Moscow, January 20, 2015
Vladimir Legoida, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Synodal Information Department, in his interview with the Vera (“Faith”) radio station expressed his hope that the 1000th anniversary of the repose of Prince Vladimir, celebrated this year, would inspire many people to follow the example of St. Vladimir, whose life was radically transformed after his baptism.
“Last year gave us an opportunity to turn to the heritage of St. Sergius of Radonezh. I want to believe, hope and do something so that the 1000th anniversary of Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, should change lives of many people,” V. Legoida noted.
“The joy of this radiant anniversary celebration should be measured not in the scale and the number of arranged events, but in the impulses of human souls. Just as it was the case with the anniversary of St. Sergius,” he added.
According to chairman of the Synodal Information Department, the transformation of the Holy Prince Vladimir’s life that he himself described in the words, “I was a beast but have become a human being,” is important not only for understanding of the prince’s personality but also for each individual person.
“The path of a Christian is the path from a beast to a human being – a creature who throughout his or her life experiences all the burdens of the fall in his or her personality and deeds. Our chief task is to succeed in becoming men in the time that God has given us (and we do not know how much is left),” the Church representative stressed.
“All of us, as children, learned by heart an extract from the renowned novel, How the Steel was Tempered, by the soviet writer Nikolai Ostrovsky: “Life is given only once…” And I reformulate it: life is given to us only once and we must have time to meet with God in this life, even if the misspent years are agonizingly painful,” Said Legoida in conclusion.
