My Beloved the benevolent                  April 2026

                      Xhristos Anesti                 Alisos Anesti

                      Christ is Risen                Truly He is Risen

I am pleased to congratulate you all on the glorious Feast of the Resurrection, which we celebrate this year on Sunday, April 12. Our celebration of the Resurrection continues throughout the Holy Fifty Days.

The Resurrection of Christ fills our hearts with joy, and the reason for our joy is Christ who rose from the dead. We rejoice in our living Christ.

+ We pray during the Feast of the Resurrection and throughout the Holy Fifty Days using the joyful rite. The Church has designated special readings for the liturgies of this period, centered on our joy in the risen Christ.

+ The disciples were in a state of sorrow and fear after Christ was arrested and crucified. On the day of the Resurrection, Saint John mentions:

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week… where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews…” (John 20:19). This fear changed when the Lord Jesus came: “Jesus came and stood in the midst… ‘Peace be with you.’ … the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:19–20).

+ The first Sunday of the Fifty Days is called the New Sunday, also known as Thomas Sunday. The Gospel reading is from John 20:19–31. The Lord appeared to the disciples on the day of the Resurrection and again the following Sunday with Thomas present. Thomas rejoiced, believed, and said, “My Lord and my God!” The Lord Jesus said to him, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29). The disciples needed to see His hands and side to believe, but we believe in the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus and rejoice in it because we see Him through faith and partake of His Holy Body and Precious Blood.

+ On the second Sunday, the Church presents Christ as the Bread of Life. The Gospel is from John 6:35–45: The Lord Jesus tells us “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger…” (John 6:35). “I am the living bread which came down from heaven…” (John 6:51).

+ On the third Sunday, the Church presents Christ as the Giver of Living Water through His encounter with the Samaritan woman (John 4:10–42). Jesus told the Samaritan woman and He is also saying to all of us: “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).

The water of this world does not satisfy a person; rather, the more one drinks from it, the more one thirsts. But the water of life that the Lord gives us becomes within us a spring of water flowing into eternal life. Christ granted the living water after His resurrection and ascension, when He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and lead us toward eternal life.

The Lord Jesus spoke about the living water on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, saying: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37–39)

+ Let us rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He rose and raised us with Him: “even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:5–6)

We pray that God, through the power of His resurrection, may grant us to live a life of holiness and righteousness, and may the Lord bless your offerings to support Santa Verena Charity’s programs.

Metropolitan Serapion