Father Jim's Corner
Christ is Risen - Truly He is Risen
This statement of the truth defines our Faith in a most profound way. Nothing is ever the same now that Jesus has conquered death by death. And we know that His victory is also ours. This Easter promise and fulfillment is now in our hands because He truly has risen and all of creation celebrates. In our practical, daily life, Easter means experiencing the power of Jesus changing the hurts, the tragedies and daily deaths of our lives into glorious new beginnings.
When the sun went down on that first Good Friday, Jesus' apostles and closest friends had lost hope - they, too in a sense, were buried in the tomb with Jesus. It was all over for them they thought. Then it happened! As the sun rose on Easter Sunday morning, Jesus rose with it and appeared to His disciples. He was more radiant and more fully alive than they had ever seen Him before. And at that moment His Resurrection power began to work in their lives. And suddenly they were transformed from a band of despairing men into a brigade of daring missionaries. At the command of Jesus they set out to carry the news of Easter to the four corners of the earth. And everywhere they preached the good news, His Resurrection power began to work in people's lives, just as it had in their own lives. Beautiful things began to happen. Despair began to give way to hope; darkness began to give way to light; hatred began to give way to love; sorrow began to give way to joy.
Everywhere His disciples preached, the resurrection power of Jesus began to work miracles in people's lives. And those miracles haven't stopped yet. They continue to happen in our time. His resurrection power can transform all of us into new people because Pascha is a world in which darkness is throwing off its chains of despair and walking in the light of hope. May we all open our hearts to the risen Jesus and let Him do for us what He did for His disciples and the people to whom they preached after that first Easter Sunday.
Pascha invites us to let Jesus help us love again after we've had our love rejected by someone. Pascha invites us to let Jesus help us trust again after we've had our trust betrayed by another. Pascha invites us to let Jesus help us hope again after we've watched our hope flicker and die. Pascha invites us to let Jesus help us wipe our tears, pick up the pieces, and start over again after some great tragedy, because Christ is risen, we too will know the victory and the hope and the joy of our Lord. Pascha is the good news that nothing can defeat us anymore - not discouragement, not pain, not misfortune, not even death. It's the good news that Jesus has triumphed, and so will we. Christ has risen, my brothers and sisters, truly He has risen and all creation rejoices, the triumph and victory are ours and our God will reign supreme.
Fr. James C. Moulketis
Protopresbyter, St. Nicholas
Wyckoff, NJ
