Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life!

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9: 9).

This year, like every year, during the Holy Week, many Christians, from Israel and abroad, flock to Jerusalem to celebrate the Messiah who, around two thousand years ago, ascended to Jerusalem on Passover, entered the city as a humble king, was arrested without trying to escape, died and was buried, and on the third day was resurrected. Paul the Apostle grasped that, behind the scandalous cross, there is a tremendous love that invites us all to break down the prison of our selfishness, to let ourselves be drawn into the stream of redemption that sprang from the heart of the Messiah and has the power to change the face of the world, thereby he wrote: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2: 20).

St Augustine said in one of his homilies: “The death of the Lord should not be a cause of shame for us; rather, it should be our greatest hope, our greatest glory. In taking upon himself the death that he found in us, he has most faithfully promised to give us life in him, such as we cannot have of ourselves”.

May the resurrection of Christ illuminate the whole Universe and draw blessing on all the inhabitants of the world. Happy Feast!