Bishop Gerald S Easter Message 2012

BISHOP GERALD’S EASTER MESSAGE 2012

At the beginning of the Resurrection Matins on Easter Sunday morning, the priest together with the faithful process around the outside of the Church. The procession stops before the closed doors of the Church where the priest and the people sing the Resurrection Troparion: “Christ is risen from the dead….” The priest then sings the first three verses of Psalm 68, and after each verse, the people repeat the Troparion: “Christ is risen from the dead…” Psalm 68 is one of the most eloquent and celebratory hymns of the Psalter. The Psalm was written to be sung as the Ark of the Covenant, a box which was Israel’s most sacred object because it served as a symbol for the invisible Presence of God, was carried in solemn procession into the temple. It is a song of triumph and victory. The Psalm begins with the ancient war cry of the Jews when they carried the Ark into battle: “Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from before His Face.” (Ps. 68:2) Since the enemies of Israel are really the enemies of God, King David, who wrote this Psalm, calls upon God, as the Dispenser of Justice, to scatter His enemies, whom David envisions as massed in tight assault formation before the army of Israel. David prays that once God’s enemies see the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing the Presence of God in Israel’s midst, they will flee in fear. Then the Psalm continues, again referring to the scattering of Israel’s enemies: “As smoke vanishes so let them vanish, as wax melts before a fire” (Ps. 68:3). Here David refers to the success of the wicked as an illusion resembling the smoke coming out of a chimney. The thick black smoke quickly dissipates as the wind drives the smoke away. What seemed menacing is quickly shown to be what it is – fleeting and weak. The Jewish Biblical commentator, Hirsch, wrote that smoke symbolizes haughty people whose pride makes them aspire to ruthlessly climb the ladder of power. They represent danger to those around them. Yet, the very nature of smoke is such that it quickly dissipates. Evil is like smoke. It does not endure forever. It eventually dissipates, and the dissipation is accelerated by God’s wise and benevolent guidance over the affairs of humankind. All evildoers will perish because evil itself lacks enduring Divine Truth. They are like wax that melts before the heat of fire. (“Tehillim”, Published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd.; Rabbis Nosson Scherman/ Meir Zlotowitz, General Editors. Page 635). The third verse of the Psalm that is sung by the priest says: “So let the wicked perish at the presence of God and let the righteous ones rejoice” (Ps. 68: 3f ). The wicked feel uneasy and restricted in the Presence of God, which Presence is symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant. The righteous, however, are inspired by being in God’s Presence. Their sense of joy and exaltation becomes apparent as they strive to serve God. The next verse that is sung by the priest is: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us exalt and rejoice in it.” This is taken from an entirely different Psalm – Psalm 118, verse 24. Psalm 118 is a hymn of thanksgiving to the Savior of Israel. Its reference point is the fact that King David has ascended the Throne of Israel after the Death of King Saul, who had tried to kill David. In this Psalm, David envisions the many wonderful things that he plans for Israel and its people. In the future, it will become obvious that the events of David’s enthronement are supernatural. Then everyone will admit that that day was made by God Himself. All of these verses are meant to encourage us, as we celebrate the Resurrection of the Messiah, i.e. Jesus, to trust Him and be stalwart in the face of evil. Just as Christ conquered the Devil and trampled Death by His Resurrection, so Christ continues to do so to this very day. As the front doors of the Church are opened, the priest and the people process into the Presence of God in the Church. We are called upon to remember the victory of Christ over evil and recall that the Feast of the Resurrection is our “day that the Lord has made, let us exalt and rejoice in it,” just as King David and the Jewish people exalted and rejoiced after each of their victories over the evils of their day and age.