Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as the first preparatory Sunday before Great Lent!

Today we heard an excerpt from St. Paul’s Second Epistle to Timothy. In it he reminds his disciple about all the troubles and persecutions that they lived through together and how the Lord always protected them. Paul notes that everyone who is a true follower of Christ will be persecuted, not in the narrow sense, but more broadly; they will have to live with grief and sorrow. On the other hand, evil people, those who are enlivened not by Christ, but by earthly things, will grow in evil, i. e. they will delight in this temporal world. This is all a deception, for how can anyone take delight in that which brings no use and only separates man from God? Therefore, continues Paul, be brave and steadfast^ continuing on in the Christian faith. Don’t forget, he writes to Timothy, that you are taught by God through me and remember that Holy Scripture, which you know from your youth, is very helpful for the working out of salvation.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words not because Timothy was faltering in his faith or because he was in any special need of support, but because Paul realized that his own life was nearing its end and that perhaps this was the last opportunity for him to appeal with such encouragement to his favourite disciple. We also probably understand everything that we heard today and perhaps are in no need of such words, but nonetheless the Church is offering them to us today. Soon Lent will be upon us and we will find ourselves in hard times. We will be surrounded by sorrows, difficulties, and temptations, while temporal people will be enjoying the world. Therefore, already today, let’s muster our spiritual bravery, remember that Christ has led us into His Church, and not forget to fortify ourselves with the Holy Scriptures so as to be steadfast throughout the entire approaching lenten period.

priest Alexis