By Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D.
What is our purpose human beings living on earth?
This question arises over and over, again. People of all nationalities throughout the centuries and in all places have raised this question from time to time.
Those who have children in their teens hear this question asked by their own children. Man continues to struggle with this issue in every generation seeking meaningful answers.
The greatest philosophers of the world addressed this question and attempted to provide us with answers.
Great spiritual leaders of different times and cultures dealt with this, as well.
There is the One, however, who has taken human flesh and blood to provide a real tangible response to this human quest; this is the “Word of God made flesh”, the Lord Jesus Christ, who revealed to humanity His purpose for us: God created us out of love so that we may share His Life and Holiness with Him. But when we failed to come to Him, He came to us in our own fallen human form, so that He may lift us up, raise our humanity from corruption and death to perfection and eternal life and offer us the blessings and joys provided by His Kingdom.
As a means for the accomplishment of this goal, He left us His teachings and encouraged us to come together and form a unified body, which St. Paul calls “the Body of Christ”, the Church. This is the reason that we come together as “the Church,” to participate in His Life and be transformed from death to life, unite ourselves to Him and be transfigured into His Life and Holiness and become members of His Kingdom. Anything short of this is a failure on our part to attain our destiny as set up by our Maker.
The Orthodox Church has preserved this Faith and offers it to all. It is now up to us to understand and embrace it.
Our Parish needs to become a reflection of the Kingdom of God on earth, so that when anyone walks in from the outside, they should be able to recognize our efforts to become what God wants us to be. We should become living examples of human beings working together, in Synergy with the Grace of God to become transfigured in Christ.
Let us look at our lives and behavior carefully. Let us examine who we really are and where we are heading; are we living that life of holiness? Are we experiencing the process of transfiguration that will lead us to God’s Kingdom? If we are not, let us adjust course and ensure that God’s purpose for us is fulfilled. It will be a pity for us if we don’t.
In Christ’s Love,
Fr. Panayiotis