Tag Archive for: Easter Message

NO STONE TOO HEAVY FOR THE RISEN LORD

Before the sun had even risen… before the city had awakened… before the world knew what was about to happen, something miraculous was already underway. The Gospels tell us that on the first Easter morning, a few faithful women who cared for Jesus made their way to His tomb. It was a tomb cut into a solid rock, sealed with a massive stone.

Their hearts on that morning were heavy with grief. The tears of Good Friday were still fresh on their cheeks. They were still carrying the pain of loss, the sting of disappointment, the crushing weight of despair. It felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on their hearts like a heavy stone blocking out all hope.

EASTER MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II

With the joyful tidings of Christ’s Holy Resurrection and with supplication for divine grace, we convey to all of you our Patriarchal love, blessings, and heartfelt wishes.

The Feast of the Holy Resurrection is the proclamation of the victory of life over death—a triumph for which the Son of God sacrificed Himself, a victory affirmed as a radiant testament to God’s boundless love for humanity. Our Lord was persecuted, subjected to suffering, crucified, and tasted death. Confronted with the sorrowful reality of the Son of God’s self-sacrifice, as attested by the Evangelists, the disciples and followers of the Lord were overcome by discouragement and despair.

Yet, amid the anguish of death’s seemingly triumphant grip, the angelic proclamation from Christ’s empty tomb, “He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:6), became a beacon of enduring hope, strength, and inspiration. Truly, this joyous message is the triumphant hymn of Christ’s salvific mission.

THE EASTER MESSAGE OF BISHOP MESROP PARSAMYAN

On the first Easter morning, the women who cared for Jesus made their way to His tomb: a tomb cut into rock, with a great stone sealing its entrance. Their hearts on that morning were heavy with grief. The tears they had shed on Good Friday were not yet dried. The pain of loss, the ache of disappointment, the crushing weight of despair: it all weighed on them like a great stone, pressing down on their hearts. And as they walked, they asked a question that many of us have asked in our own lives: Who will remove the stone?

That stone represented finality. It marked the end of Jesus’ story—or so it seemed. He who had healed the sick, who had opened blind eyes, who had spoken words of Life—He was gone. The One who had lifted burdens was now sealed behind a burden too heavy to move.

THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II ON THE FEAST OF THE HOLY RESURRECTION

Today, the good tidings of the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ resound from the sacred altars of our churches. The wondrous tidings fill our hearts, burdened with the pains and losses of our motherland and national life, with hope and spiritual renewal. Life has triumphed, death has been defeated and trampled. With faith and trust in God, let us together bless the Lord in the words of the Prayerbook: ‘We praise and glorify your holy, marvelous, and victorious Resurrection.’ Through his Resurrection…

PRIMATE’S EASTER 2024 MESSAGE

For weeks now, throughout the Armenian Church, our faithful have prepared for Easter with great anticipation, from Holy Etchmiadzin, to St. Vartan Cathedral, to every local parish. But wherever you are on that day, we all stand together as witnesses to the glory of our Lord’s Resurrection. On Easter Sunday we all proclaim with the apostle: “Glory to God—the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in His mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

2023 EASTER MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II

Today, united under the auspices of our churches, we glorify the resurrected Savior and share the good tidings: “Christ is risen from the dead.” We glorify the miraculous Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered, was crucified and rose from the dead in order to free us from the power of sin and death; who through infinite divine love, opened the way to eternity and …