Your Graces!
Honorable fathers, brothers and sisters!
CHRIST IS RISEN!
Today we are becoming participants in a special event in the spiritual, cultural, and intellectual life of Kazakhstan. By the feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, the implementation of a large-scale project has been completed: for the first time in the history of Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan, a translation into the modern literary Kazakh language of one of the principal liturgical books of the Orthodox Church – the Liturgikon – has been published. The edition contains the order of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is celebrated on most days of the year.
The Church teaches that the Divine Liturgy and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist celebrated during it are the center of all spiritual life. Historically, all the Sacraments and the most important sacred rites of the Orthodox Church were either included in the Divine Liturgy or remained closely connected with it. I would like to quote the words of the righteous John of Kronstadt: “The benefit of the Liturgy celebrated with reverent attention is immeasurable not only for the entire Orthodox Church, but also for the whole universe, for all people of every faith and confession.”
In our country – the Republic of Kazakhstan – the traditional religions, above all Hanafi Islam and Orthodox Christianity, are an important factor in interethnic harmony and social stability, one of the sources for preserving and strengthening historical memory, national culture, morality, and enduring moral ideals. The President of Kazakhstan, the highly respected Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev, notes: “Orthodoxy has always made a great contribution to preserving peace and harmony and strengthening the atmosphere of mutual understanding and trust in our society. The diversity of religions, traditions, and cultures is a firm foundation of our statehood.”
Today we are presented with the results of a very difficult and painstaking work that has been carried out over many months. It is impossible to produce a high-quality translation without relying upon the culture of the people, their traditional values, and their understanding of God, the world, and the human person. The Kazakh language – one of the richest and most expressive languages in the world – is a precious part of the ancient and multifaceted culture of the Kazakh people. The new translation of the sacred texts presented today was prepared by ecclesiastical and secular bearers of Kazakh culture and the Kazakh language, taking into account modern linguistic norms and standards. The specialists employed the full range of linguistic means in order to convey the beauty and richness of the liturgical texts, their spirit, meaning, and style. I would like to note that the book presented today is only the beginning of a grand undertaking. I hope that, with God’s help, with the support of concerned people, and through the labors of linguists, philologists, and theologians, we will continue and complete the translation of other liturgical books.
The publication of the Liturgikon in the Kazakh language has significant educational and historical-cultural importance. The appearance of this translation provides not only the opportunity for clergy to pronounce liturgical exclamations and read prayers in Kazakh, but also allows a great number of people to become acquainted in their native language with one of the greatest literary monuments of humanity, which has profoundly influenced the formation and development of the spirituality and culture of many civilizations. The translation of the Liturgikon is a valuable additional incentive for the study and understanding of the Kazakh language and, of course, a serious and meaningful contribution to the spiritual and intellectual development of multiconfessional and multiethnic Kazakhstan – our common Home.
Today’s event has taken place thanks to the generous support of the public foundation “Eleos-Meirim” headed by its president Valery Mikhailovich Kapsamun. Words of gratitude should also be addressed to the translators headed by Priest Elisey Kukeev, to the Head of the Public Relations Department of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, one of the initiators and coordinators of the project, and to the administration and academic staff of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary.
I congratulate all of you on today’s significant occasion and once again proclaim the words of the all-joyful Paschal greeting:
CHRIST IS RISEN! – TRULY HE IS RISEN!
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