EASTER PAPAL MESSAGE
23RD APRIL 2006
HIS HOLINESS POPE SHENOUDA III
POPE OF ALEXANDRIA & PATRIARCH OF THE
SEE OF SAINT MARK
My
beloved children in the lands of immigration, Priests and congregation.
I
congratulate you all for the Feast of Resurrection, wishing you all on this
Feast peace and edification, with all goodness and blessing. I always love to
hear good news about you regarding your spiritual growth and active service in
the church, and building the Kingdom of God on earth.
Live
in the joy of the Resurrection, for the Resurrection is joy in all aspects.
- We
rejoice firstly in the Resurrection of Christ, for by His resurrection, He
trampled upon death and became “the first fruits of those who have fallen
asleep.” That is, the First in the procession of those who rise from
death in all generations. And just as He rose, we will also rise and be
victorious over death in the Resurrection.
- We
also rejoice in the Resurrection, for in it we will have spiritual
heavenly bodies according to the saying of Saint Paul the Apostle in his
First Epistle to the Corinthians chapter 15 verses 44 and 49. Lusts and
desires will not have authority over these bodies, nor sickness or
weakness. Neither materialism nor earthly gravitation will have authority
over them, for if the earthly gravitation had authority over them, they
will fall from heaven to earth!
- And
we rejoice in the Resurrection, for we shall meet all of our relatives,
our loved ones and our friends who have been separated from us and preceded
us to heaven.
- We
will greatly rejoice in the Resurrection even more because of the company
of Angels and Saints in the coming age. Indeed it is a great delight
without any doubt, that the person enjoys knowing all the prophets and
apostles whose names were written in the Holy Bible and to know personally
all the martyrs in all the ages, all the Saintly fathers and all the
righteous shepherds, and all those who have been characterized with deep virtues
that distinguished their lives from others. The person will also know the
heroes of faith, and the heroes of history who lived a righteous life as
well as all the desert fathers and all the examples of virtue over all the
ages.
- We
rejoice in the Resurrection for it is the start of entering into the
eternal delight and into immortality. No one will enjoy this except those
who overcome, according to the promise of the Lord to them in the Book of
Revelation (Revelation Chapters 2 and 3). When we talk about this joy, we
find that language falls short of expression, understanding is also limited,
and experience is non existent for its hour has not yet come. The saying
of the Bible about this eternal joy is sufficient “…eye has not seen nor
ear heard nor have entered into the hearts of man the things which God has
prepared for those who love him.” (I Corinthians 2:9) No matter what
crosses your mind of explanations, these cannot express sufficiently this
truth. For what God has prepared for the righteous cannot ever be
comprehended by the mind of a person…
- And
we rejoice in the Resurrection, for in it we shall live with God Himself,
according to His faithful promise “…that where I am there you may be also.”
(John 14:3) We shall live with Him in eternity, in the heavenly Jerusalem, about which, the Book of Revelation says that it is “… the tabernacle of God
with men … God Himself will be with them…” (Revelation 21:3) What a great
delight is that which Saint Paul the Apostle said, “…thus we shall always
be with the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 4:17)
- Then
knowledge of God the Father will be deepened, as our Lord Jesus Christ
said to Him “and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only
true God.” (John 17:3) And as Paul the Apostle said about knowing Him
“…face to face…” (I Corinthians 13:12)
Finally,
my beloved children, I leave you in goodness and be well in the Lord, and
absolved from His Holy Spirit.
(Signed)
Shenouda
III
April
2006