It is Easter again. For more than two millennia, Christ’s Resurrection has been making Christians believe in life after death. However, for the third year running, the joy of Orthodox Christians has been going hand in hand with severe trials- deadly pandemic and war between brotherly Christian nations. Against this background, the ongoing division in our society has crystalized into hatred and confrontation. However, the love for the neighbor is a manifestation of our love for God. Love symbolizes the power of Resurrection. In Holy Communion, we receive Jesus Christ, who gives himself to us.

“We started preparing for these bright days on Cheesefare Sunday (Forgiveness Sunday), when we give and ask forgiveness –  said priest Vasilii Saryan, head of the “Holy Transfiguration of God” church in Sofia.

However, it does not mean that we should stop forgiving once we give forgiveness. We must ask people for forgiveness every single minute and day. Moreover, the Lord’s Prayer calls on us to forgive. In the Holy Gospel, God tells us repeatedly: “Forgive, that you may be forgiven”. God is Love and we, the children of God, must bear witness to God’s love by loving others. At one point, we can get angry, be offended or insult someone, but then we should forgive from the heart and avoid seeking a revenge. We feel better and free when we give forgiveness.”

Of course, everyone is free to decide what is right and what is wrong. However, the Resurrection of Christ is a triumph of joy and it should unite all Christians:

“Unfortunately, we see that the world is not united. There is great division even in Christianity- we do not celebrate this holiday on the same date, although God did not want to see his church divided… It is the devil’s work. We all heard of the strategy “Divide and Rule” which is present in all spheres of life and aims to tear us away from the spiritual freedom and peace we must bear in our souls, minds and hearts. We are witnessing huge spiritual division. Not to mention the economic, industrial or military spheres. This is a manifestation of the Evil’s efforts to destroy humanity.”

The eyes are the window to the soul. The beauty created by God is around us, but humanity does not notice it. “Things could have looked different if people followed the gospel principles based on repentance and forgiveness. Everything in our lives would be great if we seek the kingdom of God first, father Vasilii noted and added:

“The spiritual eyes are the eyes of love. They are open when we live with God in our hearts. Unfortunately, a few people devote themselves and their spirit to God first and then think about their daily lives and aspirations. This is evident in people’s words, behavior, etc. The more we realize that we have to seek God’s glory first, the better we see the world through our spiritual eyes. However, when our spiritual eyes are blind, we can only see with our senses, which can deceive us. People are confined within their sensibility. If our spiritual eyes are clean and wide open, then the world looks completely different and we are able to see what we cannot see with our human senses.”

Photos: BGNES, Darina Grigorova