “All these I have kept from my youth…” One thing is still lacking, says Jesus: to sell his possessions and give them to the poor. “Then come, follow me…” But this man goes away sorrowful, “for he had great possessions.” And Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. We too can try to live in keeping with the spirit of the Gospel. But the question Christ puts to us today is the same as the one put to the rich man. What is lacking in us to be true disciples of Christ? The answer is detachment: we must detach ourselves from our passions and our addictions in order to open ourselves to the presence of Christ in the concrete reality of our lives. For this, God gives us His grace, which we receive through our prayers, through participation in the Holy Liturgy and through communion in the Blood and Body of Christ. Let us ask the Lord to receive His grace and to live this relationship with God in sharing with others.
The Divine Liturgy was followed by the blessing of teachers, students and pupils. May grace, strength and understanding be given to those who teach and to those who study, so that they may bear witness to the glory of the Lord.
In gratitude for the fatherly solicitude that Metropolitan John shows toward our community, which welcomes more and more converts and young catechumens, we presented him with a magnificent book of icon reproductions with a card signed by all.
Then we gathered in the parish hall for coffee and a small agape prepared by Matushka Marie-Madeleine and the women parishioners of the Crypt.
Glory to God for this beautiful day!
