Prot. No. 316
Beloved brothers and sisters, dear
children in the Lord,
Christ is
Risen!
Once
again, the sacred day of Pascha has dawned in full delight and splendor,
dispersing joy, comfort, gladness and assurance of life to all faithful,
despite the heavy atmosphere that prevails in our world on account of the
multidimensional crisis with all its familiar painful consequences for our
daily life.
Christ
has risen from the tomb as divinely human; and humanity has risen with Him! The
tyranny of death belongs to the past. The hopelessness of hades’ captivity has
irrevocably gone. The only powerful Giver of life, having through His
Incarnation voluntarily assumed all of the misfortune of our nature and all
that it entails, namely death, has already “brought death to hades by the
lightning of divinity,”[1]
granting us life – and “life in abundance.” (John 10.10)
This
abundance of life, which was granted to us by the Risen Lord, is ceaselessly
slandered and assaulted by the devil – indeed, these actions are the source of
his very name – although he is now weakened, completely powerless, and entirely
ridiculous. The devil slanders Life by means of the hubris that still prevails in the world against God, humanity and
the creation. The devil assaults Life by means of the sinful tendency that
exists within us like “old rust,” using this to entrap us either into tangible
sin or delusional belief. Hubris is
the offspring of that “rust”, while both comprise the sinister couple
responsible for disrupting relationships within ourselves, with others, as well
as with God and the whole creation. Accordingly, it is imperative that we
purify ourselves of this rust with great attentiveness and carefulness in order
that the profuse life-giving light of the Risen Christ may shine in our mind,
soul and body, so that it may in turn dispel the darkness of hubris and pour the “abundance” of life
to all the world.
This
cannot be achieved by philosophy, science, technology, art, or any ideology; it
can only be achieved through faith in what God has condescended for us human
beings through His Passion, Crucifixion and Burial, descending to the depths of
hades and rising from the dead as the divine-human Jesus Christ. It is also
expressed in the sacramental life of the Church as well as through laborious
and systematic spiritual struggle. The Church, as the Body of Christ,
unceasingly and to the ages experiences the miracle of the Resurrection;
through its sacred Mysteries, its Theology and its practical teachings, it
offers us the possibility of participating in that miracle, of sharing in the
victory over death, of becoming children shaped by the light of the
Resurrection and truly “partakers of divine nature.” (2 Peter 1.4), just as in
the life of every Saint in the past and present. The thorny weeds of passions
growing within the depths of our heart, polluted by the rust of “the old self”
(Eph. 4.22) must definitely be transformed as soon as possible in Christ,
through Christ and for the sake of Christ and His living images that surround us
– namely, our fellow human beings – into a bouquet of virtues, holiness, and
righteousness. Hence, the sacred hymnographer chants in timely manner: “Let us
put on the robe of righteousness, which is whiter than snow, and let us rejoice
today in the day of the Pascha; for Christ, the sun of righteousness that rises
from the dead, has showered upon us the light of incorruption.”[2]
The white garment of righteousness was given to us symbolically on the day of
our Baptism; and we are invited to cleanse it continually through constant
repentance, control of desires, patience in life’s pain, and relentless effort
to fulfill the commandments of God, and especially the supreme commandment of
love. In this way, we are able to participate in the cross-bearing self-emptying
of Christ, in order that the Paschal gladness, radiant light, and joyful
salvation may enter our life and world.
We
address this from the Phanar, where we experience the suffering of Holy Friday
and the light of the Resurrection, as we express to you the affection of the
Holy Pascha 2010
Fervent supplicant for all before the Lord
+ Bartholomew of