Father Feofan's Easter message to the readers of the site in 2026

Beloved in Christ! The Resurrection of the Lord from the dead is the core of our faith. It is the culminating event on which the Christian faith is based, the ultimate foundation of the faith of the Church (for all confessions), the foundation of the great hope that nothing and no one can shake, the root of love that is transformed into mercy towards God and towards one's neighbor. Christian faith is faith in the person of Jesus Christ; and this faith depends on the event of the coming of the Son of God in the flesh, the crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. Blessed is he who, in the suffering of Man, has seen the Son of God, the Witness of the Father's love. Blessed is he whom the confusion of the cross does not break, does not distort, does not separate from God and man. Blessed is he whose mind is taught to comprehend in the glorious Passion of Jesus Christ the mystery of God's love for humanity and the dynamics of eternal life, of which He makes us participants by the gift of His Spirit.

This is our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, who accomplished all this in Himself and for us. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born pure and holy, suffered death but did not experience corruption, and rose again on the third day by the power of His life.

He rose and ascended into heaven as true God and true Man, to raise us up after Him. And now He works in us quietly and invisibly, giving us a life that knows no death. Through Him, man gradually changes, is purified, and draws closer to God. What was destroyed by sin begins to be restored. What poisoned human nature is gradually healed. And man again gains the opportunity to live as he was intended from the beginning.

This is where the power of grace is revealed – not loudly and forcefully, but deeply and truly. It is not easy to understand why death entered the world through Adam. But it is even harder to understand something else: that God Himself became our life, taking on human nature. And that is why we have hope – not in our own strength, but in the One who has already conquered death and gives life.

As theologians write, the blessed day of Easter, that is, Passover, which in ancient times was called the "queen of holidays," a day that caused Christians anxious, even polemical, doubts about its proper observance! A blessed day that was once spent only in sorrow, when Christ truly rose, and the disciples did not believe; but since then it has become a day of joy for the faith and love of the Church!

In ancient times, Christians all over the world began it with a morning greeting. Each one said to his neighbor: “Christ is risen!”, and his neighbor replied: “Christ is truly risen and has appeared to Simon Peter!” Even for Simon Peter, the timid disciple who denied Him three times, Christ is risen. Even for us, who long ago promised to obey Him and since then have so often denied Him before men, so often sided with sin and followed the world when Christ called us to another path. “Christ is truly risen and has appeared to Simon!” Christ appeared to Simon Peter, the beloved apostle on whom the Church is built. He first appeared to His holy Church, and in the Church He bestows blessings unknown to the world. Blessed would be those who are permitted, like us, week after week, feast after feast, to seek and find in this holy Church the Savior of their souls!

Brothers and sisters! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just an event of the past, but the beginning of a new existence that has already entered the world. In it, a new creation is revealed, and the Kingdom of God becomes not only a promise of the future, but also a quiet reality of the present.

The world has long been under the burden of sin and death. Since the fall, man has lost his integrity, and creation itself has lost its peace and order. But God did not leave the person alone. Through the prophets, the promise was given: He would restore life, bring breath back to what was left of “dry bones,” and breathe His Spirit into what seemed utterly lost. And when Jesus Christ rose from the dead, that promise began to be fulfilled.

The Resurrection also reveals to us who Christ is. He is the King of the Universe, who does not just speak the truth, and establishes it. His authority is not based on force or fear, but on righteousness and truth. Where He reigns, restoration begins: in a person's heart, in their thoughts, in their relationships.

At the same time, the Resurrection also reminds us of responsibility. Christ is the Judge – not external and distant, but the One who knows man to the core. His judgment is the judgment of truth, in which all masks disappear. And that is why the resurrection is not only a consolation, but also a call to live honestly before God. The Apostle Paul says that Jesus Christ is “the last Adam.” Where the first man brought death into the world, Christ opens the way to life. His obedience becomes the beginning of a new humanity. And this is not an abstract thought – it is something that touches everyone: through Him man can become alive again in the full sense of the word.

Resurrection has another quiet but profound side: it concerns our inner life. For the risen Christ is the One who gives life to the soul. That which was dead through sin can come to life. That which has lost its meaning can find it again. And this happens not outside, but inside – there, where faith is born.

That is why the Church also speaks of justification: when Christ was resurrected, He revealed His righteousness. And he who unites himself to Him by faith no longer stands before God as condemned, but as accepted.

The Resurrection also opens gifts of the Holy Spirit. God does not leave man alone, but sends the Spirit, Who quietly works in the heart, teaches, strengthens and guides. That is why faith is not only a person's effort, but also a life that is given to him from above. From this follows a simple but important thing: sin is no longer inevitable. Man can change. Not immediately, not without a struggle, but really. For the power of the Resurrection does not act somewhere far away, but in the very depths of human life. At the same time, the Resurrection is also a hope that goes beyond the present. We believe that life does not end with death, і that one day exactly The human body will be transformed. What it will be is not fully revealed to us, but we know the main thing: it will be alive, whole and free from corruption. And what is more, the Resurrection concerns not only man. In the God-man Jesus Christ, it happened the restoration of man and all creationIn Him, humanity seems to begin anew – not in theory, but in the very reality of life.

The world we see wounded and conflicted is not final. God is leading it to a fullness in which there will be no pain, no death, no division. Therefore, Easter is not just a one-day celebration. It is a way of seeing life. It is the quiet but certain knowledge that even when everything seems to be exhausted, God is still at work.

And if sometimes we lack strength, if the weight of circumstances seems too great, it is enough to remember one simple thing: The Risen Christ is near. And this is enough not to lose hope.

In the Resurrection, Jesus Christ is revealed as the One who took upon Himself the burden of human sin – not only the great falls, but also those small wounds that tear our daily lives apart: insults, unforgiveness, coldness of heart, inability to forgive. He bore all this in order to heal, to bring man back to life.

Our resurrection is already laid in Him. It begins not somewhere outside of us, but deep within our hearts, where faith becomes a living encounter.

For Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega of our lives, the Lord of time and history. He enters our days, often clouded by fatigue, disappointment and the harsh logic of the world, which whispers: “it no longer makes sense.” But the encounter with the Risen One destroys this logic. It overturns our conclusions, it opens up a new dimension of things. Where man sees the end, God begins. Where the heart is exhausted, grace is given.

And it is precisely because of this that the Gospel testifies: this is a time of joy. But not a joy that is brief or external, but one that quietly resides in the soul and does not depend on circumstances.

Because Jesus Christ is not a figure of the past. He is alive. His Resurrection is a constant presence that renews man and the world. Therefore, the Church today not only proclaims, but also calls: to be light - and to bring light to others. This means letting Christ into the depths every moment of our lives: in work and fatigue, in joy and trials, in relationships with our neighbors. For it is He who frees us from our inner prisons, opens our eyes, and removes the burdens that we ourselves are unable to bear.

The Incarnation and the Resurrection are the two main stages of salvation. Through the Incarnation, the Word of God enters human history, accepting its fullness, with all its weakness and pain. Through the Resurrection, another movement is opened: it is no longer God who comes to man, but man who receives the way to eternity. Therefore, the Incarnation is the beginning, and the Resurrection is the completion.

The first Adam, through his disobedience, introduced sin and death into the world. This was not just an isolated act, but a condition that was passed on to all mankind: a break with God, loss of integrity, the appearance of mortality.

Jesus Christ, as the second Adam, goes through temptation, but does not repeat this mistake. Where man once chose himself instead of God, Christ remains in obedience. And it is this obedience - even to death - that becomes the beginning of restoration. If pride has distanced a person from life, then humility returns him to it.

Death was not inherent in human nature. It appeared as a consequence of sin, as something alien and unnatural. Man was created for life, but lost its fullness. Christ's victory over death means that this state is no longer final. His Resurrection is the beginning resurrection for all.

What happened because of the tree in paradise led to the fall. But through another tree–The Cross – the way to life was opened. And here it is appropriate to recall the thought of Saint Irenaeus of Lyons: the disobedience that began through the tree was overcome by obedience on the tree of the Cross. Where man has lost, there through Christ he finds again.

The Resurrection is closely linked to the Eucharist. Communion is not just a sign, but participation in the life of the Risen One. By receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, a person already touches that life which is not subject to death. This is not yet fullness, but already its beginning.

Belief in the Resurrection is the foundation of the Christian experience. If Christ is not risen, then death remains the last word. But if He is risen, then life is stronger than death, and this applies to every person. Through the Incarnation, the Son of God became man—truly and completely, apart from sin. And through the Resurrection, human nature is not simply brought back to life, but is raised and renewed in God. The image of God in man is restored and becomes alive again. He who unites himself with Christ enters into this new life now. This does not happen instantly and without a struggle, but it is a real process. Salvation is not only forgiveness, but also changing a person from within.

In this sense, man is called to more than mere existence. He is called to participate in God's life - without losing yourself, but finding its true fullness. The risen Jesus Christ reunited man with God. Through His suffering and Resurrection He defeated evil and destroyed the power of that which destroys creation.

Thus, the Resurrection is not just an event, but the culmination of all of God's work. In it, the renewal of man and the whole world is revealed - quiet but irreversible. And that is why it remains the center of faith and hope.

Easter is a time to experience victory over our inner shackles, which are often signs of mediocrity. Let us hasten to overcome conflicts and divisions, and open our hearts to those who need it most. Let us hasten to walk the paths of peace and fraternity. Let us rejoice in the concrete signs of hope that come to us from many countries, starting with those who offer help and shelter to those fleeing war and poverty. Let us therefore celebrate the feast not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and corruption, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Brothers and sisters! Once again, I call upon you all to reflect. Easter is the time of the Resurrection: Christ is risen and lives among us. The Resurrection is a fact, not an interpretation of a fact; it marks the final transition of humanity from death to life, from sin to grace, from fear to trust, from desolation to communion. For Christians, the risen Christ is the God-man, Who took upon Himself the sins of everyone, even disputes with colleagues and neighbors.

God created man in His own image and likeness. And this image is not something abstract for us – it is revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God.

Therefore, the question is very simple and at the same time profound: what does it mean to be a human being according to God's plan? We see the answer in Christ. This is exactly what true humanity is - not distorted, not weakened, but complete, alive, whole. When God created man, He saw good in him. And these are not just nice words. This means that from the very beginning, a calling to goodness, to light, to life with God is embedded in man. And only in Jesus Christ do we fully understand what this means.

So, our task is not to invent something new, but to discover this image within ourselves. To learn to be like Christ: in thoughts, in actions, in our attitude towards others.

We can ask ourselves a simple but honest question: What image of Christ do I carry within me? How alive is it? How much does it influence my life?

There is another way to understand this. You can read famous words about love by replacing the word "love" with the name of Christ. And then you can see what He really is. And then you can put your name in that place and see what we are called to do.

Thus, a simple thing gradually opens up: to be human means to learn to live as Jesus Christ lived. And this is precisely our path. For the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a revolution of love. It is no coincidence that Christ the Lord rose from the dead on Sunday. The light of His resurrection illuminated the morning of the first day of the week. Having risen from the dead, Jesus Christ initiated a new era in the history of mankind. He illuminated the whole earth with the light of the coming age. However, the resurrection itself carries many question marks that we must continue to decipher, as have many generations of disciples of the Risen One. To this day, the brilliant minds of the world ponder why and how this happened. And the mystery remains a mystery. And perhaps that is exactly how it should be.

But is there really nothing we can do about it? No, there is God's revelation, recorded in the Holy Scriptures. It is this revelation that leads us on the path of Easter. However, to understand the victory of Easter morning, it is necessary faith and loyalty to God.

Victory is achieved in us through love. After suffering and death, after pain and the uncertainty of tomorrow, comes resurrection. The love that resurrects is not just a desired goal of our eternal life. This love begins now, in this life. From the empty tomb of Jesus, the Gospel of life spreads throughout the world. The Risen One shows that life and love are inextricably linked. However, many stones appear in the world that block access to the grace of resurrection. Jesus rolls away these stones so that we can enter a life full of joy, hope and freedom.

Christ is truly risen! Do I believe that I will also rise with Him?

Brothers and sisters! Easter is a day when not only the fate of the world changes, but also the fate of every soul that opens itself to meet the Risen One. So let us enter into this joy not only with words, but also life. Let us forgive–to be forgiven. Let us love–to live. Let us believe–to rise with Christ. And then the Easter testimony will become not only words, but our very being:

Christ is risen! Truly risen!

Abbot Theophanes of Polotsk.