"Today, on the first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Sunday of All Saints. The services for today are the final services in the “Pentecostarion,” the book which contains the liturgical texts from Pascha until today. The Sunday of All Saints is therefore in many ways the culmination of our Easter faith, and it flows naturally from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which we celebrated last week. In today’s feast we recognize all those who have struggled to live lives of holiness, including those whom we would otherwise forget. We are all called to holiness, for we are called to share in God’s own life. We are called to take our struggle for salvation seriously and the saints are those who provide us with an example in this, and who help us by their prayers. However, true holiness is not simply making a great effort to conform to some ideal. Rather, it is about allowing the Risen Christ to live in us, and to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us and to restore in us God’s Image which has become distorted by our sin. The holiness of the saints is therefore the consequence and the proof of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also the visible testimony to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit enlightens us and makes it possible for us to attain the destiny that God has prepared for us." - - from Evangelion, Archbishopric of Good Hope, Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa
Posted on: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 10:53:38 +0000
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