SUNDAY MESSAGE (audio message)
BY HIS EMINENCE THE METROPOLITAN
KYTHIRA & ANTIKYTHIRA SERAPHIM
Palm Sunday
WRITTEN DIVINE PROCLAMATION
It took, my fellow Christians, truly great courage and strength of spirit for someone to ask for the dead body of Jesus so that he might bury it, but also to perform the rites customary among the Jews for the dead, such as anointing the body with spices the day after the burial. And this was because Jesus was crucified and put to death not as a mere criminal, but as the man who, according to his crucifiers, blasphemed the name of God by calling himself the Son of God, but also as the leader of a movement that caused social unrest, criticizing the ruling class and associating with outcasts and «sinners.» A friend of Jesus meant a conspirator and a danger to society. Therefore, he could be arrested, tortured, and put to death.
And yet, as today’s Gospel tells us, this was dared by both the distinguished senator Joseph, who was an acquaintance of Pilate, (which is why Pilate «He gave the body of Jesus»), as well as the three Myrrh-bearing Women.
In fact, Joseph and Nicodemus—who also took part in the burial— were, because of their social standing, «secret disciples» of Jesus so as not to lose their positions. Now, however, since the twelve disciples had scattered, who would tend to Jesus’s dead body, who would take it down from the Cross to bury it? Now these two hidden disciples appear and become open followers of Christ, defying the dangers they might face. Their love for their Teacher drives away their fear of His crucifiers, who might lead them to their own deaths as well. The same, of course, is true of the women who brought the spices. And we might say that the words of their Teacher echoed in their ears: «Do not be afraid of those who want to kill your body, for they cannot kill your soul.».
Taking care of the Lord after His death was an act of love for their beloved friend and Teacher, but also a humanitarian duty toward Him, who had suffered for the sake of humanity.
My fellow Christians, in today’s spiritually barren society, full of problems and difficulties, society in which we live, these individuals show us the way to Jesus, defying the dangers of the modern-day crucifiers, who, according to the Apostle Paul, are «The desire of the flesh (prostitution, adultery, gluttony, indulgences) the vanity of the world (the love of glory, money, and social status) and the temptations of the devil (illnesses, the deaths of young people and loved ones, turmoil, economic crises, etc.)». If, however, there is genuine love for Christ, all these things may sadden us, but they do not shake us. And through the Sacraments of our Church, we gaze upon the Cross and await the Resurrection with hope. AMEN.—
Rev. Pan. Megalokonomos
