This morning’s gospel passage from the fifth chapter of St. John’s gospel touches upon essential mysteries of our holy Christian faith.

1. We get a glimpse at the inner working of the Holy Trinity, specifically the perfect loving relationship between God the Father and God the Son. “The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works that these will he show him, that you may marvel.”
   
   
2. The scripture also testifies to the resurrection faith, which we are emphasizing during this season of Easter-tide. “As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. “ “Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”
   
   
3. The passage touches on the mystery of the Last Judgment. “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father who sent him…”
   
   
4. Finally, the promise of eternal life is proclaimed: “He who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has already passed from death to life.”

John 5 overflows with the most valuable teachings of our orthodox Christian faith. It’s for this reason that the evangelist St. John has been given the title “Theologian.”

The doctrines of the Holy Trinity, Resurrection of the Dead, Last Judgment and Eternal Life are at the very heart of the Christian message. Everything that we do in community as well as individual life must be grounded on these fundamental beliefs.

Even today as we conduct our solemn remembrance of the Genocide of 1915, we do well to avoid the temptation to relegate the issue simply to the political arena and to the secular understanding of justice, which is about territorial and material claims. Rather our Christian faith invites us receive the deepest comfort from the truth that all justice belongs to God and that the death of our 1.5 million martyrs was not in vain – for we are convinced of the truth of the resurrection and we strive to live the faith of the martyred - “He who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has already passed from death to life.”

Let us pray that our heavenly Father grant eternal life to our beloved martyrs of 1915.


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