Paschal Message of Metropolitan Vladimir

Paschal Message of Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova

to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monks and Nuns

and All the Faithful Children of the Moldovan Orthodox Church

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

(Troparion of Resurrection of Christ)

Your Graces the archpastors, all-honourable priests and deacons,

God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters:

 CHRIST IS RISEN!

The entire liturgical order of our Orthodox Church, the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic, is beautifully impregnated by the grandeur and laude brought to the Glorified Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no day without liturgical service not evoking the Paschal joy. Every liturgical week is crowned with Sunday, the weekly Pascha, while the year is crowned with the sublime crown of this “Feast of feasts and the Holy Day of holy days”.

Every Orthodox Christian should lean from this treasury of the Church, just like a son learns from his mother, to have the heart penetrated and overwhelmed with the Light of the Risen Christ. Without replenishing one’s heart and life with the paschal joy, one can’t be Orthodox. There is no Orthodoxy without Resurrection. An Orthodox believer should resemble to St. Seraphim of Sarov, whose lips spread the seeds in the ears and hearts of all those he met with the greeting: “Christ is Risen, my joy!” This greeting revealed his living. This is how we should live and greet each other, making always sure it doesn’t become a routine greeting, but is always preaching about our faith, because, as Holy Apostle Paul said, if Christ be not risen, then our preaching and your faith is vain (1 Corinthians 15, 14).

Beloved sons and daughters of the Resurrection,

Once, blaming the people for hypocrisy, our Lord reminded them the words of Prophet Esaiah: “This people honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me”. (Matthwe 15, 8).

As archpastor ordered by God to pastor His blessed flock in the Orthodox Church of Moldova, I call you to come with all your hearts to the Risen Christ, seeking with much spiritual zeal and without any duplicity, to continuously partake in the Flesh and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ during the entire year. Feeding permanently with the Heavenly Bread, we will have Christ Himself in our hearts, for, according to His words, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12, 34): Christ is Risen!

My dear,

In the pastoral message on the Bright Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, I advised you parentally to read with much love the Bible, Holy Scriptures. I renew now this guidance, for the words of this book are not “a vain thing” (Deuteronomy 32, 47), but “are spirit, and they are life” (John 6, 62). I add to this advise on this holy and glorified day of the Lord’s Resurrection the advise to permanently participate in the Holy Eucharist.

Only living in love and working the acts of righteousness, according to the holy will of our Heavenly Father, reading the word of the Holy Scripture, and receiving the Flesh and Blood of the Word of God who became man, died and rose for our salvation, shall be able to “more distinctly partake of Him on that day that has no evening in His kingly rule” (Paschal Katavasia).

In these days of the Holy Pascha, shall we rejoice and express our thankfulness to God, praying for His blessing and help granted to the Chruch, country, and faithful people.

On Feast of Holy Pascha I express to you my parental wishes for health and peace, joy and perfection, along with the Paschal greeting: Christ is Risen!

With peace and joy in the Risen Christ,

+ VLADIMIR

METROPOLITAN OF CHISINAU AND ALL MOLDOVA