Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as the after-feast of the Meeting of the Lord!

In today’s Epistle reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, we heard words about self-restraint, about fasting, about that need to include our physical body in the glorification of God.

First, we heard that everything is lawful for us, but not everything is expedient. Indeed, we have no law, as was the case in the Old Testament, that would forbid us to partake of any food, but this does not mean that we are free to eat, drink, and delight in all the comforts of the world without spiritual harm. We are created not for this carnal and transitory world, but for the future spiritual one. Therefore our aim, while we still live in this world, is to use what there is, but to avoid becoming attached to it, so that the world does not gain power over us. In such a way, it should not be difficult for us to enter into that other world.

The Apostle Paul continues by noting that our bodies are created not for sin, but for God. We are members of one body with Christ. He became a physical man, physically suffered on the Cross, physically rose from the dead. Since we are joined to Him, we will also physically rise from the dead. Therefore, it is important not to sin against the body so as not to lose that bond with Christ and with it lose our participation in His resurrection. We are not only physically joined to the body of Jesus Christ, but, like Paul notes, joined in spirit. Our body is a temple for our souls, but also for the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Apostle Paul concludes today’s excerpt with powerful words that our Christian freedom is bought at a price, bought with the death of our Saviour. Since it is so, despite the freedom we possess, we should probably consider ourselves not as our own, but as Christ’s, and to live not for the sake of our passions, but for the sake of our crucified Christ.

Life can be complicated and exhausting, and therefore it’s nice to take a rest, eat well, visit friends, relax, to sleep, to watch a film, a TV show, or the Olympics, to read a novel or mystery, to exercise, or to spend time on a hobby. Probably there is nothing wrong with this, since everything is lawful for us. Nonetheless, we have to demonstrate that none of this controls us, and that on the contrary, we are members of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit. For this cause we are given Lent! Therefore, in the approaching days, when this grace-filled time comes upon us, let’s put aside everything that is superfluous, turn towards our Creator, and glorify Him in body and spirit, showing in such a way that we are in truth not of this world, but of God.

priest Alexis