Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters!

I congratulate you on receiving the Holy Communion and the upcoming holidays of New Year and Christmas. Today we heard the gospel, which stated that one host arranged a great dinner for his friends. What did Jesus Christ mean by this dinner? Of course, he meant, above all, those Jewish priests, whom the Lord prepared since Abraham. It was, as you know, the chosen people. And the Lord did everything in order to teach these people the truth, and through them to save the world.

This continued for many thousands of years. You remember Abraham, Jacob, King David, Solomon. And now the time has come when the Lord revealed to them His Son. The dinner is the knowledge of God, the truth, which God prepared for this chosen people.

And so, when Jesus came, he spoke again ... Do you remember another gospel, when he tells Samaritan woman that "salvation comes through the Jews for you". Later he told the gospel, which you heard today. That is, he saw that those, for whom the dinner had been prepared, did not come. Not all those priests came, who had to keep the faith of the Lord and teach men and knew that the Messiah will come. But they do not feel that, except for Nicodemus, who was a secret disciple of Jesus Christ.

God was offended by those whom he considered his friends. And so he said, " None of them shall taste this dish, which I have prepared - and said to his servant, - go and take the maimed, the lame, everyone you will meet." That is - people who are not taught, not those whom He has been prepared for centuries, but all the others can taste this dish. I mean, Lord is the same now as he was then. Then he was in the body, and now he is out of the body, but remains the same. All his knowledge, all that he did, and his presence among us have remained. Therefore, we, as his friends, are also invited to this dinner. And every time we come to the temple, we are the crippled and lame - those who come to this dinner, invited by the Lord.

When we arrive, the Lord purifies us. God sees all the souls that came to him in the temple, and he knows what this soul needs. And when he gives communion through the priest - he gives exactly what is needed for the soul. He knows all our problems. When we hear the Gospel and accept this wisdom of God, we are putting it in our heart, our mind, in order to be stronger spiritually. And, as the Lord Jesus Christ says: "Some of you will be larger than the stars in heaven." That is, the soul, accepting the gifts of God, is growing, and strengthening.

I wish that all of us, coming to this temple, take of this table the thing God has prepared for us. For our souls to become stronger, and for us and all around us to save and become children of God.

So I wish you to be not only the called, but the chosen.

Glory to Jesus Christ!