Address of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Before the Beginning of the New Year 2025

Reverend Fathers, Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The ancient prophet cried out to the Lord: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 89:12). “We shall imperceptibly traverse the span of life on the wings of time and suddenly arrive at the gates of eternity,” writes Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in one of his New Year’s letters. A good way to acquire true wisdom is to learn to live each day with the perspective of eternity.

As we step over the symbolic threshold of the New Year, we cannot but recall the sorrows and afflictions that fill human life. The Fathers and Teachers of the Church describe earthly existence as a “stormy sea” where wave upon wave of various calamities rise over humanity. The year now ending has brought much pain and tears to mankind. One may reflect extensively on these events from the perspectives of politics, economics, or sociology, but for the believing heart, there is but one answer: the cause of all human suffering lies in the separation from the Source of life, in the rupture of communion with the Creator. Thus, there is only one remedy — the return to the Lord.

Our prayers at the New Year must include sincere words of gratitude to the Heavenly Father for the past year, for all the time we have lived, for all that we know and do not know, for the evident and unseen blessings granted to us. Let us reflect and see — we always have reasons to thank and glorify the Lord. He has promised to be with us all the days of our lives until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He helps us in our lives, accompanies us in our sorrows and illnesses, in our labors and trials; He comforts us with His word, encourages us through the sympathy of our friends and loved ones. And His love and mercy are revealed not only in these things but also in the fact that we have the opportunity to attend the temples of God, which Saint John of Kronstadt called Heaven on earth. Here, we are freed from sins in the Sacrament of Repentance, nourished with the Bread of eternal life in the Sacrament of Communion, hear the words of the Gospel, spiritually commune with the Most Holy Theotokos, the angelic hosts, and the multitude of saints, and receive consolation and renewal. Let us also remember that for a believer, God’s mercy is revealed not only in moments of joy but also in times of trial, in which our faith grows and our hope is strengthened.

As we enter the new year of God’s grace, let us ask the Creator and Giver of all good things for an increase in love and the eradication of hatred and all malice. Let us pray for peace throughout the world, for the unity and strengthening of the Orthodox Church, and for the well-being of our earthly homeland — blessed Kazakhstan.

May Christ the Savior, who is about to be born in Bethlehem of the Most Pure Virgin Mary for our salvation, grant His great and abundant mercy to all who are in need of it and bless all of us in the coming New Year. May the year ahead be a year of God’s goodness for the Orthodox Church and for the land of Kazakhstan.