Rejoice in the Spirit

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My Beloved Brethren and Children,

Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen! The glorious feast of the Holy Resurrection is the feast of feasts. Thus, we must rejoice in the spirit, embellish our hearts anew, and adorn the holy and victorious church of God. This is the time to declare with bold and joyful tunes the triumph over the sting of death, the stench of hopelessness, and the malevolent conspiracies of Satan, for the evil one has been conquered and defeated through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ—the King of kings. As believers, we can now say with all conviction and assurance "we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the coming age" (Orthodox Creed). We valiantly embrace the truth and affix our hope intently as we hear the words of St. Paul to the Romans:

"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection" (Romans 6:5).

Restoration was the main objective of the plan of salvation. Having tainted the image of God by our will to sin, He designed a plan in which He would take our distorted image and restore it once and for all according to His perfect likeness. Thus, He became the acceptable sacrifice. Without the cross, we would have no resurrection, without the resurrection, we would have no restoration, and without restoration, we would have remained lost in perdition. Having permitted Mary Magdalene the distinct honor to be the first to witness His glorious Resurrection, He prevented her from the satisfaction of His Resurrection alone by insisting He must first ascend to the Father. Therefore, He completed the mission of restoration—to restore us back to the Father as He purposed for us to be from the beginning.

"Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.''" (John 20:17).

It seems natural that the children of Christ will bear many pleasant features of His beautiful resemblance, whether in suffering or in merriment, for all phases in life. The power of Christ in our lives will, in no doubt, be enduring and life-changing. Cognizant of His grace that is bestowed upon us, it is befitting that we acknowledge the permanent radiance of Christ's Holy Resurrection in our lives. Let us, therefore, commit and submit our lives to Him, rejoicing in the spirit. Let us joyously share the fervor of His passion, allowing His warmth to emanate from within us in His pure love and be reflected unto others in the world.

"Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance" (Psalm 89:15).

What greater lesson have we recently learned than that from our departed blessed father, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. May the Lord repose him in the bosom of our holy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Paradise of Joy. His joyful spirit was always reassuring to us, though his tender heart quietly endured the anguish of his flock's hardships. Yet, his genuine smile, good humor, love, and prudence softened hearts of iron. He fulfilled his mission on earth in peace, established the sound doctrine of the Coptic Orthodox Church even in remote regions of the world, and earned the well-deserved respect and honor of dignitaries in Egypt and abroad. We are forever indebted to him for the forty years he carried us on his shoulders as he shepherded us. He walked carefully in the footsteps of his Master—Christ, the Good Shepherd, and empowered us to keep spiritual vigilance at all times as did St. Paul instruct the Colossian Church:

"For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ" (Colossians 2:5).

While over the past few weeks, we have all united with heavy hearts as we shared in the sorrow of the repose soul of our blessed and honored father, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, yet let us still rejoice in the spirit for the glorious feast of the Holy Resurrection.

I send each of you a personal greeting and heartfelt message wishing that you remain in spiritual joy, hope, love, and peace that will dwell in your hearts throughout the holy fifty days of the Glorious Resurrection Feast and always, for Christ is indeed risen!

God bless you,

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States