Congratulation message of the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese for the Resurrection of Christ

Our dear faithful people of Artsakh,

This extraordinary, unprecedented message of the angel comes from the cramped cave of the tomb of the Savior and with incredible power spreads throughout the world through centuries and millennia.

Rejoicing at this message of the Angel given to the myrrh-bearing women, we all united today on the eve of the Resurrection of our Lord - the Savior Jesus Christ, better known under the beautiful name Christmas Eve. After voluntary hardships during the period of Great Lent and after the process of repentance, we came to the desired goal, which we had previously strived for with all our heart and soul.

How do our hearts react now to the news of the Resurrection? We are now talking about the victory of life over death, and two days ago we stood before the Crucified Christ. The high priests, the soldiers, and the people alike condemned Him to death, and He died. Blood and water flowed from his side, faithful relatives laid him in a cold tomb, but there were no obstacles for His coming again, and “to the tears of Golgotha”, the joy of victory followed, for “the Lord was justified!” (Luke 24:34)

In the event of the resurrection is hidden the power that has made Christianity viable and the path of truth, endowed with the power to embrace the whole world.

If the early Christians did not firmly believe in the Resurrection of Christ, they would have perished long ago, but faith in the Living has kept them alive to this day. By the power of this conviction, they were able to turn the entire pagan world upside down. Not only the teachings of Christ, but His very essence, full of power to destroy death and the grave, which made fishermen and artisans faithful and loving Apostles until death.

Our people were one of the first to feel the reality of the Resurrection and met it publicly and in their subsequent history showed that they had become the Resurrected people. But, unfortunately, he often did not adhere to the doctrine of the Risen One, and when he suffered many losses and hardships, only then he remembered that an extraordinary power was hidden in him, and again turned to this power, rose up and was saved from final destruction. Our people are sometimes subjected to trials and pain, not because they believed in Christ and this weakened us, but because we recognized the Truth, but were not faithful to it, we were not real Christians, because the gospel truth affected us: “Who has much given, much will be required." And really, in the face of Christianity, we have a powerful weapon, and if we do not use it, then not only will it not help us, but thereby we will open the door to those who harm us.

Entering the biggest Christian feast, the Resurrection of Christ, the question arises - what do we lack today? We again lack faith in the true and living Resurrection. In announcing to the people about the miraculous Resurrection of Christ, we do not change anything essential. This message is heard today from the altars of many churches, but what once happened must again become a living reality for us. You need the will to fight for your faith and endure hardships for your homeland, in order to rise after that, because the path of glory passes through the path of the Cross.

In parallel with this joyful feast of the Resurrection, many questions are born in the aching hearts of our people, our compatriots who have lost their homes, mothers who have lost sons, relatives of missing and captured soldiers and in our hearts ․Why were these losses, what was our fervent prayer for, why did evil triumph, trampled all the holy things, why did Christ teach and preach, to have a pure heart and conscience, if people like them are suffering so much now? Yes, we have such fair questions, especially in the last two years, and sometimes there are moments when our faith is completely weakened, and our heart is filled with unbearable pain and sadness.

We must not be completely crushed by adversity that has befallen us, we must muster up the courage, remain faithful and firmly keep our faith in our Creator, even at a time when we are in a difficult and distressed situation, as Christ suffering on the cross believed. God will not leave us if we do not leave Him, and even if it seems to us that we have lost everything, we must remember Job, who lost absolutely everything except his loyalty to God, and never blamed God for his losses. As a result, he received more than he had before.

And today, our enemies, who have become a tool in the hands of evil, which has nailed our people hand and foot to the cross, Artsakh, rejoice that they were able to kill the truth. But just as the miraculous reality of the Resurrection was not in the plans of evil, so our enemy does not see the potential of our people to live and resurrect. And is there a way to awaken this potential - reunion and restoration with the help of Christ, as children of Heavenly Father.

Therefore, one must do good with a sincere heart and thus accept God in oneself, and this is the key to the salvation of our people, because God always shows his sons the light of the Resurrection beyond any pain and sorrow.

Therefore, with a call for national unity, steadfastness, fidelity to God and our statehood, we proclaim again with the hope of the Resurrection․