Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, with the continuing feast of the Ascension, as well as the memory of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council!

Let’s quickly remember that the First Ecumenical Council was gathered by the Emperor St. Constantine the Great, met not far from Constantinople in the city of Nicaea, in May of the year 325. Three hundred eighteen bishops came together from all the ends of the antique world to discuss the question of the nature of Jesus Christ and the relationship between this nature and God the Father, and to declare the Orthodox position on this matter, which was so worrying the Church at that time. This council issued an important church document which is very familiar to each of us – the first part of the Creed (up to the words “and in the Holy Spirit”). In such a way, the Church confirmed the Orthodox teaching that there is One God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is of the same essence as God the Father.

The commemoration of this council today is like a link in a chain connecting the Sundays of Pascha with the coming Sunday. Throughout the whole paschal season, the Sunday Gospel readings hint, and sometimes somewhat forcefully show, that Christ is not a simple man, but the incarnate God (Man and God together). We saw this clearly last week, when the Lord did not simply heal the blind man, but instead made him new eyes out of earth. In such a way today’s Sunday confirms everything we heard on the previous Sundays. In a week we will celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, on the Apostles, when the triune nature of our God was manifested. Therefore, today is not only a confirmation of what came before, but also a forefeast of what is to follow.

Let’s pray to the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council that we save within ourselves the paschal joy of the former days. Let’s also pray them that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, not abandon us, but that He comes to dwell in us more often.

priest Alexis