"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking
for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.
He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid
him. But go, tell his disciples
and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you
will see him, just as he told you."
Mark 16:6-7
Dear Brothers and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,
What a tremendous blessing it is to sing the glorious hymns
of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus and his victory over death. He lives, and
thus the final word, the victorious word is about life from the Lord of Life.
The sweeping power of those hymns is made up by the overflowing faith and
trust, joy and peace in the Lord. It would be unimaginable not to shout the
ancient greeting:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!
Motivated by love, compassion and good will the followers of
Jesus, the women went to the garden. Still tied to him, Jesus of Nazareth, with
earthly and geographical terms. But the Master is not limited anymore by time
and space because in his resurrection he is the Lord of all and he is the
Christ. Their thoughts were built on past experience and in a way so is ours.
At the same time Jesus is risen and is alive. We must live in
the present and look to the future with this knowledge, faith and trust that
our Lord, the Head of the church is alive, is going ahead of us and we must
follow in his footsteps. The practical aspect of our faith is that we meet the
challenges of our days in a contemporary manner yet in obedience to our Lord’s
command.
The resurrection of our Lord is a determining factor not only
for the church but also for our individual lives. Our risen Lord does not
accuse but forgives, and announces peace, opening up a new beginning before us
his followers. Frees us from formalities, empty practices, leads, guides, and
sometimes sets roadblocks to point us to the new ways of his Kingdom.
On this day of Easter celebration and the days of faithful
Kingdom work that follow, may we find the source of our strength and joy,
sacrifice and dedication in the powerful words of the first Easter: “Do not
be alarmed! … He has risen! … He is going ahead of you.”
My prayer for you and the most sincere desire of my heart for
all of you is that your Easter celebration may be abundantly blessed by our
risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Frank Varga, Bishop
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