Third Sunday of Luke/ Archbishop Joan: If we die spiritually, bodily resurrection has no value

2025-10-19 10:19:00, Aktualitet CNA

Third Sunday of Luke/ Archbishop Joan: If we die spiritually, bodily

The Morning Service and Divine Liturgy of the Third Sunday of Luke was held today at the Church of the Annunciation in Tirana under the leadership of His Beatitude Archbishop Joan.

During his speech, the Archbishop gave strong messages to believers, emphasizing that only with faith in God can we overcome our fears.

His Beatitude also spoke about the resurrection, saying that if a person dies spiritually and is resurrected physically, this resurrection has no value. The Archbishop added that Jesus Christ broke down the wall between death and life.

"We love God when we really experience his God. If we are aware of what our Lord Jesus Christ has saved us from, we will begin to really love him. Spiritual life must be experienced, it cannot be just intellectual by reading books. God is compassionate, he calls everyone.

Many people ask me what the Church does for these people in need and I answer you yes, what did you do for this person. Every Christian is called to help the people close to him. True love does not mean feeling sorry for someone but taking action. We come to the second point in the resurrection. The call and resurrection was in the name of Jesus Christ. Only the power of God can raise and resurrect him.

When God tells the widow not to weep, He tells her not to give in to despair. There are tears, but there are other tears. Some may cry out of despair, but also out of deep understanding or love for others. Death is not our end. Christ broke down the wall that separated life from death. With God there is no death. All are alive. Even if we are resurrected physically and have died spiritually, the resurrection is of no use.

While our body will one day die, the soul will always be. If a person does not believe in the resurrection, all else is in vain. Christ brought this new, the victory over death. If we have the hope of the resurrection, death will not frighten us. Every word of the Gospel is a word of life.

"The fear of God is a respect for God. If we fear God, we will not fear people. If we have the fear of God in our souls, we will be filled with the glory of God in our souls," said His Beatitude Archbishop Joan. /CNA