5 January 2025 – On the Sunday before the Nativity of the Lord (the Sunday of the Forefathers of our Lord Jesus Christ), His Eminence Vladimir, Metropolitan of Chișinău and All Moldova, officiated the Holy and Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Nativity of the Lord in Chișinău.
Joining the Archpastor in prayer were Archpriest Vadim Cheibaș, Metropolitan Secretary and Cathedral Ecclesiarch, the clergy of the holy place of worship, and the faithful who came to offer prayers of thanksgiving to God for all His blessings and to seek the Heavenly Father’s grace for the new year of His goodness.
The liturgical responses were provided by the mixed choir of the Metropolitan Cathedral, conducted by Mrs Angela Angheni.
This Sunday, the last before the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, is also called the Sunday of the Forefathers according to the flesh of the Saviour Jesus Christ. This is because at today’s Holy Liturgy, we listened to the genealogy of the Saviour Jesus Christ, the list of His forefathers according to the flesh. This genealogy was compiled by the Evangelist Matthew, tracing from Jesus to His ancestor David, and back to Abraham.
This period is divided into three stages, each consisting of 14 generations. Beyond being a mere list of ancestors, this enumeration carries symbolic significance, which the Holy Evangelist Matthew had in mind when composing the list of 42 generations.
Synodal Sector for Institutional Communication and Media Relations