Holy Pascha,
2004
BARTHOLOMEW
By
the Grace of God, Archbishop of Constantinople,
New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the plenitude of the Church
Grace, Peace, and Mercy
From Christ the Saviour, Risen in Glory
Brother concelebrants and pious, God-loving children of
the Church,
Christ is Risen!
As we greet you, dear beloved, with this Paschal
exclamation, we reminisce about the philanthropic action of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Logos of God, through Whom
everything was created, to offer life to mankind. We also
think of the cruel pursuit of the devil, and of the people
who have been misled by the devil, having become his
instruments in trying to deprive humankind of the great and
sacred gift of life.
The sacred gift of life is intended by God to bring joy.
The mouth of the Myrrh bearers was filled with joy as they
cried, "Christ is Risen", says the sacred hymnist. Ever
since, thousands of people cry, "Christ is Risen" and the
hearts of innumerable devout Christians fill with joy in
repeating the announcement "Christ is Risen", for all of us
value life as one of God's greatest gifts to humanity. It is
a valuable gift through which we can enjoy all of the other
divine gifts, for without the gift of life we cannot have
any awareness of the other gifts God offered to us.
The source of life and joy is Christ, beloved brothers
and children, and He invites us all to become participants
of His divine gifts. He does invite not only us, the
Orthodox Christians, but also every single person. Every
human being is invited to partake in the fullness of a
joyful life. God created human beings so that they might
live joyfully; He intended for us to constitute adornments
of the material and spiritual universe. He gave each person
the opportunity to enjoy all creation; that would become
possible, of course, if people showed respect for one
another, and, moreover, if they loved God and the other
beings. The observance of this commandment leads to a
harmonious society of people, which is surrounded by the
whole creation, in service of humanity, and is based on
freedom, which is the foundation of love. Our feeling of
this love, which is based on our free will, reveals the
ineffable beauty of the face of the Lord, the most desired
one, as the holy Church Fathers say, and, also, the face of
the beloved human person. The human face reflects and
depicts the divine and supreme beauty of God's face, for it
was created in His image and likeness.
The faithful Christian, and every human being, must
himself feel the opportunity to experience and cherish life,
and recognize this right in all others, as well.
Unfortunately, though, the devil hated human life and turned
murderous, and implanted the idea of homicide in the human
race. The devil persuaded Cain in killing his brother and
becoming the first fratricide. Since then, many fellow human
beings hate, by imitation of the devil, the life of others.
As a result, throughout the history of humankind, myriads of
human beings have been deprived of the blessings of life and
joy, due to murderous and invidious acts committed by other
human beings. This goes on until today. But, Christ was
risen to offer us life and abundance of life. Therefore, it
is inconceivable for a Christian or anyone else who loves
his own life and respects God, to want or commit a murder or
to cause pain to others. The killing of people, and moreover
the indiscriminate killing of innocent people,
non-participating in war conflicts, is an inhuman,
condemnable and non-heroic act. Likewise, every selfish act
that causes pain to some people in order to satisfy others
is also condemnable.
As has always been the case, this year's celebration of
the Resurrection of Christ follows the same predicament; it
is clouded by a multitude of grave incidents. We hear about
many group homicides and other hurtful acts committed by
people against people. Christ, Who is the Way and the
Resurrection and Life and Who lived an earthly life of doing
good and healing, shows to all people the way of love and
giving, of justice and respect of life and joy of others, as
the single way, which leads humanity to true joy and
fullness of life. Christ resisted His persecution and death
through forgiveness, love, good deeds, sacrifice and
resurrection. He proved that the power of evil, despite its
fierce aspiration to kill the leader of life, failed. And He
persuades us that in our days the powers of evil will be
again defeated by the greater power of love, which is the
only way leading to resurrection.
Thus, brothers and children in the Lord, we should not
fear in the face of evil that seems to prevail. At the end,
our Risen Lord Jesus Christ will be the victorious winner
along with the people who believe in His resurrection. But
our win will not be against our fellow human beings, but
against evil, for we Christians want all people to partake
in this victory so that none will be defeated by evil or
lose the earthly, and most importantly, the eternal
life.
Thus, we greet all of you, beloved, with the Paschal
greeting "Christ is Risen", and pray that you will travel
the road of Holy Pascha in the joy of Resurrection. We pray
also that through your pious life you will contribute to the
propagation of the spirit of altruism and will inspire
others to respect the life and the joy of their fellow human
beings, so that good will prevail over evil and the leader
of life, our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, will reign in your
hearts. Amen.
Holy Pascha 2004
+ BARTHOLOMEW
Patriarch of Constantinople
fervent intercessor of all before the Risen Christ
Protocol 247
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