On the Seventh Sunday after Pascha the Holy Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  This Council was convened by St. Constantine, Equal-to-the-Apostles, the Emperor of Rome who stopped all persecution of the Faith of Christ and made it the faith of his Empire.

He found that it was necessary to put down the division in the Church that arose as a result of the teaching of the Alexandrian priest Arius, a brilliant preacher, who taught on the basis of rationalism that Our Lord Jesus Christ can not be of the same essence as the Heavenly Father but must be the first of His creatures.

This was contrary to the witness of the Church which is recorded in the Holy Scriptures.  We noted that in His dealings with the human race we discern Three Persons who are nonetheless One God.  Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed to the Father.  Nevertheless He said the He and the Father are One and that whoever saw Him saw the Father also and that He would send the Holy Spirit from the Father.

Although the usual human logic says that one and three are not the same, the experience of the Church and the revelation of God shows clearly that with God that which to humans appears to be impossible and illogical – is actually so!  God is One but He is also Three Consubstantial Persons.

Notwithstanding the brilliant argument the Holy Fathers confirmed the experience of the Church and the witness of the Holy Scripture and his teaching was refuted and condemned.  The orthodox faith was formulated into the Symbol of the Faith which we use in our daily prayers and especially at the beginning of the Eucharistic Canon in the Liturgy showing that union between God and humans is based upon true faith.

Those who say that it is not important what a person believes about God and that the teaching about the Holy Trinity is useless technicality has not understood that this truth is a crucial one – showing forth not only that which is true of God but also that which is true of all His creation: humans and angels and all that He has made.  God has created us in His Likeness.  He is perfect Unity in Diversity, One in Three Persons.  He has also called us to live in the same way.  The quarrels and violence that comes about among humans is not in keeping with His will.  They are the result of sin and the source of sin is pride, which insists that everything must be as I perceive and desire it to be, that everything must be submitted to my will and desire.

Such was the wish of Arius, and such is the wish of all who are captivated by their own wisdom and beauty.  A virtuous life requires humility, the willingness to submit to the will of God which He gradually reveals to those who are humble, who love God and thus also loves His will and His creation.

The perfect example of this is our Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, Who always submitted Himself to the Father even when this was very hard to do, and Who prayed for those Who betrayed, wronged, rejected and crucified Him.

Let us also submit to Him and love one another as He has loved us and united us by His Love with the Heavenly Father – and sent us the Holy Spirit from Him to bring us into perfect unity!