“Holy joy fills our heart on this exalted day of the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ”. This is the message conveyed by His Eminence Petru, Metropolitan Bishop of Bessarabia, Archbishop of Chisinau and Exarch of the Territories, in his pastoral message on the occasion of the Resurrection of the Lord. According to him, on this feast day we live the purest joy, we witness the greatest miracle, we feel the sweetest and greatest consolation, IPN reports.

His Eminence Petru noted that Christ suffered, was crucified and rose again for each of us so that today we can bear witness to His Resurrection to all nations and peoples for them to turn their faces to God and believe in Him. ”Let us not be afraid, let us not hide our faith, let us not deny our Romanian spiritual identity,  let us not be frightened by the turbulent waves of this world as, if we have Christ always present in our hearts, we will truly know and feel the victorious power that comes through the Resurrection,” reads the message.

“From the treasury of Christ’s love, let us take the courage to share our Romanian Orthodox and national values that we need today, in the world we live in, and spread the word spoken by our Lord and Master Jesus Christ: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”

His Eminence Petru urged all the priests and faithful of the Metropolitan Church to step up prayers for the healing of the sick and to ask of the Merciful God for patience, strength, wisdom and understanding for all those who care for the sick at home or in the hospitals. He also recommended that in every monastery and parish, the Sacrament of Holy Unction should be celebrated as often as possible, so that no faithful person is deprived of God’s healing grace.