Easter greetings with the Orthodox Churches – 2015
Your Beatitude, your excellencies and all the brothers of the Orthodox Patriachate in Jerusalem During this time when we celebrate the Paschal Feast, our attention is turned to the mysteries of the Passion and the Resurrection. In the Passion of Jesus we celebrate the destruction of death, and in his resurrection we celebrate the victory of new life won for us. The Gospel readings that we hear these days give us very detailed descriptions of what happened during the Passion and after the Resurrection. But none gives us a description of the moment of the Resurrection. The only testimony that Jesus is indeed risen is just the Empty Tomb – the Tomb which the disciples saw and believed in their hearts that Jesus is risen as he had said. This faith of theirs is further strengthened by personal encounters of the Resurrected One in the closed Upper Room, in the walk to Emmaus, in the breaking of Bread and in other situations of their daily life. From that moment, they could not be witnesses of the resurrection as the source of life and hope for everyone. Their lives were totally changed. From fear and doubt, they became courageous announcers of the Good News in all the world. Today after two thousand years, the Empty Tomb is still a testimony of his Resurrection. Faith in Christ brings all to the resurrection. Faith and the practice of Christ's teaching in our lives bring salvation to us all. This faith gives us the power to confront problems of daily life and moments of trial such as many of our brothers are now facing in many parts of the world. We here in Jerusalem have the privilege to see and care for the Empty Tomb. The Risen Lord continues to enter our lives and makes himself known in mundane situations, and we are able to feel his presence and his love for us. Our hope is that even today we may allow the Risen Lord to change our lives, just as the Apostles did – to free us from fear of being overwhelmed, and to feel the power of Christ who conquered death. Happy Easter to you all! Christos anesti!
Your excellency and all the brothers of the Ethiopic Church In this time of the Paschal Feast, the entire Church exults with joy because in the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, the Church is renewed and restrengthened.
The Resurrection of Christ is our hope! Because of this, the Church lives with joy, which God has confirmed by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. The Church communicates this hope that she carries in her heart and wishes to share with all, in every place, especially where Christians suffer persecution because of their faith and their commitment to justice and peace. The Church invokes the hope that can raise the courage to do good even and especially when it costs or when it is necessary to suffer. In this festive time, the Church sings "‌ This is the day that the Lord has made", and invites all to joy. The Church prays, invoking upon Mary, the Star of Hope, asking her to guide humanity towards the safe haven of salvation which is the heart of Christ, the Paschal Victim, the Lamb who has "redeemed the world", the Innocent who "reconciled us sinners with the Father. " United with you in the celebration of this great Mystery, we bring our fraternal wishes of abundance of hope and peace! Happy Easter!
Your Excellency, dear brothers of the Coptic Patriarchate The Paschal Liturgy leads us through the Mystery of the Passion and Death of Jesus. When evil seems to prevail and suffering rears its head, it is easy to repeat with the Apostles the words "‌ but for us, we have hoped that he might be the Saviour" (Lk 24:21). We believers know that in these moments, it is best to keep our eyes on the Cross, from which Christ assured us that everything which was the Will of the Father was fulfilled; and to fix our eyes on the Empty Tomb from which Jesus came out victorious and the angel proclaimed "Be not afraid!" (Mt. 16:6) With faith in the resurrected Jesus, borne from the sad events is a joy which is capable of changing not only feelings but above all the entire lives of all those who allow themselves to be enlightened by the light of the Resurrection - those who suffer and those who make others suffer. The soldiers, Pilate, Herod and all those who crucified Jesus lost and were condemned to silence. To all of you, our cordial and fraternal wishes for a Happy Easter of the Risen Lord and an abundance of His Peace! Your Beatitude, your excellencies and all the brothers of the Armenian Patriachate in Jerusalem The resurrection of Christ allowed his disciples to better understand and give new meaning to His death on the cross. Every difficult situation in our lives, seen in the light of the cross and the resurrection, can have a more profound meaning to what had happened and what is happening. This year is of particular significance for the Armenian Church. You recall the
centenary of the most atrocious and terrible genocide of many of your brothers. Inasmuch as we unite ourselves with you in this memorial, we would especially want to see with you the deeper meaning of these terrible events in the light of the Passion and the Resurrection of Christ which we are celebrating. It is in the Passion of Jesus that the seeds of His resurrection is sown. From the heart of man, the darkest forces may erupt, capable of destroying his brothers and considering him an enemy, stripping him even of human dignity. But for believers, suffering that is united with the Passion of Jesus brings about the resurrection. Many of your brothers, martyrs and witnesses of their faith, now behold the face of the Resurrected Lord. We want to see them not only as sufferers for Christ but more so, as resurrected with Him. To you all, our most cordial and fraternal wishes that the Passover of Our Lord which we now celebrate, be for all a source of new life and light. In remembering the past, may we draw from it a new vitality to nourish the present with the joyful announcement of the Gospel and with the testimony of charity. Happy Easter!
Your Excellency and all the brothers of the Syrian Church Every year christians celebrate the Passover of the Lord not as a remembrance of the past, but as an event which continues to be proclaimed and spread. St. Paul recalls that "if we have hope in Christ only for this life, then we are the poorest of all men" (1Cor 15:14.19). From the morning of Easter Day, a new spring of hope enveloped the world; from that day our resurrection began because it does not simply imply a moment in the past but a gift of new life: Jesus is risen not because his memory lives in the hearts of his disciples, but because he himself lives in us and in him we can already taste the joy of eternal life. This is the truth for many of our brothers of the Syrian Church suffering to the point of living up their lives, especially in Syria, Iraq and in Africa. Their faith in Christ Resurrected is still today a sign of contradiction for those who remain in the shadow of death. If through the Passover, Christ had eradicated the root of evil, he however needs men and women in every time and place to proclaim with word and life his victory through his own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, of mercy, forgiveness and love. And this is our fraternal wish for all of you: that Christ Resurrected gives to all believers the power to always remain faithful and persevering announcers of his Paschal gifts. Happy Easter!
Fra Dobromir JASZTAL OFM Custodial Vicar