Christ is risen: A message from leaders
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
This year, the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Archbishop, Makarios, shared their heartfelt messages with the faithful as they celebrated Anastasi at the namesake parish in Kogarah, the Church of The Resurrection of Christ highlighting the profound spiritual meaning of this day and the values of love, forgiveness, and togetherness.
Prime Minister Albanese’s Easter message:
“To all Orthodox Christians, I am delighted to send my warmest wishes for a happy and blessed Easter. As you gather to remember the crucifixion and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, may this be a time of reflection, joy, and peace.
For Australia’s Greek and Orthodox Christian communities, the treasured traditions of Easter are also a tie of history and heritage. The signs and symbols of this holy time – prayers and hymns, bread and lamb, red-dyed eggs and koulouria – are the rituals of an ancient, proud, and beautiful culture shared by millions of people around the world.
Generations of Greek Australians in every part of this great country have contributed to building our open-hearted, welcoming nation, driven by compassion and an abiding sense of fairness. At Easter, we are reminded of the importance of forgiveness, kindness, and togetherness. These are the qualities we cherish as a nation and which we work together to uphold in a spirit of unity and community.
I wish you all a safe, happy, and holy Easter. Καλό Πάσχα!”
Archbishop Makarios’ Paschal encyclical:
“Most Honourable Fellow Bishops and my beloved children, In a world which experiences change on a daily basis and is shaken by ‘wars and rumours of wars’ (Mt 24:6), in a world of technology and progress, the contemporary human person still endeavours to provide a solution to the great and insurmountable problem of death, and everything that is related to it.
The Orthodox Church answers this timeless question with the Resurrection of Christ, which is not a sentimental or psychological invention by some clergy, but rather a historical reality, which can only be understood by way of experience. The person who does not believe in the Resurrection of Christ fears death and believes that, with death, the lights switch off, and everything is lost. On the contrary, the person who believes in the Resurrection of Christ sees death approaching and is taught by this. Death teaches us to love one other as a matter of urgency, so as not to leave this life embittered with one other. A person who believes in the Resurrection of Christ considers that whilst the lights may switch off with death, this is not because all things have ended and become lost. Rather, the sweetness of a new dawn has arrived and something beautiful is about to commence. The Church, therefore, does not teach us how to become good and ethical people, but rather how to defeat death.
I invite you all to this way of life, informed by the Resurrection. Live and experience the joy of the Resurrection. Do not be afraid to be filled with joy, because where there is a lack of joy, Christ is absent. Live the joy of the Resurrection in communion and unity with the Resurrected Christ, without fear, despair, self-pity, and misery; but with courage, optimism, and faith in His Word: ‘Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33).
Christ is Risen! May He grant you all many years!
In Sydney, on the Sunday of Pascha, the 5th of May 2024,
The Archbishop † Makarios of Australia”.
The original article: NEOS KOSMOS .
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