Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
14.04.2004
On Sunday, April 11, the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was celebrated by the worldwide Armenian Church. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, celebrated the Pontifical Divine Liturgy.
As the service was about to begin, the Pontifical Procession moved from the Residence of the Catholicos toward the Mother Cathedral to celebrate the Easter Divine Liturgy, surrounded by thousands of faithful Armenians from Armenia and the Diaspora.
The Mother Cathedral of All Armenians was filled to capacity, and the overflowing crowd in the courtyard of the Mother See heard the message of the Pontiff, as he declared: "Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ."
The theme for His Holiness' sermon was from the Gospel of Saint Mark, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." (Mark 6:50). In his sermon to the Armenian faithful in Armenia and the Dispersion, His Holiness stated in part, "With His blessed presence and with His saving power, the Lord has been at our side, wherever the ship of our life has been driven during the journeying courses of difficult, as well as trouble-free periods of our history. God has been at our side and has not abandoned us in deadly fateful times, when having lost our hope in men, we have been left alone. The light of the Resurrection soars above all of our Avarayrs and Sardarapats. The paths of Golgotha for the Armenians, which dispersed us throughout the world, are crowned with the radiance of the Resurrection. Today, our statehood is also reborn, and at every stage of life, the Lord awaits us, to spread His light and His peace over us, to bless our efforts and labor and to make them fruitful. However, we should not mix the good with the bad, nor confuse truth with falsehood. The truth is Armenia independent and Artsakh free, and our patriotism, our solidarity and unanimity . . . Indeed, there is no greater expression of faith than unity, and there is no greater encouragement than the belief that God with his saving power, is with us.
"Wherever we live, we will live through the Homeland and Holy Etchmiadzin, with our national values and patriotic inheritance, so that our children will keep away from useless and false ideas, and from alien values, which are penetrating our lives and being imposed upon us from within and without . . .
"Dear Armenians dispersed throughout the world, you who can look to Ararat from near or far, can see under the gaze of the mount that hosts the Ark, the outstretched ark of Armenian salvation: Armenia and Artsakh. You, who see the radiating and inexhaustible light of the lantern of the Illuminator above the heights of Aragats, have faith, that the God of our fathers will continue His work upon our land through our faith. He will continue His work throughout our national life, upon which today the hope of Resurrection is taking flight."
His Holiness addressed Easter greetings, blessings and congratulations as well to the Incumbents of the Hierarchal Sees of the Armenian Church, the entire order of clergy, state officials of the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, and all faithful throughout the world.
Present during the Divine Liturgy were President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, President of the National Assembly (Parliament) Arthur Baghdasarian, National Assembly Members and Ministers of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, Ambassadors and the Diplomatic Corps of Foreign Governments, representatives of sister Christian Churches, members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, and thousands of faithful.
At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, an official reception was hosted in the Pontifical Residence for the dignitaries and guests in attendance. His Holiness welcomed and congratulated the guests on the occasion of the Glorious Resurrection of Christ and once more conveyed to them the great tiding of: "Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ."
