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EASTER 2019
“THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED” (Luke 24.34)
In a world like today, who is distant from God, from his law and from his Church, in a generation like the present, that is corrupted by sin, blinded by infidelity, degenerating from moral deviations and depravities, of works, “For it is shameful even to speak of those things” ( Ephes. 5.12), a society that has renounced Christ, truth, faith, piety, honesty, justice, sincerity, brotherhood and love, and increasingly departing from Christian principles, moral values, and perseveringly persisting, forbid whatever is sacred and holy, that is given us for twenty Christian centuries, in a society that, because of its unmistakable ruins and transgressions, is grieved and dreaded by the tribulations surrounding it and besieging it, in a world that is spiritually dead, walking towards the impasse and to the chaos, we hear a MESSAGE, peaceful and joyful: The message of joy. The message of peace. The message from the tomb of the Resurrection, where the human evil crucified the Son of God, the Savior of the world. The message that: “CHRIST IS RISEN.”
And this message is a personal message for all people to return to our God Father, through repentance.
Message of moral and spiritual regeneration. Message for Spiritual Salvation. Message of eternal inheritance to the Kingdom of God in Heaven.
And this message: “CHRIST IS RISEN” began from Sunday of Resurrection to the Day of Ascension and is constantly spread to many witnesses:
To Mary the Magdalene. (Mark 16.9-11) and (John 20.11-18).
To the myrrh-bearing women. (Matthew 28.9-10).
To the two students traveling to Emmaus. (Mark 16: 12-13) and (Luke 24: 13-35).
To Simon Peter. (Luke 24.34).
To the ten Apostles, Thomas was absent. (Mark 16.14) and (Luke 24.36-43) and (John 20: 19-25).
To the eleven Apostles, Thomas was present. (John 20: 26-29).
In the seven Apostles, in the Lake of Tiberias. (John 21: 1-23).
To the eleven disciples, in the Mount of Galilee. (Matthew 28.16-20).
To all the Apostles in Bethany, the day of Ascension. (Mark 16: 19-20) and (Luke 24:50) and (Acts 1: 6-11).
And this message, the Resurrection, was proclaimed by the Myrrh and the Apostles, the eyewitnesses of the Resurrection, to “All Nations” (Matthew 28:19)
And this message and fact of the Resurrection, after the Apostles, the Apostolic Fathers, the teachers of the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, the countless number of Saints, Confessors, Martyrs and Great Martyrs, all experienced it and proclaimed it, “Go into all the world” (Mark.16.15). And they sacrificed themselves in the name of the Cross and the Resurrection.
But with the Resurrection of the Lord, the question arises, what does it promise and what does it say to all of us? It promises us our own physical and spiritual resurrection. Our personal eternal Resurrection.
The Resurrection of the Lord is a guarantee of the Resurrection of our bodies. It is the beginning of a new life, a true life, an everlasting and immortal life, in which all the children of God will meet with those who have separated and those who will be separated by death.
For our personal Resurrection, the Resurrected Jesus himself proclaims and assures, promises and guarantees to all the children of the Heavenly Father.
Here are the words of Jesus in the New Testament, “I am the Resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in me, already has eternal life and therefore shall never die.” (John 11: 25-26), because the dead will rise in the resurrection “at the last day” (John 11.24).
And since the purpose of His incarnation, according to the Holy Fathers, was to abolish sin and give people new life, as the one they had before sin, abolished the state of sin and death through His sacrifice on the Cross. After the Resurrection He asserted: (”for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation”. (John 5.29)
If we open up other pages of the Holy Gospels, we will find other resurrections of the dead. Also, we will hear other assurances, for our resurrections, if we have faith. “And this is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6.40).
Christ is risen from the dead, has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”(Corinthians 15.20).
By celebrating together the Resurrection, and by the grace of the Risen Christ, let us enter into the new life in Him, let us believe and communicate with the Risen Christ, and then, undoubtedly, we will be, according to Apostle Paul, “participants of His resurrection” (Romans 5.8).
Christ is Truly risen!!!!
Nicholaos L. Moraitis. Ph.D.
