Dear Friends and Benefactors of Saint Paul's Monastery,
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
In the radiant joy of Pascha, the Feast of Feasts, our hearts overflow with the light of Christ's Resurrection. As we celebrate this divine victory of life over death, light over darkness, we must not only rejoice outwardly, but also within the profound silence and peace of hesychia. It is in this spiritual stillness that we deeply encounter the Risen Christ, who is the source of all true joy. For so many of us, this Paschal memory is indelible: Geronda Ephraim walking around the Church sprinkling rosewater and tossing rose petals, with his sweet, small voice saying "Christos Anesti!" and the thunderous response: "Alithos Anesti!" —as his face beamed the fullness of Paschal peace and joy.
Saint Seraphim of Sarov understood this so well: "My Joy, if you would know the Truth, every day is Pascha!" So on this Pascha let us all, as Saint Paul says, put off the old man, grown corrupt according to deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind, so that we shall always say, "THIS is the day which the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"
The icons we share with you, these sacred vessels through which we gaze upon the eternal truths of our Faith, draw us into that awesome mystery of Christ's love and sacrifice. Let this Paschal joy infuse your spirit with strength and renewal. May it inspire you to live out the Gospel with fervent love, extending the peace and stillness of your own heart to a world so much in need of redemption.
We are deeply grateful for your ongoing support and your participation in our monastic mission of prayer and contemplation. Your generosity not only sustains our way of life but radiates as a beacon of hope and love: the everlasting light of Pascha.
May the Risen Lord fill your life with peace and joy, and may the quietude of hesychia guide your steps towards a fuller embrace of the Resurrection.
Truly, Christ is Risen!
+Father Menas
Superior of Saint Paul the Apostle Orthodox Monastery
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Resurrection of Chora
This fresco icon is one of the most famous depictions of the Resurrection. It is in the apse of the parecclesion of the Monastery Church of Chora located in Byzantine Constantinople.
