“The event of the Resurrection is not merely a remembrance of something belonging to the past, but subsists as a living and active reality, grounded in the mystical power of the Cross,” Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem said in his Easter message this year.
“In the sacrifice of the Cross and the victory of the Resurrection, Christ abolished the dominion of death and granted unto man the prospect of new life, that we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4), he added.
The patriarch also recalled the teaching of Saint Cyril of Alexandria that “through the Resurrection, human nature was renewed and clothed with incorruption,” and noted that “from the glorious throne of the Holy Trinity, Christ sent forth His Holy Spirit and established the Church, which continues His work of salvation, opposing the powers of evil and proclaiming peace and righteousness to those afar off and to those near..”
“I am with you always”
“The Church of Jerusalem, together with her pious flock, constitutes the unfailing and living witness to the mystery of the Resurrection, that is to say, to the fulfilment of the Divine Providence,” he continued.
“She ceaselessly hearkens unto the Lord’s command: “Lo, I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20), not as the remembrance of some past reality, but as a living and active presence, transcending times and seasons, human limits, and the laws of nature.”
“For Christ, according to Saint John of Damascus, raised in His divine person the human nature He assumed from the pure blood of the Ever-Virgin Mary,” the patriarch explained.
“This signifies that the Resurrection of Christ constitutes the sure pledge of eternal life (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20–22), namely of the Kingdom of God, wherein ‘death hath no more dominion’ (Romans 6:9), but life triumphs unto the ages.”
Call to remain in the Holy Land
Patriarch Theophilos III concluded his message with an appeal to Christians not to leave the Holy Land, addressing those living in a region marked by ongoing conflict.
“Heeding also the words of the Lord, “Fear not, little flock” (Luke 12:32), she calls upon her flock throughout her entire jurisdiction in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Qatar to remain in their ancestral homeland of the Holy Land,” he said.
This, he added, fulfils the words of Saint John of Damascus: “Lift up thine eyes round about, O Jerusalem, and behold; for behold, thy children come unto thee, shining with divine light as luminaries, from west and north, from sea and east, hymning Christ Who is risen unto the ages.”
Photo: Patriarch Theophilos III on Maundy Thursday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Credit: Jerusalem Patriarchate
