The temple for us is a place of meeting with God. We come here to thank God for his mercies, to pray for our loved ones, to repent, to meet orthodox friends, and to unite with God in the sacrament of the Eucharist. All the best things that make Russia a Saint, that make other Christian Nations exist, give us prayer. In the Church, we get rid of the yoke of our vanity and break out of the shadows of crises and wars into the peace of God. And this is the only correct solution. Not curses and revolutions, not anger and hatred, but Church prayer and virtues can change the world.

On Saturday, February 15, the Church celebrates the feast of the Meeting of our Savior Jesus Christ. The old Testament Jewish people and all mankind, who had been waiting for the Savior for many hundreds of years, met the infant Christ on this day in the person of Simeon the God-receiver. On this festive day, exactly 301 years ago, after the construction was completed, our Military Cathedral of Christ’s Resurrection was consecrated. Services began to take place in the Church, and to this day it is a place where people meet with Christ.

This year, the feast of Candlemas coincided with the Saturday before the week of the prodigal son – the second preparatory week for the Great lent. When we meet God, we remember our past relationship to Him and to our neighbors, and we repent.

The Sunday Service was led by senior priest of the Cathedral – Valery Voloschuk. An interesting event took place on this day. The family of our parishioners Viktor and Olesya, who were once married here, brought their little one-month-old daughter to the baptism. Before the service, she was baptized, and at the end of the divine Liturgy, she was given communion. This is also a special event for our much-seen Cathedral.

Reconstruction is undoubtedly the most important aspect of the restoration of our Shrine. But equally important is the restoration of parish life. After all, temples are built for people; in order to make this, the most important Meeting in our life, possible. That it, once held, then accompanied us all our lives. On this Sunday, it is especially joyful that soldiers stand at prayer in the Military Cathedral built by the Cossacks.