Message of Karekin II on the occasion of Easter

His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, has sent a message on the occasion of Easter.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. "As Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Beloved faithful people, today, gathered in churches, we celebrate the Holy and Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We glorify the Son of God, who took upon Himself every sacrifice for our salvation, endured suffering, was crucified, buried, and rose again. Through the Resurrection of the Savior, the path of new life has been illuminated.

The Savior, our Lord Jesus, called humanity, which was distanced from God by Adam’s sin and subjected to the authority of death, to the resurrected life, so that freed from the bondage of evil and death, we may be worthy of the salvific gifts of the Lord and inherit the kingdom of heaven. "As Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life," the Apostle proclaims.

Through the Lord's redemptive work, divine blessings were given to humanity – a way to return to the Heavenly Father through repentance and to find the illuminated way of return from the darkness of suffering. The resurrected life that Christ bestowed begins, dear ones, with the renewal of heart and soul, when the individual is strengthened in faith, lives in the presence of God, becomes a new creature, and creates good and praiseworthy deeds.

It is through faith in the Resurrection of Christ and fulfilling the commandments of the Lord that one can turn away from errant paths, overcome the difficulties of time, and walk in the paths of love, truth, and justice, as the Apostle urges: "Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth" (Ephesians 5:8-9).

Indeed, it is through the faith of the Resurrection that a new chapter in the history of humanity will open, the world will be reformed, and the hopes for universal peace and security will be realized. However, amidst the chaos of the world, it seems that the Apostle's exhortations and the evangelical messages have been drowned out, and God's creation is being dishonored and endangered by wicked deeds and injustices, while human life is being disturbed and shattered by conflicts, enmity, and wars.

In the face of the current multifaceted threats to establish a virtuous and just world, nations and states must zealously pursue the will of Almighty God to overcome the severe trials that exist, strengthen the foundations of global solidarity, peaceful coexistence, and productive cooperation. Through collective efforts, nations will "beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore," as the prophet announces (Isaiah 2:4).

Dears, years after the tragic war in Artsakh, anxieties and concerns still linger in our hearts, yearning for peace and security. Our people know best the value of peace and security, for which the children of our nation have paid with their lives. Our pains and wounds are still fresh, and the anguish deepens today with the violation of the rights of the Armenian people in Artsakh and the illegal detention of our compatriots.

The pain deepens when the seeds of division are continuously sown, when sacred values are ignored and distorted, when arbitrary and selective justice is enacted, and when the authorities carry out repression against the Church with false and fabricated charges. The Church, through Christ, is unwavering, powerful, and relentless. The Church is the house of God, the assembly of believers, a proponent and evangelist of peace and brotherhood, the silent herald of the glorious Resurrection of Christ.

The Church repeatedly proclaims the call to the resurrected life, to keep its children free from despair, injustices, and downfalls, to safeguard the national and paternal legacy from destructive paths. The resurrected life can never exist in estrangement and division, in the distortion of Christian values, in the diminishment and restriction of the Church's mission, in distorting national interests, and in twisting justice and truth.

Unless we reject wicked deeds and ruinous paths, we cannot establish revival and flourishing, progress and well-being in personal and societal life and build imperishable prospects for our people's survival. Therefore, beloved ones, our Patriarchal message is that we choose goodness against evil, peace against strife, honesty and integrity against deceit and trickery, mutual respect and solidarity against dishonor and treachery.

Let us be led by the commitment to exclude harmful and destructive phenomena, with determination to rise from our defeats and with diligence to preserve the ancestral heritage untarnished. Let us prefer love, solidarity, and unity so that together we can rise up from the hardships and difficulties that have beset us, strengthen our statehood, and build the advancement and prosperity of the nation.

May we always remain faithful to our resurrected Lord, who “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

With the joyful news of the Holy Resurrection, from the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, we extend our fraternal greetings to the leaders of our Apostolic Holy Church's Episcopacy: His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, the Most Reverend Nurhan Archbishop Manukyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the Most Reverend Sahak Archbishop Mashalayan, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, as well as to the entire clergy of our Holy Church. We send greetings in Christ to our spiritual brothers, to the leaders of sister Churches, and their faithful flocks. Our Patriarchal love and blessing to our people, who are committed to the national and spiritual values. Our paternal gratitude to all of you, beloved ones, for your unwavering fidelity and warm dedication to the homeland and our Holy Church.

We have felt every day and continue to feel your prayer's strength. Through you, our Holy Church is flourishing and steadfast, which even the trials of centuries have not shattered. Through you, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is powerful, firm, and radiant. Continue to live in prayer, act, and create for the homeland and the Mother Church with love, for the benefit of the construction and bright future of our land.

On this day of spiritual renewal, let us raise our prayers together to the resurrected Son of God, who by His immeasurable mercy grants peace and security to the whole world and our homeland. Let us ask that our people, scattered across the globe, be strengthened by heavenly nourishing graces, living a faith-inspired life, with a brave and indomitable spirit to overcome difficulties. Let us pray that in our national body, truthfulness, justice, and unity may be firmly established, so that with good fruits and new achievements beneficial to the nation we may realize the aspirations and ambitions of our people for the glory of God and for ever-bright glory to the nation and our Apostolic Holy Church.

Let us also pray for our brothers and sisters suffering from the horrors of war, for the unlawfully imprisoned, those missing, and their families, as well as for those in distress and deprivation, and for the healing of the afflicted.

May God's most caring Hand, love, and blessings be a protection for us all today and always and forever. Amen.

Christ is risen from the dead, Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ," states the message.