The Archbishop of Albania shared an Easter message emphasizing the triumphant cry of victory and solace in Christ’s resurrection, amidst global and personal challenges.
He urged a deep personal engagement with the suffering and resurrected Christ, highlighting the unity of suffering and resurrection as essential to Christian faith.
Emphasizing that the Resurrection is intrinsic to the Cross, he stressed the importance of embracing both aspects of Christ’s journey. This union fortifies believers against despair, echoing the timeless victory hymn of Orthodox Christian belief.
Encouraging gratitude and perseverance, he called for renewed efforts to bring comfort and affection to others during the Easter season.
Read the full message of the Archbishop of Albania:
“That I may know him
and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10)Once more, following His resurrection, the triumphant cry of victory and solace echoes: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death…” Amidst the shadows of sorrow cast by myriad painful events in places like Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and beyond, and even in our immediate surroundings marked by strife, division, enmity, grave illnesses, and manifold crises. The Christian faith makes us stronger. We know that we are vulnerable, that we have “this treasure (of faith) in jars of clay, ” (2 Cor . 4:7-8), however, this happens “to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
The Easter season beckons us, in a particularly poignant manner, to engage with the suffering and resurrected Christ on a deeply personal level. It calls us to “know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Phil. 3:10). Two fundamental truths illuminate the path to the deepest communion with the suffering and resurrected Christ: embracing the fellowship of suffering and conforming to His death. At times, we emphasize that the Resurrection is not a separate event following the Cross but rather inherent within it, within the passion, when we embrace it as Christ did. On the contrary, the encounter with the Resurrection inherently involves embracing the crucified and risen Christ.
This union of suffering and Resurrection fortifies our resilience, preventing us from succumbing to despondency and hopelessness. The timeless victory hymn resounding within us – “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death…” – stands as the main declaration of Orthodox Christian belief, encapsulating the profound significance of the Incarnation of the Son and Word of God. Throughout the centuries, this dual experience of the Cross and the Resurrection has been lived out by the martyrs of our Church.
And let us “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12 (1-2)).
With gratitude, as we glorify the Triune God, let us redouble our efforts during the Easter season to embrace this certainty and extend comforting affection to those around us.Christ is Risen, my brethren!
Wishing you a blessed Easter with health, endurance and remain steadfast in the Cross and the Resurrection!
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas