PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 10) 517 163
Fax: (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
April 14, 2006
THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II
SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
ON THE OCCASION OF THE FEAST OF
THE GLORIOUS RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, 16 April 2006
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
`SO THAT AS CHRIST WAS RAISED
FROM THE DEAD BY THE GLORY OF THE FATHER,
WE TOO MIGHT WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE’ (ROMANS 6:4)
Dear and beloved pious Armenians,
On the occasion of the Glorious Resurrection of Christ, we once again greet
you, our sons and daughters dispersed throughout the world, with a joyful
spirit and the glad tiding of `Christ is Risen from the dead’, and repeat
the exhortative words of the Apostle, `So that as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.’
Today, the joy of the grace of God and the hope of resurrection have
enveloped our souls. The ranks of angels, in elation with us, celebrate the
defeat of death and the victory of life.
The Mother of God, who standing near the cross, had lamented the loss of her
Son; through the Lord’s Resurrection was experiencing consoling joy on this
grace-filled day.
The disciples, who had fled in fear, abandoning their beloved Teacher, were
strengthened on this day with the faith of Resurrection, and became the
bearers of the glad tidings of Resurrection, to illuminate the world with
the light of the Gospel of Christ.
Two millennia after these events in the history of mankind, the Glorious
Resurrection of Christ grants the same consolation and happiness to the
living, through which we have the grace to pass from death to life, from
darkness to light. Today as well, the words of the Apostle are very timely
for nations and peoples, `As Christ was resurrected from the dead by the
glory of the Father, the same way we shall walk with a new life’. The world
as yet cannot completely realize this message – to walk with a new life in
paths of peace, reconciliation, love and brotherhood. Today also, many
greet the feast of the Resurrection in tumult and unease, in difficulties
and worries, and in the dangers of war. The world is tempest-tossed akin to
a biblical episode, but men are not eager to call upon the Lord, as did the
Apostles who pleaded with their Teacher to calm the storm. Resonating once
again today is the greeting of the Resurrected Savior: `Peace be with you’
(John 20:19), Who revealed his wounds and pierced side in order to bring the
world to faith, while the world shows its wounds to protest against God and
to depart from God.
In contrast to the fundamental problems facing mankind, the feast of
Resurrection is the grace-filled source of new inspiration, strengthening of
faith, and in the words of the Apostle, `to walk in a new life’. It
reinforces us to withstand difficult situations, and to establish peace,
hope and love in the lives of men. Throughout history, as in our time,
financial means and resources, mere secular understandings and
methodologies, have simply not been enough to face challenges, stop
socio-political confrontations, or triumph over the calamities of war. To
have a peaceful, just and philanthropic world, it is necessary to arm
ourselves today with spiritual armaments rather than deadly weapons. We
must take up the cross and follow the Lord, accomplish the good even when
confronted with obstacles, worship the One Who was crucified even to the
point of our own crucifixion, to see the stone of disbelief rolled away from
the grotto of faith and spirituality.
Peace is the ever-present righteous desire of the soul of man, which will
truly become real and unshakeable with the comprehension that all men are
brothers in the eyes of our heavenly Father; brothers called to increase the
graces and gifts of resurrected life in the world. Through the belief in
the presence of God, the soul of man will find ever-renewing strength to
reject evil, violence and hatred in our world. Through the love of God and
love of neighbor, there will be no place for desecrations of one another’s
spiritual treasures or holy relics, which for months have been troubling the
world; and the justified cries of distress by thousands of decimated
Armenian Khatchkars (Cross-Stones) in Nakhichevan will be heard – Khatchkars
which were ancient cultural treasures, eternal solemn prayers and
testimonies of love toward God and men. On this cherished day of Easter, we
pray for God to strengthen men and the will of people with His Spirit of
Truth, to condemn the actions, steps and desires that offend another’s
spiritual values and tramples on the rights of others; and to always
progress toward the light of seeing God, toward the peaceful, fair and
charitable world created by God.
Dear pious faithful,
We too were called to see the dawning of the Resurrection of Christ. Hope,
joy and the strength of our faith in the Savior gave life to the aspirations
of our people and our culture, and guided the course of our history.
Passing through genocidal paths, our people always believed in their new
resurrected life with Christ, in their own rebirth. The reestablishment of
our statehood and the freedom of our people are realities today in Armenia
and Nagorno Karabagh. On the edges of our homeland and in the Diaspora, all
our people live with new hopes, aspirations and faith, which for centuries
has been unceasingly and without shadows dispersed from the Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin – from the `altars of light’ of our churches. May our
faith and hope in Christ continue to flow through the arteries of our heart,
transforming into the power to build the vigorous and prosperous country
dreamed of by our fathers, to keep our national-ecclesiastical life vibrant,
to ignite the lights of the future, as well as to support and help all on
the paths of realizing desires for peace, liberty and justice.
>From the See of the Apostles Saint Thaddeus and Saint Bartholomew, and the
Throne of the Illuminator, with brotherly love we greet on this Easter
Sunday His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; His
Beatitude Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem; and His
Beatitude Mesrob Mutafyan, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. We extend
our Pontifical blessings to the entire ranks of our oath-bound clergy and to
all our beloved people.
With the love of Christ, we greet the spiritual heads of our Sister
Churches, asking for the bountiful graces of the Savior to descend on the
Christ-loving flock entrusted to them.
We greet the President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharian,
President of the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh Arkady Ghukasian, high ranking
state officials of the Armenians, those in the fields of arts, education and
science, vigilant public and political advocates and the courageous soldiers
and servicemen defending our homeland.
We extend our Pontifical blessings and best wishes to the representatives of
diplomatic missions credentialed in Armenia, through whose labors the good
relationships between our countries are being strengthened and reinforced.
Our faith and our hope to walk with a new life are renewed by the rays of
Christ’s Holy Resurrection. Let us pray in unity for God to guide men and
peoples to fortify peace, justice, and the paths of love and fraternity –
paths leading always to renewing, reborn and resurrected life. May the Lord
keep and protect our Armenian nation – in Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora
– in unity, strengthened in faith, in the name of the everlasting glory of
the All-Holy Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ is Risen from the dead.
Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.