Pastoral Letter for Great and Holy Pascha
Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest
April 12, 2015
Dear Fathers, Deacons, and Faithful of Toledo and the Midwest Diocese,
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
!المسيح قام! حقا قام
When Adam fell, he could, from then on, only see ahead of him. Close to the ground and on his knees, his spiritual vision was narrowed to seeing only horizontally. He couldn't see above him. But from his knees he could pray.
The long Lent is over. As Holy Week begins, and as the fast returns, we begin to get up off the ground. We are ready for a standing posture not a prostration. Easter and Pascha show us we were meant to look above us in a heavenly direction.
"Christ is Risen, and there is no one left in the tombs." The humiliation of the Cross is changed into the glorification of His Resurrection. Everything has changed for me too. The Resurrection of Christ has opened the door to eternity. The limits of time that stop us from discovering the possibilities of who we are have been overcome. I see only opportunities forever in Christ. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into the likeness from one degree of glory to another." (2 Corinthians 3:18).
May the never ending light of His Resurrection shine forever in your hearts.
Wishing you a blessed Pascha!
+Bishop ANTHONY
Bishop of Toledo
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| 2015 Pascha Letter from Bishop Anthony (PDF) | 120.62 KB |