28/04/2015
HOMILY - About how we will
resemble Him Whom we love
"Beloved, we are God's children
now; what we shall be has not
yet been revealed. We do know
that when it is revealed we shall
be like Him, for we shall see Him
as He is" (1 John 3:2).
Until now, we were slaves and
now we are the children of God.
We were the slaves of evil and
now we are the servants of
good; the supreme good in
heaven and on earth. We were
slaves to all of that which is
lower and worse than man and
now, we will serve the All-Highest
and the All-Good. We were
squashed by darkness and now,
we will labor in the light. Until
now, the devil, sin and death held
us in continual fear and now, we
will live close to God in freedom
and joy.
Now, when now? Now, when the
Lord appeared on earth in the
flesh, when He gave us the
knowledge of light, freedom and
life; when He gloriously
resurrected and manifested
Himself in His glorified body;
when He fulfilled all the
prophecies of the prophets and
all of His promises. Now we, too,
are the children of God: "The
sons of light and the heirs of the
Kingdom."
"We shall be like Him." Truly, this
has not yet materialized but He
has manifested Himself and, for
now, that is sufficient. He Himself
showed how beautiful man is in
the resurrection and we know
that we will also be the same as
He. The Apostle John says: "We
know that we shall be like Him."
He does not say we suspect or it
has been told to us but he does
say: "We know that we shall be
like Him." For He did not resurrect
for His sake, but for our sake. He
did not resurrect from the grave,
only to show His power to the
dead who are without hope, but
to assure the dead that they, too,
will live again and to show them
how they will be when they
become enlivened. Neither did
the apostles write: " We know,"
because of their vanity before
the ignorant, but because of
brotherly love toward man, that
all men may know the same and
"that we may also know."
O resurrected Lord, confirm in us
also this saving knowledge
through the prayers of Your Holy
Apostles.
Prologue of Ochrid