A
message from Bishop John Elya
Annunciation
Cathedral
(To be read from the pulpit and/or to be distributed with the weekly
bulletin)
|
|
A
message from Bishop John Elya Annunciation
Cathedral (To be read from the pulpit and/or to be distributed with the weekly
bulletin) |
To the clergy, laity and friends of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ is risen ! He is truly risen !
"Brethren,
how fine a thing it is to move from festival to festival, from prayer to prayer,
from holy day to holy day. The time is now at hand when we enter on a new
beginning: the proclamation of the blessed Passover, in which the Lord was
sacrificed. We feed as on the food of life, we constantly refresh our souls with
His precious blood, as from a fountain. Yet we are always thirsting, burning to
be satisfied. But He Himself is present for those who thirst and in His goodness
invites them to the feast day. Our Savior repeats His words: 'If anyone thirsts,
let him come to Me and drink.'" [Saint Athanasius, Epistle 5]
These
beautiful words of Saint Athanasius written so many centuries ago still resonate
within my heart, expressing a reality as true today as it was 1600 years ago.
There is a hunger and thirst in all of us that is only satisfied by Jesus
Christ, our Risen Lord, God, and Savior. There is a longing in all of our hearts
to develop a deep and personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, who
alone satisfies the deepest desires of our hearts and the most fundamental
questions in our minds. His glorious and triumphant Resurrection destroys sin
and death, doubt and darkness.
What
is true of us as individuals is also true of us as a society. Our modern society
is also longing for Jesus and the 'new life' and transforming power that emanate
from His Resurrection.
This "new life" is offered to us through His Holy Spirit who is
given to us in so many life-giving ways. Our sharing in the "august
mysteries" of His sacred Body and Precious Blood is truly a participation
in the life of our Risen Lord. This union with Jesus Christ, risen from the
dead, takes place at every Divine Liturgy. Sunday is the Lord's Day. It is
called "the Resurrection Day" in our Byzantine tradition. I remember
my mother say: "Sunday does not feel like Sunday if I do not attend the
Divine Liturgy." As Sunday is the best day of the week, the daily Divine
Liturgy is the best hour of my day. Jesus risen from the Dead is "our
strength, our fortress, our refuge and our deliverance."
May He brighten every hour of our day and every week of our year, until
"we may partake perfectly of the everlasting day in His kingdom."
The
Risen Lord is present in the Sacred Word of God - the Bible. We see Jesus in the
Psalms, in the prophecies, and in the most special way, in the Gospels. The
Gospels give us the details of the Resurrection accounts and appearances. In the
Word of God, the Risen Jesus speaks to us in a special way. Mary Magdalen
recognized the Risen Lord Jesus outside the tomb as He called her by name,
"Mary!" (John 20:16)
Jesus wants to call each of us by name. If only we would read God's Word
daily, our hearts would be touched, our minds enlightened, and our wills would
be strengthened. Through His Sacred Word, the Risen Lord Jesus wants to call
each of us by name, assuring us of His unconditional love and boundless mercy
for us and encouraging us to walk in His Resurrection Light.
Yet
the world often seeks to fill the void or quench the thirst by materialism,
secular humanism, and relativism. These often manifest themselves in desires for
money, power, lust, and the other deadly passions. Jesus, and Jesus Christ
alone, the same yesterday and today and for ever, (Hebrews 13:8) is the world's
Savior and guarantee of eternal life and happiness. The Resurrection of Jesus
proved His divinity and guarantees us eternal life, if only we give our lives to
Him. He will free the world from the bondage of sin through the power and light
of His holy Resurrection. We are invited to share in that power and walk in that
light as we 'walk by the Spirit' and manifest the fruits of the spirit in our
lives.
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no
law." (Galatians 5:22-23) These are also the fruits of Resurrection light
and power and life.
Our
goal as Christians is to become like our Lord and King and Master, Jesus Christ.
We do this through developing our prayer life, through growth in virtue and
through a greater commitment to living the Sacramental Mysteries - especially
Eucharist and Penance.
I
think these words of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus' Easter Oration are most
fitting: "Yesterday I was crucified with Him; today I am glorified with
Him. Yesterday I died with Him; today I am quickened with Him; Yesterday I was
buried with Him; today I rise with Him … We have become like Christ, for
Christ became like us. We have become gods through Him, for He became man for
us."
I
was deeply moved by the beautiful Funeral Divine Liturgy and Funeral Service of
our friend and brother, Bishop Sleiman Hajjar, Eparch of Canada. His death was a
shock to us all both because it was so sudden and because Bishop Sleiman was so
young. A spirit of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ was so evident in
the Hope and in the Faith of so many good people who joined us in prayer. Our
wise and faith-filled Patriarch and Shepherd, Gregory III Laham, shared deep and
meaningful words with us that were a great source of comfort and hope. In his
inspiring and hope-filled eulogy, His Beatitude candidly admitted that, without
previous intent, he departed from the text of the funeral book by starting the
service with the Paschal hymn: "Christ is Risen from the dead…"
The Resurrection of Christ is indeed our greatest comfort and consolation
in our most difficult times. May it be for all of us a constant inspiration to
double our joys and diminish our sorrows. "Today is the Day of the
Resurrection: O nations, let us be jubilant; for the Passover is the Passover of
the Lord, in that Christ our God made us pass from death to life and from earth
to heaven, as we sing to him to Him triumphant praise." (Paschal Canon,
first Ode)
Chist
is Risen!
He is truly Risen!
Al
Maseeh Qaam!
Haqqan Qaam!
Christos Anesti!
Alithos Anesti!
Hristos
Voskres!
Voistino Voskrese!
Hristos A Inviat!
Adevarat A Inviat!
Your servant in Christ,