And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
The Gospel according to St Matthew 25.40
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He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
Proverbs 14.31
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Easter Message of Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias, First Hierarch of the Local Church of Moscow and all the Russias, to all homeless people…
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, we celebrate the most important religious holiday of the year… the Lord’s Easter. This is the day when the God-Man conquered death, broke the power of Hell over us, and gave everyone the opportunity to enter with Him into His eternal joy… the Kingdom of Heaven. What is this kingdom, and who’s going to go there? In the Gospel, Christ says an amazing thing… the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. They realise that they lack any merit of their own, and, therefore, humbly accept whatever God gives them. Many of you, my dear ones, have nowhere to live, it’s hard to find food, and you don’t have enough clothing. Nevertheless, most of you aren’t angry with people, you don’t murmur against God, you wait with patience, with hope, for good fortune to pass your way. The Lord called such people the poor in spirit.
At present, we have Orthodox volunteers who help the disadvantaged, and some told me about homeless people who share with others even those few crumbs that they’ve scrounged to keep body and soul together. I’m sure that, in God’s eyes, such people are much closer to the Kingdom of Heaven than many of those who possess fine apartments, fancy cars, and beautiful clothes. Of course, it’s tough to be homeless! However, I know of one Home on earth where the Host invites everybody to come in. That’s what the Church is… God’s House. Its Host is God Himself. Come to the Church for help and consolation, dear brothers and sisters!
Today, in all our major cities, we have parishes that make a special effort to take care of the homeless. In Moscow, the staff of the Милосердие (Mercy) bus tells people what aid the Church has to offer them. They tell them that the Church has other things to offer besides a meal or new clothes; they can arrange a meeting with a priest, set up a date for confession, so that people can join themselves to Christ Himself in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. This Sacrament, which He founded personally just before his resurrection, is for anyone who wants to enter the Kingdom of Heaven… that means that it’s for you, too! I wish you the best on this glorious feast of joy, hope, and God’s help!
Christ is Risen!
Kirill Gundyaev
Patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias
23 April 2011
Patriarchia.ru
Official MP Website
http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/1459869.html
Editor’s Note:
Note His Holiness’ acerbic comment on the oligarchs and their selfish lifestyles… some told me about homeless people who share with others even those few crumbs that they’ve scrounged to keep body and soul together. I’m sure that, in God’s eyes, such people are much closer to the Kingdom of Heaven than many of those who possess fine apartments, fancy cars, and beautiful clothes. There are those in the USA who’re attempting to link the Church with greedy rightwing scummers. On the other hand, the Mother Church has categorically rejected the Free Market… in the Nasty Nineties, the Church and the Communists joined hands to fight the twin evils of Sectarian religion and Neoliberal (“conservative”) economics. Let’s keep it focused… you can have His Holiness’ real Christian compassion, which results in actual aid to poor people… or you can have JP’s Sectarian-tinged religiosity and navel-gazing, with all of the Church’s money going into the pockets of drone clergy. None of the Russian Orthodox bodies in the American diaspora have carried out fund drives to help their members who are long-term unemployed, or, God forbid, ninety-niners (those whose UI benefits have run out)… that’s a fact. It’s your choice…
BMD
Voices from Russia 
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