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Pastoral Letter of the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops of Canada To the Very Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Religious Sisters, Seminarians and Laity CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! Dearly Beloved in Christ: One of the most somber scenes the evangelists describe for us during the passion of Christ was the reaction of creation to the crucifixion. Thus in St. Mark we read: “At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice … My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Mk 15:33-34] This darkness of the world was, as it were, a return to the original chaos of creation when: “… the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss.” God did not wish the earth to remain in darkness and so God said: “Let there be light, and there was light. God saw how good the light was. God then separated the light from the darkness.” [Gen 1:2-4] The tragedy of the suffering and death of the Son of God on the cross was felt by very few at the time of Jesus. Only the small group gathered around Mary, his Mother, mourned with the dying Lord. The others either watched the tragedy with indifference, or perhaps even took delight in the death of a condemned man. When humanity failed to respond to the nailing of Jesus on the cross, the natural world responded with darkness. What humanity failed to understand at the time of the crucifixion was that Jesus was the Light sent by God to illumine the world. This is the message we hear at the Divine Liturgy on Easter Sunday during the reading of the gospel according to the evangelist John. John tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” [Jn 1:1] John of course is describing who Jesus is – the Word of God. As we read above, at the creation of the world, God need merely speak – and his word becomes a reality. God said: “Let there be light” – and there was light!” The evangelist John goes on to tell us that the first Word, is the Word of God – Jesus, the Son of God. And Jesus, the Word of God: “… became flesh and made his dwelling among us …” [Jn 1:14] For thirty three years Jesus journeyed on this earth, making it a holy place, teaching the true meaning of this world and our purpose in this world. Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus not only witnessed to the power of the love of God for us, he was the one who would lead us to this loving God. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [Jn 8:12] Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ! This imagery of darkness and light, of spoken word and creation, is very deep and very powerful. Its spiritual significance can be overlooked if we fail to adequately reflect on its use in Holy Scripture. This is especially so in our world today where with the flip of a switch we overcome darkness with artificial lighting. But for those who have been caught at night with no electricity, or more so for those who lack full use of their eyesight – darkness means uncertainty, danger and fear. There continues to be much darkness in our world today. We wish to highlight a darkness far worse than that of the natural world. There is for example the darkness of poverty and loneliness in the people around us. There is the darkness of loss of employment and lack of suitable housing. There is the darkness of addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling and other such dependencies. There is the darkness of illness and the lack of health care needs. There is the darkness of war and violence. Most of all there is the darkness experienced by those who either reject Jesus and his Gospel, or have never had the opportunity to know Jesus. This is the darkness brought on by sin and ignorance – neither of which is willed by God, the Giver of Light. As we celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, let us go in search of the Lord at the break of dawn like the Ointment-Bearing Women. Having heard the proclamation in the Liturgy that Christ has risen from the dead, let us go and announce this good news to all. Let us strive to eliminate the various causes of darkness in this world. Let us enlighten our families, our friends and the strangers around us with the joy of the Risen Lord by proclaiming: Christ is Risen – Indeed He is Risen! + Lawrence Huculak OSBM, Metropolitan Archbishop of Winnipeg 15 March / 19 April 2008, Lazarus Saturday |
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