In brief words – "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" – the Lord encapsulated both the entire essence of the Christian faith and the entire foundation of the Christian life. With this prayer, Christ testified to faith in the One God, glorified in three Persons. God the Father Himself, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all One present in it and carry the miracle so familiar to us, the source of life and immortality, a mysterious and powerful force – life spiritualized by God.

The foundation of the Christian life is that "not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory..." (Psalm 113:9). And this means that not in one's own name, not for the sake of one's own glory and one's earthly gains, but for God's sake, for God's sake and for the glory of God, the work that follows prayer will be built. In God's name it is sanctified, whether small or great, and by God's help and God's providence it will bear fruit for the benefit of the soul unto salvation.

Our friends, let us always remember that this prayer is the seal of salvation that seals those who receive it for salvation; it is the key that opens the mind and all the powers of the soul to receive the Word of God; She is the guardian who guards the purity of the soul, mind and heart.

My beloved, let us consciously and thoughtfully accept God's gift – the sanctity of this prayer – both at the dawn of the beginning of the day, when it places us before the icons for the morning veneration of God, and during the day, asking God's blessing for all our spiritual and worldly needs, and with it we will also begin our evening sacrifice to God before going to bed.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," resounds from the ambo every time, calling our attention to hearing preaching about God, about holiness, about the saints.

Let us open our hearts to the grace of God, and may the power of this great prayer grow in our hearts and another prayer that conquers all, sanctifies all, regenerates everything: "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, to the Trinity, One-in-Essence and Indivisible, Who has given us confession of Himself!"

1. Before Great Lent.

Zacchaeus and on the transfer of the relics of St. John Chrysostom.

The circle of the church liturgical rite again led us to the gates of Great Lent. And on the eve of it, again, as every year, we meet with Zacchaeus, "righteous, just" in name (for this means his name), but sinful in deeds, the head of the tax collectors, who for a very long time did not fear God and was not ashamed of people.

But it was this one, the sinner of many sinners, who was worthy to go down in church history, because he gave an image of the first steps of fallen man towards the Lord. And the example of his life revealed a revelation about mercy, about Christ's attention to the conversion of sinful man, to the very first steps towards correction.

And today, as these days coincide, we especially prayerfully commemorate the One Who daily reminds us of Himself, whose organ of soul, heart, and lips has been vouchsafed, by God's command, to sing the unique, unique words that give life to the world, the words of the Divine Liturgy. We commemorate the great teacher of the Universal Church, St. John Chrysostom, for today is the day of remembrance of the return of his holy relics from imprisonment in Constantinople to the patriarchal throne, from whence satanic malice threw him off by human deceit and slander, wishing to break this God-chosen vessel.

But the greatness of the spirit of the saint, wholly devoted to God from his infancy, conquered the storms of life, and the words: "Glory to God for all" crowned his laborious, much-sorrowful and fruitful life.