Archpastoral Letter for Pascha 2003
Prot.
N. 156 - April 27, 2003
Who
will roll the stone away for us from the entrance of the tomb? (St
Mark 16:3)
To the Pious and Devout Clergy ,
Monastics and Faithful of our God-saved Diocese:
CHRIST IS RISEN! CHRISTOS VOSKRESE!
CHRIST IS RISEN!
Dear Fathers and Faithful:
As we come yet again to the Resurrection of the Lord, to this holiest of
seasons, Queen of Feasts, the Feast of Feasts, and the Great Day, the question
of the Myrrh-bearing Women challenges all of us:
Who will roll the stone away for us from the entrance of the tomb?
Indeed,who will roll away the hardness of our own hearts and allow the light
of Christ to penetrate to the innermost recesses of our minds, our
imaginations, our thoughts? It is a question whose answer helps us to understand
the mystery of the Resurrection of our Lord, and the mystery of our own
Baptismal promise.
For why was the stone rolled away, and by whom, and for whom? Was the stone
rolled away to allow the body of the Risen Lord out into the world again?
Remember how Lazarus, dead for four days, was released from his grave by the
command of the Lord:
Jesus rent the air with a strong and mighty cry, "Lazarusl Come
forth! And Lazarus, who was to that very moment dead, emerged with his hands
and feet bound together by the many bandages of the funeral shroud, His face
tightly wrapped and covered by the face-shroud. (John 11:41-44)
Only the command of the Lord could loose Lazarus from his tomb, and when his
stone was rolled away, the body of the one four days dead came forth wrapped in
the veils of death. Many witnesses beheld this miracle, and the crowds were
astounded at this prefiguring of our own resurrection.
But when the One Who slept for Three Days in the Flesh came forth from the
Tomb, there were no witnesses. The stone lay in its place, but it could not
prevent the Resurrection of the Captain of our faith. The guards slept, struck
down by the Angel who rolled away the stone -but it revealed only an empty Tomb
with the grave-wrappings set aside, as well as the face-shroud that had
covered His head folded up and set apart elsewhere (John 20:7).
Indeed, my beloved, the stone was rolled away not for the Prince of Life to
come forth, but for us to enter in. Our faith in the Resurrection must be
rooted and grounded in our own witness of the Risen Lord, not in the witness of
any other! How can this be? Are we like the Magdalene who heard the Lord cry
"Rejoice!" and fell down at His feet? Or like Cleopas and Luke on the
road to Emmaus? Or like the Disciples in the shuttered Upper Room, which Christ
entered in the same way He exited the Tomb? Or like Thomas, eight days later
when the Lord commanded him to probe the wounds by which we are healed? No, our
witness is not of the senses, but is more blessed, even as the Lord Himself
said:
Happy and blessed are those who have seen nothing, and yet believe!
(John 20:29)
Our witness Is the Holy Spirit, who was also a witness to the Resurrection
(Acts 5:32) and dwells within our hearts through the great grace of Baptism.
This is how we believe without seeingl This is how the blind gain their sight!
So, let us look for the heavy stone within our hearts, and with the pure
sincerity of the Myrrh-bearers look for the hope that comes from above. Let us
await the joyful presence of the Angel who will strengthen us and move that
stone, that we enter deep into the fullness of our Baptismal mystery -which is
the mystery of death, even as St. Paul attests:
Do you not understand that all of us who have been baptized in Christ
Jesus, have been baptized into His death? Consequently,We were buried with Him
through the Baptism into death, so that as Christ arose from the dead through
the glory of the Father, so also, we might walk in newness of life. (Romans
6:3-4)
And finally, who will roll away the stone of our sins, which cover us and
harbor darkness within our hearts and souls, just as the darkness of the tomb
once covered by the Body of our Lord? The heavy burden we bear, the sins of
pride and arrogance, anger and resentment, jealousy and envy, discord and
strife, and so many others, which can and do bring about our spiritual death,
is rolled away from the tombs that we have constructed by our words, deeds, and
thoughts. ONLY CHRIST THE LORD has the power and authority to roll them
away from our souls. And He has chosen to accomplish this re-creation of our
nature through His Passion, Death, and this Glorious Resurrection, which we
celebrate today! This Mystery also continues each and every time that we
partake of Holy Confession and Communion as we did most recently in preparation
for this Feast of Feasts. It is at this time of year that we are most intensely
aware of this fact of forgiveness and our reconciliation with God.
Let each of you go in spirit on this great day to the Tomb of our Lord as
did the Holy Myrrh-bearers; enter in and see His Glory and Light, witness His
awesome Resurrection, grasp the hope which is the promise of our own personal
resurrection, and offer gratitude to Him Who has rolled away the stone and the
stench of our personal sins, faults, and shortcomings.
In that newness of life that is the glory of the Pascha, let us ever walk in
the knowledge of the Resurrection, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
CHRIST IS RISEN! CHRISTOS VOSKRESE! CHRIST IS RISEN!
With love and joy in the Risen Christ,
Most sincerely yours in the Risen
Christ,
+
METROPOLITAN NICHOLAS
This Archpastoral Letter is to be read in all
Diocesan Parishes in lieu of the regular Sermon at the Divine Liturgy on
Sunday, April 27, 2003
