EASTER MESSAGE
BY H. E. METROPOLITAN SOTIRIOS OF KOREA

(April 27^th , 2008)

“Today is the Day of the Resurrection: O Nations, let us be jubilant, for this Passover is the Passover of the Lord, in that Christ our God made us pass from death to life and from earth to heaven, we who sing to Him triumphal praise” (paschal Canon, Ode 1)

          The Easter canon of John Damascus, which is sung daily in our Orthodox churches throughout the 40 days following Easter, begins with  this triumphal hymn.

          We Orthodox faithful joyful privilege our Lord Jesus Christ has endowed us with through His Holy Resurrection. The icon of the Resurrection depicts Jesus holding the hands of Adam and Eve pulling them out of their tombs, freeing them from the bondage of death and bestowing a new life to them. In this depiction, Adam and Eve represent the whole of humanity.

          The darkness of death, which is feared by all people, which pierces the hearts with pain and brings bitter tears to the eyes, has been abolished. Isn’t it that what we sing triumphantly time and again in every Paschal Service? “Christ is risen… He has crushed death by His death and bestowed life upon those who lay in the tomb”.

          Not only did our Lord set us free from death through His glorious Resurrection, but He also set us free from the bondage of the Devil. Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commandment in Paradise and decided to follow the advice of the Devil, he consequently obtained power and authority over them, misleading them away from Paradise, thus forcing them to lead a life of misery to together with their descendants.

          Now our Lord Jesus Christ defeats the Devil through His Crucifixion; He liberates us from the power of the evil, and opens the path Heaven. That is exactly the meaning of the phrase in the above cited hymn: “Christ our God… made us pass from earth to heaven”.

          Nothing can any longer obstruct a person’s path to the true heavenly life. He who had been united with Christ through the Holy Sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion experiences the Kingdom of God from this life; and the hope and joy he feels through his union with Christ cannot be threaten or taken away from him.

          The sweet fruits of man’s double liberation – of body and soul – are the ability to see all people as his own enemies. This is what our Church exhorts us in the last Paschal hymn:

Behold, today is the day of the Resurrection: let us glory in the feast, let us embrace one another in joy and say: “O brother and enemies too: we forgive everything on resurrection day. Let us all sing together Christ is risen”

          My dear brothers and sisters,

With these strong feelings of gratitude to our Lord for all the precious gifts and blessings he bestowed upon us through His Resurrection, and with sincere love for all our fellow human beings, friends and foes alike, let us all have and spiritually uplifting Paschal season.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

The Metropolitan of Korea Sotrios

Seoul, Easter 2008