Papal Easter Message 2009 رسالة قداسة البابا لعيد القيامة
Feast of Resurrection
19 April 2009
Papal Message
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
My beloved children in the lands of immigration, clergy and
laity.
Peace and grace to you from the Lord. My greetings to you on rhe Glorious Feast of Resurrection. The Resurrection of the Lord offers to us beneficial lessons that we will not forget.
The first lesson is that there is no impossible, and everything is possible
with God.
The second lesson is that the Lord Christ, in His Resurrection, was always
working for our sake. Firstly, He removed the feelings of fear and doubt
that troubled the disciples. He comforted them and planted in them the power
of faith. Then He granted them the grace of the priesthood. And He said to
these disciples: "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." (Luke 20:21)
He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of
any, they are retained." (Luke 20:21-22) Likewise, He pledged to the
disciples mission work and teaching and said to them: "preach the gospel to
every creature." (Mark16: 15) He also said: "Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them ... teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you ... " (Matthew 28: 19-20) He also stayed with them
for forty days "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."
(Acts 1 :3) During this period, He delivered to them what we received
through Apostolic Tradition; the most important of this is what pertains to
the sacraments and order of the Church.
In His Resurrection and appearance to them, He changed them from fear to being bold, so they were able to say to the Jewish leaders at that time: "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29). He explained to them all that related to Him in the Mosaic law, the Prophets and the Psalms.
After He left them and
ascended to heaven, He sent them the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire that
rested upon them, so they were able to preach in His name amongst all the
nations. After this, He also granted them many gifts from the Holy Spirit
which helped them in the work of mission and pastoral care. He did not
suffice with this, but said to them: "10, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age ... " (Matthew 28:20)
After a period of time from His ascension, He appeared to Saul of Tarsus who was persecuting the Church; and He was able to change him to an Apostle - one of the greatest apostles who "labored more abundantly than they all ... " (I Corinthians 15:10)
And the Lord Christ who worked with His disciples after the Resurrection, is
still working until now in His Church. This is through His grace and the
work of His Holy Spirit. Did He not say: "My Father has been working until
now, and I have been working." (John 5:17) We thank Him for all that He has
done with us; for He is the One who encourages us by saying: "For where two
or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
(Matthew 18:20)
From all this, we see in the Resurrection and work of the Lord an
encouragement to us to work; and He works with us. How beautiful is the
saying about the Disciples of Christ, at the end of the Gospel of St. Mark:
"And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and
confirming the word through the accompanying signs." (Mark 16:20)
In conclusion, every blessing
from the Lord to you all, and be absolved from His Holy Spirit.
(Signed)
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
April2009
