On that Resurrection morning, while it was still dark, this was the question and the problem that perplexed those myrrh-bearing women disciples of the Lord. We know that the stone was "very large" and cumbersome according to the Gospel account. From historical and cultural knowledge of the times, we know that it was a massive stone disk that was rolled into a groove in the ground before the entrance of the tomb. Once it was set in place, it was not meant to be moved. It certainly could not be rolled up and out of that groove easily. It would take several strong men to accomplish the task. How then could this small group of fragile, tired, and aging women do it? They were worn out from the tragic events of the past few days and were still in the throes of grief at the death of their Master and their Friend. And now they were even more troubled and plagued by the thought that they might not be able to complete the traditional burial ritual of their people upon their beloved Lord. The stone barred their way! You can imagine, then, what joy and excitement filled their hearts and minds as they approached the tomb, looked up, and found the stone ALREADY rolled back. And then news rang out in their ears, "He is not here; He is risen as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay!" (Matthew 28:6)

I am pleased to announce the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of the Life-Giving Font on Friday, April 13th. Resurrection Matins will be served at 9 am at the Sts. Cyril and Methodios Camp Church, with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 10 am, with a procession around the church. A paschal meal will be served in the Dining Hall afterwards. I heartily encourage clergy and faithful to attend, especially those who are in the vicinity of Camp Nazareth. I mean this celebration of Bright Friday at Camp Nazareth to be an annual event, so I expect your best effort to attend, and to encourage your parishioners to participate as well.

On March 9, the Discovery Channel will air a program entitled "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." The program was produced by Simcha Jacobovici and "Titanic" director James Cameron. Mr. Cameron, you might remember, was the one who shouted "I'm the King of the World" when he received an Academy Award for his production about the sinking of the White Star liner.

I write to you on the threshold of the Great Fast, our annual forty-day journey to the great and happy Day of the Paschal Victory of Jesus Christ. I write to you out of my profound desire that you and I, in the Paschal Celebration, may enter into the joy of the Angels on that day. And so I take this opportunity to meditate on the way of joy, and the path to the Paschal sunshine. I offer you my dearest invitation to walk with me in the only narrow way through the wilderness and the mountains, through the valley of shadows, and finally to the Rising of the Sun.

In the day of the Prophet Amos, the Vision of God's Will was met with ridicule and dismissal. No one in society wanted to hear that God's Law was being broken and that His Justice was being ignored. The poor were being abused and taken advantage of. The powerless and the weak were trampled on for the sake of a materialistic society.

We greet each other today with the greatest and deepest of words: "Christ is Born!". And we respond with "Glorify Him!". It is the only possible response that wells up from the hearts of those who can hear the glory of the angels and the peace that God has given to earth. It is meet and right, today, on this bright morning, to be overwhelmed by the light of the Bethlehem Star. That light is the joy of hearing the news that should always surprise, that should always be new and unexpected. We should never grow over-familiar with the Gospel of the Nativity. It should always come as news almost too good to be true. We should always rub our eyes and wonder if it's all a dream when we hear that God has become flesh and has made His dwelling with us on the earth of His Own making.

Near a village in Pennsylvania called Paradise, there is now an empty parcel of land. Next spring it will be carpeted with green alfalfa as pasture for the flocks. Formerly it held a simple, white wooden schoolhouse. That parcel was the West Nickel Mines Amish Schoolhouse. On Thursday, October 12 the schoolhouse was razed. Undoubtedly you understand why this had to be. On a horrible morning on October 2, a young man crazed with anger and shame invaded a defenseless group of children and teachers. By the time the shooting and the screams were over, ten little girls had been shot. Of these, five perished, mainly because a demonized young man wanted to add homicide to his suicide.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has issued the following statement regarding the upcoming historic meeting of Pope Benedict and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople.

CHICAGO, IL - Several major issues were discussed at length yesterday during the meeting of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) being held in Chicago. These included: Issues in Coordinating and Establishing New and Mission Parishes, Sexual Misconduct in the Church, Keeping Young People Connected to the Church and the State of the Diaconate. Two papers on the Diaconate, Remembering and Reclaiming Diakonia of Deacon Dr. John Chryssavgis and Toward a Complete Expression of the Diaconate: Discerning the Ministry Women Deacons of Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyannes FitzGerald, presented a thorough insight and understanding of the diaconate in the historical Church and its significance today.

CHICAGO,IL - Twenty-seven canonical hierarchs of the Orthodox Christian Church in the Americas convened in Chicago yesterday under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios to "solidify the bond of brotherhood that exists among canonical Orthodox Churches in the Americas and provide the opportunity for the hierarchs to review the work of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas ." The Conference, headquartered at the O'Hare Marriott Hotel is the third such SCOBA Conference, the two previous being held in 1994 and 2001.