Dearest in the Risen Lord, CHRISTOS ANESTI !
Faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very basis of the
whole Christian life and hope. Without
it Christianity might be a noble ethic, a memory of a great man, a wonderful
influence for good in the world, but it would luck the victory and the hope
which are its great
Contribution to our faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. How can you and I deepen our faith in the
resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Only if we are recommitted to Him,
only if we are seeking to follow Him, only if we are yearning for His presence,
do we ever see Him. Rarely, in this
secular age are human beings vouchsafed a vision of the living Christ, but once
in a great while men experience Him by His direct contact and presence with
them.
There is another way man knows the
resurrection. Not by direct experience
of the presence of Christ, but by contagion from the experience of others. Christianity, it has been said, is not
something taught, it is something caught. The Church’s very existence is a witness to the experience of the living
Christ.
Finally we can come to know the
resurrection by carrying on in our job, and in the spirit of Christ, facing our
anxieties and our despairs in the conviction that they are not the end. We find
faith in the resurrection by living on the basis that the truth is with Christ
and not with those who oppose Him. Faith
is not a matter of emotion. It is a way
to face life, not the way we feel about it. It is a matter of conviction and
purpose and direction, not of some transitory sensation.
The task of us who are Orthodox
Christians and would be better Christians is to live in its spirit. And then we shall know its power and
reality. If we follow Christ we shall
believe His Victory.
May the Grace and Mercy and Peace of
Christ Resurrected be with us all.
With Brotherly love
and prayers
Enclosed you find a special Easter
Offering Envelope. Please use it in making
your Easter Donation to our Church. Thank you!
