Most beloved brothers and sisters,

Our all-good Lord has deemed us worthy this year as well to celebrate the great feast of the Orthodox Church, “the Feast of feasts and the Festival above every festival,” the luminous and holy Pascha.

Pascha is truly the greatest and most joyful feast of our faith. Therefore, the Church, with the words of the Psalm, “This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24), urges us to a great celebration and joy, and calls us to chant together with the hymnographer:

A joyous Pascha, a Pascha of the Lord, a Pascha;

An all-venerable Pascha has dawned for us;

A Pascha, let us embrace one another with joy;

O Pascha, ransom from sorrow, for today from the tomb

as from a bridal chamber, Christ shone forth,

and filled the women with joy, saying: Proclaim it to the Apostles.

Yet the matter that must concern us every year is the celebration of the true Pascha. For this great feast comes every year and passes by. But the heavenly Pascha, that which those who are deemed worthy will live in heaven, will be eternal and will have unending, joyous gladness.

It is indeed right and proper to celebrate holy Pascha every year. However, the eternal Pascha—that which is celebrated every day in the heart of a believer who is united with the risen Lord—is incomparably more desirable than this and more pleasing.

For no matter how many Paschas the unrepentant sinner may celebrate on earth, he has gained nothing. While he who continually practices what is good, that is, the virtuous person, has Pascha every day within his soul, and will be deemed worthy to celebrate it eternally as well.

How, then, will we succeed in living the eternal Pascha daily? Through our daily spiritual struggle against the passions, for the uprooting of the weeds from the field of virtues. Above all, however, we must apply the Lord’s commandment, “love one another,” practicing charity, almsgiving, forgiveness, and selfless offering to every fellow human being who is in need. By participating consciously in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist, we will be able to repeat with joy the words of the poet:

Today I shall celebrate Pascha again,

and my longing is great!

Today I shall celebrate Pascha again,

for I shall partake once more.

Let us take advantage, therefore, of the opportunity of the present feast. As long as we have time for repentance, let us repent sincerely and entreat the Lord to deem us worthy of His eternal blessings, “which He has prepared for those who love Him in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Let us pray unceasingly to the Risen Lord to enlighten the rulers of the earth so that they may understand that they must work for peace and not for war, for justice and not for injustice, for love and the good and not for hatred and evil.

On behalf of the clergy and all our co-laborers in the Lord, I wish you health and every blessing from our Risen Lord.

Christ is Risen!

With much abiding love and honor in the risen Lord,

+ Ambrosios

Metropolitan of Korea and Exarch of Japan