All my dearly beloved ones in Christ ,

“ Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been Resurrected. “ ( St. Mark 16: 6 )

Peace, be with you is the greatest Easter message for you. The Greek word for Resurrection is ANASTASIS, LITERALLY MEANS “ RAISING UP; STANDING UP. In Scriptures this word is used with reference to the resurrection of the dead. The Church has established glorious Easter as the most fundamental theme of all other doctrines. As the Apostles were enabled, we also have a new power during this Holy Easter to recover our progress, courage, hope and go into the world with the message Happy Easter. Today, as we experience the power of Christ’s glorious Resurrection in our life, we will enjoy victory over sufferings , death, temptation and freedom from bondage of addiction.

The festive spirit has kicked in and it’s the time to celebrate the theme of glorious Resurrection. Through the Liturgical Prayers and Reflection, our minds and hearts rejoice with relief and comfort. May God help us to keep the peace of God stay in us as a symbol of hope, renewal and new life. Each day , we are encountering the challenges , afflictions and so on. At the same time, we are inspired with encouraging messages of comfort to over come the magnitude of challenges and other heartbreaking incidents. We should remember our dedicated Parents, who taught us to be the children of God. Let us be the resources in teaching our next generation. Now, each and every one accept and acknowledge our family and community as the most important cornerstone of very life.

Remember the Sacrifice and glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ at every moment in our daily life. May God help us to be filled with renewed thoughts and feelings. Now, we lift up in our prayer to all affected and infected and desperate due to the present deadly corona virus. We all stand in solidarity with our loving ones. We comfort in the Words of the Risen Lord: “ Jesus said to them again, “ peace to you, As the Father has sent Me, I also send you..” ( St John 20: 21 ). May our light shines in darkness and wish for the brighter tomorrow. Remember , the coming Bright Sunday and all other following Sundays remind us the PEACE OF GOD stay with us always.

Let me conclude with a quote from the words of Rabindranath Tagore, “ I asked the TREE to speak about God, then it blossomed. “ This teaches us that the utmost expression of the presence of God for a tree is its blossoms, the sweet fragrance, colorful petals and the inexpressible beauty. I a way , are radiations of Divine Presence. As in the stories behind Easter Eggs , generally viewed as a symbol of new life. As we know, it is a baby chick can hatch from the egg. Remember, Jesus rose from the grave on the third day.

Almighty God bless us as a sweet fragrance to the Church and to the whole World.

With prayers,
V. Rev. Dr. Varughese Plamthottathil Cor Episcopos
Vicar and President of St. Baselios Orthodox Church, New York, U.S.A.