The Bulgarian Patriarchate published the speech of the Deputy Chairman of the Holy Synod Metropolitan Grigoriy on the occasion Resurrection of Christ.
The Metropolitan of Vratsa led the festive service in the Patriarchal Cathedral "St. Alexander Nevsky". In his speech, he calls us to remember the high Christian responsibility and call to strengthen ourselves and others in firm faith, sincere love and unshakable hope.
Now more than ever, we need to be peacemakers and show our love in action for our neighbor, Metropolitan Gregory notes.
Here is his full speech:
"CHRIST IS RISEN!
The good news of the Resurrection of Christ sounds solemnly, with which we give praise to the risen Christ the Lord, who trampled death with death and made us partakers of the future eternal life.
Celebrating this celebration of celebrations, with a special spiritual feeling we remember the redemptive feat of the Savior of the world, His suffering on the cross and the bright Resurrection. Easter is the very core and essence of Christianity. This is the victory granted to us by God!
From apostolic times to the present day, the Holy Church preaches the Resurrection of Christ as the greatest miracle in the history of mankind. She preached about him not only as an evangelical reality, but as a particularly fateful event for all who accepted the Easter gospel. The Son of God “was crucified, the sun darkened and shone again, because it was fitting that the creation should also suffer with the Creator” (From the words of St. Gregory the Theologian “ For the holy Passover“). That is why Christ's sufferings, death on the cross and Resurrection have the most direct relation to the whole creation and to each one of us.
On the bright day of Christ's Resurrection, the souls of believers are filled with gratitude to the Creator and our earthly existence acquires true meaning. Resurrection is a celebration of life, bringing love, peace and spiritual change to everyone who receives it with a pure heart and confidence in the invisible as seen (Heb. 11:1). Celebrating Easter, the Risen Lord renews human nature, strengthens us in trials and gives us strength to do good deeds.
The Easter message changed the entire subsequent course of world history, and encourages us to moral change and spiritual renewal, which is vitally necessary in modern society. It reminds all people of the origin of Christianity, as well as of the coming kingdom of God.
In the bright days of the Easter celebration, we are called to share joy with family, friends and above all with those brothers and sisters who are in need, by showing effective love and charity.
Today, our prayer to the Risen Lord and Savior is to restore the lost ties between the individual nations and once again to reign brotherly love, world peace and goodwill between people!
May the Risen Lord grant us all to continue our earthly journey in a soul-saving way, remembering the high Christian responsibility and call to strengthen ourselves and others in firm faith, sincere love and unshakable hope. The joy of this holiday inspires us for good deeds and strength, amidst the raging waves of life's sea, to preserve peace and tranquility, to resist temptations, and with God's help to overcome the discords of this world. Now more than ever we need to be peacemakers and show our love in action for our neighbor.
This year, in the days before the grace period of Great Lent, our native Church lost its patron saint – The Bulgarian Patriarch and Sofia Metropolitan Neophyte, who in appearance was a man of peace, spirituality and guardian of the Gospel commandments and Christ's commandments. May God rest his soul and welcome him among the saints! Let us imitate his virtues and humility!
We wholeheartedly pray that the light of Christ, shining from the Life-giving grave, be with us all and illuminate our hearts!
We congratulate all of you, brothers and sisters, on the great holiday of the Glorious Resurrection of Christ, we wish you generous spiritual gifts, strong physical and spiritual strength, and gracious help from above in following Christ the Savior!
May the grace of the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His great mercy be with all the faithful in the Motherland and beyond its borders!
For many and blessed years!
CHRIST IS RISEN!"