“This day, I am free…”

Seventeen years ago, Year 2000 that I was received and became a member of the local Orthodox Church in Paranaque City… the same year a boy was born in a simple family who live near by the Annunciation of the Theotokos Orthodox Church. Years have come and this boy and his whole family have decided to embrace Orthodoxy. Every Sunday, I would see them attending my catechism class and to my surprise, together with his brother became an altar servers. Since my ordination to the priesthood Year 2013, he assisted me every Sunday at the start of Matins, rain or shine, with grace and reverence on the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Lighting the candles, holding the processional cross, preparing the incense and a variety of other tasks during the holy services. A sense of involvement in parish life and a love for the church's liturgical life. An opportunity he embraced as a young boy to understand the rewards of service to the people of God.

September of 2017, he was out of Church services for several Sundays and I was informed that this young boy was sick due to on and off fever and when he was confined in the hospital, the high fever and pain was caused by leukemia. And when further examinations were made by specialists, the type of leukemia he acquired was non-curable… all the hopeless words that you can hear were said the night of October 17th. The news brought tears to everyone and on bended knees begged God to have mercy on him. And on the night of October 27th, after receiving the last rite, he already fell asleep in the Lord.

His sudden death created confusion of feeling, sadness, fear, anger, anxiousness and even disappointments among his family members and relatives and friends in the Church. With tears in our eyes, facing the unknown, everyone stands with helplessness concerning his situation.
After the Divine Liturgy and after I conducted the holy baptism last October 29th, a letter was handed to me by her sister, a letter wrote by this young boy on October 19th, two days after he learned of his helpless condition. The letter was originally placed under the altar of their house as mentioned by his younger brother with a strict instruction that no one should touch it.

“October 19, 2017

To Our Lord Jesus Christ

This day I am free from leukemia (AML). Through the help of my family, friends of my family and our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, pray, love, faith, hope and trust for him our Lord will change everything!!! Prayer will change everything. Thank you o Holy God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen +++

From
Ephraim”

After reading the letter I went back to the altar and burst in tears… what a shame…! Before us now is not a dead person, but a person who has been free from the bondage of death… someone at his age understood the true meaning of death! What happened to him was beyond physical healing… as narrated to me, two days before his death, he asked forgiveness from his siblings and relatives and from his parents and telling them how much he love them and thanking them for everything. Holding his necklace cross in his palm all the times trusting and placing everything under God’s grace! Indeed, God has changed everything for him, he was freed from his sickness… With the Saints, he was given rest by our Lord Jesus Christ where there is no pain, no sorrow, no sighing, but life everlasting. A faithful and true servant of God!
May his memory be eternal!

Presbyter Gregory Latoja

( by P. 

Nektarios Tsilis - Orthodox Metropolitan of Hong Kong and South East Asia since 2008.)