Happy New Year to all! September 1 marks the beginning of the ecclesiastical new year, which has always been reckoned according to the creation of the world. This is not a matter of mere pious tradition or quaint outdated science, but rather a theological assertion: all the time of this world, and all the things that arise and disappear during that time, are the handiwork of our Creator. The point is not so much that a specific number of years have passed since the creation of the world; the main point, rather, is the very fact that the world is created. It is not self-existent or everlasting. This world and everything in it, all of it, is a gift from God, the work of his love. During this coming ecclesiastical year, let us accept this gift for what it is, an opportunity to grow in holiness. Hence, let us use the time of this year to repent and draw close to our benevolent Creator and Redeemer.
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