How can a person overcome fear? How can some pray without ceasing? How can we love an enemy? These are things that are simply humanly impossible to do! Or are they?
Dcn. Michael Schlaack: What is Eternal Life?
The question, what is eternal life, can be answered based on our understanding of the Christian faith. For some people, eternal life is simply the ability to live forever, either here or there, without any clear notion of the real impact that an eternal life may present, especially as it relates to their current existence. To live eternally in this world may be all that some people aspire to accomplish. This could be the reason for our obsession with youth; to look and act eternally young. But equating looking and acting youthful to eternal life as the Church teaches is a total misunderstanding. Also, some people may feel the need to live life to the fullest, which usually means to squeeze out the most enjoyment as possible, accumulating worldly riches and experiences to brag about. Once again, that is missing the mark.
Miracles
Returning to "Normal" is Not an Option
Now, there is a lot of talk about going back to “normal”, back to the way things were before this pandemic began. Is this what we begin to do this morning in the Church? Or do we do as our Lord encouraged the Disciples this morning in the Gospel, to “Lift up our Eyes” and ascend to something greater
Remembering and Sharing our Baptism
Baptism and a New Life in Christ is a tremendous gift, which is why the Church never hesitated to baptize infants from the very beginning. Just because we think a child doesn’t have the cognizant ability to understand the gift of new life, doesn’t mean we withhold the gift! Whether we received the gift at infancy, or whether we came to the Orthodox Church at a point later in life, we have the responsibility to not keep this life to ourselves, but rather share it with all those who we come into contact with.