I would like to extend my congratulations on the Feast of Resurrection which Christians around the world celebrated last Sunday, hoping that God’s blessings and peace will prevail over our beloved homeland, Egypt, and bring goodness and prosperity to its people, and grant the world stability and security.
When we speak of the Resurrection, we recall the immense power of God when He resurrects mankind on the Last Day by the word of His will. The soul returns to the body in an inseparable union; all the dead, old and young, will rise in an instant to stand before the Divine Presence, preceded by the account of their deeds during their lives. In ancient times, the Prophet Ezekiel had a vision of God’s awe-inspiring power in raising bones and granting them life.
“The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, andbreath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.”
The Lord Jesus Christ spoke about the resurrection of mankind on the Last Day when they will hear the voice of God: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Thehour of judgment is an hour in which the greatness and power of God will be manifested, which the limited human mind cannot comprehend; He is the infinite God, capable of all things. Similarly, the holy evangelist and disciple John the Apostle describes his vision of the Resurrection: “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing beforeGod, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works”. All will rise by the power and word of God; no soul will perish. God’s power to raise the dead is at the very core of His authority over life, for He is its Giver. The Resurrection is the beginning of the eternal life that God prepared for mankind when He created them to enjoy true freedom that transcends temporalities and materialistic matters in a blessed and glorious eternity.
In the Resurrection, we remember the justice of God, which is manifested when He recompenses every person according to their deeds, and that He—blessed be His name—is of perfect and absolute justice. The Scripture says: “A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” Justice and righteousness are the foundation of His rule, for He is “the Lord, the righteous Judge,” whose “clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” Yes, O Lord: “You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things.”
Therefore, it behooves us not to consider death an end, but rather a bridge to cross from a perishing world to an abiding life. There is no escape from the Resurrection and standing before the justice of God! Indeed, when we remember the Resurrection, we must keep in mind that our earthly life determines the nature of our eternal life. Whoever chose a life of virtue, of love, giving, and transcendence over the material, has crossed over to an indescribable life of glory, joy, and endless splendor. But whoever inclined towards evil, hatred, arrogance, and indulgence in material things, their inclination was their passport to the abyss and unending torment! Hence, with every arrival of the feast of Resurrection, the opportunity is renewed for us to remember the crossroads of these two paths, the responsibility of choice, and the consequences of the question: which of these two paths do you wish your destiny to be?!
Many happy returns…Stories are endless in Beautiful Egypt…
General Bishop
President of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
العربية
