His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ addressed the archpastors, pastors, deacons, monastics and all the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church with his traditional Paschal message.
Beloved in the Lord Most Reverend archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters: CHRIST IS RISEN!
To you, Orthodox Christians living in many countries of the world, gathered in churches and praying at home, I now turn, to congratulate you from a heart filled with spiritual joy on the great feast of Holy Pascha, and according to ancient tradition to triumphantly proclaim:
CHRIST IS RISEN!!
For two thousand years it is with these very words that the Holy Church triumphantly proclaims to people the good news of the salvation granted by God. In them is the fire of our faith, the power of love, the foundation of hope, the cornerstone of the Church, the heart of the New Testament message to the world, the unfading light of enlightenment and the source of inspiration, the core of Christian life and all our future.
Whatever happens in this changeable world, at times restless and torn by contradictions, whatever difficulties and trials befall us, we know, believe and preach: the Paschal joy in the Risen Savior remains unchanging and all-conquering.
What, then, is the meaning of this chief Christian feast? For what and why did the Son of God come down to earth, take upon Himself the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7), endure suffering, be crucified on the cross and rise again? And what must we, people of the 21st century, do to truly become partakers and heirs of the victory won by Christ over death?
The Church gives us the answers to these questions. She testifies that through the Son of God, incarnate of the Most Blessed Virgin, hell was taken captive, Adam was recalled, the curse was abolished, Eve was set free, death was slain, and we were given life(Sunday Theotokion at the Praises, Tone 2). Truly the Lord gives us life by His love, delivers us from the fear of death and corruption, heals infirmities of soul and body, supports us in difficulties and trials, comforts us in sorrows and griefs, and helps us follow the saving path that leads to eternal life, when God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain (Rev. 21:4).
Having accomplished the work of redemption, the Lord by His sacrifice on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection opened the gates of paradise to all. Ever since then, every person is granted the opportunity to receive Christ with all his soul as true God and Savior, Who sends down grace-filled strength for a righteous life and active participation in the transfiguration of the world.
St. Nikolai of Serbia, a renowned theologian of the last century, reflecting on Pascha, wrote: “Christ is risen — this means that life is stronger than death. Christ is risen — this means that good is stronger than evil. Christ is risen — this means that all the hopes of Christians are justified. Christ is risen — this means that all of life’s difficulties are resolved”(Thoughts on Good and Evil). And this Paschal joy, the joy of communion with God and of the establishment of newness of life (Rom. 6:4) on the principles of goodness and justice, reaches the hearts of millions of Christians, inspires them to works of love and mercy, helps them overcome hardships, comforts them in trials, gives hope to the despairing and strengthens the faint-hearted.
On the radiant feast of Pascha, our special prayers are addressed to God for the people in the zone of hostilities. As Christians we cannot remain indifferent to the misfortunes and privations of our brothers and sisters whose hearts have been scorched by the fire of internecine conflict; therefore we offer fervent petitions to the Lord that, in His mercy and compassion, He may heal the wounds of body and, above all, of soul, comfort every sorrow, and grant a lasting and just peace to the fraternal peoples who came forth from the one Dnieper baptismal font.
As the earthly path of the Savior was full of labors and sacrificial love for people, so we too are called to become like Him in serving our neighbors. For any virtue, even the smallest, any overcoming of our own selfishness for the good of another person, brings us closer to God — the Source of life and immortality — and therefore makes us happier.
May the Risen Lord, Who by His unfailing promise abides with His followers always, even unto the end of the world(Matt. 28:20), grant us too, sinful and infirm but thirsting for righteousness and seeking salvation, at the end of our earthly path to inherit the blessed life, so that in the Heavenly mansions prepared from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34), together with the saints, we may reign in His eternal glory (St. Ambrose of Milan, hymn “We Praise Thee, O God”). Of this joy in the expectation of the coming Kingdom of love, when God shall be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28), the Church preaches always, and especially in the bright days of the Paschal celebration.
Let us heed her saving voice, which calls us through the lips of the Apostle Paul to keep the feast of Pascha not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Cor. 5:8). Let us heed it and strive to live by the Divine commandments, by the word of Gospel truth and by good deeds, testifying with our whole life to those near and far that Christ is truly risen, to Whom belong all glory, honor and worship unto ages of ages. Amen.
+KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA
The Pascha of Christ
2023