IRINEJ
BY THE GRACE OF GOD

THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX
BISHOP OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Addressing you: beloved monastics, clergy, all sons anddaughters, the faithful spiritual children of our Holy Church, with a heart resounding and overflowing with joy in the victory of the in extinguishable light over the death-bearing darkness of sin, the great and victory-bearing Feast of Feasts - The Resurrection of Christ, We whole heartedly greet all of you with the salvific Christian greeting:

CHRISTIS RISEN!

Shine,shine - let us all sing -
O New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord hasrisen upon you!
Exaltnow and be glad, o Zion; and rejoice, O Pure Theotokos
in the Resurrection of your Son!

(Paschal Irmos - 9th Canon)

And again, We reiterate, sing dear spiritual children, for the Resurrection has brought forth joy in abundance! Together with the MostHoly Theotokos let us rejoice in the Resurrection of her Offspring, convincedthat the Lord will fulfill the promise given to us, His disciples and friends (Jn.15:14) and that the answer will radiate out of the life-giving Tomb in responseto the lament of His Mother, and to our sorrows and bitter tears: For I shall arise and be glorified witheternal glory as God and I shall exalt all who magnify you in faith and in love(Irmos of Holy and Great Saturday-9^th Canon). And that is truly thejoy of Zion,the joy of those persons who live and desire to live on the Mount of the Lordand to maintain an indissoluble bond with the Risen Lord.

Therefore, exalt today for we are surrounded by the radiance andbrilliance of the New Jerusalem - that Heavenly Kingdom - which is revealed inthe celebration of every Divine Liturgy, and especially today's - PaschalLiturgy. Truly, the Divine Liturgy is bestowed upon us as a visible gift ofthat inextinguishable light of the Eighth Day, that day which stands apart fromtime and space, in eternity. Zion exalts, foreven the hills and mountains and all that God has created rejoice, and we exaltin Zion and rejoice inour One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolicand indivisible Orthodox Church!

We rejoice in the Church, for, according to the words of the famousTheologian, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, we know that theChurch is not an institution with Sacraments; but rather a Sacrament withinstitutions, wherein we experience the world being made the Kingdomof Godthrough Christ. Also,precisely for the sake of our salvation, Fr. Alexander's warning is revealed unto us: You will not save the Church;rather the Church will save you! And that we could comprehend this as something which is essential to our daily lives, it is good to call toremembrance the Proverbs of Solomon wherein it is stated: Where there is no vision, the people perish (29:18).

Therefore, in the Church, outsideof which there is no salvation, a person of faith cannot and will notperish. It is never too late for anyone to repent and believe, for this generous Master receives the lastas the first. It is necessary to open our ears and hearts and our entirebeing unto the hearing of faith. Then,when we open up ourselves so that theDivine Logos may abide in us (cf. Jn. 1:14), truly thelight of the Risen Lord will shine upon us. Let us extend a hand ofreconciliation to one another, embrace each other and forgive all by the Resurrection. Only then will we be able topreserve that which we already are. And the paradox of our holy Christian Faithis found exactly in that: if we do not open up ourselves, if we do not come outof our self-sufficiency, we will not be able to preserve anything. Andprecisely such a sacrifice of love is impossible without the Resurrection.

Inspired by the sacrificial love of the Theotokos - the Mother of theLight, let us hasten to our Mother Church as to the ship of our salvation, so that we may sail upon the waters of aclear vision of ourselves, our identity, our vocation and our holy mission,both as individual members of the Church, according to our Baptism, and as oneholy Body of Christ's Church. This is the holy Faith which we have receivedthrough Tradition and which We impart unto you, our beloved faithful, not only forpreservation, but also for enrichment and advancement. Truly, this is the victory that has overcome theworld - our faith (I Jn. 5:4) and that is the only and unique source of ourentire joy and fullness of our Christian victory - the victory of the RisenLord! Therefore today, as all creation rejoices in the victory of love over death (cf. Songs 8:6), We greet you with thevictorious greeting:

CHRISTIS RISEN!

TRULY,HE IS RISEN!

Givenin Sydney, at Pascha in the Year 2009

Your fervent intercessor before the Risen Christ,

+IRINEJ

Bishopof Australia and New Zealand
Administratorof the Diocese for Australia and New Zealand
New Gracanica Metropolitanate