EASTER PASTORALS: The Risen Christ is always with us (04/04/04)

EASTER PASTORALS

The Risen Christ is always with us

Easter pastoral letter of Bishop Basil Losten of the Stamford Eparchy of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

"Christ is Risen - Indeed He is Risen" is our Easter season greeting. We say these words so often, but I wonder, do we really ever ponder their meaning? Do we take this fact of our faith for granted?

Not too many years ago, Communists assumed that they had destroyed the faith of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. My family once told me of an incident that they had witnessed. One Easter morn, a Communist Party functionary came to their village. He ordered everyone to the local meeting hall, where he delivered an impassioned lecture on atheism. Ending his talk and confident that he had convinced the villagers that they should reject Christ and embrace atheism, he turned the meeting over to the parish priest. The priest complimented him on his eloquence, then, turning to the assembly, he dismissed them with the words, "Christ Is Risen!" The people instinctively thundered back, "Indeed He Is Risen."

No matter what had been said to them, they knew in their hearts the Good News that Christ had risen. After 45 years of suppression and persecution, our Church in Ukraine - kept alive by those who nourished it with their very blood - has risen from the ashes and is now vibrant and flourishing. Our Church is witness to the world that no matter how the forces of evil try to destroy the church, they will never prevail.

Too, in our own life, no matter how hopeless matters seem, we have Christ with us. He will never abandon us, whether we struggle with poverty, with illness, with family, with society, with self. The firm foundation on which our faith is based will not crumble; it will support us despite the trials with which life assails us. Easter, joyously celebrated with candles, processions, incense and song, reminds us, once again, that Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!

With my fervent wish that the Risen Christ will bless you in a special way, I remain, Yours in Christ Jesus,

Most Reverend Basil H. Losten D.D.
Bishop of Stamford
(New York and New England)

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