There is no death! Imagine
that?! We have to put up with it because a life that is lived on the brink of a
grave becomes a hell. When a person attempts to hide from himself, his
existence becomes unbearable. When a person deceives himself and gets confused
by simple things, his entire life becomes an ordeal full of pain. We can't
avoid suffering, but suffering may be different: there is a kind of suffering
that leads an individual to the eternal life, while there is another kind of
suffering that directs that person to the eternal death.
Today we have entered into
the joy of our Lord. However, we cannot be joyful all the time: we might feel
pain at times, we might lose someone or something, or something may be
destroyed — this is inevitable. There are people who love one another and they
think that one day they will bury one another, and that there will be nothing
after that... We all need to be certain that we won't be separated, that we
will always be together because the Heavenly Kingdom is the victory over
loneliness, over the life of isolation in one's own eggshell, when one confines
himself and thinks that his life is perfect.
A person may have money, honour, glory, and status, but all these
achievements are temporary. Sooner or later they will perish. What will that
person's soul be left with? This is why we should collect divine gifts and
become rich
towards God (Luke
12:21). This night is a small coin that will be added up to our treasury in the
heaven. We haven't slept, we are tired — great! We are doing it for the Lord's
sake. We often get tired because of our own folly. We often work meaninglessly,
not knowing what we need it for, and not getting anything as a result. Here we
have worked for God's sake. Serve the
Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling (Psalm 2:11).
We should share this droplet
of love, this portion of grace, with everyone around us — and we will no longer
be alone. There are so many people around us! Like little lanterns, we will
spread out across this huge city and illuminate the places we go to and the
people whom we greet with — «Christ is Risen!»
Archpriest Andrew Lemeshonok
Sermon on May 5th ,2016
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