FR. TOM'S CORNER
Living in the Present (May 2005)
Christ is Risen! "Christos Anesti!"
What a joy it has
been to share our Lenten journey and now proclaim the glorious resurrection of
our Lord and Savoir, Jesus Christ! I hope you have been touched and impacted
over the past forty days, opening up your heart to God's loving message,
power, and light. We are all called to a life of repentance, renewal, and
resurrection with Jesus Christ our Lord. We have been ushered into the reality
of Pascha and given the opportunity to celebrate God's saving love and mercy
upon us ~ "Trampling down death by death." Let us "receive the light" as we
sing "Cristos Anesti!" ~ "Christ is Risen!" Proclaim it every day around your
family table along with your morning and evening prayers.
Today is
the day of Salvation! Today is the day to allow the message of the
Resurrection to redirect your mind to receive Christ's divine message of love
and light. God wants to guide your path toward compassion, toward peace,
toward renewal, toward living in the moment with a bold hope in a Risen Lord
who loves you beyond comprehension and wants to be in relationship with you.
The Resurrection of Christ calls us to live in the present, in the here and
now. Metropolitan Anthony Bloom asked the questions, "What is the most
important time in your life? What is the most important event in your life?
And, who is the most important person in your life?" There can be so many
answers to these powerful questions. The most important time might be the day
your first child was born or the day they told you that your cancer was gone
or the day you met your spouse...The most important person might be your
father, mother, friend, spiritual father or mother...
Metropolitan
Bloom suggests that we consider the most important time in our life to be now.
That is really the only time we are called to be truly alive. The most
important event in our life is what good we do with the time we have now. The
most important person in our life is the person standing across from you and
me now. Can you imagine living this way? Being fully present at all times with
whomever you are with. Being able to respond to everyday challenges and
blessings with a positive mind and heart holding on to the light of Christ.
Fr. Paisios, a monk from Mount Athos, encourages us to pray and develop a
'factory of positive thoughts in our mind and hearts.' He says, "There were
two thieves next to the same God on Golgotha and both had different responses.
One responded with negative thoughts, "if you are God, come down and take me
with you."
Fr. Paisios challenges us to become like the thief
who was able to receive the "light of Christ" on the cross. He was able to
say, "Lord, remember me in your Kingdom." Let us strive to be a community
creating positive Christ centered thoughts. Let us be people who bring hope in
times of despair, to bring peace when there is anger, to have faith when there
is doubt, to shine light in the midst of darkness. And may we practice this
today.
I would like to conclude with a poem I recently read in Dr. Gallanis' office
entitled 'I AM'.
"I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly the Lord was
speaking: "My name is I AM." He paused. I waited. He continued:
"When you live in the past, with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am
not there. My name is not I Was.
When you live in the future, with its fears, it is hard.
I am not
there. My name is not I Will Be.
When you live this moment, it is not hard.
I am here. My name is I AM."
Today, let us live in the moment and proclaim the glorious resurrection of
our loving Lord. May the Holy Spirit inspire and give you grace to live with
boldness, patience, humility, and love as you encourage and support those
around you.
Fr. Tom
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