By Fr. Christos Aegidis
Although we are only a few days after our Lord’s Resurrection and we should experience the joy that comes from the Risen Lord and be bathed in the warm light of His Resurrection, yet many human weaknesses and situations do not let us live, as appropriate, to friends and brothers of the Risen Christ.
Habit contributes to this situation. We are talking about that habit ending to be a humdrum routine and every day to be just the same old treadmill.
In that way, we do not follow the true and essential path of the Church, and perhaps we do not become the role models for our brothers.
Nowadays, it is difficult to meet happy people. However, more often you will meet giddy people, for it is true that sin makes one goofing off.
Nowadays, we need now more than ever to hear the greeting of our Risen Lord, that is “Greetings”. We need it so desperately! Another wish that we rarely hear is “Peace be with you”. It is a wish that we need for our home, our spouse, our children, our neighborhoods, our society. We immediately gasp how much we need the peace of the Risen Lord in our heart.
It is contradictory and oxymoron that our Christ has risen, while we are rooted in our trivialities.
It is contradictory and oxymoron that our Christ has risen, while we are rooted in sorrow and misery.
So let’s make it clear that misery and joy of Christ are concepts and situations incompatible.
As long as we insist on being miserable, we cannot experience the joy of our Lord.
We put our misery before His Resurrection.
We are not talking about secular situations, financial difficulties or diseases that fuel the feeling of misery. There is another kind of misery even more dangerous and disturbing.
The spiritual misery! While we supposedly live a spiritual life, we do not really rejoice it. We might live a life participating in the Holy Sacraments, yet we do not cop on the fact that Jesus has risen.
Sadly, the reality of our age is full of sorrow, sadness and depression. Many of our brothers are in trouble with such situations. We cannot find an emotional balance.
The situation is more than worrying. This is the reason why Our Lord has risen, our Christ is the Light, the Joy, the Truth. Prayer, Holy Sacraments, communication with our brothers are antidepressant drugs.
We will conclude with a wonderful citation written by a modern Saint, an extraordinary person, a kind soul, Saint Nikolai Velimirovich:
“All the problems of life resolved,
the bonds of darkness and sorrow broken
for He has risen!”
Christ has risen. What a great joy!