Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as with the day of the memory of the Holy Martyr Nestor!

Today, as is often the case on days on which we celebrate the memory of the martyrs, we heard the Gospel excerpt from the 21st chapter of Luke. It contains a section of our Lord Jesus Christ’s answer to His followers’ question as to when Jerusalem and the marvelous Jewish Temple would be destroyed was read. This discussion took place several days before Christ’s death on the Cross, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, across from the city of Jerusalem. The famous and extensive answer of our Saviour did not answer the given question, but instead gave indications as to what would transpire and instructed His faithful disciples on how one should behave himself not only at the destruction of Jerusalem, but at the time of any earthly catastrophe, and especially at His Second Coming. Christ, in this single but multi-layered answer, unites all of these disparate moments. He speaks directly to the apostles and gives them concrete instructions, while at the same time strengthening the holy martyrs, turning to us with advice, and enlightening future Christian generations. For this reason it is not easy, and in fact, even impossible, to clearly and fully comprehend the words handed down in this addres of Christ’s. It is difficult to understand the Saviour’s words that “some of you shall they cause to be put to death” in light of the words in the following verse, “There shall not an hair of your head perish.”

Of course, Christ taught not with the words alone, but also by example. Through His passions He demonstrated how it is possible to embody His teaching from today’s Gospel reading. The Holy Martyrs, remembering the words of the Saviour and being encouraged by His example, willingly suffered and laid down their earthly lives for the sake of a future life with Him. Although today in our country there are few who are being, in the most literal sense, tortured and killed for Christ’s sake, daily we are presented with a choice: to be guided by the teachings of today’s Gospel message, or to live only for ourselves and our earthly advantage. It is better, of course, to strive to live according to the Gospel, to not answer any admonishment quickly and hotly, nor to think up some cleverness in response to earthly questions, but to pray, read the Holy Scriptures, and to hear in them the voice of the Lord and only then to respond. Let each of us also endeavour to treat each member of our families with calmness and love, even if it seems to us that they treat us in an unbecoming manner. Let us also remember that the goal of our life is not to set ourselves up for a comfortable life here on earth, for old age, illness, and death are unavoidable, but to prepare for ourselves a place in the Heavenly Kingdom by patiently enduring our sorrows.

Priest Alexis