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Patriarchal Address on the Sunday of the Resurrection 8 April A.D. 2012 Rutherford Card. Johnson To the Bishops, regular clergy, and faithful of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church, greetings and Apostolic Blessings on this Sunday of the Resurrection, in the Year of Our Lord 2012. We celebrate today with the whole Church throughout the world the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the conquering of death for each and every one of us. When our Lord hung upon the Cross and cried out "It is finished," the salvation of the world had just begun. The sting of death had been taken away, and the grace had been robbed of its victory. Christ came to fulfill the prophecies, and this was done. God's message of love, peace, and salvation would soon be taken to the four corners of the world, for Christ came to save all people, regardless of origin, status, or nationality. Easter Sunday is always a time of great joy and celebration. Yet, many forget that there can be no Easter without Good Friday. How many of the people come to fill the churches on Easter Sunday, but do not come to the liturgy for Good Friday. We often wish to experience all the joys of Christ without understanding the suffering on the Cross. We often wish to look upon Christ only as the Risen Lord while ignoring the pains and sorrows of the Blessed Virgin as she stood watching him hang upon the Cross. Some will say that they acknowledge the Passion, but prefer to think upon the Resurrection. Some prefer to dwell only on what they perceive to be happy things. However, in order to achieve eternal life, we must all take up our own cross and follow the Lord. We must all join in his sacrifice and die to the world, for the conquering of death comes through death. We cannot rise anew in Christ without having died to the world. There is no Easter without the Passion and Death of Good Friday. We have now passed through the hours in which Christ lay in the tomb. We have come to the happy discovery that the tomb is empty and our Lord has risen indeed. Today is a joyous day indeed. Just as the sacrifice on the Cross was not merely an historical event that took place long ago, but is a true and living Sacrifice experienced to this day, the Resurrection is also not merely an historical event relegated to the depths of history books on world events. Both the Passion and the Resurrection were physical and spiritual. While the event in the physical sense happened in the historical past, the spiritual aspects continue on, knowing neither time nor space. The Resurrection is a miraculous joy that we do not simply commemorate each year on Easter Sunday. We do not just say that Christ rose from the dead, but that Christ is risen. If must allow ourselves to experience the Resurrection rather than simply celebrating that it once happened. To experience the Resurrection ourselves is an act of the spirit. It is the annual renewal of our own selves in Christ, having died to the world. As we approach a critical time in world history, rebirth in Christ becomes even more essential. Secularism has long been taking over society. Socialist tendencies have long been infiltrating and dominating governments around the world. Profit has become the almighty pursuit for many, regardless of the cost, while the plight of the poor, the afflicted, and the suffering go largely unnoticed and ignored. A society that has largely rejected Christ seeks to deny religious freedom and individual freedom. Yes, it is tremendously important that people take Christ into their hearts and experience true conversion. Through individual conversion, we may conquer the enemies of the Church and of almighty God. All that which is of the world and serves the ends of the world is by its very nature not of Christ and inherently opposed to Christ. All that which is opposed to Christ is of Satan and hence evil. The people of God must fight evil wherever possible, facing it with a sense of courage that can only come from having joined with Christ in His holy Sacrifice. We must all do our part to fight the evils of the world. Governmental tyranny, the unholy murder of unborn children, religious persecution, and attacks against conscience must not go unchallenged. The faithful cannot simply pass responsibility to others or be absolved of responsibility simply because they themselves have not directly participated in the evil. Those who say nothing when they can say something in opposition give tacit approval to evil. Those who do nothing when they can do something, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it may be, provide indirect support to evil. The Christian faith is a faith of action. If we do not put our faith into action, we cannot legitimately call ourselves Christian. Today as we celebrate the victory over the grave, we must not forget that there is still work for the servants of Christ to perform. America is gripped by a regime bent on destroying individual freedom, religious freedom, and indeed the very Church herself. Great Britain and Europe have long been under the heavy veil of socialism and more recently suffering the ill effects of Muslim infiltration. China and other communist nations of the world continue to oppress their people, not respecting life, but considering human beings to be nothing more than property of the State. The poor on every continent continue to be exploited for the financial gain of others. Undeniably there is much work for the Christian people to do. The faith of the Risen Lord is a faith that must continually be put into action. The true and living God demands a true and living faith among the people. Even in the wealthiest nations of the world, many are hurting and many are struggling in this time of global financial crisis. Widespread unemployment has left an alarming number of people in the position of not being able to provide for themselves and for their families. Some governments, including the current administration of the United States, seek to replace the role of the Church and of Christian people in tending to the poor and those in need with the government, making the government the savior of the people rather than the true Savior, Jesus Christ. Certainly this cannot be allowed to happen. We must all ask ourselves if we are doing all that we can to provide for the real needs of others. Lastly, we wish to remark on the state of worker priests and worker clerics. Those who have accepted the call of God to His holy ministry, but still retain appropriate occupation in the secular workplace in order to provide for their just temporal needs without being a burden to others face special challenges of meeting their spiritual obligations, particularly with respect to the Holy Mass and the Divine Offices. Yet, these challenges can and are being met by worker priests with a delightful resolve. It is pleasing to see priests and clerics in minor orders out in government, universities, and appropriate private commerce. By having officials of the Holy Church employed out in the world, the reach of the message of Jesus Christ may be expanded. In this way, worker priests help to combat the secularization of society today. May we pray especially during this Easter Season for an increase in vocations, not only to the Sacred Priesthood of Christ, but also to the Minor Orders. For far too long the Minor Orders have been in a state of neglect, being viewed as merely stepping-stones to the priesthood or forgotten altogether. There is great value in the ministry of each specific level of the Minor Orders, however, and we are resolved to see them flourish again that the work of Christ's Holy Church may be multiplied. Through the prayers and merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed Michael the Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, may Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you your sins, and bring you to everlasting life. R. Amen. The Almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, + absolution, and remission of all your sins, time for a true and fruitful penance, an always repentant heart and amendment of life, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and final perseverance in good works. R. Amen. And the Blessing of Almighty God, + Father, + Son, and Holy + Ghost, be upon you and remain with you always. R. Amen.
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