Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Christ is Risen!

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as that of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker!

Today during the Divine Liturgy we heard the final words of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews. We heard that we must be obedient to our bishops and priests, because they will be giving an account of us before the Throne of the Most-High. They are responsible not only for their own souls, but also for their flock. This is, of course, very frightening. Therefore the pastors are required to always care for the souls of their sheep. It is better for the laity to be obedient, so that their pastors are joyful when giving an account of them and not filled with grief. If for the clergy the responsibility of caring for the spiritual welfare of their parishioners is frightening, so much the more so should it be frightening for parishioners when their priest has no joy about them, but is only struck with grief in regard to their spiritual state.

St. Paul also writes to the Jews that his conscience is clean before them, although they had no love nor respect for him, counting him a traitor of their ancient religious rites. He asks that they pray that he be able to visit them once again. In such a way he shows that despite their enmity towards him, he loves them, feels for them, and wishes to be with them. Today’s excerpt ends with a short prayer of St. Paul’s that the Jews become perfect in all good works.

It’s not by chance that these words are read today, on the feastday of St. Nicholas. He, like all the holy hierarchs and priests, was always anxiously caring for his flock. We can see this most clearly when we hear how he freed the wrongly convicted from death, as well as how he saved three sisters from an awful, humiliating, and sinful life. These episodes from his life witness to his kindness. Let us today obey those who have rule over us – St. Nicholas and all the other saints, as well as our present pastors. Let’s follow their teachings and strive to live a holy life so that seeing us, they will be filled not with grief, but joy.

priest Alexis

P.S.
Although today we are celebrating the memory of St. Nicholas, most likely at the moment many of us are thinking about another holy hierarch, about our Metropolitan Hilarion. Yesterday, on the feast of St. John the Theologian, the apostle of love, his funeral service was performed in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York, and today, in the late afternoon, on the day of the kind St. Nicholas, he will be buried at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville. It does not seem that this is all by chance, for anyone who knew Vladyka Hilarion would probably agree that he was the most kind person. Let’s pray for the repose of our kind first hierarch, as well as for the Lord to enlighten our bishops to choose a worthy successor.