As people, families and communities continue to be affected by the COVID-19 crisis in Europe and in the rest of the world, H. Em. Card. Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ and Rev. Christian Krieger, respectively Presidents of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) and of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), share the following Easter message:
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Christians are preparing to commemorate the passion and death of Christ, to celebrate his resurrection in glory in a completely new way. This Easter believers will be unable to come together to pray and sing together, gather to be silent before God, listen to his word, meet together to share the bread and the cup.
This year we celebrate the victory in Christ over death, at a time when the world is struggling with the COVID 19 pandemic, that is ravaging the world causing mourning and suffering among all peoples. Confined to ourhomes or in voluntary self-isolation, this year believers will celebrate the victory of life hoping to fight death.
More than ever, current events remind us how much hope is a dimension of faith. “For in hope we were saved,”affirms Apostle Paul in the epistle to the Romans, before continuing: “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”(Romans 8. 24-25).
May the Easter Gospel stir this breath of hope in the hearts and thoughts of Christians, may the breath of God animate our steadfast expectation so that the Church and each and every one of us become bearers of hope and light in our world ravaged by much suffering.
May God, thrice holy, He who is, who was and who is to come, bless His humanity and keep it.
Christ is risen, He is truly risen!