A DAY OF JOY

FIVE CHRISMATIONS IN OUR CHURCH

Fr. Luke Veronis

Today is a day of joy. This morning, we welcome five new members into the Holy Orthodox Church through Holy Chrismation. Next Sunday, we will baptize and welcome seven other adults into our Church family. All of these new members enter into Christ’s death and resurrection and become living members of His Body.

At a time when surveys tell us that more and more people in our society are turning away from faith, drifting away from the Church, and living as if God does not exist, here we see the opposite—twelve people over the next two weeks taking the most important step of their lives: publicly committing themselves to following Jesus Christ in His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

This is not just something for them to rejoice in, but it’s a gift for all of us to rejoice in.

Remember when Andrew first encountered Jesus, the first thing he did was go find his brother Simon and say, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). Philip did the same with Nathanael when he said, “Come and see” (John 1:46).

That is the simplest form of evangelism and it is something essential in our faith journey. When we discover something so precious in life, we can’t keep it to yourself. We want to share it with the world!

Our Orthodox Faith is not simply a beautiful ancient tradition or a strict moral code. It is a treasure that reveals to us the path that leads into the Kingdom of God. It is the Pearl of Great Price that Jesus spoke about, a blessing so great that we are willing to sell all to obtain it. During a time when much of our society is confused and lost, this Good News reveals to us the meaning and purpose of life and then offers us the tools to traverse the path that leads into the abundant life that Jesus promised us. When we are hurt or broken, we find healing. When we are lost, we discover the path of life. When we are simply trying to stay faithful on the path, we find fellowship and encouragement to keep climbing up the ladder of divine ascent.

And when we truly discover such a treasure, how can we hide it from our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors? When we see these twelve new members of our Church coming to a new understanding of Jesus Christ, it should remind us that there are many others around us who are searching, perhaps quietly, perhaps sincerely, perhaps haphazardly, perhaps desperately. Many people are seeking for truth, beauty, and meaning in the world today. Our society offers too many dead ends, delusions, confusion, and lies. The world tells us to fulfill our desires, pursue our passions, and do whatever makes us happy. Yet, the Truth of Jesus Christ is something different. To find life we must lose it. To find joy we must be willing to deny ourselves. To find meaning we must discover something greater than our own ego. To find Divine Love we must sacrifice ourselves, open up our hearts to His love, and then learn to share His love with the world around us.

And when we discover the Treasure of life, we then want to share this treasure with others. We do not have to be theologians to do this. We only need to listen, to care, to share, to invite.

St. Seraphim of Sarov offers the eternal method of evangelism. “Acquire the Spirit of Peace, and thousands around you will be saved.” This is the first step of evangelism. It’s living so close to Christ that His light naturally spills over into the lives of others. These new members came to our  Church and chose to stay here because someone reflected Christ’s light to them - through welcoming them with kindness, offering loving fellowship, and showing them the treasure of the Church.

Of course, this is not the work of the priest alone. The apostles did not say, “Only Peter will preach and the rest of us will simply watch.” The whole Church is called to bear witness.

Imagine if every member of our parish prayed for one person outside the Church this year—one neighbor, one friend, one co-worker—and invited them into the life of Christ. Imagine the joy next year if we had to schedule multiple Sundays for baptisms and chrismations because God had worked through all of us.

Remember, these new members are a visible sign that the Gospel is still Good News! It is the power of God for salvation and new life. The same God who drew them is calling us to be His messengers in a world that is spiritually hungry but often doesn’t know where to look.

Let’s rejoice with our new brothers and sisters, but let’s also take up the responsibility their example places before us: to live our faith so genuinely and joyfully in such a manner that others will say, “I want what they have.” Let us boldly invite others to “come and see.”

May the Lord grant us the joy of Andrew and Philip, the courage of the apostles, and the love of the Theotokos, so that we may share the treasure of Christ with all who are searching, and rejoice in the joy of seeing others enter into the joy of His Kingdom.