His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas presided over the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Chicago. He highlighted the courage of the myrrh-bearing women and the joy with which they received the news of the Lord’s Resurrection.
Although the patronal feast of Saints Constantine and his mother, Helen, is typically commemorated on May 21, an extended liturgical programme was implemented to enable the faithful who work during the week and travel significant distances to church to participate fully.
His Eminence explained the gospel text and evoked the courage and love of the myrrh-bearing women on Sunday, who were considered suitable to be the first to encounter the Risen Saviour.
“These faithful women were the first to receive the announcement of the Resurrection and met the risen Christ together, and separately Mary Magdalene. For their love, faithfulness, and courage, they were deemed worthy of this encounter and the words of the Risen Christ: ‘Rejoice and be not afraid.‘”
“We can imagine the state of soul of these faithful women who came early in the morning to perform the anointing ritual and received this staggering news that Christ was risen.”
“They undoubtedly left with much confusion and fear about what had happened. The encounter with their Risen Teacher was certainly a unique experience, filled with emotion and bringing great joy.”
“Their joy was related to meeting their Teacher, but especially to the fact that this Teacher was God who conquered death. This joy was announced by the myrrh-bearing women to the Apostles and subsequently to the whole world. They are the first to offer us the greeting ‘Christ is Risen,‘ this announcement becoming a confession of faith,” the metropolitan added.
At the conclusion, Metropolitan Nicolae spoke in depth about the pivotal role of Emperor Saint Constantine for Christianity, a figure whose contributions we hold in high esteem and for whom we are deeply grateful.
The Divine Liturgy was followed by an artistic performance and the awarding of the Religion Olympiad winners from the Metropolis of the Americas.
The patronal feast program continued Monday with the Vespers service and Tuesday with the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae.
Photo: mitropolia.us
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