Congratulations on the Bright Resurrection of Christ!

For from death to life and from earth to Heaven

Christ our God has led us, singing victory songs.

Paschal Canon. Song 1. Irmos

Beloved in our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Most Reverend Archpastors, venerable priests and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, brothers and sisters, all faithful children of the Belarusian Orthodox Church!

I greet you with the ever-living words of the Easter gospel, spiritually rejoicing and exulting with you:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

By the grace of God, we have reached the radiant day of Easter! From the moment when the apostles announced to the world the Resurrection of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, unfailing joy has filled the life of our Church: Christ has risen from the dead - and death has been conquered! The whole life of a Christian should be filled with Easter joy. Every Sunday shows us the great feat of the Savior and the fullness of Divine love. Having come into the world in the flesh, Christ the Savior healed human nature from the disease of sin and, having descended into hell, broke the chains of death, giving us the opportunity to ascend to eternal life in His Heavenly Kingdom.

The first word that the Risen Christ the Savior uttered, addressing the myrrh-bearing women, and then the apostles, was "Rejoice!" On this radiant day, which truly leads us "from death to life and from earth to Heaven," the Church of Christ rejoices, greeting the Divine Conqueror of death: "The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord" (John 20:20).

The joyful song of the Resurrection of Christ resounds in each of us: we rejoice that the greatest event has taken place - Christ the Savior, by His death, destroyed death as such: "The net is broken, and we are delivered. Our help is in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 123:7-8). We also rejoice that He bequeaths eternal life to us who believe in Him. And to those who will fulfill His Divine commandments and live according to the Gospel, the Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven: "I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).

Let us rejoice, because we have a beautiful and unshakable foundation of our faith - the Resurrection of Christ! In the Resurrection of Christ is the promise that death on earth is not the end of life, that death is overcome by the power of God. In the Resurrection of Christ is the beginning of our personal resurrection. As mortals we fall, but as immortals we are resurrected into eternal life with Christ the Savior. Let this joy about our common resurrection strengthen us, help us overcome the difficulties that we will still have to face on the path of life.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

This saving news is evidence of the triumph of eternal life, victory over death and decay. We joyfully greet the Radiant Resurrection of Christ, glorifying the Risen Christ, the Giver of Life, placing all our hope in Him.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' emphasized in one of his sermons that today many people "seek to find the true meaning of life, to find the path to God...". In order for the Good News to reach them, "the voice of the Church must sound loudly and convincingly, testifying about the One who was "delivered up for our offences and was raised for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). Testifying about the Risen Christ and remembering the words of the Apostle: "If you are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1), let us support each other so that no one feels alone, humiliated and despondent. Let us share with all those near and far the joy of the Risen Savior, the joy of the possibility of uniting with Him. And then we will see changes for the better both in ourselves and in the world around us.

Today this is extremely necessary, since in a number of countries Christians are experiencing persecution comparable to those that were in the early centuries of Christianity, and often even surpassing them. "Russian Orthodox Church perceives this misfortune with pain, says its Primate. — If events continue to develop in this direction, then traces of the Christian presence may practically disappear where it once originated and has existed for two millennia... As brothers in faith, we must support each other in difficult times, raise our voices as one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church." May God be resurrected in the hearts of people, and may hatred and malice, enmity and strife, all divisions be scattered! "That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us" (John 17:21).

Your Graces, beloved fathers, brothers and sisters! Let us endlessly thank God for the gifts that we have received through the appearance of His Only Begotten Son in the world. May the Easter celebration constantly live in our souls and hearts and nourish them, may this endless joy fill our whole life is filled. May God's gracious help accompany each of us in our future labors for the glory of our Church, for the glory of our earthly Fatherland, for the benefit of all who need our attention and care.

I congratulate you all on the holiday of the Holy Easter of Christ and prayerfully wish you and your loved ones bright Easter joy, all-conquering hope, strength of spiritual and physical strength!

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY CHRIST IS RISEN! + PAUL,

Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl,
Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus
Easter of Christ, 2016, the city of Minsk