Christ is Risen!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
| Brethren, let me first wish you all a Happy Easter. I hope that the time you find with your family and friends in celebration of the feast of feasts is memorable. Due to modern times, and marketing advancements, we often forget the importance of Pascha. Chocolate companies around the world are overjoyed that the idea of candy and chocolate eggs are the meaning of "Easter" to many people of our society. However, we must continue to realize that the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the focal point of this holiday. By sacrificing Himself for us He has vanquished Hades and given us the opportunity of unending life. | |
| There is much symbolism in our churches to remind us of this sacrifice. To realize His human death, we have the the epitaph which is symbolic of His body and the time He spent in the tomb. Therefore, every Good Friday when we process around the church with the epitaph we are lamenting His crucifixion while at the same time praising Him and giving thanks to Him for making the ultimate sacrifice. In a way to "repay" Christ of his great bodily sacrifice, we are encouraged to fast during the period of Holy Lent. We do not fast to use it as to judge who is a better Christian or to proclaim to the world how devout we are, as our right hand should not know what our left hand is doing, but rather we use it as a reminder and a tool to strengthen our spiritual life. By abstaining from something for Lent, whether it is meat, dairy or something as small as television, the inconvenience we experience is symbolic of the difficult time Christ spent in the desert and on the cross. For the reasons aforementioned, the sacrifice Christ made for us, His glorious resurrection, and the journey of fasting, let us all rejoice in this time and say with all the strength in our heart "Christ is Risen!.......Truly he is risen!" | |
| Now that Great Lent is finished and having celebrated Pascha, I challenge you all to continue our important Lenten habits and let them become a part of your daily lives. The Christian theme of helping others is taken under great consideration during the time of Lent as it goes hand-in-hand with fasting. A great opportunity to help others has been laid at your feet in the form of our National Project: Cooley’s Anemia Foundation. By helping us raise money to find a cure for thalassemia, you are helping the countless number of people around the world who struggle with this monster. Thalassemia is a very dreadful and painful disease and it claims the lives of many innocent victims. Treatment for the disease requires frequent blood transfusions and many trips to a hospital, for those even lucky enough to have a hospital, but even these treatments cannot rid the patients of the disease. You may help us raise money by either selling the raffle tickets provided or by gathering donations. Both forms are greatly accepted and they count towards your Sons rewards points. Thank you and may God bless you and keep you. | |
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Michael Michalopulos |