Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

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

Today, as was the case last week, we heard a special Gospel reading which is tied to the Elevation of the Cross. This particular excerpt is always read on the first Sunday after the feast. In it we heard how Christ offers to all those who wish to be with Him to deny their own will, to take up their cross (that is, to always be ready to suffer and even give up one’s life for the sake of the Lord), and follow Him. As in the Gospel reading from last week, the words we heard today are very difficult. It’s not easy or straightforward to deny all that is pleasant and wish for suffering and death.

To soften this harsh commandment, Christ tells us, in the reading from last week, of how God the Father Himself gave up His own Son for suffering and death for the sake of the salvation of disobedient servants, i. e. us. In like manner, today’s frightening words are softened. We heard that there were, amongst those listening to the Lord, people who would see the Kingdom of God before their deaths. Who these people were and how they were to see the Kingdom of God can be explained in different ways, but we should probably take into account what follows the verses we heard today in the Gospel. What follows after today’s words is the narrative of the Transfiguration of our Saviour. In such a manner, the closest disciples of the Lord, the Holy Apostles John, James, and Peter truly did see with their physical eyes the glory of the Kingdom of God on Mount Tabor.

These words can be a comfort for each believing person who suffers for the sake of Christ, for it is not only the apostles who were vouchsafed to see the glory of God, but also many other people. The apostles were the first who showed through their own experience that it is possible, at least for a short time, to be in communion with the grace of God while still being here on earth. It is enough for us to read the lives of the saints to be convinced of this. Perhaps each of us, through our own experiences, also knows this, for grace works in us also and manifests itself, although maybe not as brightly as on Mount Tabor, in our lives.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, in these days of the after-feast of the Elevation of the Cross, let’s remember that if we wish to be with Christ, we must deny our own will, follow after Him, and be ready to suffer for His sake. Let’s be confident that a person who acts in such a way will not be forgotten by God and will receive not only spiritual rewards in the life to come, but will also see “the kingdom of God come with power” in their own personal lives here on earth.

priest Alexis