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Sunday, May 21, 2023Glory to Jesus Christ!
On this Sunday, we commemorate the Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council. The Council was held in 325AD in the city of Nicea, not far from Constantinople. It ended on May 29 and came to be observed on the Sunday following the Feast of the Ascension.
The Council of Nicea I was a significant moment in Christianity as it settled the argument about Jesus' divinity. The bishops were concerned that some Christians were denying Jesus' divine nature, despite knowing that He had a human nature and Mary was His mother. The council concluded that Jesus is the true Son of God with both a human and divine nature, “one in essence with the Father,” conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit and Mary. The Council also officially defined the date for Pascha.
This Sunday’s Gospel reading, John 17:1-13, speaks to this reality of Jesus being the Son of God, one in essence with the Father. In this passage, Jesus prays to God the Father saying, “Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.” Through these words, Jesus tells us that He has existed before all creation and thus, that He is one with the eternal Father, not merely human but a divine person with a human nature and a divine nature. This union of divinity and humanity that we see manifest in Jesus Christ is a great mystery but is also the way in which our salvation is accomplished: God lowered Himself so that He could raise us up to be united to Him for eternity.
Click here to learn more about the 7 Ecumenical Councils.
