{"id":3795,"date":"2016-03-16T11:35:28","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T15:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/?p=3795"},"modified":"2016-08-10T11:03:01","modified_gmt":"2016-08-10T15:03:01","slug":"easter-pastoral-of-the-ukrainian-catholic-hierarchy-of-the-u-s-a-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/?p=3795","title":{"rendered":"EASTER PASTORAL OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF THE U.S.A."},"content":{"rendered":"

EASTER PASTORAL OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF THE U.S.A. TO OUR CLERGY, HIEROMONKS AND BROTHERS, RELIGIOUS SISTERS, SEMINARIANS AND BELOVED FAITHFUL<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Christ is Risen!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed He is Risen!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"holy-cross-justice-icon-of-the-resurrection\"<\/a>\u201cJesus said to her, \u201cMary!\u201d She turned and said to him in Hebrew, \u201cRabbouni,\u201d which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, \u201cStop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, \u2018I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.\u2019\u201d Mary of Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, \u201cI have seen the Lord,\u201d and what he told her.\u201d<\/em> John 20:16-20<\/p>\n

Today, we share a joy, a joy of wonder, a joy that comes from within, because Christ is Risen! Today, we share the same joy of the disciples to whom Mary Magdalene had brought the Good News that Jesus Christ is risen, and she has seen Him.<\/p>\n

This joy of resurrection starts from a personal encounter with risen Christ. What does it take for Mary Magdalene\u2019s tears to give way to Easter joy?\u00a0 Nothing less than meeting the risen Christ.\u00a0 Meeting the risen Savior Himself! Even this is not so straightforward. Jesus appears to her, but Mary doesn\u2019t recognize Him.\u00a0 But then, Jesus calls her name, Mary.\u00a0 She turns, and now when she looks; her world is transformed. Before her is no gardener, but the resurrected Christ, alive and free from death.\u00a0 Around her is no tomb of lifeless rock, but the living Savior who calls her out of darkness and into a marvelous light.\u00a0\u00a0After encountering the risen Jesus Mary Magdalene obeys the Lord\u2019s command to tell the news of the resurrection to the disciples.<\/p>\n

The same joy is experienced by the disciples on the road to Emmaus. This personal encounter with the risen Lord gives them courage and strength to run back to the disciples and tell them what happened on the way and how they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.<\/p>\n

On Easter morning what we celebrate is that Christ has overcome sin and evil and death.\u00a0 There is forgiveness and hope and new life even from the very rock bottom of suffering and despair.\u00a0 And so, the Easter gospel is not only about life from death, but also about this encounter Mary has with the resurrected Christ.\u00a0 Jesus is raised, but then He also meets us.\u00a0 And not merely as a dazzling figure we do not recognize, Jesus meets us \u2013 calls our name, opens our eyes, and invites us to see.<\/p>\n

At the Resurrection Matins we sing: \u201cLet us rise at early dawn and bring to our Master a hymn instead of myrrh, and we shall see Christ the Sun of righteousness Who enlightens the life of all.\u201d (<\/em>Resurrection Matins, Ode 5).<\/p>\n

The risen Christ wants us to experience the joy of encountering Him and living for Christ and not for self\u2014the joy of being liberated from the sins which trap us in self-centeredness and discover the blessing of Christ\u2019s self-giving love. No matter what may be happening in our lives, we can still experience spiritual joy through the love of God and living the way God made us to live, which is for self-giving love.<\/p>\n

The Easter gospel is not just about new life, but new life that comes to us.\u00a0 Not just Christ raised from the dead, but the risen Christ meeting us and calling our names.\u00a0 Easter is an encounter, a call and a summons.\u00a0 Go and tell what you have seen and heard.\u00a0 Christ is alive, and more than that He has sought us out and called us by name.\u00a0 Whatever our doubts and our fears, whatever our failures and betrayals, whatever the wounds we try to protect \u2013 today is \u0430 new day. \u00a0We are all to become witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus. We are called to bring that \u2018ray\u2019 of the light of the Resurrection into the various human situations: into those happy ones, rendering them more beautiful, and into those sorrowful situations, bringing serenity and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this Year of Mercy, Pope Francis encourages us \u201cto experience the opening of our hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society\u201d and to \u201ckeep alive the desire to know how to welcome the numerous signs of the tenderness which God offers to the whole world and, above all, to those who suffer, who are alone and abandoned, without hope of being pardoned or feeling the Father\u2019s love\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Misericordiae Vultus<\/em>, Pope Francis).<\/p>\n

We know how the poor need help. We know how the sick need healing, how the oppressed need justice, how the grieving need comfort. We know how the spiritual life needs exercise, with daily prayer, meditation, study, and the companionship of kindred, seeking souls.<\/u> Being people of the resurrection, graced with this knowledge, it is our calling to talk to people on the road and announce the Good News of the risen Christ to them. During this period of contemplating Christ\u2019s mercy, we are reminded that Jesus not only preached mercy, but He put into action works of mercy as He assisted the poor, consoled the lonely and outcast, relieved suffering and affliction and taught the ignorant. No one person can give what they do not have, thus each one of us must know Christ personally.\u00a0 We need to know Him personally so that we can go out and proclaim Him to every person we encounter.<\/p>\n

Today is our time of joy and renewed evangelical spirit to proclaim the Good News of the risen Christ to others. Our parish communities should become places to encounter the living Christ!\u00a0\u00a0 This is what Christ is inviting us to do! This is the day that Lord has made, let us exalt and rejoice in it. <\/em>This is the calling to each of us, so we may bring this joy of encountering, the risen Christ to others. Will we be able to share this personal encounter with the risen Christ with our families, our friends, and people we encounter in our daily lives? Let us experience this Easter morning joy and let us radiate this joy in our lives. Let the Mercy of Christ shine in our lives and deeds!<\/p>\n

Our fervent prayer is that our Resurrected and Living Lord may bestow his peace and grace upon you and your loved ones, upon all our brothers and sisters scattered throughout the world!<\/p>\n

Christ is Risen! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Indeed He is Risen!<\/em><\/p>\n

+Stefan Soroka
\nArchbishop of Philadelphia for Ukrainians
\nMetropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in the United States<\/em><\/h4>\n

+Richard Seminack
\nEparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago<\/em><\/h4>\n

+Paul Chomnycky, OSBM
\nEparch of Stamford<\/em><\/h4>\n

+ Bohdan J. Danylo (author)
\nEparch of St. Josaphat in Parma<\/em><\/h4>\n

+John Bura
\nAuxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia<\/em><\/h4>\n

Easter 2016<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EASTER PASTORAL OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF THE U.S.A. TO OUR CLERGY, HIEROMONKS AND BROTHERS, RELIGIOUS SISTERS, SEMINARIANS AND BELOVED FAITHFUL Christ is Risen!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed He is Risen! \u201cJesus said to her, \u201cMary!\u201d She turned and said to him … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastoral-message-of-theugcc-hierarchy-of-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3795"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3796,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3795\/revisions\/3796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmichaelarchangel.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}