PASCHAL
ADDRESS TO CLERGY AND LAITY OF PATRIARCHAL PARISHES FROM THE
ADMINISTRATOR OF PATRIARCHAL PARISHES IN THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA VICAR OF THE HOLY PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA BISHOP
MERCURIUS
“I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live,
even though he dies;
and whoever lives and believes in me
will never die”
(John. 11:25)
Beloved fathers, brothers and sisters!
Once more Lord shows his Holy Church the abundant happiness of
His conquest of death and renews the world being! Because “the Cross
- the weapon against death, brought freedom and life from death,
that filled the universe”, - says St. John Chrysostom. From the
depth of this spiritual comprehension about people of Lord’s Grace,
we can no longer hold in our hearts, our mouths the never-ending
exclamation of the triumphal hymn, with which I greet you:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!
Lord has risen on the “first day of the week”, and with that He
has set a beginning to the new age, where “death does not exist but
eternal life does” and “death is not called death but sleep”, - from
the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa.
Lord has destroyed the power of hell and opened doors to the
Eternal Kingdom for all, and He called all to life. A good follower
of Christ would answer to this call with the words of firm hope for
deliverance: “To the incorruptible life I come today, with the mercy
to Whom You’ve given birth, oh Pure” (Paschal Canon, Ode 3)
Why is it that some have the determination to come to the
“incorruptible life” and do obtain the Kingdom of Heaven, but others
cannot? Though “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”(Mattew.5: 45)
He is “Who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of
the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4)?
This question is not superficial. It is addressed to the inner
depth of our heart, where we have our very hidden and true. And this
is why the answer can only be given by the first just judge after
the Lord – our conscience.
Alas! The answer of our conscience is not alleviating, the
reasons for diminished life-bearing forces in us is in diminishing
faith in God, endorsing of selfness as a norm of life. Only in the
beginning of this century Holy Martyr Benjamin, Metropolitan of
Petrograd, warned us: “… More faith is needed, we need to have more
faith … forget our self-reliance, mind, knowledge and give space for
God’s Grace”. Such simple and comprehensible words!
But how can we put aside our self and give space for the Grace of
the Lord? This can be possible with the persistent reminding to
ourselves that deliverance of the humankind is not attained by the
brave good deeds only but by the unspoken mercy of our Lord and His
infinite love for us. Our triumph is not ours; it belongs to Christ.
The price of our Pascha is death of our Savior on the Cross! Sin is
conquered by the Savior and is nailed to the Cross: “Your right hand
is punched through with nails for I have reached it to the forbidden
fruit”, - says St. Gregory of Nyssa. Let us not forget this in the
days of the Pascha festivities!
My prayerful wishes to you with this Paschal Greeting - from day to
day, from strength to strength to grow stronger in our Holy Orthodox
Faith! And through this faith, to obtain the steadfast hope for
salvation, which Lord will not put to shame!
«May grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of God
and of Jesus our Lord”! (2 Peter 1:2)
+MERCURIUS,
Bishop of Zaraisk,
Administrator of Patriarchal Parishes in the USA.
Pascha 2007
New York City |
