April 14, 2012
Paschal Message of His Holiness Kyrill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics, and all the Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church

Beloved in the Lord Your Graces the archpastors, all-honorable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters!

Spiritually rejoicing on this great and glorious feast of the Resurrection from the dead of the Savior of the world, contemplating in my thoughts his emergence from the tomb, I address to you all the life-affirming exclamation which is replete with inner strength, unvanquished truth, and joy:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

The radiant Paschal night reveals to humanity the fullness of the Divine love by which the pre-eternal Son of the heavenly Father has taken upon himself human nature, healed it from the sickness of sin and, in descending into the depths of Hades, has destroyed the bonds of death, granting to us the precious opportunity of uniting with our Creator and Provider.

In uniting with this all-protecting love of the Lord, we acquire an unconquerable weapon "against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). We overcome the fear caused by the limits of our human nature and acquire the ability to confront fearlessly all of today’s challenges. For "there is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear" (1 John 4:18).

It is no coincidence that the Gospel repeatedly conveys to us the words of the Lord. which he spoke for the encouragement and strengthening of the spirit of his followers: "Be not afraid!" Fear for the future, the fear of dangers unknown, of imaginary or real threats, is a feeling familiar to many. Yet the Lord abides with us if only we do not turn away from Him. And in these days of glorifying His victory over death the Savior addresses each one of us: "Be not afraid, only believe" (Mt 5: 36).

May our behavior, in contradiction to the evil spirit of this age, become the visible affirmation of Eternal Truth. For, although we live today in conditions of social and religious freedom, the striving to live in accordance with Christian moral norms signifies, as before, a movement against the current. It reveals a refusal to accept those stereotypes of behavior and the position of the justification of sin which insistently and systematically make their way into peoples’ lives through modern means of influencing the consciousness.

Turning to the Lord, we can leave behind the spiritual emptiness and egoism reigning in the world, see the light of the Resurrection, and perceive it as a guiding sign on the way to the Heavenly City.

May communion with the one Eucharistic cup become for us a source of strength in this movement towards eternity. May the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, in granting to our souls an inviolable peace, steadfastness in the faith and growth in virtue, strengthen us all.

In communing with the Body and Blood of Christ, we, in the words of Holy Scripture, may become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), we can change our natural condition. Through communion we are given the chance to be likened to Him who for our sake "emptied Himself, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:7-8).

Our moral and spiritual transformation is the main pledge and foundation for the transfiguration of the life of society, the nation, and the country. It is impossible to change for the better the whole without perfecting its parts. The correct mental perception of people from all age, social, and political groups determines the well-being of our homeland. Our vectors in life will shape the development of all the countries of historical Russia, our Church and, by extension, of all of God’s creation, entrusted to us by the Creator to preserve and "keep it" (Gen. 2:15).

I prayerfully wish you all, my dear ones, the abiding presence of joy in the Risen Conqueror of Hades and abundant aid from above in your daily labors.

TRULY CHRIST IS RISEN!

Amen.

+KYRILL
Patriarch of Moscow & All Russia
Moscow 2012

 

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Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese