Prot. Dionysius Dunaevsky. “Don’t drive faster than your Guardian Angel flies”translated

Today, November 15, we celebrate World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. According to the UN, it falls annually on the third Sunday of November.

On this day, I want to share with you one thought that I often repeat to drivers after the ceremony of consecrating the car. It seems like a joke, but in reality it hides a deep spiritual truth.

Surely you have seen the inscription on the rear windows: “Brother in Christ, do not drive faster than your Guardian Angel flies!” It contains the key to understanding how we should treat the road.

In the prayer for the consecration of the chariot, we ask the Lord: “...Set Thy angel to it, so that those who ride in it, guarded and instructed by him, may complete their journey.” We call upon the Heavenly Companion to be our shield and faithful mentor along the way.

But what happens when we give in to excitement? When does the need for speed or recklessness take over?

The Apostle Paul says: “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). And action according to passion is precisely life not according to faith, but according to enslavement to sin. Passion is not just a strong feeling. From a physiological point of view, in moments of dangerous risk, adrenaline and dopamine are released into the blood, causing a state close to...