The Day of Orthodox youth is celebrated on the feast of the Meeting of the Lord.

On the occasion of the celebration of the Day of Orthodox Youth, the priests throughout Russia have read the address of the Patriarch from the ambo of their churches after today’s Divine Liturgy service. The Patriarchal address was read at the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery’s Trinity Cathedral, the Church of All Saints of Russia, and the Dormition Church.

In his address, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church says, “Our meeting God holds a truly special place in our life. With faith, we gain the true meaning of life and a solid moral foundation. When we strive to actively realize the words of the Gospels in our daily lives, the Lord bestows upon us the spiritual insight and the ability to discern about the events in our lives. These truly valuable qualities, as we can see these days, are in high demand, for it is often extremely difficult to make sense of the flood of today’s information flow. It is just as difficult to resist the attempts of the evil-minded forces to get us drawn into their reckless schemes, dubious and even dangerous plans.”

His Holiness the Patriarch pointed out that “the spiritual insight is not necessarily the lot of the elders gray with age as it may appear at first,” and offered an example of Prince Alexander Nevsky who won his victory on Neva River at the age of 19 and defeated the Teutonic knights on the ice of Lake Chudskoye (Peipus) not even reaching 21. “Despite his young age, he was gifted by God with remarkable wisdom, spiritual and physical might, as well as a profound understanding of what was good for his country and the people,” said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in the address.