The Shepherd, May 2005
PASCHAL MESSAGE
TO THE PIOUS FLOCK IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND
From ARCHBISHOP MARK
IT WAS AT DAWN on the first day after the Sabbath, that the holy myrrh-bearers, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, witnessed the sacred ministry of the angels: the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment as white as snow (Matt. 28:2-3).
On seeing the Angel, the guards fell down as if dead, for they were themselves guarding death, they were protecting the shadow of death, and therefore could not contain Life in themselves. They were simply carrying out their duty, they were doing their ‘job,’ but the essence of that job was to preserve vain and false delusions, darkening hearts and minds. Thus, they were able to stand neither before the unapproachable light of the Resurrection itself, nor before the angelic radiance. We become like these guards, when we cling on to what is vain, and false and fall out of communion with the Living God, with Life Itself. Sitting at the Source of Life, we fail to notice Him, and ourselves become as if we were dead.
The radiant angels, the secondary lights (St Gregory the Theologian), reflections of the brightness of the Threefold Sun of the Godhead, are sent to us to strengthen our faith. They are witnessed to throughout all human history. The angels take part in the history of New Testament man, from the very beginning right up to its apocalyptic end, when, at the command of the Lamb, they will remove the seven seals and pour out on earth the seven vials of the wrath of God. Today angels appear among people as ‘brethren in faith, love and hope’ (St Justin), and people who have faith, love and hope see them, converse with them and are edified by them. The Most Holy Virgin accepted the good tidings of the Annunciation from the Archangel Gabriel, the shepherds of Bethlehem heard the angels glorifying the new-born God and Infant, the righteous Joseph heeded the instructions of the angel, the myrrh-bearers saw the angel and learnt of the Resurrection from him.... The whole history of our salvation is bound up with the appearances of angels. The martyrs and confessors, the saints and the righteous, all godly people have at all times seen angels, if not with their bodily eyes, then with the eyes of faith: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (Jn 20:29).
Why then do we so seldom notice their presence in our lives?
Is it not because we are far from the Tomb of the Lord? Is it not because we separate ourselves from the Passion of the Lord and so from the true meaning of His death on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection?
Through Nathaniel we have all been told: Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of the Lord ascending and descending upon the Son of man (Jn 1:51). Therefore any doubt in the existence of angels and their participation in our lives is doubt in the truthfulness of Truth Itself. May it not be so!
Why do we doubt? Blinded by love of self and love of the world, fettered by pride, the human mind cannot see God’s angels, ascending and descending, protecting us and instructing us. Our hearts and minds are so darkened by sin that we fail to notice the love of the angels for us, we fail to notice their daily ministrations to us. Worse still: neglect of this spiritual principle takes us further, to rejecting the Resurrection of Christ Itself or doubting It. Perhaps, sometimes, ourselves we do not sense that we have already neared this suicidal limit, but our lives show us up; doubt poisons and eats away not only at the human soul and body, not only at human bonds, family, social and international, but also at the union of the soul with God, Church unity, the integrity of the Body of Christ.
So Easter night has come, lighting up the earth, the heavens and that which is beneath the earth, in order to heal our absence of faith and our lack of faith. The Lord has lit his flesh on the Cross as if it were a candle and found the lost piece of silver (the human soul that was cast out) and calls His friends, the angels, to rejoice at what has been found (Octoechos Tone 3). May those of little faith who guard the Tomb arise and believe in Life! Today the Lord has smashed the gates of hell, in order to open to us the gates of heaven: Paradise was opened through His Cross and man who was condemned entered therein once more (Octoechos Tone 8). We who are condemned are unworthy of this most great act of Divine Providence, but the Lord, the Great Counsellor of the Angels (Esaias 9:6), has become a man for our sakes, in order to raise up us who were fallen and take us to Himself.
The Church teaches the faithful to ask the angels for help, given by God, with purity of mind and most pure mouths, that we may receive their brightness (Octoechos Tone 1). Purity is essential for communion with the bodiless powers. As soon as we decide to expel from our minds and hearts fleshly desires, to cast off the vain prejudices of our minds and the false pretensions of pride, our blinded eyes are opened to see the angels and their Master Himself. Now sings Holy Church, Let us purify our feelings and we shall see Christ in splendour, and together with Him, the hosts of Angels, Prophets, Apostles and all the saints, calling us to eternal rejoicing: Christ is Risen!
+ Archbishop Mark
Easter 2005
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