Christ is Risen!

This is the joyous greeting reverberating across Christendom. Today is the greatest and most wondrous holiday for Christian Orthodoxy – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here is the Metropolitan for Western and Central Europe of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Anthony about the spiritual meaning this day is imbued with.

“The church extols this glorious day as the greatest of all Christian holidays. God in his immeasurable love of humanity sent us his only Son to show us a more perfect road to tread. A road we must all follow guided by faith, solicitude and love. Christ rebuilt the bond between God and man. The Saviour was born and lived amongst us, mortals and gave up his life on the cross. But we must all remember that without Golgotha there could be no Resurrection. This glorious day takes us out of the darkness of ignorance and into the light of faith and eternal life.”

On Resurrection night, houses of prayer attract young and old alike. We gather there to hear the joyful peal of the bells, heralding the Paschal news. Does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ unite us?

“The Resurrection resounds in the hearts and souls of millions of people around the world. When the clergyman raises his voice to say: Christ is Risen!, the congregation responds with Truly, He is Risen! Because each year the Saviour is resurrected in our souls and in our hearts. This resurrected light brings many blessings into our souls, illuminating the turbulent storms in our life. It warms our hearts when we feel the chill of our departure from God and when vice looms ahead. Apostle Paul said: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. It is the Resurrection of Our Lord that is the foundation of the teachings of the Christian Orthodox church, giving meaning, hope and trust in God.”

We have all observed the Easter traditions – we have exchanged red decorated eggs, have eaten Easter cake and lamb. These are fine traditions but we must always look for the spirit:

“First and foremost we must remember that the festive meal is only an extension of the holiday. It is its background, because the meaning and significance of this day is in our empathy with the suffering of Christ. That is why we should go to church throughout the entire Holy Week to listen to the gospel texts, which are there to remind us of everything our Saviour went through, to share His suffering, so that our ensuing joy may be complete. And we must never forget that we should not enter the house of Our Lord only on Easter night; we must be there always with our hearts, because Jesus Christ is eternal life. All else – the merrymaking, the festive meal, the fine customs and traditions Orthodoxy has preserved to this day – they are all wonderful but they are not the true purport of our souls’ spiritual joy.”

For children, Easter is connected most of all with traditions and each one of us cherishes such childhood memories. Your Eminence, what do you remember of Easter as a child?

“What I remember from my childhood is how the churches filled with people. The flickering flames of the candles, held by people with baited breath in the dark, awaiting the resurrection of Jesus Christ and then – how these flickering lights found their way to the homes of the believers, guided on their way by the Holy Fire. As a child, I found Easter to be truly moving and in totalitarian times, this showed just how strong the need to have faith is.”

What message would you like to convey to Radio Bulgaria’s friends on this, holiest of days?

“My message is to immerse ourselves in the joys of Christ’s glorious Resurrection. On this day each and everyone should take a look back at their Earthly road and put their trust in the Lord. We should never forget that Jesus Christ came down to Earth for the whole human race, to show us the road we must tread. We only have to follow Him with a humbled heart, brimming with love of God.”

English version: Milena Daynova