'Therefore
we were buried with Him
through
baptism into death,
that
just as Christ was raised from the dead
by
the glory of the Father,
even
so we also should walk
in
the newness of life.'
Rom
6:4
Beloved
in the Risen Christ your graces the archpastors, the whole priestly,
diaconal and monastic order, God-loving children of our Holy Orthodox
Church. In greeting each of you with the Paschal kiss, I say to you
these words of joy, replete with ineffable joy:
CHRIST
IS RISEN!
It
is the greatest of feasts that we today celebrate; it is the finest of
solemnities that we mark. The radiant joy of Paschal, which glows in
our hearts, warms us amidst earthly cares, inspires us to a life of
good and grants to us the foretaste of our own future resurrection.
The
Lord opens to all the gracious fount of this joy and today does not
ask at which hour he or she has come to accomplish his or her deed. He
knows His faithful ones who have laboured from the first hour, yet He
knows too that those who have come at the eleventh hour have perhaps
overcome the most difficult part of the path. And there is no deed
more pleasing to God than to bring this holy joy to those who do not
know it, to those whose soul has yet not been illumined by the
incorruptible light of Christ's Passover. And this light-bearing,
transfiguring, life-giving joy will cast aside the stones from the
tombs in which their souls have been sealed.
In
singing the exultant Paschal hymns to the One Who has risen from the
dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20),
we sense too within ourselves the miracle of being resurrected
alongside Him: we are no longer dead spiritually, yet alive through
the grace of God which has redeemed us from sin and death and has made
us to be a new creation in Christ.
The
miracle is accomplished by the love of the Risen Saviour who has
vanquished death by His sacrifice on the Cross. For the salvation of
humanity, which renounced God' plan, the Author of life descended into
hell, humbled Himself unto death, even death upon the Cross, and
granted to us the New Passover - the mystical transition from death to
life, from darkness to light, from the world to the eternal Kingdom of
God. And this transition is revealed to us already in this temporary
life if we in these earthly wanderings through prayer and the humble
acceptance of the will of God, through charitable deeds and ministry
to our neighbours, unite ourselves to Christ.
In
being liberated from the captivity of sin, with all our strength
striving for the radiant light of Christ, we render our life all the
more beautiful, for we increase in our souls eternal riches. As
Scripture says, 'lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and
steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also' (Mt
6:20-21).
The
revelation that 'God is love' (1 Jn 4:8) is the greatest gift to
mankind of the Incarnate Son of God. Love transfigures, purifies and
sanctifies all that is around us. And we, in following the Saviour's
commandment on sacrificial, self-denying love towards people, are made
a part of Divine love which, kindled in our hearts, fills our whole
life with unextinguished Paschal joy. It is then that the apostle's
words come true for us: 'Everyone who loves is born of God and knows
God' (1 Jn 4:7).
Let
us then travel along the way of salvation diligently and unswervingly.
Yes, this way is always thorny and narrow. And it is not by chance
than many around us in the world have abandoned this way, dimming
their spiritual eyes by striving for power and fame, comfort and the
acquisition of worldly goods, unbridled consumerism and endless
trivial entertainments. The Church knows this road will lead the human
race down a blind alley and will never make the human race happy. Yet
the way of Christ, the way of bearing one's cross and the way of
resurrection, lead us to the light which radiates forth from the
Life-Giving Tomb of the Lord. To live in this light is to vanquish all
sorrow and sadness, to possess the fullness of peace and joy.
My
beloved
ones!
Let
us, as the apostle exhorts us, 'walk in a renewed life'. Let us reject
enmity and confrontation, sinful ways and weakness of the soul. With
every day and hour of our life let us fulfill Christ's commandment:
'Let your light so shone before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven' (Mt 5:16).
There
are in our midst many people who feel keenly the need for help and
care. These are our elderly citizens, the victims of wars, crime and
natural disasters, all those who suffer from disease, poverty,
loneliness, homelessness and who have no parents. Let us bring to each
one of them as a Paschal gift our active love, our modest contribution
and labours of charity.
'The
day of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ', writes St. John
Chrysostom, 'is the foundation of peace, the beginning of
reconciliation, the cessation of hateful actions, the destruction of
death, the defeat of the devil'. May Christ's Passover bring peace
where blood is shed and where hatred is kindled. May all people of the
world extend towards each other the hand of brotherhood and working
together for the common good. I assure everyone that the Russian
Orthodox Church will labour in the name of the blessed reconciliation
and the harmony of the whole human race. It is in this ministry that
we remain as always open to joint labours with the state and the many
and varied social forces, with peoples of different faiths and
convictions.
In
a few days time we will solemnly mark the sixtieth anniversary of the
victory in the Great Patriotic War. In those difficult days, on the
borderline between life and death, the holy Orthodox faith was
awakened in the soul of the people with renewed strength. For many of
our compatriots this became the beginning of a new life in Christ.
Then too the radiant Feats of Christ's Passover came in May just
before the people's holiday of the Great Victory. Christ our Saviour
blessed with peace those who turned towards Him (Ps 28:11).
Beloved
in the Lord archpastors, pastors and children of the Church, on this
radiant and holy day I cordially congratulate you all on the feast of
the Bright Resurrection of Christ. It is now, when the hearts of
Orthodox Christians are filled with Paschal joy, that I hasten to
share this joy with all of our brothers and sisters, both Orthodox and
Christians of other confessions, with each human being, both neighbour
and afar.
Again
and again I beseech all ministers, monks and nuns and laity of our
CHRIST
IS RISEN!
HE IS RISEN INDEED!
ХРИСТОС ВОСКРЕСЕ!
ВОИСТИНУ ВОСКРЕСЕ !
PATRIARCH
OF
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