EASTER PASTORAL: The Power of God is revealed (04/24/05)

EASTER PASTORAL

The Power of God is revealed

Following is the Paschal greeting of the Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops beyond the Borders of Ukraine to the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine and throughout the world.

May the peace offered by our Risen Lord to His Holy Disciples following His Resurrection be with you at all times and in all places.

Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen!

The Apostle Paul has written: "If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of people. But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and, in the same way the Resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all die in Adam, so all will be brought to life in Christ ... When this perishable nature has put on imperishability, and when mortal nature has put on immortality, then the words of Scripture will come true: 'Death is swallowed up in victory' ... So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor. 15:19-22,54,57)

Our mission - that of every single Ukrainian Orthodox Christian - is to spread the Good News that the victory has been won, that the time of peace has been established, that the time for reconciliation is at hand, that the world has nothing to lose and everything to gain by embracing the new order of life established by the Risen Lord. Our mission is to tell our brothers and sisters who are still making alliances with the forces of greed, hatred, war, bigotry, fierce competition and exploitation, that their allies are already defeated - that judgment has been rendered - that Christ is Lord! Our mission is to let them in on the Good News: "It is true. He is Risen."

Some people want a scientific explanation for all this. But science can only analyze one event by comparing it with other events. The Resurrection of Jesus cannot be compared to anything else. What the Easter Gospel proclaims has never happened before and it has never happened since. Other people have returned from the dead - even the Bible gives examples of that - but they returned only to die again. Our Lord rose, never to die again. He rose to New Life, where death is abolished, opening the road to the Kingdom of God and Salvation for us all.

Our Lord's death was not a symbolic death, but a real death, unaccompanied by cosmetics and flowers and sweet music. And our Lord's resurrection from the dead was not a symbolic resurrection, but a real Resurrection - the real return of Jesus of Nazareth in the fullness of His Divinity and His Humanity. The Church fathers never attempted to evade this startling fact by saying that "His Spirit lives on," or that "His ideas live on," or simply that "He lives on in the lives of those who believe." No, Jesus Christ - Lord and Savior - lives on!

As we Ukrainian Orthodox Christians revel in this fact at Pascha 2005, we, your archpastors, ask ourselves and each of you entrusted to our spiritual care: Having proclaimed to one another and to the world "Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!" during the holy and wondrous liturgical celebrations of this Feast of Feasts, are we prepared to fulfill our mission? What difference will proclaiming "Christ is Risen!" make in our lives as we wake up to Bright Monday? What difference will proclaiming "Christ is Risen!" on Pascha make in our relationships with the members of our families, with our co-workers, with our neighbors, with our enemies? What difference will proclaiming "Christ is Risen!" make in our concern for justice, peace and service in our local communities and in the world at large?

We who bear the Name of our Lord - Christians - must place ourselves directly in position to reflect the Light that shines forth from the empty tomb into the world, into our communities and into the lives of all those we confront as we walk the temporal path of this world. We are created to image - to reflect - the love of Christ, the compassion of Christ, the peace of Christ into our world. Are we prepared spiritually to fulfill our mission? Through solid preparation throughout the Great Lenten season and through continued and frequent participation in the Precious Eucharist - the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - we are and shall always be.

On Pascha - Resurrection Sunday - we celebrate the awesome reality that not only was the Power of God revealed, but also that the Power is now being revealed. Pascha is not only a past event, it is an eternally present reality. The Power of God manifested in the Resurrection is revealing to us now that all the problems we can ever imagine already have been resolved. That Power is working deep within us now to sustain us in our mission and on our journey to abundant life and to empower us to achieve it. We have witnessed that Power in the recent peaceful transition of authority in our native Ukraine. We have witnessed that Power in people gathered together in peace and singleness of mind and the face of a nation was forever changed. It is this same Power that can change the world.

We assure you all, our dearly beloved spiritual children, of our continued prayers for each of you as you contribute your efforts to fulfill your part of our mission. We ask to be remembered in your sincere prayers, as well.

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Ý Constantine - Metropolitan, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. and Diaspora
Ý John - Archbishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
Ý Antony - Archbishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.
Ý Vsevolod - Archbishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.
Ý Ioan - Archbishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora
Ý Yurij - Archbishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
Ý Jeremiah - Bishop Ukrainian Orthodox Eparchy in South America (UOC of U.S.A.)

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