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In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit! Amen!
Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters!
The Lent comes to its end, some weeks are left and the Great Holy Easter will come, the light day of Our God Jesus Christ's rising from the dead day will come. And we have heard the Gospel today (Mark Õ:32-45), where Jesus explained His followers that He had come for sufferings for the sake of all the world. Jesus said that He was destined to be betrayed, that He was destined to be tortured, to suffer a lot, to be crucified on the cross for the sake of people's salvation. But on the third day He will rise from the dead.
Apostles listened to Him and did not understand Him completely, because they saw the Jesus' glory. They saw, how few days before He entered the Holy Jerusalem on the donkey and people greeted Him with palm leaves. And at that moment He said that we would be betrayed, would be crucified. And they did not hear those words, because they saw themselves in glory near Our Lord Jesus Christ. Someone saw himself at His right hand and someone at His left hand. Someone saw himself as the Prime-minister, someone - as vise-speaker, saying it in modern words. And that is why Apostles, James and John, came to Jesus and asked: "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.... Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." And Lord answered them: "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink," - means the cup of suffering - "... or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, Our Father God will decide it according to justice and He will allow sitting at My right hand or at My left".
God calls us to follow Him, to drink your own cup, to carry our cross. And as it is still some time of Lent is left, you should try to keep the fast, because the fast heals the body and the soul. And we see, that a lot of you receive the great healings during the Lent, thanking to your efforts for God. Your spiritual and physical health became better, because you follow God not only with fast and prayer, we are following God with our good doings. And these are doings, which Ukraine expects from us and from every good Christian. Ukraine is waiting, because this country needs spiritual revival, spiritual awaking to get the spiritual resurrection. It will not happen in itself. It will happen if we all start to work to enhance spiritual development, start to follow God, carrying your cross, even if it is very hard: "Glory to You, God, for everything." And through such sincere serving, every one of you will drink the cup, which Lord gives us in this life.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
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Apostle (Hebrews, 9:11-14):
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11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good
things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not
made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means
of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus
securing an eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of
defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification
of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our
conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Gospel (Ìark, 10:32-45):
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32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and
Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who
followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them
what was to happen to him,
33 saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of
Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they
will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.
34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and
kill him. And after three days he will rise."
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him
and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of
you."
36 And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"
37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right
hand and one at your left, in your glory."
38 Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.
Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the
baptism with which I am baptized?"
39 And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to
them, "The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which
I am baptized, you will be baptized,
40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to
grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at
James and John.
42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know
that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones exercise authority over them.
43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be
great among you must be your servant,
44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
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