Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Christ is Risen!

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord!

We all know very well that every Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Each Sunday is a little Pascha. This festivity is especially evident on Saturday evening at the All-Night Vigil (remember that according to the way the Church calculates time, the day most often begins in the evening and not at midnight or in the morning; therefore, the evening service on Saturday night already refers to Sunday). The central part of this service is the reading of the Gospel. On Saturday evening a Gospel narrative about the resurrection or those events that immediately followed is always read. There are eleven such excerpts and they repeat about four or five times throughout the whole year. Up until now, we have not discussed in detail these places from Holy Scripture; therefore, let’s try to dedicate eleven weeks to these wonderful Gospel readings. Since they are read on Saturday evenings, I suggest that all of you come not only on Sunday morning, but also on Saturday. If this is not possible for one reason or another, you can try to make an effort to read them at home on the eve of Sunday.

Last night the first resurrectional Gospel was read (Matthew 28: 16-20). This is the same Gospel excerpt that is read at baptisms. In this short, yet very dynamic and expressive reading, we hear how the resurrected Christ meets with His disciples on a mountain somewhere in Galilee. They worship Him, not simply as a man, a prophet, or a saint, but as God, although some of them doubted. Jesus Christ tells them that all power is given unto Him both in heaven and on earth. Since He has complete power, He sends them to all the nations to make new disciples, to baptize them in the name of the Holy Trinity, and to teach them to observe all that He commanded them. In the end, Christ promises not only to the apostles, but also to all those to come to believe in Him, that He will not abandon them, but will be with them until the end of time.

In this Gospel reading there are so many wonderful topics that could be discussed. Today let’s focus our attention on the words “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria sees in these words an indication that, on the one hand, we must have correct faith (to be baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity), and on the other, that we must do good deeds (observing all that I have commanded you). Let’s note that according to Blessed Theophylact, in regard to the first point it is not good enough to simply be baptized, but one must understand the teachings of our Church. One must know the teachings about God, about the Trinity, about the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, about the Divinity and Humanity of Christ, about the incarnation, etc. About the second point, that same father of the Church notes that Christ commanded that all His commands be followed, not only those that seem to be closer to our hearts.

In our time, these explanations are very relevant. Many people who live in the West even now baptize their children, consider themselves to be Christians, and believe in God, although their knowledge of the basic Christian dogmas is not very developed. From the side of morality, that is, the doing of good deeds, there are also problems. We see this in the views of a typical citizen of the West on euthanasia, same-sex marriages, and the way children should be raised and educated in schools. With people from the former USSR the situation is similar. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many people turned to God although their knowledge of the Orthodox dogmas and perhaps even of the Gospel is minimal. The war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the fact that both countries are leaders in the number of abortions and divorces, bear witness to a lack of willingness to observe all that is commanded by the Lord.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, if it is important for us to be true disciples and followers of the risen Christ and not simply formal members of the Church, let’s remember the words of our Saviour to His disciples and Blessed Theophylact’s explanation of these words. Let’s diligently study the Christian dogmas and also live according to all the commandments. Of course, this is not a simple task, but let’s not forget that if we try to believe in an Orthodox manner and live righteously, we will not be left alone. Christ will always be with us until our last days.

priest Alexis