ARCHPASTORALPASCHALGREETINGS 2025 from His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen! (John 1:1–17)
Dearest Beloved,
Today—thanks be to God—there is good news! On this bright and holy Pascha, all the news is good: glad tidings, joyous tidings, triumphant tidings! It is the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead. This is wondrous news not only for Christ’s sake—for death could not hold Him in the grave—but also for ours, for His victory is our victory. We proclaim this triumph in the joyful troparion of the Feast: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”
Time and again, this hymn echoes through our churches—and yet we never tire of it, for it is full of life and hope.
“Christ is risen from the dead”
This is no mere metaphor; it is fact. Jesus died on Great and Holy Friday and was laid in the tomb. A great stone sealed the grave. Soldiers stood guard at its entrance. But no earthly power could imprison the Lord of life. At dawn on that first Paschal morning, Christ broke through every barrier and rose in glory from the dead! When the holy women came to anoint His body, they found the tomb empty—and an angel proclaiming: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!”(Luke 24:5–6) From that moment to this very day—two thousand years later—the faithful continue to echo the angelic greeting: Christ is Risen! And each one of us is called to respond in joy and faith: Indeed, He is risen!
So central was this miracle that the Apostles changed their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. The first day of the week became the Day of Resurrection, the day of God’s new creation. And to this day, we Orthodox call Sunday the Lord’s Day—the Day of Resurrection. Every Sunday is a “little Pascha,” and the hymns and readings of our services throughout the year proclaim this message again and again: Christ is risen!
“Trampling down death by death”
Death—the ancient enemy of mankind, feared and relentless—has at last been overthrown. For centuries, death claimed countless lives and left behind sorrow, fear, and despair. But now Christ has broken its power. He entered into death willingly, and then rose again in glory. What power does death hold if it cannot keep its prey? The Lord shattered its grip once and for all. This is why we rejoice! This is why we proclaim Jesus Christ as Victor, the Conqueror of all conquerors!
As St. Paul exclaims: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55). The sting of death is no more, for the tomb is no longer the end. Christ’s open and empty sepulcher reveals the great mystery: that death itself is now but the gateway to eternal life.
“And to those in the tombs bestowing life”
Some may wonder: “What does Christ’s Resurrection have to do with me?” It has everything to do with us. Because Christ is risen, our beloved dead shall rise. Because He lives, we too shall live—freed from corruption, sorrow, and pain. The Resurrection means life for all: life in abundance, life everlasting, life without sorrow, tears, or sickness. So let the good news be heard far and wide! Let every heart rejoice, and every tongue proclaim with one voice and one spirit: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!
Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!
Påskebudskabet blev oplæst Påskenat, den 20. april 2025:
Tirsdag den 16. april 2019 medvirkede f. Poul i radioprogrammet “De Højere Magter” på Danmarks Radios P1. Programmet omtales således på DRs hjemmeside: “Kan ikonerne hjælpe til at gøre Gud nærværende? Skal de være fremstillet på en særlig måde for at virke? Og hvordan binder ikonernes verden sig ind i påskens fortælling?”
