Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as the feastday of St. Olga, the Grand Princess of Kiev!

Today let’s continue to examine the Beatitudes. The next beatitude says: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” This is a wonderful beatitude, for who would not wish to see God? There are people who hope to see famous, important, or rich people, but of course none of these VIPs are in any way comparable to God, who is without a doubt better than they. We could say that the distance between earthly things and God is like the distance between west and east; therefore, seeing God is something amazing!

The Holy Hierarch Gregory of Nyssa says much about the fact that the nature of God is so much better than the nature of man, that for him, i. e. man, it is impossible to see the Creator. We can see Him or come to know Him only through His actions which are made manifest amongst us here on earth. The pure in heart, i. e. those who are holy and pure, who live a strict, morally upright life and carefully watch over their thoughts, will see God. To better explain himself, St. Gregory says that man is like a piece of rusted steel. This type of steel – black, dark, ugly – is unable to reflect light. If the rust is cleaned off (i. e. one repents of his sins and loosens the bonds of his passions) the steel becomes like a mirror and begins to reflect the rays of the sun. Although the sun is so much more brighter than the reflected light, the reflections is also blinding in its brightness. A holy person with a clean heart reflects the holiness and divinity of God Himself and therefore it is right to say that that person who has a pure heart is fortunate, for in himself he will see the grace of God.

No less wonderful is the following beatitude which says: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” We have already noted that it is amazing to see God, but to become His children is even more amazing. This beatitude is also wonderful, because peace in and of itself is so essential for a calm and prosperous life, that the peacemakers, through the act of bringing peace to the world, are already receiving an incomparable reward. Where there is peace, be it between two peoples, within a country, at work, in the parish, or in a family, everything is good, but where there is no peace or concord, there is only suffering.

The peacemakers become children of God, God-like, because to make peace is the primary work of God in our world. God the Father sent His beloved Son onto our planet to wipe out sin and the consequences of sin – death, and to join together that which was earlier separated, i. e. to give man an opportunity to approach God. Since the main act of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was to reconcile man to God, it stands to reason that it is also correct to call peacemakers between people the children of God the Father.

The most real peacemaker is that person who brings peace not to warring parties, but who establishes peace in his or her own soul. Inside the soul of each person a constant battle rages between the passions and sinful thoughts on the one hand, and on the other hand – good, kind, and holy thoughts. The true peacemaker destroys passionate thoughts in his soul so that all that is left is holy peace.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, let’s purify our souls through repentance so as to see within ourselves the reflection of God’s Grace. Let’s also pray for the peace of the whole world so that we have a fortunate life here on earth, and that we inherit a place in the Heavenly Kingdom prepared for the true children of God the Father.

priest Alexis