“Behold, I am with you always!”
By Metropolitan Sotirios
The Risen Christ promised, "Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age." He promises us that He will always be with us. And when God promises, He always honours His Word. He never takes it back.
Who is the Risen Christ? He is the Messiah. He is called Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." He is the Son of God. He is God’s Anointed One, who is at the same time, perfect God and perfect Man. He is the only Redeemer and Saviour of the world.
In heaven, before the disobedience of the first-created human beings, God was together with Adam and Eve. God descended to them, keeping them company and sojourning with them, speaking and communing with them. Their joy and happiness cannot be described.
By their disobedience, though, humanity was estranged from God. Their hearts, which burned with zeal for the presence of God in their lives, was now cold. They now lived in the frozen wilderness of solitude; in the dense darkness where everything is deprived of light; where stress and anxiety over-shadowed them, because they could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. The only solace they had was from the prophets of the Old Testament and the ancient Greek sages, who spoke about the coming of the Mighty One: of the God-Man Jesus Christ.
Christ-Emmanuel is born by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and God is with us again. This is what the Name Emmanuel means: that God is with us. The Risen Emmanuel promises to always be with us.
In every age, and especially so in today's society, where everything is questioned and challenged, the Resurrection of Christ is doubted and questioned by many. This should not surprise us. Today, the Greek mass media and so-called historians go so far as to question and challenge even the historical events of the Greek revolution of 1821. Even if they do not challenge these truths, they try to distort them, in order to support and defend their own interests and agendas.
The sinful person denies the resurrection of Christ, because in claiming this, he is defending his own self-interest. The Risen Christ reveals to sinners their sinful deeds and acts. The presence of the Risen Christ in their lives reproves and censures their actions, and this saddens them deeply. They do not want to change their lifestyles and prefer to deny the Resurrection of Christ, so that they do not have to come face to face with Him. Without a doubt, their actions - namely their denial of the Resurrection of Christ - will result in their estrangement from God. The Scriptures liken this to the accumulation of burning coals heaped upon the heads of unrepentant sinners.
Historical evidence for the Resurrection of Christ exists, yet sinful people refuse to accept it. The righteous person has no need for this evidence, since he lives his life in the presence of the Resurrected Lord, who has filled his life with His many blessings. When you live your life in union with the Resurrected Christ, you do not need proof of His existence. When you have experienced Him, even briefly, your life is changed forever. When God is with you, you live your life in abundance. You feel Him in the depths of your being. You are forever grateful for this relationship.
Did Adam and Eve need proof that He who was walking with them at sunset was God? No, because they had a personal experience of Him. The Apostles Luke and Cleopas were walking to Emmaus. Suddenly someone appears and walks together with them. In the end, it is revealed to be the Risen Christ who accompanied them. And when He disappeared from their midst, what did the Apostles say to each other? "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened and revealed the Scriptures to us?" The righteous person needs no proof. They experience the Resurrection of Christ and their hearts burn with desire for Him.
If you live in this life transfigured by the Resurrection of Christ, and your heart burns with desire for Him, you will be filled with joy and with happiness which transcends this life. Think of life that continues forever in eternity. Think of your own resurrection at the second coming of Christ. When He comes again, all the dead will be raised, for Life reigns victorious and has trampled down death. Think of your own joy and happiness in eternity together with God. Risen with Christ, you will follow Him, and ascend with Him. Where will you go? You will ascend from glory to even greater heights of glory. You will participate in the infinite glory of the infinite God forever.
My beloved Christians! The Resurrection of Christ is an accomplished fact. The Resurrected God-Man is always with us. Be righteous, doing good, so that you may always live and abide in the power and the glory of the Resurrected Christ. I pray that all of you may live and experience Him in this life, so that you may live and commune with Him in the after-life, when He comes again in glory, so that we may live forever more. Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!
With paternal love and blessings in the Risen Christ,
Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios of Toronto
Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Canada
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