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BISHOP KENNETH:

Good morning. Today, Easter Day in Ukraine, people are waking to a situation, as they do every day now, that after two months since the Russian invasion they still find unbelievable. Yet today is Easter Day 鈥� the day when Christians across much of the world keep a day of hope, a day when Christians remember the victory of Christ over sin and death, a day when we look forward to a time when all evil, crying and tears and death will cease.

MUSIC: Christ is risen

BISHOP KENNETH:

Welcome to this meditation in which the readings that are specific to our Easter Day will be heard. Throughout the world Christians, Orthodox and Eastern Catholics, who keep to the Julian calendar (rather than the Western calendar) will be celebrating the Divine Liturgy in their own languages. In this time together we will meditate on what Easter must mean today to Ukrainian Christians: be they displaced people, refugees or part of the worldwide diaspora; or still in their homes in the relative security of Western Ukraine; or in the heat of the battle; or sheltering from bombs. And then there are the bereaved, the injured, the traumatised 鈥� and, still further, those who are agents of, or who perpetuate violence and evil as aggressors in this war. This is a different Easter indeed.

MUSIC: Paschal verses from the Prayer book

READER:

鈥楥hrist is risen from the dead鈥�. That was a setting of Easter verses from our prayer book. Many in the Ukrainian community of the United Kingdom have been touched by the support we have received from other churches both practically and in prayer. Earlier this month our Cathedral was visited by a number of denominational leaders including the Archbishop of Westminster, His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, The Bishop of London, The Right Reverend Dame Sarah Mullally, amongst a number of other leaders:

PRAYERS:

A Prayer for Ukraine.

Almighty and Great God, accept our gratitude for Your boundless mercy towards us. Hear the supplication of our afflicted hearts for the land and people of Ukraine, as they confront foreign aggression and invasion. Grant victory over the powers of evil that have arisen, and bless Ukraine with your gifts of liberty, peace, tranquillity and good fortune. We implore you, O merciful God, look with grace upon those who courageously defend their land. Remember the mothers and fathers, the innocent children, widows and orphans, the disabled and helpless, those seeking shelter and refuge, who reach out to You and to their fellow human beings looking for mercy and compassion. Bless the hearts of those who have already shown great generosity and solidarity, and those who prepare to receive their Ukrainian brothers and sisters in Ukraine鈥檚 greatest time of need. Bring us together as Your children, Your creation, and instil in us Your strength, wisdom and understanding. May You be praised and glorified, now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

CARDINAL VINCENT NICHOLS:

Lord God. We have strayed from the path of peace.聽We have forgotten the lessons learned from the tragedies of history.聽We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations.聽We have betrayed people鈥檚 dreams of peace and the hopes of the young.聽We grew sick with greed. We thought only of our own nations and their interests.聽We grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns.聽We chose to ignore you, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive.聽To suppress innocent life. To stockpile weapons.聽We stopped being our neighbours鈥� keepers and stewards of our common home.聽We've ravaged the garden of the earth with war.聽And by our sins, we've broken your heart.聽Who desires us to be brothers and sisters, now with shame we cry out:聽Forgive us, Lord.聽

BISHOP SARAH MULLALLY:

Jesus said, 鈥業 have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.聽In this world you will have trouble.聽Take heart, I have overcome the world鈥�.聽

Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed.聽Kindle we pray in the hearts of all the true love of peace.聽And guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom, those who take counsel for the nations of the earth.聽That in tranquilly your Kingdom may go forward till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love.聽Through Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.聽Amen.

MUSIC: We were Baptised in Christ

FR ATHANASIUS MCVAY:

That was an Easter song: 鈥楢ll of you who have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ, Alleluia.鈥�

My name is Father Athanasius McVay.聽I'm Canadian of mixed English and Ukrainian origins and I work in Rome as a church historian for most of the year, but I come to London to help at the Ukrainian Cathedral at Easter and Christmas time.聽The Ukrainian immigration to Great Britain is recorded from about 1890, but the chunk of immigrants came over after the Second World War. There were refugees, political refugees from when the Soviets took over western Ukraine.

Of course, the Ukrainian people are very devout people, so the first thing they did when they came to Britain was to set up religious communities. Even before 鈥� when they were in displaced people鈥檚 camps on the continent, mainly in Germany 鈥� they already had their clergy with them, their chaplains, and if they didn't, they set up a little Chapel, and they began to pray. And Ukrainian prayers always sung, so they prayed in song. They chanted themselves, even if they didn't have a priest. And when they came here, the community organisations and the church were hand in hand.聽

In 1967 we acquired the current building and it became 鈥� at the opening in June 1968 鈥� the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.聽It was actually named after a document that Pope Pius XII had written after the Second World War聽to deal with migrants, the problem of migrants and how church pastors are to care for them with their different languages, different cultures, and that they should be maintained. And so the Bishop at the time decided to name the cathedral after that letter (in Latin, it was Exul Familia) the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, fleeing from the political persecutor Herod. And so our people here after the war saw themselves very much in that light, as fleeing from the homeland here, in exile. And I heard the Bishop in Church mentioned this again this name, so that name has come back with very good reason, because again now we have all of these refugees who have come, and each Sunday there are more and more in the Cathedral. We are at a similar situation to the Community immediately after the Second World War, where there was also a terrible leader killing and persecuting many millions in Ukraine, Mr Stalin.聽

READER: Acts 1: 1-8 (chanted)

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

MUSIC: AN EASTER HYMN

READER: John 1: 1-17 (chanted)

A reading of the Holy Gospel according to John.

MUSIC: The Angel Exclaimed

BISHOP KENNETH:

Christ is Risen!聽 Indeed He is Risen!聽 This is the way we greet each other on Pascha and all throughout the Easter season. The joy expressed in that greeting is profound and full of hope. It touches the young and the old. It fills the hearts of all, even in the midst of personal and community challenges and suffering. It conveys the heart of the Christian faith, that Christ is risen from the dead and by his death he conquered death, granting eternal life to all who believe in Him.

In the Byzantine liturgical year, Easter is both the culmination and the beginning.聽During the Easter season, from Pascha to Pentecost, in Churches of the Byzantine tradition we read from the Prologue of the Gospel of John and from the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.聽聽

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles we are positioned with the apostles and disciples who, having experienced the arrest of Jesus, his betrayal, the false accusations at his trial, the mocking and scourging, his passion and death on the Cross, now bear witness to him as the Risen Lord: 鈥淗e presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.鈥� And the reading closes with the promise of the Holy Spirit: 鈥淏ut you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." This mention of the Holy Spirit may seem strange to us, who associate the Holy Spirit with Pentecost. However, we must remember that the Holy Spirit is always present, even when we fail to take notice. Indeed, in the Gospel of John, when the Ten Apostles (minus Thomas and, of course, Judas) first encounter the Risen Lord, he greets them with the words: "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." And then he breathes on them and says: "Receive the Holy Spirit.鈥� So the One who is promised and will be revealed at Pentecost is already present in the Resurrection.

The Prologue of John is one of the most profound texts of Scripture. In our Ukrainian churches we proclaim the Easter Gospel, verse by verse, in many languages 鈥� Ukrainian, Greek, Latin, English, and whatever language the clergy is able to proclaim 鈥� with the faithful ringing chimes and bells at the end of each verse. The opening of the Prologue, 鈥淚n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God鈥� echoes the first verses of the Bible in the Book of Genesis: 鈥淚n the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth鈥�. Easter Sunday is the first day of the New Creation, just as Sunday was also the first day of the creation in Genesis. The themes in the Prologue are rich and powerful. The role of the Word in creation. The presence of light in Him, a light that shines in darkness, and is not overcome by darkness. The mission of John the Baptist鈥攖o bear witness to the light, Jesus Christ. The Incarnation of the Word made flesh and dwelling among us, and the experience of His glory by those who encountered the Risen One. And the reading closes with the following verse: 鈥淔or the law was given through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus Christ.鈥�

For Ukrainians, who over the past eight years have seen common and international law supplanted by the lawlessness of their neighbour, seen truth mocked by his false accusations, lies and disinformation, the Feast of the Resurrection brings hope of divine grace conquering all. The Light of the Risen Lord today shines in the midst of a darkness that has shocked us with its violence and inhumanity these past few months, and especially in the last few days. Even as the spirit of darkness continues to cast its ugly shadow on the land and people of Ukraine, with senseless destruction of life and property, the greeting of peace which the Risen Lord proclaims to his disciples, must touch the hearts of all who follow Him, as difficult as that may seem at the present moment. Here in the UK we have been celebrating memorial services almost on a daily basis for family members in the armed forces and the civilian population killed in Russia鈥檚 war against Ukraine. To those who have lost loved ones today we offer the peace of Christ. With those who have suffered unspeakable atrocities, physical brutality and horrific sexual assault, today we share the peace of the Risen Lord. We understand that the process of rebuilding lives in the aftermath of this war will be long and difficult, but we have confidence that the grace and peace of Christ will prove victorious, for the light of Christ鈥檚 Resurrection overcomes the darkest expressions of our fallen humanity. And we must hope against hope, that those who have allowed darkness take hold of their souls, will recognize the horror they have inflicted on their fellow human beings, and repent by the power of the Risen Christ.

This Easter, as my faithful gather to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection in the Holy Family in Exile Cathedral here in the heart of London, I ask for your prayers, solidarity and support. In closing let me share with you a quote from this year鈥檚 Easter Pastoral Letter from His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, who interprets the famous text of Saint Paul on the Fruit of the Spirit. In light of the Resurrection: 鈥淧ascha is the feast of the victory of love over hatred, of joy over sorrow, of peace over war, of patience over panic, of kindness over anger, of faithfulness over betrayal, of gentleness over unrest, of self-control over voracity. Pascha is the victory of the spirit over flesh, of truth over mendacity, of life over death.鈥澛�

May the joy and blessing of the Risen Lord be with all of you. Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

MUSIC: Mary went to the tomb

INTERCESSIONS: (chanted)

Have mercy on us O God in the greatness of your compassion we pray you hear us and have mercy (response).

We also pray that the Lord God will send his Holy Spirit to all the Ukrainian people who in this war are defending their homeland from the aggression of foreigners. And give us the grace to endure in faith hope and love, victory over enemies and lasting peace, so that we may in justice and truth all glorify the good and merciful God. Lord hear us and have mercy (response).

We also pray for God鈥檚 care for our soldiers, defenders, volunteers, doctors, and all those who serve in defence of the homeland, that the Lord grant strength courage and bravery and protects them from enemies visible and invisible. Lord hear us and have mercy (response).

We also pray for those who have already suffered as a result of hostilities. For the wounded, the refugees, those who lost relatives, homes, property. For all those who are in shelters in the zone of active hostilities and in a special way for those who are without means of sustenance, and for those who do not have the opportunity to evacuate. That the Lord God protect and heal them, save them from all evil, send them his self and endow them with his grace. Lord hear us and have mercy (response).

Hear us O God our saviour the hope of all the ends of the earth and of those far off upon the sea. And show mercy O Master upon us sinners. For you are a merciful and loving God, and we give glory to you Father Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen

BISHOP KENNETH:

Christ is risen from the dead, and by his death he conquered death, and to those in the tomb he granted life. May the blessing of the Lord, the risen Lord, be upon all of you with his grace and love for human kind.

MUSIC: Amen