Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen!

Heartfelt congratulations to all of you with the radiant feast of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Throughout the entire Easter season we will sing the Paschal canon many times. In it we hear the following words:

Yesterday I was buried with Thee, O Christ; * today I rise with Thine arising. * Yesterday I was crucified with Thee; * do Thou Thyself glorify me with Thee, O Savior, ** in Thy kingdom. (second troparion of the third ode)

Every person who diligently spent the time of Holy Week, who attended the divine services and carefully listened to the liturgical hymns understands the words of this troparion deeply. Truly, we spent the last days not in Ottawa, not in our parish church, but in Jerusalem with Christ and His disciples. It is as if we took the most active part in those events that we celebrated and therefore, today we can truly sing that on this remarkable day we rise with Christ.

Not only on this festive day are we participants in the passions and resurrection of our Saviour, for during our baptism we were immersed in water three times as an image of our participation in the three-day sojourn of Christ in the tomb, and we came out of the font rejuvenated, as if resurrected from our former sinful and mortal life, into a new and bright life. Let us therefore rejoice today and everyday in our risen Christ. Let us make every effort to live a Christ-like life so as to be glorified with Him in the Heavenly Kingdom.

Christ is Risen!

priest Alexis