Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost; Leave-taking of the Feast of the Holy Dormition; Holy Martyr Luppus; Holy Priest-Martyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (193-211)
1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Matthew 19:16-26
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
There is an old story of the suppression of faith within the former USSR. Knowing that the people could not give themselves to both Christ and to the party, the Soviets did their best to crush Christianity by trying to convince them that God didn’t exist. In order to accomplish this, at times “professors” would gather the people together to give them lessons and arguments against God’s existence. On one occasion a two-hour lecture was delivered by a young and zealous Communist. To end it in a flourish and further humiliate the believers, the lecturer invited up an old parish priest to give a defence of God. The old parish priest hobbled up to the microphone slowly and calmly and when he arrived at his spot said simply three words (two in Ukrainian): “Christ is Risen!” to which the entire crowd replied with a shout: “Indeed He is Risen!” And the Communist, not the Christians departed humiliated.
Brothers and sisters, at the heart of our faith is a historical event. At one time our Lord was crucified, died and was buried in a tomb and the next He rose from the grave. St. Paul recounts the names of those who the Risen Lord appeared to follow His Resurrection. The word “Resurrection” in Greek means “to get back up on your feet again,” a very bodily historical thing. You see, St. Paul would not be motivated to travel the world and preach for a dream. The martyrs would not choose death over the betrayal of an idea or an ideal. They knew as we do (and must never forget) that our faith is in the God-Man who defeated death. Let us continue to seek Him with our whole hearts confident that He has overcome the world and the grave!