Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feasts of the Resurrection of the Lord, the after-feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, and the memory of the Great Martyr Euphemia!

The Gospel excerpt in which Christ admonishes His followers to take up their cross and follow after Him is always read on this day, the Sunday after the feast of the Elevation of the Cross. Our Saviour continues to say that he who accumulates earthly treasures and pleasures, but at the same time loses his soul (that is, does nothing to enter into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven), has not brought himself any benefit. On the contrary, one must sacrifice one’s soul or life for the sake of the Lord and His Gospel so as to save it and prepare it for eternal life. Today’s excerpt ends with the following enigmatic words of our Saviour: “There be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”

The Holy Hierarch Philaret of Moscow wrote that the text of the Gospel itself answers the question as to who exactly are these people who will see ‘the kingdom of God come with power,’ for immediately after these last words the holy evangelist describes the events of the Transfiguration of the Lord. At that time the apostles Peter, John, and James in a literal sense saw Divine Grace, which will naturally enlighten all those who will find themselves in the Kingdom of God.

Of course, we will not argue with the Russian Chrysostom, with the Holy Hierarch Philaret, in any way, but perhaps these words have another meaning as well. The compilers of our Liturgical rubrics tied them not with that which followed, but with that which was said beforehand, that is, with the idea that one must deny himself, take up the cross, and follow after Christ. Therefore, if we are interested in being among those who will see the Kingdom of God here on earth, while we are still among the living, it behooves us to fulfill all that was said by the Saviour in today’s Gospel reading. To deny oneself, take up the cross, and follow Christ means to become like Christ Himself. In many aspects this is absolutely impossible for us to do. None of us will ever preach with such power as did the Saviour. None of us will become such a miracle worker as was Jesus Christ. None of us is without sin. Where we can, at least somewhat, follow Christ is in His long suffering. As Christ went willingly and without complaint to death on the Cross, let us likewise try to accept all that is unpleasant in our life with similar calmness. In such a way, peace will always reign in our soul and grace will enlighten and support us. On the contrary, if we constantly complain and worry about even the most trivial things, it is a sign that we do not follow Christ, but live for the sake of our problems, and, of course, will not see ‘the kingdom of God come with power.’

Let’s pray to the Holy Great Martyr Euphemia and all the saints that they, through their prayers to our Creator, support us and help us acquire peace in our souls, so that we are able to bear all that is unpleasant and terrible in our world, and in such a way, see here on earth, as much as this is possible for a human, the grace of God.

priest Alexis