PASCHAL EPISTLE

of the Archbishop of Chicago and Mid-America

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia

CHRIST IS RISEN!

The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

The words of the Gospel of St. John the Theologian resound in our all our churches on this bright Paschal night. Often these words are read in many languages by the clergy. We hear these words. We associate them joyously with the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we must ask ourselves: do we live as those enlightened by grace and truth?

As Christians we are called to be a humble example to all around us of striving for the Heavenly Kingdom – of living in the world but not being consumed by the world.

The present wars in Ukraine and Gaza present direct challenges to us in this regard. The world seeks to drag us down to itself, insisting that we use the darkness of partisan politics as our filter with which we understand the world. Metropolitan Antony (Khraphovitksy), the first First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia providentially warned us of this temptation in his collected writings. In English this is found in the book “Confession”:

"With the development of parliamentary government and political parties and the corresponding fall of truthfulness, people now form their opinions about one another - both good and critical ones - not in accordance with their real impressions, but depending entirely on their political party's attitude to the other person's political party. Such injustice, such dishonesty of thought, must be recognized as a shameful phenomenon, and every Christian must keep himself from forming, at every temptation, a biased opinion of his neighbor based on envy or malice and not on the truth."

As Orthodox Christians our party is first and foremost the Risen Christ. We are people of the Resurrection and must strive to take the resurrectional reality into our hearts so that it shines forth brightly from us not only on this Paschal night, but always.

Our Church Abroad is an autonomous part of the greater Russian Church. We are independently chartered. Our primary concern is with the flock to which we minister abroad. We do not and cannot know every detail of the ongoing wars. Social and mainstream media are replete with propaganda. These wars effect us tangentially – they effect those in Russia, Ukraine, and the Holy Land directly. We can speak generally about the Church’s approach to war and peace, but judgment of the Church’s handling of the wars will take place at a future Council of Bishops of the greater Russian Orthodox Church.

We must redouble our prayerful efforts towards peace. That peace which we ask at every Divine Liturgy. Let us capture this prayer when we are in the Lord’s temple and bring it with us into our lives outside the temple.

Dear fathers, brothers, and sisters in Christ, let us rise! Let us sing of the Risen Christ with zeal and love in our hearts! And let our rising be that “light of the world” – an example to all of lives dedicated to Christ and His Kingdom for our own salvation and the salvation of all!

INDEED HE IS RISEN!

PASCHA 2024                                                                           + Archbishop Peter

Chicago

П�СХ�ЛЬНОЕ ПОСЛ�НІЕ

�рхіепи�копа Чикаг�каго и Среднеамерикан�кого

Р���кая Право�лавная Церковь Заграницей

ХР�СТОСЪ ВОСКРЕСЕ!

Законъ Мои�еомъ данъ бы�ть, благодать же и и�тина Іи���ъ Хри�томъ бы�ть. (�н. 1:17)

Слова Евангелія отъ Іоанна Бого�лова зв�чатъ во в�ѣхъ на�ихъ храмахъ въ эт� �вѣтл�ю па�хальн�ю ночь. Ча�то �іи �лова читают�я �вященно�л�жителями на многихъ языкахъ. Мы �лы�имъ �іи �лова. Мы радо�тно а��оціир�емъ ихъ �ъ Во�кре�еніемъ Го�пода на�его Іи���а Хри�та. Но мы должны �про�ить �ебя: живемъ ли мы какъ люди, про�вѣщенные благодатью и и�тиной?

Какъ хри�тіане мы призваны быть �миреннымъ примѣромъ для в�ѣхъ окр�жающихъ въ �тремленіи къ Небе�ном� Цар�тв� - жить въ мірѣ, но не быть поглощенными міромъ.

Нынѣ�ніе войны на Украинѣ и въ Газѣ бро�аютъ намъ прямой вызовъ въ этомъ отно�еніи. Міръ �тремит�я затян�ть на�ъ въ �ебя, на�таивая на томъ, чтобы мы и�пользовали тьм� предвзятой политики въ каче�твѣ фильтра, �ъ помощью котораго мы понимаемъ міръ. Митрополитъ �нтоній (Храповицкій), первый Первоіерархъ Р���кой Право�лавной Церкви Заграницей, провидче�ки пред�преждалъ на�ъ объ этомъ и�к��еніи въ �воемъ �обраніи �очиненій:

"Съ развитіемъ � на�ъ парламентаризма и партій и �ъ �падкомъ правдиво�ти въ людяхъ, почти в�ѣ отзывы др�гъ о др�гѣ, и добрые и порицательные, люди даютъ не по дѣй�твительнымъ впечатлѣніямъ, а по том�, какъ отно�ит�я ихъ партія къ той, к�да принадлежитъ ближній. Такая неправда, такая нече�тно�ть мы�ли должна быть признана явленіемъ по�тыднымъ, и в�якій хри�тіанинъ долженъ �ебя о�танавливать на любомъ и�к��еніи дать при�тра�тный отзывъ о ближнемъ по зави�ти или по злобѣ, а не по и�тинной правдѣ."

Какъ право�лавные хри�тіане, на�а партія - это прежде в�его Во�кре��ій Хри�то�ъ. Мы - люди Во�кре�енія и должны �тремить�я принять во�кре���ю реально�ть въ �вое �ердце, чтобы она ярко �іяла изъ на�ъ не только въ эт� Па�хальн�ю ночь, но и в�егда.

На�а Зар�бежная Церковь являет�я автономной ча�тью боль�ой Р���кой Церкви. Мы имѣемъ незави�имый ��тавъ. На�а главная забота - о па�твѣ, которой мы �л�жимъ за р�бежомъ. Мы не знаемъ и не можемъ знать в�ѣхъ подробно�тей вед�щих�я войнъ. Соціальныя и о�новныя �ред�тва ма��овой информаціи изобил�ютъ пропагандой. На�ъ этѣ войны ка�ают�я по ка�ательной, а вотъ тѣхъ, кто живетъ въ Ро��іи, Украинѣ и на Святой Землѣ, онѣ ка�ают�я напрям�ю. Мы можемъ говорить въ цѣломъ о подходѣ Церкви къ войнѣ и мир�, но ��дить о томъ, какъ Церковь отно�ит�я къ войнамъ, б�детъ б�д�щій �рхіерей�кій �оборъ в�ей Р���кой Право�лавной Церкви.

Мы должны �двоить на�и молитвенныя ��илія по до�тиженію мира. Того мира, о которомъ мы про�имъ на каждой Боже�твенной лит�ргіи. Давайте �бережемъ эт� молитв�, пока мы находим�я въ храмѣ Божьемъ, и перене�емъ ее въ на�� жизнь внѣ храма.

Дорогіе отцы, братья и �е�тры о Хри�тѣ, в�танемъ! Во�поемъ Во�кре��аго Хри�та �ъ рвеніемъ и любовью въ на�ихъ �ердцахъ! � п��ть на�ъ во�ходъ б�детъ тѣмъ �амымъ "�вѣтомъ міра" - примѣромъ для в�ѣхъ жизни, по�вященной Хри�т� и Его Цар�тв� ради на�его �об�твеннаго �па�енія и �па�енія в�ѣхъ!

ВО�СТ�НУ ВОСКРЕСЕ!

ĐźĐ�СХĐ� 2024                                                                                            + Đ�рхіепиŃ�копъ Петръ

Чикаго

Archbishop Peter's Paschal Epistle 2024