† NICOLAE
by the mercies of God
Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America
and Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas

To the Beloved Clergy and Orthodox Christians of our Holy Archdiocese,
peace and holy joy from Christ the Risen Lord, and from us hierarchical blessings!

Now all is filled with light: Heaven and earth and the lower regions.
Let all creation celebrate the rising of Christ
(The Resurrection Canon, Ode 3).

Most Reverend Fathers, Beloved Faithful,
Christ is risen!

The words of the divine services of the Lord’s Resurrection call us to receive the light of the Resurrection, to discover the entire world as being penetrated by that light, and to celebrate, rejoicing in the proclamation of the Resurrection. “Rejoice heavens, rejoice earth, as a mother rejoices when she feeds her starving children, as the children rejoice to receive nourishment from their mother’s hands! The Resurrection of Christ is the only victory in which there are no conquerors and conquered, for all of humanity rejoices, from the first created to the last,”[1] proclaims St. Nikolai Velimirovich.

What are the reasons for this joy on the Feast of Christ’s Resurrection? Why does humanity rejoice together with all creation? What are the fruits of Christ’s Resurrection, in which we who believe in the Resurrection partake? It is fitting that we should give clear responses to these questions in order to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection with understanding.

Through the Resurrection, Christ conquered the two enemies of human life and dignity: sin and death. For in paradise Adam did not know either sin or death, neither fear nor shame. Communion with the Fountain of Life made him unaware of death, while full obedience to God prevented any partaking in sin. Where there is no death, neither is there fear; where there is no sin, neither is there shame, which is born of sin. But in sinning, or forsaking obedience to God, he was overtaken by fear and shame: “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Gen 3:10), was Adam’s response to God’s call. The voice which heretofore had made him alive and confident became, after the sin of disobedience, the voice that terrified him and made him want to hide. The pathway of sin, of disobedience to God, upon which Adam had set out, was taking him down toward the earth, toward the clay from which he was created: In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19).[2]

Christ, the Son of God, took upon Himself our human nature, enslaved by sin, in order to turn it back toward God, to restore its dignity, to deliver it from sin and death. Through the Incarnation and Resurrection, human nature is healed, renewed, and restored to the possibility of eternity. St. Gregory Palamas says, “The Lord’s Resurrection is the renewal of human nature and the molding anew of the first Adam, who had been swallowed up by death through sin, and returned through death to the earth from which he had been molded; it is man’s return to the life without death.”[3] Christ descended into the depths of hell in order to free our ancestors from the bonds of death and to shake the locks of this place of darkness. The Risen Christ ascended into the heavens, revealing to all the way to Resurrection: “We celebrate the very death of Death, the overthrowing of Hell, and the beginning of another life which is eternal,”[4] we sing on the morning of the Resurrection. And in his Paschal Homily, St. John Chrysostom assures us of the victory of life over death through the Savior’s Resurrection: “Let no one fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it... Oh death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ has risen and you are abolished... Christ is risen, and life is freed.” This proclamation of victory over death, of the reign of life, is the reason for our joy and that of all creation.

Through the Resurrection, Christ has also become the greatest Doctor in the history of humanity, St. Nikolai Velimirovich shows us, for He has brought us healing from a disease more terrible than all others, the disease of sin. He Himself, the Risen Lord, is the remedy for sin. History offers us thousands and thousands of witnesses that those who have availed themselves of this remedy, feeding themselves on it, have become healthy and holy.[5] The witnesses confirm the words of Christ Himself: Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him... he who feeds on Me will live because of Me (John 6:54-57). The Resurrection of Christ has become for us an occasion for joy, for now we feed on the true food and drink. In the Holy Eucharist we receive the Body and Blood of the Risen Christ “for the healing of soul and body, for the forgiveness of sins and life eternal.” And through Christ we live His life, free of sin and corruption.

Most Reverend Fathers, Beloved Faithful,

The discovery of these meanings of the Lord’s Resurrection can illumine our entire Christian life, raising us up to a different understanding of the meaning of our living here on earth: If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God, St. Paul tells us. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:1-3). The understanding of the meanings of the Lord’s Resurrection, of our living with Christ in God, must be for us a source of joy, light, and hope: joy that life has conquered death and any worldly temptation that leads towards death can be conquered; light for the world of sin, the opportunity for everyone who has gone astray to repent and return to God; and hope that God will not abandon the world, but with wisdom will lead it toward His eternal Kingdom.

With these thoughts I invite you, through word and deed, to bring joy, light, and hope to those near to you, but also to the sick or lonely, whether acquaintances or strangers. I embrace you in the Risen Christ and wish you a Joyful Feast in your families and in your parishes!

Your brother in prayer to God,
† Metropolitan NICOLAE
Chicago, The Feast of the Lord’s Resurrection, 2019

[1] Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, Homilies, volume one, Birmingham, 1996, p. 205.

[2] Cf. Ibidem, p. 206-207.

[3] St. Gregory Palamas, Homily 18. On the Sunday of the Myrhh-bearing Women, in Omilii, vol. 1, Ed. Anastasia, București, 2004, p. 225.

[4] The Resurrection Canon, Ode 7

[5] Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, Idem, p. 209.