Sermon: 27th December '20

The Hierarchies And Holy Nights

Gospel Reading: John 21:15-25 

Dear Community of Christians,

Once a year, during the Holy Nights the name of the 12 Hierarchies are invoked in the Act of Consecration of Man. Their deeds permeate our entire physical-spiritual reality all the time, but in the 12 Holy Nights, as in a magnifying glass, their significance for the whole year is brought to light, and into sharp focus. Is it gratitude? Is it the request for help? Is it reverence for these great beings that moves us when we hear their mighty names? For most of us, we are rarely aware of their active forces in life.

​Their work is of a spiritual nature and yet They physically move our world. If we lose them from our consciousness, we impoverish ourselves, and also make the world poorer. A lot is at stake if we are not aware of their work. Does our difficult world situation also have to do with the fact that we show no or very little interest in the work of the hierarchies? 

Now, in the enclosed and introspective time of the Holy Nights, when their beings are once again present in our consciousness, we can show them our gratitude, our veneration for their work. Our relationship with the hierarchies may then become more intimate and renewed during the upcoming month of the year. 

Rev. Ute Koenig

Detail from Francesco Botticini, 'The Assumption of the Virgin', probably about 1475-6