“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5: 10).
23 February, 2020, the Sunday of the Dreadful Judgement: Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and all Moldova celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Nativity of the Lord Cathedral in Chisinau.
Concelebrating to the first hierarch of the Church of Moldova was His Grace Ioan, Bishop of Soroca and Vicar of the Metropolis. The arch-pastors were assisted at the Divine Liturgy by the Cathedral dean, archpriest Vadim Cheibas, archimandrite Filaret (Cuzmin), the monk superior of Capriana Molastery, and the Cathedral clergy.
This Sunday is also called in Orthodox Tradition the Meetfare Sunday. Numerous church-goers were present at the service, sharing the liturgical prayers with the clergy.
The Gospel Reading speaks about the Dreadful Judgement that will be at the second coming of Christ:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25: 31-46).
The Gospel read out on the Sunday of the Last Judgement sets forth to us the mystery and the purpose of our freedom. It suggests us the way we can use our freedom during our life on earth, in order to enter into the life eternal.
Metropolitan Vladimir ordained two monks of the Capriana Monastery during the Divine Liturgy: hierodeacon Haralambios received priesthood ordination, and monk Nicandru was ordained hierodeacon.
Numerous church-goers partook in the Holy Communion.
Thanks-giving service was officiated after the Liturgy.
The Meetfare Sunday is the last day when Orthodox Christians use meat in their meals. The coming week is called Cheesfare, and it precedes the beginning of the Great Lent.
Synodal Sector of Institutional Communication and Mass-Media Relations.