In greeting you with the glorious Feast of Christ's Resurrection, I pray that the Holy Spirit will bring the message and meaning of this feast into the depths of your being. At the time of Christ's ministry and Resurrection, such a powerful newness of life was brought forth that it shook the foundations of the old world and transformed human society. Each year at Pascha, we are called upon to enter once more into this profound Mystery, to experience the transformation in our own lives and to witness to the world the Joy of Christ's victory for us!

We struggle each day to assimilate the Gospel of our Saviour and feel the message of freedom and renewal in our hearts; we know that we must seek the kingdom of God within us, but during the year, our resolve often grows weak because of the cares and burdens of this life. During Great Lent we are called upon to seek with more diligence true repentance and a clear focus on the direction of our lives, and to place aside some of the distracting cares of life in order to reestablish ourselves on the path of salvation. At Holy Pascha, when we hear the joyous proclamation of the Resurrection, we taste the fruit of our struggles and receive strength to continue along that narrow path which leads to the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour.

Let us pray for one another that the message and meaning of Holy Pascha may not depart from our hearts during this coming year, but may rather strengthen us day by day, and lift us up from the cares and distractions of this life, replacing our fears with hope and our disappointments in life with the expectation of everlasting Life.

By the grace of the Holy spirit, may the joy of Pascha burn brightly in our hearts through the coming year and guide us back once more to the ineffable Feastday of reconciliation and everlasting life in Christ Jesus, our God and Saviour.

+Archbishop Lazar