Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the after-feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple!

Today in the Epistle reading we heard important and wonderful words about that which is most sought after by all Christians of all times, i. e. unity amongst ourselves, the members of the Church, in Christ, and about becoming together a dwelling place for God. The Church always seeks unity. We pray about this at the beginning of the Liturgy, Vespers and Matins when we read the Litany of Peace: “For the peace of the whole world, the good estate of the holy Churches of God, and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord!” We’re constantly asking about this, but somehow it never happens. There have always been divisions of one kind or another, up until our own time. At the time of the apostles the main reason for divisions was the question of the place of the Jewish law within the young Christian community, as well as the relationship between the Christians of Jewish and gentile backgrounds.

The Holy Apostle Paul writes that in Christ, such questions have no meaning. The Jewish law which divided Jew from gentile in such a rigid fashion, like a middle wall of partition, has been abolished by Jesus. Instead of these separate, sinful, and imperfect communities, He created a new, beautiful, and perfect community of Christians. Christians are like one united body. It is this body that Christ, through His passion on the Cross, has reconciled with God, and not the Jews and faithful gentiles separately.

Since Christ has reconciled these two separate nations one to another and then with God the Father, they have become fellow citizens with the saints in the Kingdom of Heaven. This new community of Saints, Christians, can be compared to a wonderful house or temple. It is founded on the foundation of the apostle and prophets, the chief cornerstone is Christ, and the walls are the faithful. This temple is being built for God Himself!

Those old debates that divided the Church during the first century no longer exist, but today there are new divisions. There are those questions that divide the universal Church, and others that divide the separate local Churches, particular parishes, and even house-Churches, i. e. Christian families. Secular society itself, our countries and peoples, are badly divided. This is without a doubt a tragedy, for the Lord does not wish to save the Jews and gentiles, i. e. warring or bickering parties within the Church, independently of each other, but to join them into one body and to lead them together into His Kingdom. We are saved together and not separately. We build the Temple of God, the Church, together. He who acts alone, be it in his family, in the parish, or in other places, hurts himself and, worse than that, prevents others from achieving their goals.

Today, having heard the words of the Holy Apostle Paul about unity, let us fervently pray for the unity of our Holy Orthodox Church. Let’s remember that our Church is founded on the apostles and prophets, that is on the New and Old Testaments, and therefore let’s diligently study the Holy Scriptures. Let’s remember that our chief cornerstone, that which binds together separate parts and gives them steadfast strength to stand unwaveringly, is Christ Jesus. Therefore, let’s put aside all sinful, judgmental thoughts against others, our suspicions, etc. If Christ and His Cross are precious to us, they are enough to destroy that which separates us and to make out of us one steadfast and unshakable Church.

priest Alexis