On the sixth Sunday after Pascha we commemorate the man of the Gospel who was born blind. Never in his life had he seen the beauty of the day. But the of Christ he gained his vision. It not uncommon for the misfitsfind God and learn to see the more successfulsome of whom view themselves as masters of this find Him and remain blind. We sometimes hear from the "I am out of luck!" or "They gave me such a bad deal!"Has it ever occurred to them that with God Without experiencing a loss, how can we appreciate a gain? How can we embrace joy without any sorrows?
One summer I went camping with some friends. It had been raining for a month. All the rivers had overflown. But the sun came out and shed its light and warmth on the soaking wet ground. It was beautiful. But we would hardly have noticed the beauty if it had been clear all that time. We would not have welcomed the warm sun if we had taken the sun for granted, as we often do with so many good things in our lives.
We should all guard ourselves against taking Divine Liturgy. At Saint Elisabeth Convent, we celebrate it every day. On some days, we serve more than one. But we should not allow it to become a routine approaching the Cup, taking the bread and wine going on with our daily lives. we must cast away our old selves. We must change from within; we must attune our hearts and minds for this change. We must not stop reminding ourselves that His light illuminates our way and sheds His warmth on us even in our darkest hours.
But perhaps the biggest thing that we must learn to do correctly is to preach Christ, who overcame this world leads us to His Kingdom of Heaven. Many in the worldeven those who have accepted Christwould rather see Him more as a secular figure who hands out bonuses for good behaviour. Just because they have come to Him and brought Him their apologies, they expect Him to keep them out of trouble for the rest of their lives. But life in this world will always have sorrows and tribulations. Only those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
Life is a gift, and we must use it to build a genuine relationship with God and our neighbours. We must stay out of sin's way and not step away from Him. He defeated death, and we must remember as no one can avoid physical death. But Christ's defeat of death made it non-existent. Instead, we may expect a transition to eternitythe ultimate test of our faith. We trust in the mercy of our Lord, and we live by this trust alone. At Church, we aim for riches in heaven, not the perishable assets of this earth. We have accepted Christ to live with Him forever.
Christ is risen!
Preached on 29.05.2022
