Christ IS Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!

O day of Resurrection.
Let us beam with festive joy!
O Pasch; O Pasch of the Lord.
For from death to life, from earth to heaven Christ our God has led us who sing the hymn of victory

Ode 1

 

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

resurrection_iconChrist IS Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!  

Хрїстóсъ воскрéсе! Воистину воскресе! (Old Slavonic)
Christos voskrese! Voistinu voskrese (Transliteration)

 Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес! (Ukrainian)
Chrystos voskres! Voistynu voskres! (Transliteration)

 Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ανέστη! (Greek)
Khristós Anésti! Alithós Anésti! (Transliteration)

By the grace of God we again, as believers in Jesus, celebrate a most wondrous revelation: human life is immortal. Our God, according to our belief, has, through the Person of Jesus, affirmed that the life we experience is none other than a sharing in His own life. Therefore the Resurrection of Jesus affirms our own resurrection after death. This is why, according to our tradition, we declare this the Great Day – Velikden!

Easter declares that Death has no hold on us. Death is but a means of making a transition from this present life to the next. This truth is further affirmed by the fact that history records that Jesus not only raised Lazarus from the dead but also others. Through Jesus’ actions God has revealed the truth about human life.

This truth gives us cause to rejoice! Our celebration today is not about a past event that only happened to one person, Jesus. It is a celebration about life. Just like Jesus, we shall be raised from the dead despite any challenges, struggles or sufferings we may have had to endure during life. This present existence is meant to help us learn how to be spiritual beings and to hope and trust in our God. Death and the challenges of life are not meant to harm us but, rather, to help us to become the   persons that God intended when He created us.

It is my sincerest priestly prayer that the joy of this day may truly touch your hearts and lives and that you may sing with me the hymn of victory: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling Death by death and to those in the graves bestowing life.

With all my love,
Father Wayne

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