May 2023

Christ is Risen!

Indeed He Is Risen!

 We are now out of the Great Fast and probably getting back to a more normal life, but we should not forget the things that we learned during the Fast and Holy week. There were many different readings and teachings throughout the Fast, but especially important was Holy Thursday which is the 1st Communion. So, on Holy Thursday the celebration of the Lord’s Supper takes place, but it is not just remembering the event, it is being there with Christ Himself, just as in every Divine Liturgy, so the sacrament of Holy Communion is us participating with Christ to partake of His Body and Blood. This is the central sacrament of the Christian Faith. Also, on this day the reserve Sacraments for the sick that were made last year are consumed, and new sacraments for the sick are made for the coming year. So, we can see that the entire mission of Christ is to call us to a holy life and to participate in His Body and Blood, He did not leave us to fend for ourselves but gave us His commandments to follow, and His Body and Blood to help us in our struggles. The whole reason for the creation of the world is for us to worship God, we are made in His own divine image and likeness, and we are called to be in communion with Him for eternity. But we have to properly be prepared to receive His Body and Blood, through Confession, prayer, and fasting. The one thing that stands out about the institution of the Eucharist, or the last Supper is that of the 12 Disciples that were there, one left without giving thanks, and that disciple was Judas. At every Divine Liturgy the Post-Communion prayers are read, do we stay and give thanks to God for allowing us to participate in His Body and Blood, or do we just leave. In the parable of the 10 lepers, (Lk 17:11-19) Christ heals 10 men with leprosy but only one returns to give thanks, the others were too busy returning to their old way of life. We teach our children to say thank you when they receive a gift, the greatest gift that we receive is Christ’s Body and Blood, should we not stay and give thanks for that?

Fr. Mikel