(Interfax) - Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.- 1 Corinthians 15:57
Beloved in the Lord Your Graces the archpastors, all honourable presbyters and deacons, God loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters!
On this great and radiant day I congratulate you from the depths of my heart on the Lord's Passover and greet each of you with these ancient and holy words:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
It is in these words, with which people throughout the ages have greeted each other during the bright days of Pascha and by which they have testified to the world of the truth of an event occurring two thousand years ago, that there is to be found a great inner power. They contain the tidings of victory and a call to joy, the desire for peace, and the hope and comfort of every human person.
He who was born of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, he who suffered greatly and without blame, he who was crucified and died on a cross between two thieves, he was the first among people to rise from the dead. ' He has been raised , as he said he would be ' (Mt 28:6). The tomb is empty. There remain in it only t he swaddling clothes in which his body was wrapped. The myrrh bearing women came to the place of the Lord's burial 'very early in the morning... at the rising of the sun ' (Mk 16:2) and did not find Jesus there, for neither the stone that blocked the entrance into the cave, nor the guard who kept watch by it, nor even death itself could withstand the great power of the Living God. 'Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure ' (Is 5:14), exultant Hades had been ready to engulf its most powerful enemy, yet instead froze in fear, for it had been illumined by the light of the Godhead. Christ has vanquished corruption and destroyed death.
Through the first man, who disobeyed the Maker and fell away from the Fount of eternal life, evil came in to the world and sin reigned over people. Christ 'the last Adam' (1 Cor 15:45) has vanquished death of the spirit, death of the soul and death of the body. ' For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive,' St. Paul tells us (1 Cor 15:22). All that we have lost in the first Adam we have acquired anew in Christ. The Lord's Passover is truly the 'great gift of the divine economy' (St. Theodore the Studite).
Having overcome the human person's alienation from his Maker, the Saviour has grant ed to us the possibility of being united with him. As St. John Damascene says, through the Cross of Christ we ha ve been 'granted resurrection... The gates of paradise have been opened to us, our nature now sits at the right hand of God and we have become th e children of God and his heirs' (An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book 4). We are all called upon to be worthy of this gift.
The Son of God, in assuming our nature, has become like us in all things apart from sin. Through his earthly life and sufferings on the Cross he has shown us an example of the greatest humility and obedience to the heavenly Father, an example of struggle against temptations and allurements, and through his resurrection he has destroyed the fetters of sin and granted to us the power and means to vanquish evil. It is in this struggle that one grows spiritually and becomes a morally free person.
We live at a time when freedom is often taken to mean moral chaos. Many sincerely believe that only power and riches, health and physical strength, bring liberation and in competing in service to the idols of this world they often fail in that which is most important, in the attainment of the true goal of life. The Saviour, who has risen from the tomb and granted to us freedom, has revealed to us this goal of knowing the Truth (see: Jn 8:32) and of life with God.
In destroying bodily death, Christ has promised eternal life, but not as an infinite continuation of the earthly path but as the transformation of the all human nature when the body will acquire new properties. It is in the Lord's resurrection that the foreshadowing of our future resurrection is mysteriously revealed. In the coming kingdom of heaven, where there will be neither death, nor illness, nor parting, and not even time, 'God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes' (Rev 21:4), and joy will be never - ending and love eternal. The Lord's victory over death gives us steadfast hope that in following him at his second and glorious coming we will rise again to a new life - life in unceasing communion with God.
Let us then share the joy in our risen Saviour with all those who are in need of attention and care: with the sick, the elderly, those who suffer or who are despondent, those who languish in places of confinement, and those people who are without means or a roof over their heads. And, in becoming like the witnesses to the resurrection - the holy apostles - let us with faith and boldness proclaim to those near and far the good news that Christ has truly risen! Amen.
+KIRILL,
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
Pascha 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
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| (Daily Mall) - Romanian orthodox nuns sing in the ossuary at the Pasarea monastery near Bucharest to mark Easter Sunday. |
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
FORT WORTH (Star-Telegram) — Seven-year-old Gina Linam winked at her mother as she sat with a friend on the back pew at First Baptist Church in Daingerfield.
That would be the last gesture between Linam and her mother, Cheryl Hendrick, on the morning of June 22, 1980.
Thirty seconds later, Alvin Lee King III, 45, smashed through the back doors of the church and yelled, “This is war.”
In a hail of gunfire, Linam and four others were shot to death and several were wounded before King was subdued.
“I felt safe in a church back then,” Hendrick said in a telephone interview this week. “But we are not safe anywhere anymore.”
For that reason, Hendrick has given her testimony to churches nationwide about the shooting and the importance of being prepared for violence.
The Linden mother will give her testimony once more in Fort Worth, where she will be one of the keynote speakers at a two-day seminar on church safety at Wedgwood Baptist Church.
A gunman went on a rampage at Wedgwood on Sept. 15, 1999, killing seven and wounding seven.
More than 350 church members from across the country are expected to attend the conference, where the speakers will include pastors, church safety experts and victims of church violence.
The seminar, presented by Cop & Cross Ministries, comes amid a rise in such violence.
Last year, 75 people were killed at churches in the U.S., experts say. Just last week, four members of St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Albuquerque were stabbed by a man before he was subdued.
“We want churches to have some type of safety plan,” said Hurst police Cpl. Jimmy Meeks, one of the organizers of the seminar and a 32-year police veteran. “At this seminar, we’ll show churches why there is a need for concern.”
No other church would know that better than Wedgwood, where Larry Gene Ashbrook opened fire at a group of young people in 1999 before killing himself.
Pastor Al Meredith didn’t hesitate to host the seminar. He was pastor at the time of the shooting.
“If you stuff it all back, it will come back and bite you,” he said. “That’s why we came right back and had a service on the Sunday after the shooting.”
On Monday, the seminar will focus on helping those affected by crimes and violent acts at churches. Tuesday will include presentations on child predators, security plans and church safety.
Hendrick noted that anyone can become a victim in an instant — at schools, churches or businesses.
“It’s been proven that so many people have no respect for life,” Hendrick said. “That’s why we need to prepare.”
(ROCOR-Chicago) - On Great and Holy Thursday following the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, His Grace, Bishop Peter officiated the rite of the Washing of the Feet at the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in Chicago. This service is based on the reading of a short section of the Gospel according to St. John during which the officiating bishop, representing Christ, girds himself with a towel and washes the feet of His disciples, represented by twelve clergymen.
Serving on this day were V. Rev. Andrei Papkov of the cathedral; V. Rev. Matata Korchilava (Georgian Orthodox Church); V. Rev. Darko Spasojevic, dean of the Holy Resurrection Serbian cathedral in Chicago; V. Rev. Vasyl Kuzmych, rector of Holy Trinity church in Milwaukee; Rev. Radovan Jakovljevic of the Holy Resurrection Serbian cathedral in Chicago; Rev. Tarasiy Maximtsev, rector of St. Innocent of Moscow church in Carol Stream, IL; Rev. Sergi Alekseyev (Carpatho-Russian Orthodox church); Rev. Hieromonk Timothy of St. George Orthodox church in Michigan City, IN; Rev. Valery Vovkovski from the cathedral; V. Rev. Lazar Kostur (retired, Serbian Orthodox church); Rev. Leontiy Naidzions from the cathedral; and Rev. Miroslav Obretkovic (Serbian Orthodox church).
Attending the service were the children and teachers of the nearby St. Sava Academy who came following the Divine Liturgy at Holy Resurrection Serbian Cathedral to observe this unique service. Afterwards, His Grace Bishop Peter had a discussion with the pupils and answered their questions.
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| Abp. Stefan (Soroka) of Philadelphia, Pat. Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) of Kyiv, & Abp. Lawrence (Huculak) of Winnipeg |
(kofc.org) - Since Roman Catholics comprise the vast majority of the world’s more than 1 billion Catholics, most people today think the Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church are synonymous terms. However, there are some 22 Eastern Catholic Churches, which have their own ancient traditions and customs. In the early centuries of Christianity, disagreements and controversies regarding authority, traditions and theological nuances began to grow between the Greek-speaking East, centered in Constantinople, and the Latin-speaking West, centered in Rome. This eventually resulted in the East-West Schism, also called the Great Schism, of 1054. Because the Eastern Catholic Churches were once associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church, they share common elements with Orthodoxy in things like language, liturgy and artistic traditions. Nonetheless, they remain in full communion with Rome.
In recent decades, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have encouraged a greater appreciation of Eastern traditions among Latin-rite Catholics and have also sought to improve dialogue with Eastern Orthodox leaders. With this in mind Columbia’s managing editor, Alton Pelowski, interviewed Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Philadelphia. Archbishop Soroka is a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and a member of Bishop Stephen Soter Ortynsky Council 14088 in Philadelphia.
Columbia: What is the distinction between Eastern and Western Catholicism?
Archbishop Soroka: Essentially, the faith that Eastern Catholics proclaim is the same as that of the larger Catholic Church, but we convey our faith, our spirituality, in a different way. For example, there are differences in the way our liturgy is celebrated and in our liturgical vestments. There are differences in the architectural style of the churches.
When our church, the Ukrainian Catholic Church, came back under the Holy Father in 1596, there was a provision in the agreement which stated that the Ukrainian Catholic Church’s rites and traditions would be respected.
Columbia: How does Eastern Orthodoxy differ from Eastern Catholicism?
Archbishop Soroka: The major issue pertains to the role of Peter, the Petrine tradition and how the bishop recognizes the primacy of the pope of Rome. There are also minor theological differences. For example, Orthodox don’t look at purgatory in the same way that Catholics do. Beyond that, the faith that we proclaim is essentially the same.
In fact, the Eastern Ukrainian Catholic Church meets annually with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for a few days. Theologians focus on what we have in common as opposed to where we’re different. It’s amazing how our perceptions are perhaps more of a blockade than any real differences.
Columbia: What are some of the more common Eastern Catholic Churches, particularly in North America?
Archbishop Soroka: Interestingly, America is quite unique in the world. We have 18 of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches, which come from different traditions. Most have bishops, and some of them serve as bishop of all of America, even Canada. Others have a number of eparchies, or dioceses, within the United States. The largest tradition is the Byzantine tradition. There are also the Syro-Malankar and the Syro-Malabar Churches from India, and different smaller churches. We gather annually at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and now have a separate region. We also gather annually for a meeting in April at the Maronite Center in St. Louis.
Columbia: You are currently serving as Ukrainian Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia. Unlike a Roman Catholic diocese, your archeparchy spans a much larger area. How does that work?
Archbishop Soroka: As archbishop, I cover a territory from Eastern Pennsylvania down to Virginia. I’m also the metropolitan for the U.S.A. We have four eparchies. I have 70 parishes spread over six states, so it is more difficult to build a sense of community. Our communities are also dispersing. With the new immigration that has been coming from Eastern Europe, people have tended to settle in different areas where we often don’t have parishes. We’re developing some new mission parishes, which is exciting, but we are also seeing that our membership is slowly decreasing in some population centers.
Columbia: Iconography is prominent amid Eastern Christianity’s rich liturgical and artistic traditions. What exactly are icons?
Archbishop Soroka: In today’s sense of the computer world, everybody knows what an icon is, right? You click on it, and it’s a portal to something else. I like to use that imagery even for religious icons, in the sense that they are a portal to the heavenly kingdom, a peek into the divine, a window into heaven. Icons very much invite us, as we sit and meditate and pray before them, to see through them, to see what they’re portraying to us. They are teaching images, too. They may portray something from Scripture, a feast or a saint — teaching and evangelizing through the symbolism they depict, while at the same time taking us to the other world, in a sense.
Columbia: The Blessed Virgin Mary seems to play a prominent role in iconography. Are there differences between the portrayal of Mary in the East and West?
Archbishop Soroka: There are some differences, such as the colors that are used to represent Our Lady. In Eastern icons, Mary is usually wearing a blue garment and is covered with a red cape — the blue representing humanity and the red representing divinity. If you look at icons of Christ, he is wearing red, the divinity, and he puts on the blue cape, which represents the humanity that he takes on. In the East, in particular, the Mother of God is portrayed holding Christ Jesus in a way that her arms become the seat of wisdom. In Latin traditions, you will often see her portrayed by herself. In the Eastern churches, however, she almost always has Christ in her arms, and she is always looking to him as he looks to us, to the world. We always see Mary as the Theotokos, the bearer of God.
The tradition to venerate Mary in a special way during the month of May is very much a Latin tradition. Our churches have taken on that tradition, but Mary is always part of the entire journey throughout the liturgical year. If you walk into any (Eastern) church, you see that Mary is predominant in all of the imagery and icons. In the liturgy, after the words of consecration, for example, the first prayer is commemorating the Mother of God.
Columbia: Are there other notable differences of emphasis in Eastern iconography and traditions?
Archbishop Soroka: The art of the Latin Church, it might be said, stresses the humanity of Jesus, whereas we stress the divinity of Jesus; it comes across differently.
Even in the feasts, there is a slightly different emphasis. Eastern churches celebrate the Annunciation of the Mother of God, putting emphasis on who is receiving the message. The Latin Church refers to the Annunciation of Our Lord. Similarly, we have the feast of the Conception by St. Anne on Dec. 9, as opposed to the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8.
There are some cultural differences even among the Eastern churches. In Eastern Europe, for example, we use gold more often as the background of the icons, stressing the heavenly light of Christ. In the Middle East, on the other hand, you have more use of the color green, which is a sacred color of that area.
Columbia: Pope John Paul II emphasized that the Church must breathe with “two lungs.” What did he mean by this statement?
Archbishop Soroka: I think what Blessed John Paul was trying to get across was the idea that the Eastern and Western traditions are dependent on each other. The Church is richer for it; we have something to offer one another in our spirituality, our prayer and our journey to come closer to our Lord. It’s important for Eastern Catholics to take on our duty to inform the Latin Church more, and for the Latin Church to become more aware of this other “lung” of the Church. This would also then help us ecumenically with the Orthodox world. Many Latin-rite Catholics do not know that, in certain situations, according to the Code of Canon Law, they can receive sacraments from the Orthodox Church. The fact that Catholics are allowed to do this says so much about what we have in common.
Columbia: How have recent popes emphasized dialogue and ecumenism with Eastern Orthodox Churches that are not in communion with Rome?
Archbishop Soroka: I think John Paul introduced much of that dialogue to create mutual understanding and respect between the churches, and Pope Benedict very much encouraged it. As a result, we have come to understand one another better, and have come to understand that our misperceptions are perhaps greater than the real differences.
Pope Francis, during his ministry as cardinal in Buenos Aires, certainly conveyed openness to the Eastern churches. They say that when he was a young student, he would make a point of getting up and serving as an acolyte for a Ukrainian Catholic priest. He learned our tradition, our rite, at a young age. Eventually, he was appointed the bishop for all the Eastern churches in Argentina until, in some cases, their respective bishops were assigned. He is very aware of the Eastern churches, and that’s tremendous.
The presence of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is called “first among equals” in the Eastern Orthodox churches, at Pope Francis’ installation Mass was a very hopeful sign. This never happened since the split in 1054. Nearly 1,000 years! And actions sometimes speak a lot louder than words. I think it was a loud proclamation expressing openness to ecumenical dialogue with the Holy Father and with that whole journey that John Paul and Benedict initiated and supported.
Columbia: What has been your involvement with the Knights of Columbus, especially in relation to Eastern Catholics?
Archbishop Soroka: I’m from Canada, and there we had tremendous involvement with Knights. The service they render to the Church is amazing. It has been a little bit more of a challenge for me to persuade Ukrainian Catholics and clergy here about the value of the Order, but I’m making headway on it.
The Knights have been a tremendous support for me and for pro-life programs and vocations. Even when our synod was held here in Philadelphia in 2007, welcoming Ukrainian Catholic bishops from around the world, the Knights came forward and helped. It was the first synod outside of Ukraine, and the Knights assisted all of the bishops who were challenged to pay the airfare, bringing them here for that meeting. They stepped forward far beyond what one could expect.
I have been a state chaplain and very much value the work of the Knights. I don’t think they ask much of us, and frankly I don’t think we give them enough love and support for what they do.
And I’m very pleased about how receptive Knights have been to know more about Eastern traditions. Even at the state convention once, there was provision for our liturgy in English to be celebrated as a state liturgy. That kind of openness is so inspiring. It speaks of breathing with two lungs.
Columbia: Do you plan to be involved with the next World Meeting of Families, which will be in Philadelphia in 2015?
Archbishop Soroka: Very much so. I’ve written to the cardinal in charge of that gathering and have also met with Archbishop [Charles J.] Chaput. We are very much committed to being fully involved and anticipate walking away from that gathering with even more energy and resourcefulness.
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