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Mar
29, 2010
Prot.
No. 316
B A R T H O L O M E
W
By the Grace of God,
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch,
To all the Faithful of the Church:
Grace, mercy, and peace from Christ the Savior Risen in Glory
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 Mother Church, wholeheartedly wishing for all the saving gift and Paschal
blessing of the Lord of Life, who rose from the dead.
Holy Pascha 2010
Fervent supplicant for all before the Lord
+ Bartholomew of Constantinople
St. Paul Orthodox Press www.orthodoxincheon.or.kr
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