MThA Rector Bishop Kirill Discusses Modern Spiritual Challenges in Talk at Kinovia Educational Center

On April 4 as part of the "Syntax" project of the "Kinovia" cultural and educational center, the Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, Bishop Kirill of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov, held a meeting with the center’s guests. The topic of the discussion was "Modern Challenges of Spiritual Life."

The meeting took place in the Great Hall of the Moscow Theological Academy (MThA) and was also broadcast on the online platform of the "Bogoslov.Ru" website.

At the beginning of the discussion, Bishop Kirill noted that the core issues of spiritual life have always been, are, and will remain the same, varying only in emphasis for each individual. However, there are specific trends in the modern era, which have been addressed by spiritual mentors, elders, and ascetics, and which are evident in the questions posed to priests by parishioners or those seeking to embrace the Church.

One such problem is ignorance rooted in self-confidence and pride, including among churchgoers, many of whom, instead of learning by themselves, begin to teach others. The Bishop emphasized the need for a reverent attitude toward Church traditions, canons, and rules, which helps to avoid many mistakes on the path of spiritual life.

Another issue is the widespread tendency to judge others, particularly in the current era of rapid internet and social media development. The pride of modern individuals also manifests in their belief that they can absorb and process the vast flow of information that inundates their daily lives. However, this torrent often sweeps away even the knowledge they once possessed, as sometimes seen, regrettably, among students of the Moscow Theological Schools.

Bishop Kirill also highlighted another issue, noted by Archimandrite John (Krestiankin) – the lack of heartfelt devotion to God, as modern people often rely on cold, rational reasoning with little faith: 

"Even the majority of those within the Church, confessing God with a cold, calculating mind, have not drawn close to Him with the love of their hearts, leaving their hearts captive to passions and whims, giving them entirely to the earth rather than to heaven.".

Bishop Kirill also pointed out contemporary challenges such as gaming addiction, particularly among the youth, the loss of authority figures, and a lack of trust in God, which prevents people from hearing or accepting answers to their questions. All these issues are interconnected, and their root causes can be summarized as egoism, self-love, and self-pity.

Concluding the first part of the meeting, the Bishop recalled the words of Christ the Savior that one must "enter through the narrow gate into the Kingdom of Heaven" (cf. Matt. 7:13), and that a true disciple of Christ experiences joy, including through serving others. The guiding principle in life should be the Life-Giving Cross of Christ: 

"Whoever wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it, but whoever loses his soul for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it" (Mark 8:34-35). By doing so, the fears characteristic of modern spiritual life will vanish, and a person will be able to live joyfully, giving thanks to God for all that is..

The second part of the meeting was devoted to answering numerous questions from participants, including pilgrims who had come to the monastery of St. Sergius, priests of the Sergiev Posad diocese, and students of the Moscow Theological Academy, including international students. The questions covered a wide range of topics, and the meeting concluded with Bishop Kirill’s response to a question about how to worthily celebrate the upcoming Bright Resurrection of Christ and preserve Paschal joy.

Kinovia / MThA Press Office