“… inasmuch as you did it to one the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me.” - Matthew 25:40

Brothers and sisters in the Lord,

In our life, we often look for ways to encounter God, whether we know we are seeking or not. Much of human behavior throughout history has been about satiating a desire for something greater than ourselves, and it is only God who can fulfill this in every way. The feast of the Transfiguration, which we celebrate this month, is about encountering God in the person of Jesus, who revealed His divinity to His disciples on Mount Tabor.

Yet as Orthodox Christians we also believe that we encounter God whenever we interact with others. In serving others and being obedient to one another, we in essence serve the Lord and are obedient to Him. Speaking once to a married couple, Saint Iakovos of Evia offered the following:

"The Saint spoke with sweet words and with discernment in order to comfort the pained and exhausted mother, and with discernment and a smile he said to the father: 'I was proud of you last night. You chanted all night and prayed. Good job! But you would have had an even greater blessing and reward if you sat a half-hour [with your wife] instead of three [hours praying by yourself], near your wife helping her to feed the children and putting them to bed, because for married people, your prayer ropes and prostrations are your children. When they [your children] grow up you will have time to do them [prayer ropes and prostrations], but "a brother is helped by a brother." Let everything be done by mutual consent.'"‍

May we always remember that each human being is a beautiful creation from God, and a way to encounter Him! Amen!

With love in Christ,
‍
Fr. Niko Bekris

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