“Come, let us rejoice the Lord, who has crushed the power of death” Sunday services at the Intercession Academic Church
The Divine Liturgy is the greatest sacraments of the Church, because the only gift that a man can bring to God is his grateful heart. Gratitude is our only response to Christ’s call, because through the gratitude or the Eucharist we can be with Him.
The very feeling of gratitude is the key that opens the gates to the Heavenly Kingdom and at the same time a ladder leading to an eternal life. As elder Sophrony (Sakharov), a disciple of St. Silouan of Athos, whose memory is commemorated by the Church today, called the “birth into the Unshakable Kingdom”:
An integral element of the coming Kingdom of Christ will be the unquenchable flame of gratitude to the Lord, who saved us by His sufferings.
The Gospel passage reveals the mysterious nature of gratitude. After all, through the Eucharist the eyes of the travelers to Emmaus opened and they recognized Christ. They also experienced a transformation of their hearts, which St. Luke describes: then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, «Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?» (Luke.24:31-32).
On September 23, the clergy, teachers and students of the Academy gathered at the Intercession Church to honor the memory of St. Silouan of Athos and St. Sergius and Herman of Valaam. Also on the day before the leave-taking of the Nativity of the Mother of God, some solemn chants and stichera glorifying the Virgin Mary were included in the service.
Archimandrite Venedikt (Knyazev) officiated the All-night Vigil co-served by teachers and students in the priesthood.
Before the Kathisma, Sergey Maltsev, a fourth-year undergraduate student, delivered a sermon. In his speech, the preacher told about a righteous live of St. Joachim and Anna.
On September 24, the Bishop of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov Kirill, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and the Abbot of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Intercession Academic Church.
After the Sacrament verse, Fyodor Sokolov, a preparatory Master's student, delivered a sermon.
At the end of the Liturgy, Bishop Kirill addressed an assembly with his archpastoral word.
Background information:
Clergy served at the All-night Vigil: Archimandrite Venedikt (Knyazev) co-served by Archimandrites Hilarion (Forkavets), Luka (Golovkov), Abbots Adrian (Pashin), Gerasim (Dyachkov), Hieromonk Varnava (Losev), Abbot Meletius (Sokolov), Priest Stefan Domuschi, Hieromonk Theodore (Yulaev), priest Valery Dukhanin, hieromonks Cassian (Plosky), Damian (Voronov), Mikhei (Kopytov), Boris (Zelyuchenko), Serapion (Zalesny), deacon Dimitry Maslov, hierodeacons Filaret (Zubov), Pimen (Shein), Zinovy (Rusakov), deacons Sergiy Konoval, Dionisy Makarov.
Clergy served at the Divine Liturgy: Bishop Kirill co-served by Archimandrites Venedikt (Knyazev), Hilarion (Forkavets), Luka (Golovkov), Abbots Adrian (Pashin), Gerasim (Dyachkov), Hieromonk Varnava (Losev), Abbot Meletius (Sokolov), Priest Stefan Domuschi, Hieromonk Theodore (Yulaev), Priest Valery Dukhanin, Hieromonks Cassian (Plosky), Damian (Voronov), Mikhei (Kopytov), Boris (Zelyuchenko), Serapion (Zalesny), deacons Dimitry Maslov, Nikolai Kuvshinov, Hierodeacons Filaret (Zubov), Pimen (Shein), Zinovy (Rusakov), deacons Sergiy Konoval, Dionisy Makarov.
Chanting performed by the second academic choir under the conduct of A.O. Leventsova and the first mixed choir led by S.P. Borovinskaya.
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