The Transfiguration, “Easter of the summer” is one of the great festivals of the Orthodox Church. As a mobile party, it falls this year on August 19th. With our interpreter Natasha we go to one of the cathedrals of Moscow which is dedicated to the transfigured Christ.
Before the “Divine Liturgy”, we have an important meeting with Msgr. Hilarion Alfeyev, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and President of the External Relations Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, to present the vision of JC2033.
Olivier Fleury, Martin Hoegger, Hilarion Alfeyev
“I already thought about that. Yes, we must do something for this anniversary. I see it above all as a missionary possibility: to make the resurrection known outside the Church”, he tells us from the outset after having listened to us and insisting that the resurrection is the heart of the spiritual life of the Orthodox Church.
What he particularly wishes is that the Gospels were read in his Church, as they are in Protestantism. At the end of our meeting, he shows us the six volumes on the life of Jesus that he published recently with a foreword of Pope Benedict.
Article on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate about our meeting with Mgr Hilarion
Brotherhood of the Transfiguration
In the afternoon we join the great meeting of the Brotherhood of the Transfiguration in Sokolniki Park, where nearly two thousand people gather each year for these festivities.
Dmitry Gasak, the president of this great movement in the Russian Orthodox Church, makes the link between the Transfiguration of Christ, that of the universe and that of our relations, so that we can “live together”. These last two words indicate the theme of this meeting.
Olivier Fleury, Larissa Musina, P. Georgy Kochetkov, Martin Hoegger
Father Georgy Kochetkov, founder and spiritual father of this fraternity welcomes us with a broad smile and the “kiss of peace”. “This day brings us joy, hope and strength. Let us be carriers of the love of God”, he says in conclusion.
Two days later, we meet more personally in a center in the Moscow countryside. "It's a great idea, because Christians can find their unity only in Christ. He alone gives us a common language. We must come back to him because we have moved away from His simplicity”, he exclaims when he discovers JC2033.
Gazak also stresses the importance of unity: to evoke it, one must not look to the past but to Christ. "The prospect of 2033 makes me think. We are not used to planning so much ahead because there are so many obstacles. It is important because it is based on faith. Trust and work in love to be a witness in this world".
Today the people no longer trust. It is very difficult to unite people in Christ. Young people are separated from faith. You have to start all over again from the beginning. Although officially a large majority of Russians consider themselves orthodox, their lives are built on other bases.
“Your initiative is really good. It gives encouragement. We will pray for you. That God helps you ! We are your friends”, he says, leaving us.
Father Alexandre Men's spiritual heirs
At the parish of Saints Cosmas and Damian, we meet Father Ioann (or Giovanni) Guaita, rector of this bustling parish that transmits the legacy of Alexander Men (Alexandre Men), a great figure of the Orthodox Church, murdered in 1990. It is the dimension of the Christian unity that pleases him in our project:
“One of the last Jesus' prayers to his Father before his passion is that all be one. Jesus did not just pray for the apostles, but for those who will believe in his words, therefore for all Christians. I think it's very important to learn to be together, while we approaching the two thousand years of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This initiative therefore seems to be useful for Christians in different churches to reflect on how to be together”.
G. Guaita, Olivier Fleury
“Alexander Men, I consider him as my father. He inspired many people. His spiritual children are part of our staff”, says Alexei Bodrov, director of the St. Andrew Theological Institute.
This institute, a bridge between East and West, organizes symposia and seminars, especially in the summer when Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant students live and study together: “Miracles take place. Their responses indicate that lives are changing”, he says.
Regarding the vision of JC2033, he emphasizes, as Bishop Hilarion, the need for evangelization. Only 3% of the population participates in the Easter liturgy in the Orthodox Church. Maybe as few as one percent of Orthodox are engaged in the Church?
How does he see Russia in 15 years? “I was always optimistic, but today I'm sad. The economic situation is certainly better, but people are very easily manipulated. We are in a deep crisis. What will happen in 2033? However, I believe in the Holy Spirit and that he will act in Russia ".
Martin Hoegger
