NOW WHEN THERE IS NO DEATH

“It is a joyous day,

Let us be illumined, O People!

Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha”

(The beginning of the Resurrection Canon)

Dear brothers and sisters, my dear diocesan members!

The joyous day approaches, the day of celebration is coming. The day of victory over death is before us, let us rejoice and celebrate, for Christ having risen, brings us joy. “It is the day of Resurrection, let us be illumined by the joy of the feast, and say to each other, even to those who hate us: Brethren! Let us forgive all by the Resurrection!” (Paschal Verse)

Let us forgive, for God forgives us the ancestral sin, destroys hell and announces to us the joy of the Resurrection – so that all who live in Christ and believe in Him will be resurrected with Him. He shows Himself as the victor, as the Conqueror of the most terrible and difficult enemy – sin and death. For the cause of death is sin, Christ defeats sin, and this is our victory.  “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory” (1 Cor. 15:55)

The Lord on the Cross carries our sins on the tree. Just as Adam by the tree in paradise tasted death, now Christ by the tree of the cross returns us to the lost paradise!

Night becomes day, light overcomes darkness, sadness is displaced by joy. “As the word of the Cross produced sadness, may also the joyful news of the Resurrection bring joy. May crying be transformed into joy, melancholy into celebration; let our mouths be filled with joy and celebration, for the Resurrected One said: Rejoice!” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

O brothers and sisters, o God-loving people, it is necessary to observe this feast in piety, serenity, in an all-joyful feeling of expectation, for we are invited to participate in it. But, it is necessary to prepare and truly calm ourselves – so that we can joyfully await the Feast of Feasts. The Holy Church with divine wisdom prescribes fasting, forgiveness and prayer so that through these God-given weapons we might more intimately draw near to our Lord and Saviour – the Risen Christ.Let us transform a hard and stone-like soul into an aromatic soul, for the Risen Lord renews and deifies for “ the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (Matthew 27:51-52). For this reason “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious” (Ps. 66:1-2).

The great Abba Macarius says, “Everything begins to speak and all creation trembles, for Christ changes the course of nature, for He is found to be the Saviour and the expect Messiah”. Thus, in the words of the great Church Father, St. Gregory the Theologian, we sing on the day of Pascha, “let us forgive all by the Resurrection”. Therefore, let us forgive all and everyone for Christ’s sake, that we may become humble victors for the sake of Christ.

May the Light of the Resurrection shine in our souls. And may witness to Christian compassion shine with hope on the numerous unfortunate people in the world today. Let us by our deeds bear witness during these festive days to the truth of our Orthodox Faith.

I greet you, my spiritual children, with the all-joyous, exalted shout, the salutary greeting of greetings:

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Your intercessor before the Risen Lord+Georgije

Bishop of Canada