LETTER TO YOUTH

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example

to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit,

in faith, in purity.”

(1 Timothy 4, 12)

Beloved young people in Christ the Lord,

On the eve of the holidays, now that the joy of carols makes us confessors of the Nativity of the Savior, we think with paternal care of you, the young generation of Orthodoxy in Canada. Let us strive that the Savior be born in the Bethlehem of our souls, making us feel the joy that Christ is born!

This year is the Homage Year of the Pastoral Care of Parents and Children and the Commemorative Year of the Romanian Orthodox philanthropists, in the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate. And right now the Church, all of us, is called to give you special attention in defending and encouraging your aspirations, purity and values ​​of this age blessed by God.

The world we live in is much tried but, united in prayer we will feel that we belong to a living and working Church becoming enlighteners in the world especially in these turbulent times, keeping and giving peace as Ava Poemen in Patericon urges us: “Acquire peace in the soul you and thousands of people around you will be saved.”

The joy of being present and active in churches will help your generation discover and testify to our cultural, Orthodox and Romanian identity. The teachings of the Church and the treasures of thought left by the Holy Fathers help you to overcome any insurmountable difficulty, they show you that you are not and we are not alone or isolated, but always guarded by Christ. Therefore, love and feel Christ almost as a brother, friend and parent and so you will have the whole world by your side.

Cultivate and preserve the treasure of friendship with sincerity and fidelity, reject and discourage any form of disregard for your neighbor, cultivate beauty, and plant light in all that you undertake. Be kind, generous, wise, and follow the image of friendship in Christ: “You are My friends … I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15: 14-15).

Let your deeds and thoughts be humble. Be humble to your parents, to your teachers, and to your colleagues, as the first martyr of humility, Christ, did. Trust in His help. You all gentlemanlike and well-educated children and youth are a blessing from God to the family, the Church, and society.

The enthusiasm of youth, pure joy, harmonious thinking are legitimate and welcome in the Church and in society. Keep them alive. Be the ones who maintain the flame of the ancestral Orthodox faith here in Canada.

The Feast of the Nativity is a good occasion for joy and reflection, a moment when we give like the Wise Men to those close to our souls as well as to those in need from our abundance. Let us put our gifts in the service of God and neighbor to rebuild a world crowned with beauty, goodness, and truth.

On the occasion of the feasts of the Nativity, the New Year and the Epiphany, we wish you the best thoughts, blessings, health and spiritual growth in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ was born! Happy New Year!

With paternal blessings,

Your brother in prayer to Christ the Lord,

the One born in the cave of Bethlehem,

† IOAN CASIAN

Feast of Lord’s Nativity 2020