Sts Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Institute
13 Apr 23: Paschal Epistle of His Grace, George Bishop of Sydney, Australia & New Zealand
Paschal Epistle
of His Grace, George
Bishop of Sydney, Australia & New Zealand
Beloved in the Lord, Clergy, and Flock of the Australia and New Zealand Diocese
Christ is Risen!
I greet you, the faithful of our diocese, with love and joy, on this Feast of Feasts, the day of our Lord’s Resurrection, the day of His victory over death, death which had kept all of mankind in bondage for millennia, ever since the disobedience of our ancestors Adam and Eve and their expulsion from Paradise. Through His Resurrection Christ renewed and transformed all of creation and opened the path to the Heavenly Kingdom through believing in Him.
This belief in His Resurrection and victory over death, and the resurrection of mankind at the end of the world, has been the foundation of the Christian faith since the time of the Apostles. We hear the words of St. Paul: “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain… For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins”. (I Cor. 15: 13-14; 16-17)
This faith and hope in the Risen Christ and the resurrection of the dead gave the Holy Apostles the spiritual power and strength to preach the Gospel unto the ends of the earth, enduring hardships, tortures, and even death for the sake of the Gospel. It enabled the Orthodox Faith to spread and grow throughout the centuries and gave spiritual power to the innumerable martyrs and ascetics who struggled and died for the Faith, as they lived in expectation of the life of the Kingdom to come, not expecting an earthly king or kingdom. It is what gives Christians of all times the strength to overcome whatever trials God deems us worthy of enduring, remembering the words of our Saviour: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John16: 33)
In these days of great joy, as we celebrate the salvific Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, I sincerely greet all of you. May we all abide in peace and love for one another as we await the life of the Kingdom to come!
Christ is Risen!
With love in the Risen Christ,
+George
Bishop of Sydney, Australia & New Zealand
Pascha 2023