By Presbyter Nikolaos Gonidakis,
Priest of the Holy Church of the Prophet Elijah, Nees Pagases, Volos
Priest of the Holy Church of the Prophet Elijah, Nees Pagases, Volos
Today our Holy Church presents to us the unceasing and rapid spread of the gospel, according to the Apostolic reading (Acts 11:19–30), my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.
A sorrowful event, the death by stoning of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, became the occasion for the faithful to break the bonds that had confined the teaching of Christ to Judea and for its universal journey to begin.
After this murder took place, the persecution of the first believers “flared up,” with the result that they decided to leave Jerusalem and spread beyond their limited boundaries.
Thus the joyful message now reached Phoenicia, present-day Lebanon, a coastal region, the island of Cyprus, and Antioch, a historic city of the Middle East.
At first, they preached only to the Jews. But upon entering Antioch, some from Cyprus and Cyrene began speaking also to the Greeks of the region, with the result that many of them rejected idols and joined the Christian community.
And when the joyful news reached Jerusalem, the Apostle Barnabas was sent from there to strengthen the work, since he was distinguished for his illumination and spirituality.
Here also appears the other foremost Apostle, still called Saul, having already been converted to Christ. Barnabas sought him out in Tarsus in order to take him with him, so that together they might help establish the first Church there.
This establishment of the faith in Antioch was important because it was one of the largest cities of the Roman Empire, possessing a very rich, multicultural, and developed civilization.
Another detail is that there for the first time we hear the term “Christians.” This happened because the designation of this first leaven of the faith had to receive a definition beyond the land of Judea. There they called them Nazarenes, but this designation referred to one of the many Jewish sects, whereas in multicultural Antioch the identity of the Church had to be clearly defined in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We also hear something that we must keep and emphasize greatly: “And the hand of the Lord was with them.” My beloved brethren, this phrase, this saying, was, is, and always will be very important in the course of our lives. May the hand of the Lord — or rather Christ Himself — always be with us.
We observed the struggle of the Holy Apostles in spreading the faith. Many details are presented to us, and we live together with them their unceasing and continuous struggle.
Most simply, the distances they had to cover were not very great by today’s standards, yet for that time things were different. Great labor, hardships, and long hours of travel.
What inspired them and led them through all this? The hand of God. Nothing else. They struggled for their faith; they were not concerned with their own comfort. On the contrary, we see them enduring many afflictions and persecutions with joy — the joy of grace.
So let us come to the present day and reflect deeply, not superficially as we often tend to do.
First of all, do we want the presence of Christ in our lives? Do we have it? Do we experience it? What do we sacrifice for Him? We now see effortlessly how we can have Him living in our lives, and yet, considering what the Apostles did, we do not even try to imitate them. How many Divine Liturgies are celebrated every Sunday, every day? And yet we walk a road separate from Him.
Secondly, we heard for the first time the name “Christians.” They were mocked and ridiculed for it, and after many sufferings they distinguished it and handed it down until today.
How much do we support the name “Christian”? We say that we are Christians, but often we remember it only when we need Him and are in need.
Let us stop behaving as nominal Christians — Christians only in name — and let us decide to live the presence of Christ in our lives experientially and with boldness, because what can now keep today’s society standing is Christ and our faith.
As an example of all this, let us observe what is happening in the villages of our homeland. Communities no longer exist. Schools of every level have closed.
The police, the local stations, no longer exist. And what alone remains? The church bell ringing and Christians united, coming together in loving communion with one another in the impersonal and violent world in which we now live, and in the soul-saving Divine Communion of the faith and hope of Christ. Amen.
Christ is Risen – Truly He is Risen!
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
