by Archpriest Dr Georgios Lekkas of the Holy Orthodox Metropolis of Belgium
As a result of Adam's fall, time became the place of his exile, with death in exile as his ultimate punishment. Christ, the new Adam, came to this place of exile so that time could serve as a prelude to the "Year of the Lord," and death as the primary gateway to Eternal Life.
Since the day of Pentecost, the Church has been the ultimate reality for humanity. Within the Church, the spiritual bonds between humanity, the Triune God, fellow human beings, and all of Creation are developed, maintained, and continuously strengthened. This allows each of us to become witnesses, even in this life, of the "Year of the Lord," and to begin tasting paradisiacal joy which has no end.
A believer enters the Church through Holy Baptism, receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit through Chrismation, unites with the Triune God and all creation through the Divine Eucharist, partakes of a divinely ordained union through the Sacrament of Marriage, restores their relationship with God through repentance and confession, is healed through the Sacrament of Holy Unction, and undertakes priestly ministry through Ordination, if this is the will of the Lord.
As members of the Church, we live in the world without belonging to the world. We celebrate each moment as another opportunity to reveal Eternal Life, discover our true selves which seek to unite more deeply with Christ and others as Christ loves them. We desire the death of anything that separates us from God and each other, and we no longer distinguish between the living and the departed, for we all live in the Lord. We want everyone to share in the heavenly joy of the Kingdom, and we would even give our lives so that none would be lost.
Through Christ, time, once a place of exile, becomes the ultimate means by which we unite with God and others. Every moment of our lives is gained if we glorify the Lord and worship Him in His works as He eternally willed them. When we glorify the Lord and worship Him with all our hearts in His works, we taste the eternal joy and ineffable love of the Angels and Saints.
Every September 1st, at the start of the ecclesiastical year, our Holy Church calls us to celebrate that thanks to Christ time has become a place of revelation of the Triune God and the beginning of Eternal Life with Him.
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