Discovering God's Covenant during Paschal Season 2020 with Rev. Presbyter Norman Kosanovich, Parish Priest of Saint Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Alhambra, California. Each Great Lent, and especially Holy Week, the Old Testament readings remind us of God’s repeated efforts to bring His beloved but “stiff-necked” people back to Himself when they continually and unfaithfully make their own selfish decision to seek after other gods to serve, for earthly gains that will fade away. When His Prophets fail to get the message across, what God does do is send His own Son to be born in the flesh in order to save that which is made in His image and likeness. What faith in that statement does do is bring God’s people – which now includes us and our stiff necks – back to Him in anticipation of His Kingdom. And for some of us, pain and suffering in this world just may be the medicine needed for our eternal salvation. We are, after all, called to take up our cross and follow Christ. Оur ways are not God’s ways, and Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Хришћани су већ доживели искуство љубави и милосрђа Божијег и знају да их Он неће оставити ”сиротима”. Као што пролеће опојно делује на све, тако за све хришћане Пасха делује опојно и радосно. И као што ће овогодишње Пролеће за највећи број људи бити недоступан плод, тако ће и Васкрс као литургијски догађај бити многима недоступан. Али, да ли можемо да кажемо да свет не опитује пролеће? Не! Да ли можемо да кажемо да хришћани не опитују Пасху? Никако! Дакле, иако не можемо да се радујемо пролећу у природи, тако не можемо Пасху да славимо у њеном природном окружењу, а то је храм. Али, и Пролеће је ту и Пасха је ту.

Тhe pearl of this year’s spring – and of the Great Lent for us Christians, culminating in Holy Week – is the offspring of the pain that the entire humanity and the Church body altogether lives through amidst the sea of tribulations caused by the Coronavirus. Everything that is done out of pure love is preserved and saved, for the eternity. Those who were crucified with Christ, will abound with glory; those who died with Him, will be filled with life. As somebody said, we’ve seen no evidence of Covid-19 discriminating on the basis of nationality. The virus doesn’t care about borders or religion. For this reason, we need a global response to Covid-19. As this spring invigorates us, so also Pascha rejuvenates all Christians. And as this year’s spring for most of the people will be unapproachable, so also the Easter, as liturgical event, will be inaccessible for many. But, can we say that the world doesn’t experience the spring?... No! Can we say that Christians do not experience Pascha? Not at all! Our faith is that the Holy Spirit constitutes the Church also in the times of Coronavirus.