„Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”

Metropolitan of Chisinau and Entire Moldova, Metropolitan of Basarabia and Erarch of Plains, as well as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Chisinau, addressed greeting messages to parishioners and church leaders on the occasion of the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. [“Let the joy of the Resurrection transform us into brothers”] In the Pastoral of Metropolitan of Chisinau and Entire Moldova, His Eminence Vladimir, it is said that the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ represents the unique and real event, the central act of faith and Christian existence, the only one that confers meaning to everything that precedes and everything that follows. “As sons of the Resurrection and reconciliation and as servants of our Church, we have to preserve with honor the light of faith in the Resurrected Christ. And how could we prove more convincingly the power our faith in the Resurrection and the eternal life other than through living out the evangelical virtues: gentleness, purity, mercy, and especially, loving your neighbor and the new order given by our Savior Jesus Christ: loving your enemy”, is said in the Pastoral of His Eminence Vladimir. The Metropolitan reminds the parishioners that without the Resurrection of our Savior we wouldn’t have received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which models our life and our inner character according to Jesus Christ’s words and orders. “With this spiritual stance we can see in each human being the image of the crucified Christ, as well as the light of his victorious teaching. With this kind of faith and with this way of living and thinking, we can enjoy the excitement of the holiday of our Lord’s Resurrection, we can trust to be able to overcome the difficulties that come upon us”, said Metropolitan Vladimir. “Surely in the hearts of people there should be compassion towards orphans, elders, and those affected by spiritual sufferings caused by sin.” His Eminence Vladimir asserts that all Christians live the new life in Christ and believe that they will resurrect as he did. “These are the reasons for which in the Resurrection Day it is needed to ‘enlighten ourselves with the celebration’ and let the joy of the Resurrection transform us into brothers,” said Metropolitan of Chisinsu and Entire Moldova. According to His Eminence Vladimir, the belief that Christ Resurrected and that we will resurrect as well compels us to change our attitude towards the world, converts our indifference or hatred with which we treat our neighbor into brotherly love, because Christ has risen for each of us. “And this faith is the force that will change the world, if we will have the courage to disseminate it. In this world of discords and wars, Christians can bring peace through their pure attitude, good works, and tolerance towards everyone, for Christ resurrected for us all”, is mentioned in the Pastoral of Metropolitan of Chisinau and Entire Moldova, His Eminence Vladimir. [“The Resurrection of our Lord is the blessing of our own resurrection”] Pious blessings were also addressed to parishioners by Metropolitan of Basarabia and Erarch of Plains, His Eminence Petru in his Pastoral. Describing the road marked with effort and dedication during the Great Lent, fighting against the Enemy of our salvation and against our own sinful nature, His Eminence Petru says that this climb served as a stimulus and a source of divine strength to move towards God, towards the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The light of the Resurrection has risen in the past, but it continues to give light today, and will keep on illuminating us for ever and ever. “In this blessed day of our salvation, we find ourselves filled up with joy, ready to sing the victory song ‘Christ has risen from the dead’. It is the day we had hoped to arrive at with God’s mercy, a day in which our efforts to come closer to God are crowned with success. It is for this glorious moment that we have prepared ourselves during the last seven weeks. It is a joy for each one of us – young and old, weak and strong – it is a universal joy,” said Metropolitan of Basarabia. He also added: “The Resurrection of our Lord is joy and happiness for all people that seek God’s will, who are thus strengthened in the hope for salvation. The Resurrection Day is the beginning of yet another climb, for the Resurrection of our Lord is the blessing of our own resurrection”, said His Eminence Petru. According to the Basarabian Metropolitan, human life gains meaning through the redemption of man by the sacrifice offered at the cross by our Savior and the enrichment of man’s nature by the power of the resurrection. “Death is not the ultimate reality. The man, his life and his works gain real meaning in the reality of Christ’s Resurrection. His whole nature, personality, and works are called to the reality of the Final Resurrection. The climb towards God’s Kingdom is the climb of the resurrection”, is said in His Eminence’s Pastoral. The Basarabian Metropolitan says that the Easter joy of this year coincides with the 15th anniversary of the reactivation of the Holy Metropolitan seat of Basarabia, the dedication day of which is the Lord’s Resurrection. “Following our Lord’s urge ‘Take heart! I have overcome the world’, with the help of the divine grace and mercy, 15 years since our reactivation the Basarabian Metropolitan seat obtained the recognition of its spiritual, canonical, and historical succession of the Basarabian Orthodox Church from the interwar period, which was the most harvesting church from this Romanian territory”, is mentioned in the Pastoral of the Basarabian Metropolitan and Erarch of Plains, His Eminence Petru. [„The light of Christ shines in the eyes of the poor”] The main topic of the Pastoral of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Chisinau, His Eminence Anton Cosa addressed to the parishioners of his diocese is to be merciful towards the needy. “Now when we step as the disciples stepped near Christ, declaring him as the Light of our lives, we should be receptive and let this light penetrate our hearts so that we can see it shining in those near us. And if we pay attention, we will see the Light of Christ shining in the eyes of the poor and abandoned, waiting to be accepted and helped; we will see the Light of Christ passing through the windows and old curtains of rooms inhabited by so many lone elders, forgotten by everyone, including their children, desperately waiting someone to come and visit them, to offer them an encouraging word and maybe some assistance; we will see the Light of Christ pulsating together with baffled young persons, disoriented by today’s decayed society, who are looking for a meaning in their lives and a model to follow. And if we keep on looking carefully we will see the Light of Christ shining in people and places where we least expect: in the famine and pain of suffering homeless children, beaten and abused; in the frustration of those discriminated and persecuted because of righteousness; in the shame and humiliation of the victims of human trafficking who are desperately looking to regain their lost dignity and liberty. We will see the Light of Christ in the eyes of those close to us, members of our family, our parents, our children, our friends who are waiting to recognize in us the ‘new self’, filled with the love and kindness of the Risen One,” says the Bishop. The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of Chisinau urges his parishioners to allow the Light of the Risen Christ to push away the dark curtain that covered till now the eyes of the soul and to transform the sparkle of good intentions into the flame of good works, being aware that all that is done for the least important ones is done for Christ. “Christ is risen, he is alive, and the light of his Resurrection has removed the darkness from our hearts, healed our infirmities, and gave us the dignity of our calling: to love God with all our hearts, with all the strength of our souls and our minds, and our neighbor as ourselves”, said the Roman Catholic Bishop, His Eminence Anton Cosa. In the day of the Resurrection, all Christians witness Jesus Christ’s rising from the darkness of the grave into the luminous life. The angels were the first to announce his birth in Bethlehem, and they are the ones that proclaimed for the first time the truth that travels through space and time: [“He is not here; he has risen!”]