Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

The sacred hymnographer of the Church invites everyone to participate with wholehearted praise in the crucifixion and resurrection of the Paschal event through a personal profession of faith: “I magnify Your passions, I sing Your burial and Your Resurrection, crying out: Lord, glory to You.”

In the phrase, “Lord, glory to You,” the believer’s word is compressed in order to express gratitude toward Christ, the God-Man Savior.

Lord, glory to You, because You became Man to save man as a Philanthropist.

Lord, glory to You, because “You did not come to be served, but to serve and to offer Your life as a ransom for all” (Mk. 10:45)

Lord, glory to You, because “You willingly humbled Yourself by obeying to the point of death, even the death of a cross” (Phil. 2:8).

Lord, glory to You, because “You bore our sins and suffered for us… You were wounded because of our lawlessness and by Your bruises we are healed” (Is. 53: 4-5)

Lord, glory to You, because with Your Resurrection “you trampled death by death,” giving us resurrection from the dead and “life of the age to come.”

Lord, glory to You, for we no longer fear death; we have been freed from the fear of death by Your death. “Christ is risen, and no one is dead in the tombs” (St. John Chrysostom).

Lord, glory to You, because You did not just give us back the lost Paradise, but You made us eternal co-heirs of Your Heavenly Kingdom.

Lord, glory to you, because You have claimed us to be members of Your uncreated Church on earth.

Lord, glory to You, because this year with Your all-powerful and healing Grace we celebrate Your Resurrection without the fear of the pandemic.

It is proper and right to sing to You, O Lord, to bless You, to praise You, to thank You, to worship You in every place of Your dominion.

It is proper and right to glorify You and thank You, O Lord, “for all the blessings, both known and unknown, manifest and hidden, for the visible and invisible benefits” that You lavished upon us, Your unworthy children.

For this reason, “we bow in worship before Your Cross, O Master, and we praise and glorify Your Holy Resurrection.”

With this doxological phrase, Lord, glory to You, on our lips and in our hearts, and on behalf of our local Clergy and our co-workers in Christ, we wish you all a joyous celebration of the Lord’s glorious Resurrection, praying for your good health and many Easter blessings to your families.

Christ is Risen!

With much love and honor in the Risen Lord,

+ Metropolitan Ambrose of Korea and Exarch of Japan