Christ is Risen!

With these sacred words, I congratulate you all, God-loving Archpastors and Pastors, pious monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters, with our greatest Christian feast, the glorious Resurrection of the Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Having accomplished His saving work on earth, the Saviour of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, through his voluntary death on the Cross as True Man, and whose soul descended into hell so as to give the joy of salvation to those who had already completed their earthly journey and had grown weary in the cold darkness of hell, who while suffering, waited for that blessed day, when salvation would come to the world. And this great day has come.

Christ descended to the underworld as a Man, but the glory of God descended with Him, Which forever became united with the human nature in Christ. Hell could not withstand the power of Divine glory, and it was what humanity had been waiting impatiently for centuries: Christ destroyed hell with the “brilliance of His Divinity” (the Troparion of the Resurrection, Tone 2). All the deceased from time immemorial, who had lived on earth with faith in the coming of the Christ, were taken out of hell. All of them became Celestial beings. Once again, like Adam who had lived in Paradise, began to live in bliss and with humble gratitude enjoying communion with God and beholding His Divine Face. And for those who live on earth, the doors of Paradise were opened, and the rays of hope warmed their frozen hearts.

The Holy Myrrhbearing women, who came to the Life-giving Sepulchre to anoint the pure body of their Teacher and Lord Jesus with myrrh, saw an angel dressed in a long white garment. The myrhhbearers became alarmed when they saw that the tomb was empty but the angel reassured them saying, ” Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, Which was crucified: He is risen; He is not here…But go your way, tell His disciples ” (Mk 16: 5-7).

The Holy Myrrhbearers became the first witnesses of the glorious Resurrection of Christ. Then the holy Apostles departed preaching the Resurrected of Christ, and by the great works of the gospel, ” Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. .” The joy of the glorious Resurrection of Christ, like lightning, illuminated the earth, and the blessed and desired truth, that is the bright Resurrection of Christ became known by mankind , and life defeated death. Christ’s resurrection gave humanity the greatest treasure – the treasure of life, life, which is not a simple existence that mankind pursued after its fall, but an existence full of joy, happiness, peace and bliss.

The Lord, our Creator and Maker, Himself is Life (John 14: 6). Through His love, God has created us, people, so that we may be co-members of His Divinity, so that we may forever drink of Him, as from the Holy Well-Spring, the Divine water of life. And blessed is the man who carefully protects himself from sin and who courageously submits himself to the word of Divine love, because the soul is cleansed in such a person, the person is freed from spiritual dirt, which humiliates him and removes from him the ability to enjoy such a sacred gift as happiness. The person who goes to the Risen Christ and tries to live according to His word is not only filled with the fertile water of Divine life itself, but becomes, as far as its purity and perfection, a source that flows into eternal life.” (Jn 4: 14).

Today, dear brothers and sisters, we live in a world that knows Christ, knows about His glorious Resurrection, but unfortunately, the grain of truth of Christ’s Resurrection does not bear salvific fruits for everyone, because for this we have to courageously and persistently cultivate the earth of our hearts and purify it from sin. Some of us postpone this work for later, or do not want to do it at all, do not want to fight against personal sin. We do not want to bother ourselves and force ourselves to turn away from untruth, from personal pride that mercilessly destroys us. We aimlessly float through the course of perverted human pride during temporal life and try to build happiness not on the commandments of Christ, but on earthly achievements, successes and fortunes, forgetting that happiness cannot be built on this.

If man would have dominion over the whole world and take possession of all its treasures, he would then not be content if his soul was not cleansed of sin. Man can not be truly happy if he does not prayfully drink from the living water from the Divine Source of Life.

Let’s remember this, dear brothers and sisters, we must be mindful about our salvation. Let our daily concern for our lives with God, of our spiritual happiness be as if it is our last day. Every day that the Lord gives us, should make us fill ourselves with mutual patience, love for God, Who is the Life-spring of our lives, and also love for our neighbours, who bear the image of God. We pray that the Lord will forgive us all and bless our Ukrainian earth and all who live on it with peace, only then will we be sons of salvation and have eternal life. Happiness will not be for us only a rare guest in our soul, it will be our constant graceful spiritual treasure.

Once more, I congratulate you all, dear brothers and sisters, with the bright feast of the glorious Resurrection of Christ, the Great Day of the Lord’s Pascha ! I wish you all health, happiness, salvation and God’s blessing.

During these sacred days, we join the voice of the entire Holy Orthodox Church and together sing: ” O Christ, the Pascha great and most holy! O wisdom, Word and Power of God! Grant that we may more perfectly partake of Thee, in the day of Thy Kingdom which knoweth no eventide” and, repeating the words of the Venerable Simeon, we call: Glory to Thee, Christ our Lord God, because You – are our Kingdom, You are – Beautiful Paradise, You are – the Divine Temple, You are the Chalice with the Water of Life – You are our comforter and joy, and to You is our honour and adoration forever. Amen.

Truly Christ is Risen!

Humble,
Onufriy
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine
Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

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