At the beginning of the Dormition Fast, a liturgy and a holy cross procession on the second-highest point in Belarus has become our good tradition. It reminds the people of their ascent to heaven, it calls on them to rise above their everyday…
We may imagine ourselves to be masters of our lives and make our plans for decades ahead - only to find them derailed someday. But the Scripture tells us: "As for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me."
The Feast of the Ascension is past us, and the day the Holy Trinity is fast approaching. With the Lord, we have the plenitude of life, wherever we find ourselves - in a hospital ward, in a prison jail or in any other inhospitable location.
The world is jealous. One finds God and begins to hold little value in its treasures – money, wealth, power, pride and much else. But the world will go to any length to keep us from abandoning its treasures for the love of God.