My Beloved the Benevolent                              May 2025

Grace and peace, wishing you all goodness, blessing and joy – especially during the Holy Fifty Days – which extends from the Resurrection Feast, which we celebrated this year on Sunday, April 20th, until the Pentecost Feast, which we will celebrate on Sunday, June 8th.

The month of May falls entirely within the Holy Fifty Days; therefore, in this month’s letter I would like to write to you about two important things that I hope we will experience during this period:

1- The Joy of the Resurrection: The tradition of the church during the Holy Fifty Days is characterized by the fact that all the church prayers, even funerals, are prayed with the joyful tune so that we may experience the joy of the resurrection through church tradition, whether through hymns or readings.

+ The resurrection of Christ turned the sorrow of the disciples into joy. As the Gospel of St. John tells us, “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” Jn. 20:19-20 The two disciples of Emmaus were walking sorrowfully and in despair, as they said about the Lord, “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.” Lu. 24:21 But when they recognized the Risen Lord at the breaking of the bread, their sorrow turned into joy, and they went and told the disciples.

+ The resurrection of Christ offers joy because it offers hope; despair causes fear and hope causes joy. The disciples realized that the resurrection of Christ from the dead was a victory over death, and it opened the door of hope for humanity, which was under the power of death, sin, and corruption; in order to receive eternal life, we live a life of righteousness and holiness. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about our hope in the resurrection of Christ: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” 1 Corinthians 15:22-23.

+ The joy of the resurrection gives us strength in our spiritual struggle because we rejoice in the resurrection of Christ. He rose and raised us with Him; that is, He granted us through His resurrection, the resurrection from the dead, as Saint Paul says, “If the dead do not rise, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’” 1 Corinthians 15: 32 Our belief in the resurrection motivates us to strive in our spiritual lives so that we may have a share in the eternal life. Those who do not believe in the resurrection do not strive in their spiritual life because they believe that life ends with their death. When a loved one departs, what comforts us and gives us peace is our belief in the resurrection. Christ truly became the firstfruits of those who departed. The Church always comforts her children on the departure of their loved ones by urging them to remember Christ’s resurrection, which gave us hope in the resurrection of the dead.

2. Looking towards Heaven: Saint Paul wrote to the Colossians, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col. 3:1-3

The Church reminds us during the Holy Fifty Days to look to heavenly things. On the third Sunday, the Church presents to us the story of the Samaritan woman and her encounter with Christ, who transformed her from a sinful woman into a preaching woman, and how Christ transferred her thinking from thinking about earthly water to living water: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” John 4:13-14

May the Risen Lord grant us to rejoice in His resurrection and our resurrection with Him, and to always look towards heaven, to care for our needy brothers and sisters; lest we be like the rich man who did not care for Lazarus and lost his eternal life.

May the Lord bless your gifts to support Santa Verena’s charitable programs.

Metropolitan Serapion