Monthly Message - May 2008

SPIRITUAL INSIGHT – WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD

All of us at one time or another has reported seeing someone or something that others did not believe. In fact the English language even has colloquialisms for this disbelief, such as, “You are seeing things” or “You need glasses” or “Don’t look twice”. These phrases often serve to correct a false witness or perception which was arrived at too hastily, after further review or with additional evidence.

Three days after Jesus’ crucifixion and burial outside Jerusalem some of the women disciples returned from His tomb and reported seeing Him alive to his apostles, but as the Evangelist Luke tells us, “their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11). How could this be? Jesus, whom many had thought to be a religious-military King, Who would rid Israel of its pagan Roman oppressors had suffered a most horrible death. The victim of religious and political intrigue, He was betrayed by one of his own inner circle of friends. He endured a long, grueling death on the cross and even had a spear stuck into His side by a Roman soldier to make sure He was dead. No, Jesus was definitely dead, they thought.

But unlike the simple things today, which cause us to tell people to quit dreaming or to get some glasses, Jesus appeared to others as well, and more than once. He appeared to Simon Peter in order to rejuvenate him from the grief of his denial. He appeared to Luke and Cleopas as they journeyed to Emmaus and censurers them for their weak faith, explaining the prophecies of the Old Testament which were fulfilled through His Passion and Resurrection. He appeared to the disciples who were hiding behind locked doors for fear they would be next to die and demonstrates to them the reality of His Resurrection by inviting them to touch Him and by eating with them. He appeared to the disciples in Galilee at the mountain where Jesus had directed them to go to dispel their doubt and to proclaim the reality of His Resurrection that the resurrected Son of God, living in us and energizing us, makes possible the salvation of all. He appeared again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias where they where fishing symbolizing their commissioning as apostles to preach the gospel and to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

As we can see, all of these appearances of the Risen Christ are of the utmost importance. They are important because they establish the Resurrection as fact, not fiction. As St. Peter writes, “For we do not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). We, too, are called to be eyewitnesses of the Risen Christ.

Throughout Holy Week, the beautiful and inspiring services of our Orthodox Church allowed us to experience both the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. We sing triumphantly, “Christ is Risen!” and we sing it with all our heart because we have seen it, experienced it, witnessed it. Each every time we celebrate the Divine Liturgy we are called to see and experience the Risen Christ Who is recognized by is disciples in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:31). When we receive the Eucharist at the Divine Liturgy, we publicly acknowledge our faith in Christ’s Resurrection. When we help the poor, the needy, the “Least of the brothers,” we recognize the presence of the Risen Lord in our midst. When we strive to put God’s will above our own concerns and cares, we experience the victorious power that was found in the empty tomb. By seeing the Risen Christ with our spiritual vision we are capable of being convincing witnesses to the world around us that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

Seeing the Risen Christ with our eyes of our souls can have no other response but joy and wonder. But a true experience of this joy cannot be contained. This joyful sight is “Good News”, and like really good news, longs to be shared with others by our joyful demeanor, our loving attitude, our welcoming disposition, our eager words, our giving heart, and in general by our entire risen self. May seeing the Risen Christ give us eyes by which many will desire to see and experience His love, joy and eternal blessings!

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!                                                                                                 Fr. Ted

FEAST DAY CELEBRATION

The Feast Day of SS. Constantine and Helen will be celebrated this year on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 20th & 21st. On Tuesday, May 20th, the Great Vespers Service with Artoklasia will be chanted in honor of our Patron Saints, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Our Spiritual Father, His Eminence, Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago will be in attendance, along with area clergy and Byzantine School of Chanters, to lead us in worship and prayers of thanksgiving for all the blessings God has bestowed upon our community. Following the service of this evening, our Philoptochos Society will serve a coffee fellowship in the Cultural Center.

On Wednesday, May 21st, the Feast Day of SS. Constantine and Helen, Orthros will be chanted at 8:30 a.m. and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated immediately after. Following the Liturgy, our Philoptochos Society will host a coffee fellowship in honor of the Feast Day of our Cathedral’s Patron Saints.

The thing that makes the Church is, of course, common faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel, but also the Church Services, which give the faithful the opportunity to gather and show that they really do believe in Jesus Christ and are members of His Church. Let us honor our Patron Saints with our attendance and prayers on these days.
Let us all join in the singing of the Kontakion of the day: “On this day Constantine and Helen his mother expose to our veneration the Cross, the awesome Cross of Christ, a sign of salvation to all people and standard of victory: a great symbol of conquest and triumph.” We await your faithful response!