Archangel Day was marked with festive liturgies in Orthodox churches across Bulgaria. The services were accompanied by sermons on repentance, faith, free will and the spiritual struggle against evil.
Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil led a patriarchal Divine Liturgy at the Church of „St. Archangel Michael“ in the Pernik village of Studena. In his sermon, he called on the faithful to recognize their mistakes, thank God for the time granted to them for repentance, and emulate the angels in their service and love for God.
„Let us recognize our mistakes, thank God for the time He gives us for repentance, and emulate the angels in their service and love for Him,“ Patriarch Daniil said.Liturgies and Church Feasts Across the Country
In Chirpan, the festive Divine Liturgy at the Church of „The Holy Archangels“ was led by Metropolitan Kiprian of Stara Zagora. He said that faith sets people free, elevates them and reveals to them the boundless possibilities of spiritual perfection.
At the Church of „St. Archangel Michael“ in the village of Zdravets, dedicated to the Archangel Michael, Metropolitan Ioan of Varna and Veliki Preslav officiated. This year marks 100 years since the consecration of the house of prayer. In his address to the congregation, the metropolitan spoke about growing aggression among young people, hatred, drugs and the undermining of the human personality, emphasizing the importance of faith in difficult times.
Metropolitan Arsenius of Sliven led the liturgy at the Church of „St. Archangel Michael“ in the village of Zhelyu Voyvoda. The church was built 127 years ago. Metropolitan Gregory of Vratsa officiated at the Church of „St. Archangel Michael“ in the Mezdra village of Kreta, built in 1824. He recalled that angels guide and direct people, but cannot force them to become good, because human beings were created with free will.
In Asenovgrad, Metropolitan Nikolay of Plovdiv celebrated a hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Church of „St. Archangel Michael“, conducting the rite for the consecration of the frescoes at the beginning of the service. „A person does not need to have angel wings to perform an angelic deed – it is enough to have a heart filled with love,“ he said.
The Feast Also Brought Worshippers Together in Other Dioceses
In Gotse Delchev, Metropolitan Seraphim of Nevrokop led the festive liturgy at the Church of „St. Archangel Michael“. In the village of Kopilovtsi, Montana Region, the church feast was marked with a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Metropolitan Pakhomiy of Vidin.
In Haskovo, the 165th anniversary of the Church of „The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel“ was marked with a Divine Liturgy, a kurban and a concert by children from Sunday schools. In Pleven, Father Milen offered a prayer to God to send „an angel of peace, a faithful savior of souls and bodies“.
On Archangel Day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Synaxis of the Holy Archangels and commemorates Saint Angel of Lerin. In Gabrovo, Stavrophore Economos Ruslan Lichev described the feast as a call to humility, repentance and the fight against sin, which separates people from God.
Source: bta.bg