PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: +374-10-517163
Fax: +374-10-517301
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:
April 12, 2009
Message of His Holiness Karekin II
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ
12 April 2009, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
`YET NOW HE HAS BEEN RECONCILED IN THE BODY OF HIS FLESH THROUGH DEATH,
TO PRESENT YOU HOLY AND BLAMELESS, AND ABOVE REPROACH IN HIS SIGHT –
IF INDEED YOU CONTINUE IN THE FAITH, GROUNDED AND STEADFAST,
AND ARE NOT MOVED AWAY FROM THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL WHICH YOU HEARD,
WHICH WAS PREACHED TO EVERY CREATURE UNDER HEAVEN.’
COLOSSIANS 1:22-23
Dear pious faithful,
The tiding of the glorious and holy resurrection of our Lord and Savior is
proclaimed to us from the holy altars of our churches today. The
incomparable news of the grace of mankind’s salvation once more resounds
within our faithful souls: Our Lord Jesus Christ reconciled us with God in
the body of His flesh through His death, to present us before the Father as
holy, spotless and immaculate, if we remain grounded and steadfast in faith
and unshaken from the hope of the Gospel, which we heard and was preached to
all creation under heaven.
Indeed, who can present men before God as holy and immaculate, if not the
Son of God alone? He Who paid the ransom for the sins of mankind with his
righteous and honorable blood; and through His resurrection, saved us from
death and granted us the path to eternal life. Today we once again praise
and glorify Christ with exultation; we are renewed with faith and hope,
which is the message of the Gospel, since the Savior of the world is Risen
and we are hopeful for the grace of salvation He grants us.
The belief in God is not merely the comprehension that He exists. Rather,
it is the love for God, the acceptance of His message, as our fathers have
taught us, and to be guided by that life-giving message. Faith is the most
precious legacy, the light and vitality of the soul, which must be
protected, cared for, sustained and nurtured, so that no thought, word or
deed may cause it to be harmed or damaged within our soul.
Faith in Christ, Who is the `true image of the invisible God’, is the
recognition and praise of divine love and mercy toward men, and to live life
with that love. During the course of His earthly mission, our Lord Jesus
Christ frequently spoke about the importance of faith. He preached and
performed miracles primarily in those places where He found faith; and was
saddened and grieved when He could not find souls with faith and hope in God
– finding instead merely the external appearance of worshipping God. Our
Lord is always with us, if we are with Him with an undoubting soul. And
there where the Lord is, is freedom, truth, justice, love and peace. Where
the Lord is, is the grace of salvation, healing, consolation, resurrected
spirit, hope and faith.
The miracle of faith lives in the pages of the Holy Bible. The blind see,
the lame walk, the lepers are healed, and the dead are resurrected. Seeing
all this and hearing the life-sustaining words of our Lord, men followed
Him, believing that the prophecies about the Savior of mankind had come
true. Faith was shaken and hopelessness enveloped men following the
crucifixion. Fear overtook even the disciples of Jesus, who were confused
and filled with doubt, when the Risen Christ appeared to them and spoke with
them. The same Lord Who was crucified and placed in the tomb was now
standing before the Apostles; they were now seeing Him, at last, risen.
Then, with their minds enlightened, the Apostles understood that the path
toward salvation for man – from death to life – had been opened before
mankind. If they had been afraid or hopeless until now, they no longer
feared death as they evangelized and spread the Gospel – the good news that
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, is Risen!
Dear faithful sons and daughters, today and always, the Risen Christ is with
humanity – to renew life, to transfigure the world. The Risen Christ is
with men to solidify the love of God and the love of humanity within their
souls, so that falsehood, injustice, jealousy and hatred are rejected; so
that disasters and wars, pain, suffering and want are eliminated; and that
the grace and mercy of God multiply in life as the earth receives light from
the heavens, and dew and rain to make it green, flowering and bounteous.
However, what can we expect, what future can we hope for, if life created by
the Maker is entrenched within the soul that departs from the true love of
God, from the divine light; within a soul that denies God? What outlook can
there be, if not one `where evil men and imposters will go on from bad to
worse’? 2 Timothy 3:13. The hope for the future is God, our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who grants mankind the strength to live with resurrected life, to
always progress toward the good, toward a peaceful, prosperous, secure and
just world.
Our people as well believed in their renewal of life and salvation in
Christ, establishing themselves on the solid and unshakeable foundation of
the hope and faith preached in the Gospel. The Risen Christ walked
throughout our countryside through the faith of the Apostles, through our
pontiff, the Apostle-like Saint Gregory the Illuminator and through many
other saints, and illuminated the life of our people, blessed them with
virtues of the mind and spirit, reinforced and protected them with hope
during trials and tribulations. With the Savior as our refuge, our people
rose again from the depths of the chasms of death; and their resurrected new
life sprouted again. They built their homes, kept their native hearths
burning, and although exiled from their homeland and dispersed throughout
the world, stayed unified and united, believed in the victory of justice,
the right of liberty, the renewal of life through goodness and the vision of
a peaceful world.
It is with these aspirations and faith, dear faithful, that today we work to
make our free and native land of Armenia and Artsakh prosperous, and
strengthen our ecclesiastical and national life throughout the world. For
the realization of our hopes and goals, and the overcoming of the challenges
of our day, let us make God-commanded love, respect, honesty and confidence,
assistance and care for one another our companions, for they are the
foundation and strength of our ecclesiastical and national life, and of our
families, friends, communities and productive cooperation. These values
nurture and advance state and societal structures, and serve the welfare of
all. These values will help especially today, during uncertain economic
times, in conditions of present issues and concerns, to find stable and
hopeful ways to bring to life beneficial endeavors in Armenia and in the
Diaspora. Yes, the true faith and acts flowing from that faith are and
shall be triumphant and fearless. Seeing the noble results of a faithful
spirit in every sphere, in every step turned into reality, is how our
children will learn to live with them, love family and friend, love homeland
and God. Therefore, dear ones, clothed with the gifts of the Lord’s
salvation, and always renewing our souls with faith and hope, let us serve
the realization of all our national aspirations and goals with love and with
one mind, one heart and one will. And the Lord, Who is always with us,
seeing our good works, will reward us with resurrected life.
With the joyful tiding of Christ’s glorious resurrection and with fraternal
love we greet the incumbents of the hierarchal sees of our Holy Apostolic
Church: His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; His
Beatitude Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem; His Beatitude
Mesrob Mutafyan, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople; and the spiritual
heads of our Sister Churches, asking for countless successes filled with the
grace of the Lord in their spiritual mission. We convey our Pontifical love
and blessings to all devoted ranks of clergy and our faithful sons and
daughters dispersed throughout the world, and wish them a life of goodness,
fruitful service and manifold accomplishments.
We extend our Pontifical blessings and greetings to the President of the
Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsian; the President of the Republic of
Nagorno Karabagh, Bako Sahakian; and all state officials of the Armenians.
May the abundant graces of the Lord bestow them with new successes for the
sake of our homeland and Armenian life everywhere.
We greet with wishes for all good things the leaders and representatives of
diplomatic missions accredited to Armenia. May the Almighty Hand of God
keep and protect you, your countries and state officials, in your
God-pleasing mission of strengthening the friendship among nations and
peoples.
On the Risen Savior’s day of renewal, dear faithful children throughout the
globe, let us offer our united prayer to heaven, asking for the faith and
hope of our Lord’s salvation to be with all men, console those in pain,
reinforce those in difficult situations, and keep us all on paths of divine
love. May God bless our people, to continue toward peaceful and benevolent
harbors; filled with blessing, grace and mercy. Let us remain strong and
steadfast in faith, and unshaken in our hope of the Gospel, so that our
Risen Lord and Savior present us before the Father as holy, spotless and
immaculate, alongside all those who rely on Him.
`Glory to Your Almighty Resurrection, O Lord, today and always. Amen.’
CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD
GREAT TIDINGS TO ALL
From: Baghdasarian