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Archbishop Angelo Massafra congratulated the Catholic faithful on Easter. While appealing for peace, Monsignor Massafra also dwells on Russia’s war in Ukraine, which he says is incomprehensible.
Message from Monsignor Angelo Massafra:
The days of the great feast of the Passover are back: the most important religious event for us Christians, the one that gives meaning and reason to the religion that makes us call ourselves believers in Christ. With the apostle Paul we affirm that “unless Christ has indeed been raised, then our preaching is in vain – your faith is in vain” (cf. 1 Cor 15:14). The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee of his divinity, hence we call him “God” and “Son of God”, who offered his life and received it again with the power of his arm (cf. Jn 10: 17-18). ).
And we are saved only by recognizing and proclaiming the fact that Christ is Lord (cf. Rom 10: 9). Dear brothers and sisters, today more than ever we must proclaim the Lord of the Risen Christ in these times when we are traversing the darkness of death caused by the wars that are burning our planet, in particular by Russia’s incomprehensible war against Ukraine. , while we have not yet finally emerged from the deep darkness of a global pandemic. And this for two reasons: first because the humble knowledge of the lord of Christ also means acknowledging that no one can dominate and humiliate others without being punished, whether in the name of an ideology or a political opinion. Second, because the Risen Christ exercises his lordship not by force, but by bringing the gift of peace. On the evening of the Passover, the disciples gathered in the Crucifixion, locked inside in fear, Jesus appears and wishes them peace, gives them the Holy Spirit and the power to forgive sins (cf. Jn 20: 19-23).
The peace that the Risen Jesus wishes consists in living the full presence of God; The gifted soul is the guarantee of this presence in those who believe in Him; the power to forgive sins is the proclamation that God is merciful and wants his children to live this mercy, receive and give. The acceptance of the Risen Christ as Lord of our lives is all this, but also the beginning of a new life, marked by the presence of the sanctifying Spirit; it is also the beginning of new relationships between us, marked by mutual mercy. We understand that it is not enough to proclaim peace, but it is necessary first of all to have peace in the heart; nor is it enough for the mighty of the earth to do this alone: it is necessary for everyone to live and work for peace in themselves, in their home and in the places where they are. Let me be more concrete: let us remove the anger from our hearts, let us remove, once and for all the desire to exploit the other with bribery and corruption, let us each do our duty with correctness, transparency and justice, without asking for anything that does not belongs to us by law in every sector: shopping, schools, universities, courts and the health sector!
To be in solidarity with the most needy, as our Mother Teresa invites us. Dear ones, instead of always complaining and / or leaving our Homeland, all together and each of us to act in order for our Albania to become more livable! Therefore, I address this heartfelt appeal to all believers in Christ to whom this greeting message reaches and to all men and women of good will: to allow the Risen Christ to pass through the closed doors of the “jars” our locked-in, our frightened hearts, our diseased relationships from insecurities and doubts. Do not be afraid to welcome the One who wants to sit at the table with you, not to remove something from your table, but to give yourself as food and drink. And then He, the only God and Savior, will give you with Himself the much-desired peace, the life-giving and sanctifying Spirit, together with a new life full of merciful love.
This appeal is also the content of my sincere congratulations on this unspoiled solemnity. The blessing of the Risen Christ, our Lord and Savior, descend abundantly upon you, upon your families, upon our Church in synodal walk, upon civil society and upon our rulers, but especially upon the sick and those who are living the anxieties of this time of crisis. Wish: Catholics, Orthodox and all Christians: Happy Easter.
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