Our resurrection with the Lord Jesus Christ begins today and continues every day of our lives, through the power of the Holy Spirit—just as it began in the lives of the apostles on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. This is what we experience and express through our diverse liturgical celebrations, especially in the procession of the triumphant and redemptive Cross, and in the Rite of Peace during the Feast of the Resurrection, the Feast of Feasts.
The risen Christ is present in every word spoken by our tongues—for in the beginning was the Word, and the Word is God, and God has granted us this Word so that we may glorify Him. He is present in our freedom, our choices, our decisions, and our actions—blessing all we do with divine purpose. Yet worldly matters often tempt and mislead us, ensnaring us with our instincts and desires. As a result, our faith weakens, our hope falters, and we drift from the teachings of the Gospel. We begin to neglect our duties toward our Heavenly Father and toward our fellow human beings.
Theologically, if we do not believe in the Resurrection, we are not truly Christians. Our faith becomes void, for the central mystery of Christianity lies in the incarnation, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The core of our belief is that Christ, who was crucified and died, has truly risen and lives among us forever. He is alive in our conscience, in our hearts, in our thoughts, and He constantly watches over us, guiding us. The Resurrection of Christ from the dead is, in truth, the resurrection of all humankind who seek new life. It is a fundamental truth: “He is not here; He has risen.” (Luke 24:6)
We firmly believe that Christ rose from the dead and lives within us. Because no one witnessed the exact moment of His resurrection, it remains a matter of faith—a faith rooted in the witness of the holy apostles and passed down through every generation of the Church. The Resurrection is not just a historical event—it is a spiritual eruption, a volcano of faith igniting the heart, mind, and soul of the believer. Through this faith, we are justified and emboldened to walk steadfastly on the path of salvation.
When God raised Jesus from the dead, it was not simply a miraculous act for Christ alone—it was for all people, so that they might believe in Him as the Son of God and see God as a loving and forgiving Father. God offered His only Son to redeem us. If our Heavenly Father did not withhold His Son but handed Him over for our sake, should we not, in return, be grateful, devoted, and faithful?
Easter—the Feast of Hope, Life, and Renewal—calls us all to renew our faith in the victorious Christ who triumphed through suffering, death, and resurrection. It invites us to strengthen our trust in the Church and the successor of Saint Peter. It invites us to sincere repentance through which we gain God’s grace and to cultivate true brotherhood, without which we cannot attain dignity, peace, or stability.
How urgently we need today to reflect on the deep meanings and mysteries of the Resurrection. Our selfishness, greed, and shallow priorities have paralyzed us, leading us to forget that we are children of God—created in His image and likeness, our bodies temples for His Spirit. He gave His only Son to redeem us and lead us out of the darkness of original sin.
Through His crucifixion and death, Christ conquered death, and on the third day, He rose, lifting us with Him into new life—clothed in the renewed and purified self, freed from burdens and sins. His Resurrection is ours, too. As Saint Paul declared: “Christ lives in me.” Through Christ’s Resurrection, we become the new human, reborn in baptism, filled with love, forgiveness, peace, purity, gentleness, and respect for human dignity and freedom.
Let us roll away the stone from our hearts—the stone of sin, corruption, selfishness, hatred, and division—and cast out all that belongs to the Evil One. Let us ask the victorious Christ to bless our beloved Lebanon and its people—both in the homeland and across the world—so that they may live in peace and well-being. Let us bear witness today to the truth of the Resurrection and declare with a loud voice:
“Christ is alive in us!”Let us greet one another with the holy kiss of peace, in firm and unwavering faith.
We conclude with the words of Saint Paul to the Colossians (3:1–5): “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen! We are witnesses to His Resurrection.
