EASTER LETTER 2024

A Contemporary Romanesque Western Orthodox Icon of the Harrowing of Hell

Beloved Eminences, Esteemed Brother Bishops, Reverend Fathers, Father Deacons, Minor Clergy and Faithful, 

Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!

In this holy season of Resurrection, our hearts burst with the triumphant joy of the Holy Spirit, as we celebrate the victory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at Pascha. We rejoice, for Christ’s triumph is our triumph and His victory is our victory! As St. John Chrysostom echos St. Paul in his famous Paschal Homily: "O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!"

The Resurrection of our Lord stands at the summit of our Christian Faith, for in His rising from the grave, He has conquered death itself and bestowed upon us the promise of eternal life with Him! As St. Augustine echos again St. Paul as he proclaims in his Easter Sermon: "Christ has indeed risen from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." We embrace this truth with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, for through Christ’s Resurrection, we are made new, transformed by the grace of God into His Covenant People, set apart for His glory.

In the light of this amazing and miraculous Good News, we cast off the works of darkness and embrace the light of Christ in our lives. We will no longer live according to the ways of this fallen and hard-hearted world, but in accordance with the righteousness and holiness that flows only from our Risen Lord. As St. Paul teaches us in Titus 2:11-14, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly."

Our faith, rooted in the ancient and unbroken traditions of our Holy Mother Church, teaches us to view the Cross not as a symbol of suffering alone, but as a sign of victory and heroic redemption. Through our “Christus Victor” theology, we understand that Christ's sacrifice on the Cross was not merely a legal transaction, but a cosmic battle won on our behalf. This view does not eradicate the contributions of the West or the substitutionary truths of Christ’s work, but it focuses far more on the great mystery of Christ’s work and the fact that many things were happening at the same time - expiation, propitiation, ransom, substitution, shared life, and re-creation! All are mysteries that completely bring our limited human intelligence to naught, and ask us to glory only in Christ our Lord! As St. Athanasius boldly declared: "He became what we are, that we might become what He is."

In the sacramental life of our Church, we encounter the tangible manifestation of God's grace, through the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Through confession and communion, we partake of the Divine Life of Christ, experiencing forgiveness and renewal in both our bodies and souls. We must always cherish these sacred moments of profound encounter, knowing that through them, we are united with the communion of saints in heaven and on earth, and made one with Christ, that we are in Him and He is in us! 

As we journey through this next Paschal season, mindful of our brothers and sisters still traveling through Julian Calendar Lent in our sister jurisdictions, may our hearts be filled to overflowing with the joy of the Resurrection, and may we be ever mindful of the glorious hope that awaits us in Christ Jesus. Now we lift our voices in praise and thanksgiving, echoing the words of the famous hymn from our Anglican Patrimony:"Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!"

Christ is Risen!

In the love of our risen Lord,

Bp. Joseph Boyd 

(Ancient Church of the West)