The Victory That Cannot Be Shaken

The Victory That Cannot Be Shaken

Fr Luke A Veronis

The world today feels quite fragile. Wars and uncertainty have shaken up the global order, with an unclear ceasefire and tensions staying high. World economies are trembling, nations are anxious, and ordinary people everywhere wonder, “What’s happening to our world?”

In the midst of such an uncertain, confusing society – in the heart of our fear, chaos, uncertainty – we interrupt the darkness and pessimism by proclaiming “Christ is Risen!”

The Paschal Good News stand between two realities. One is the world we see: a world of war, violence, and instability. A world where nations rage, innocent lives suffer, and fear spreads faster than hope. Yet, another world revealed in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a world where death is trampled down, darkness is overcome, evil is conquered and life has the final word.

So, it’s a fair question to ask, “Which world is reality?” Is the darkness of the world true, or is the light and hope of Pascha our reality?

Well, maybe the more appropriate question should be which reality will we choose to embrace and live in?

On Great Friday, it looked like evil had won. Christ was mocked, beaten, crucified. The political and military powers of the world seemed victorious. One could say it looked very much like today. But what did Pascha reveal? That all the power of this world, even with the greatest military and global might, have limits.

Christ revealed that the greatest power, death itself is limited. The Crucified Christ entered into death… and destroyed it from the inside. As St. John Chrysostom proclaims in his Paschal Homily, “Hell took a body and met God face to face.”

The Crucified Jesus overturned the greatest weapon of fallen humanity and defeated it. If we live under this reality, then what can truly defeat us?

Fr. Alexander Schmemann, the great Orthodox theologian, once spoke about celebrating Pascha shortly after the death of his own mother. He described standing in church, proclaiming “Christ is Risen,” while carrying his deep personal grief and sense of loss. His mother had died. Yet, he noted something remarkable. Not that his pain disappeared because of Christ’s Resurrection, but that his pain and sense of loss were transfigured!

When evil and darkness, trauma and death come, we don’t deny the sorrow. Christ’s Resurrection, however, offers us a different perspective. It gives us hope. We don’t stay in the depths of darkness and despair. Instead, we embrace the Christian paradox - we can grieve and still proclaim victory!

I’ve often shared stories about Saint Maria Skobtsova of Paris, who was arrested by the Gestapo for her work with Fr. Demetri Klepelin in trying to save Jews during WW2. Well, her story didn’t end with a happy ending, according to the world’s standards. She was sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp and eventually was died in the gas chamber on Great and Holy Friday, 1945.

Witnesses that survived the camp revealed that Saint Maria’s last act of life was to take the place of another prisoner, going willingly to her death. Imagine, she died just before Pascha, and only a few months before the end of the war.

Now, the world would say that darkness prevailed. The Nazis had the final word in her life. Evil was victorious. Yet, today, the Church continues to remember and celebrate Maria as one who is alive. We turn to her and ask for her prayers on our behalf. Her memory and life continue to inspire new generations of people.

She wasn’t afraid to die because she trusted in the Risen Lord Jesus. She knew He would have the final say, and He was the victor over death itself. So, she freely gave her life for another, knowing that as Jesus says, "A grain of wheat must die before it can bear fruit."

She died on Good Friday but her life is a witness to the transformative power of Pascha.

Let’s be careful of treating this past week and Pascha itself as simply a memorable religious story surrounded by a lot of beautiful religious traditions. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not simply a symbol. It is not a metaphor. It is the most real event in human history, and for those who understand and embrace it, it brings about the greatest revolution in our lives!

Death no longer has the final word; fear doesn’t have the final word; injustice doesn’t have the final decree. And evil, in all its various forms, won’t prevail.

he Risen Jesus Christ has the final word! This is what transforms our world view and life, itself!

The news will continue to trouble us. Conflicts will rise and fall. Empires will come and go. But the tomb is empty. As St. Paul declares, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

So, never be afraid. Never lose heart. Never give in to despair. Because Christ is risen and not even the darkest night in human history has ever been able to overcome that light.

Christ is risen!