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Christ is Risen, my dear readers!
These words are directed, first and foremost, to those who have lost all hope of salvation—to those in despair, in confusion, and loneliness. But they are also addressed to each one of us.
Pascha is the open door to the Kingdom of Heaven.
To call upon the Name of the Lord is not merely to repeat a set of words, like some kind of mantra. We invoke the Name of God in the Holy Spirit.
If we speak the words of His Holy Name, it means the Lord has touched our hearts with His grace.
Even if our heart is not burning brightly like a bonfire, beneath the ashes of our sins, the sparks of living fire still remain.
God calls each of us by name, just as He did after His Resurrection when He said to Mary Magdalene, “Mary.”
If we call upon His Name, God Himself comes to meet us. He shows the true path to those who believe in Him.
No matter how deep the darkness that has settled over your soul, no matter how difficult your circumstances may be, remember these words:
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:13; also quoted by the Apostle Peter from the Prophet Joel)
After Christ's Resurrection, everything in your life has meaning. Suffering, and even death itself, are but landmarks on the road to eternal joy. The Name of the Lord is mightier than all the powers of hell. It must become the very breath of our soul.
Just as the body dies without oxygen, the soul, if it is not nourished by the nectar of the Holy Spirit, also becomes spiritually dead. The Name of God must become our breath: With every inhalation, we say: “Lord Jesus Christ,” and the grace of God enters our spiritual heart. With every exhalation, we say: “Have mercy on me,” and every defilement of sin is expelled from within us.
In this way, moment by moment, as we call upon the Name of God, we already, here and now, become partakers of the Kingdom of God and participants in His Resurrection.
