Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Orthodox Easter Resurrection:
The Gift of Liberation and Call to Compassion
While many Christians
celebrated Easter over a month ago as a result of differing calendar
calculations, Orthodox Easter takes place much later this year, falling on May
5. Thus, at midnight on Saturday, May 4, the night that our fourth-century
predecessor on the Throne of Constantinople, St. Gregory Nazianzus, described
as "brighter than any sunlit day," some 300 million Orthodox
Christians will swarm churches to hear the words: "Come, receive the
light!"
On that night, throughout
the world, entire congregations previously waiting in darkness and filled with
anticipation will light up, their faces shining with joy and hope. Together
they will all chant in numerous languages, depending on geography and culture,
the triumphant hymn familiar to young and old: "Christ is risen from the
dead, trampling death by death, and granting life to those in the tombs."
"Life to those in the
tombs" refers to a refreshing perspective on Easter: we see an
open tomb, not an empty grave. The miracle of
the Resurrection then is an open invitation to a new way of living that
prevails over the darkness within us and around us. The Orthodox icon of the
Resurrection depicts Christ pulling Adam and Eve, our earliest prototypes of
sinners, out of a tomb and into a new life. It is an image of liberation, often
depicting broken chains and shattered padlocks. The light of Christ enters and
brightens the furthest depths of human experience. No longer does the grip of
hell, imprisonment and defeat cause us to become rigid, numb and indifferent.
Resurrection is all about a new reality, a fresh perspective, a renewed life,
where resentment, hardness and hostility are overcome.
Such darkness had reached
its lowest point two days earlier on Good Friday (Holy and Great Friday, as
Orthodox Christians prefer to call it), when the Crucifixion of Christ starkly
reveals the sinful side of humankind that so often extinguishes light. The
harsh reality of the Cross confronts us with the evil that transcends any act
of terror, every expression of suffering, our selfish consumption, our wasteful
pollution, our prideful discrimination (both racial and religious), and our
disregard of the poor among us. Do we even recognize the wounds we have wrought
upon the flesh of our brother and sister, as well as upon the body of the
world? Faced with the seeming inevitability and impasse of so much suffering,
it is easy to be cynical; it is tempting to dismiss issues like climate change
or global conflict or regional violence or world hunger, criticizing those who
transform these into political and national flags.
The Resurrection is a call
to action and compassion. It challenges us to reflect on where we most deeply
experience hostility and disunity. And images of this reality abound: Within
the space of only a few weeks, in America alone, we have painfully witnessed
the loss of children to gun violence, the loss of life to religious radicalism
and the loss of residents to a plant explosion.
Still, as one Orthodox
Easter hymn puts it, the Resurrection proposes "another way of
seeing" and "another way of living." The Gospel message of the
Resurrection is as simple as it is radical: We are called to stand for love
where hatred persists, to preach compassion where injustice abounds, and to
insist on dialogue where division prevails. Although it is easier to proclaim a
Gospel of power and might, we must persist in encouraging conversation among
unlikely partners from radically different backgrounds (whether Christians,
Muslims, Jews or other faith communities), conservation of
natural resources (whether for purposes of consumption, development or mere
survival) andconversion of our habits (despite our
reluctance and resistance).
When we stand honestly
before the reality of evil, we can perceive the hope and light of the Resurrection.
Orthodox Christians believe that the risen Christ lifts us from the gloom of
despair and opens us to the experience of joy. "Be
joyful!" was the first address by the risen Christ to the
myrrh-bearing women and his disciples. It is with joy that the Gospel of Luke
both begins: "I bring you good tidings of great joy" (2.10), and
ends: the apostles "returned to Jerusalem with great joy" (24.52).
And it is with joy that the Church will be a credible witness in the modern
world.
In the words of another
early predecessor on the Throne of Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom:
Let everyone share this
feast of faith; let everyone enjoy the riches of goodness. Let none lament
their poverty; for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let none mourn
their sins; for forgiveness has dawned from the grave. Let none fear death; for
the Savior's death has set us free.
So when all light fails
and life itself seems to fade, faith in the Resurrection ultimately entails
love for one another, care for one another, dialogue with one another,
reconciliation with one another. The Resurrection is not merely the
manifestation of the power of God; it is primarily the revelation of the
nobility of each of us. If we ever wonder where the victory over death might be
visible today, we should remember that it lies in each of us, within our own
communities.
Easter is indeed the feast
of feasts, the brightest of days. This is why for 40 days after the bright
night of that Easter midnight, Orthodox Christians will continue to greet one another
with the words: "Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!" It
is the joy of Easter that we pray will heal and prevail among all people and
all of God's creation.
His All-Holiness
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is Archbishop of Constantinople and spiritual
leader for the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians. He is dedicated to
advancing reconciliation among Christians, Jewish and Muslim communities, and
is an active proponent of environmental causes. For his published work and
statements, see 'Encountering the Mystery' (Doubleday, 2008) as well as three
volumes published by Fordham University Press (2010-2012).
