Paschal Encyclical 2024 Diocese of Pallini and Western Europe

“For in like manner as ye were called in the flesh, ye shall

come also in the flesh. In like manner also shall we in this

flesh receive our reward.” (St. Clement of Rome, 2 Clement

9:4-5)

Dear Beloved in Christ our Lord Risen from the dead,

“Yesterday I was crucified with Him….and today I am risen with Him” thus

let us give back to Him in all its goodness that which was made in His holy

Image. So by celebrating these holy days, we honour our Archetype

participating in His Holy Resurrection.

Pascha means passing-over and accordingly the Old Testament feast which

celebrated the Jews leaving Egypt was so named. And when we passed from

death to life by the Resurrection of Christ, it was again named Pascha.

But what do we gain by celebrating, unless we truly cross over from Egypt, that is,

from the darkness of evildoing and death to the promised land, from the love of

this world to the love of the heavens?”

We fasted for all of Great Lent to suffer with Christ in His passion, and now

we must strive to be found partakers also of Christ’s Resurrection, and “pass

from death unto life” (1 John 3:14) while we are in this body. There is a death,

which is the beginning of living (death to the passions), and there is a life

(made up without Christ), which is the cause of death.

“Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are

above!” (Colossians 3:1-4)

Our Paschal feast will never end, if only we abstain from the leaven of the sin

of old.

Rejoicing in the Resurrection of the Lord in the flesh and anticipating our

own resurrection in the flesh,

+ Philaretos, Bishop of Pallini and Western Europe