To the Right Reverend bishops, pious clergymen
and all faithful and reverent children of
Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church
Pascal Archpastoral greetings
Right Reverend bishops, hounorable fathers
and all beloved brothers and sisters in Christ!
We feast death’s slaughter, the overthrow of Hades,
the first fruits of a new eternal life:
The Canon of Pascha
Christ is Risen!
On the great and bright day of the Feast of Feasts and the Celebration of celebrations — the Holy Pascha of Christ, I would like to cordially congratulate you, brothers and sisters, with the Paschal greeting: “Christ is risen!”
The day of Pascha is a day of spiritual spring, when a joyful light fills our soul. Christ is risen — it means that evil and death have been defeated, He has risen and reconciled us with the Father. We Christians are the sons of the Kingdom of God, the children of Christ, acquired at the price of Christ’s great sacrificial love for us, His suffering on the cross, His painful death on the Cross of Calvary. The Apostle Paul writes: “We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 6, 9–11).
How can we declare to the world and prove that we are Christ’s? Only with your life, your good deeds and love for God and your neighbors, listening to what the apostle commanded: “Love is not hypocritical; hating evil, cling to the good; be kind to each other with brotherly love; be more creative with each other’s honor; do not be lazy with care, burning with the spirit, working with the Lord, rejoicing with hope, suffering sorrows, abiding in prayer … bless those who persecute you; bless, not clap. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep… If possible, from you, have peace with all people. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. If your enemy is hungry, feed him: if he is thirsty, give him a drink… Do not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good” (Rom. 12, 9-21).
Not only in these Easter days, but we will always remember and fulfill these great words of the Apostle Paul. Let no military conflicts, sorrows and troubles shake our faith, love and mercy. The Lord calls to us with the words of the Holy Gospel: “But take heart, for I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). When there is a struggle going on in the world, bloody atrocities are being committed, which are increasing, but with all this, let us not despair, let us keep our spirits up and the brightness of Paschal joy, because we know and are firmly convinced that Christ has risen and by His resurrection defeated the world. Therefore, everything dark and evil in our life is nothing before the bright and joyful eternal Truth of Christ.
By His resurrection, the Lord has opened the gates of salvation in the Heavenly Jerusalem to all people who have true and right faith in Jesus Christ, in His Holy Church, to people who love Christ, that is, living according to His commandments. These days, when we celebrate the victory of life over death, good over evil, we will look into our soul, cleanse it from sinful filth, lift up our prayers to the One God, put our hopes and hopes for the best on Him, and He will resurrect our souls for life on the “new Earth” in the “new Jerusalem”.
The risen Christ has always been and will always be close to man in the days of tribulation throughout the history of the Christian Church, in our church community, which by common efforts has preserved faith and the fullness of worship. The Old Believers, true and Orthodox, must now show the whole world an example of faith, hope and love in their lives, in the internal structure of the family and everyday life, in preserving the foundations and traditions of Holy Russia.
Thank God that by His grace He has given us the opportunity once again to celebrate Holy Easter with joy and triumph. Let us give Him praise, thanksgiving and glorification for His mercy to us sinners. May God grant that our hearts may be filled with Easter joy, so that we may spend these festive days holy and immaculate, in prayer and good deeds pleasing to God.
May the grace and mercy of the Risen Christ, the prayer of His Most Pure Mother and all the saints, and my archpastoral blessing be with you all. Amen! Christ is Risen! Truly risen!
By the grace of God, humble Kornily
Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia
City of Moscow
Pascha of Christ
2023
