“The Holy Fathers of the Church remind us that the light of God’s love purifies us when we approach one another with love. On the other hand, this light burns us if our hearts remain hard, when, while we ask for forgiveness, we do not offer it, when we refuse to embrace others with the sacred kiss of forgiveness, even for the period of the Resurrection”, stressed Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium in his Easter message.
The Metropolitan of Belgium also said: “In the Resurrection of Christ, we find the answer to all the problems that concern man. Even for the meaning of pain and death.”
Concluding the Metropolitan of Belgium stated that: “We have not been able to live a normal life for a year and a half. That is why we are now more united with the Risen Lord, because the light of Christ’s Resurrection brings light to the difficulties, and we hope to return to normalcy soon. Let’s be a little more patient!”
Read below the message of Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg:
My beloved,
Christ is Risen!
At the beginning of our journey to Easter, we approached each other to receive and offer forgiveness, the first step on the path of repentance. Today, celebrating the completion of this procession, we celebrate the forgiveness that breaks down the walls of separation and invites us to embrace friends and enemies thanks to Him.
Without being a ceremony of past events, our proclamation of the Resurrection of Christ is based on a fact which transcends space and time. We are therefore literally participating in an ever-present reality, which unites the past, present, and future, in a timeless dimension of the experience of perfect love, which has been revealed to humanity. We are with the women at the entrance of the tomb and at the same time in front of the Kingdom of God. Our hearts are enlightened. Our eyes are opened as the Risen Lord and Savior invites us to turn our gaze beyond the worries and sorrows of this world, to the promised joys in the life of the future world. Our desires and passions, pride and hatred do not make sense as we share in the joy of the victory of eternal life, which is offered so generously by our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal victor.
Just as our journey began with the call for forgiveness, the true joy of Easter also ends with forgiveness. Our Lord and Savior does not make any compromise on this point. The Holy Fathers of the Church remind us that the light of God’s love purifies us when we approach one another with love. On the other hand, this light burns us if our hearts remain hard, when, while we ask for forgiveness, we do not offer it, when we refuse to embrace others with the sacred kiss of forgiveness, even for the period of the Resurrection.
In the Resurrection of Christ, we find the answer to all the problems that concern man. Even for the meaning of pain and death. We wonder about especially the difficult days during the pandemic. We do not always understand why the Lord allowed us to experience this ordeal. But now we know for sure that Christ is Risen and we have the opportunity to participate in the light of His Resurrection. It is the light of the world “that can never be covered by darkness.” And it invites us to let it shine in front of all of humanity. Let us become worthy witnesses of this Light and so this Easter can be a time of great joy, hope, and light for each of us!
We have not been able to live a normal life for a year and a half. That is why we are now more united with the Risen Lord, because the light of Christ’s Resurrection brings light to the difficulties, and we hope to return to normalcy soon. Let’s be a little more patient!
With paternal wishes,
Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg
