Congregated in our bright Temples, we celebrate…….
We squeal with joy and celebrate brilliantly, because we realize that the death of Christ became the death of our own death, His Resurrection also guarantees our Resurrection!
Our Resurrection to eternal and indeed life, but also the daily and lasting resurrection, from our passions and pettiness, from hatred and excess malice, egoism, the social analgesia and the indifference towards our weak and suffering fellow man, which leads him to loneliness and despair, even in self-handicap.
Today, in every corner of the martyred Greek land, the Panhellenic, nailed to the wood of a painful individual and national cross, watered with bitterness and gall by all enemies and betrayed by treacherous friends, we celebrate with joy and hope the Resurrection of Christ, why, For centuries now His Passions have become the passions of our People, and His Resurrection is a pattern and certainty of our own resurrection as well!
That is why the image of the Resurrection is simply inscribed with the word "The Resurrection", in contrast to other images, of the Nativity, B.C., of the Transfiguration and the Crucifixion, to which the clarification "of Christ" is added.
And this, because the Resurrection of Christ is also the Resurrection of Man, of each person, who lived, lives or will live on earth!
That's why our people wove praises and sing with incomparable lyricism the Resurrection of the Lord and, celebrating her, praises and glorifies her soteriological message-invitation for our return to Paradise.
Around this the unique and solemn Greek Orthodox Festival, the ancient myths about "resurrections" of deities were lost and disappeared with the preaching of the Apostle Paul in Athens, for the Resurrection of Christ, at the hearing of which our ancestors stood, initially, with skepticism, considering his words a particle and a scandal.
The ancient Greeks saw in these "resurrections" the eternal cycle of nature's birth and decay, the annual recycling of the late spring germination and the winter death only!
The Resurrection of Christ, Nevertheless, of the Only Sinless One, it does not symbolize the "death" and "resurrection" of nature, but it declares the Resurrection of the digestive man and, with him, the renovation of nature, bringing about the purification of human tragedy!
"Until His Resurrection", wrote the contemporary Serbian Saint Justin Popovic, "The Lord taught about eternal life, but with His resurrection He showed that He is indeed eternal life.
Until His resurrection He taught about the resurrection of the dead, but with His resurrection He showed that He Himself is indeed the resurrection of the dead.
Until His resurrection, He taught that faith in Him transfers from death to life, but with His resurrection He showed that He Himself defeated death and thus ensured the transition from death to resurrection for those who were killed"!.
My beloved spiritual children,
With this cheerful certainty, wishing you all health, progress and prosperity, I address each and every one of you, and especially to our children, personally, the sweetest Apostolic greeting
Christ is Risen! Truly the Lord is risen!
Happy Father's Day wishes and love
† Metropolitan Dorotheos II