Easter Message from the Patriarch Exarch of Western Europe,
Metropolitan Korsunskiy and of Western Europe, Nestor,
Beloved brethren in the Lord, archpastors and pastors, brothers and sisters!
Christ is Risen!
The Easter of Christ is the triumph of Love.
We have known the love that God has for us, writes the Apostle John, and we have believed in it. (1 John 4:16) We have believed definitively, completely, because we have been convinced through experience that God’s love is all-powerful and boundless.
In the Old Testament, it was said that love is as strong as death. But in the New Testament, love is stronger than death – it is swallowed up by death in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54).
On this holy night of Easter, I would like to address a very simple appeal to all of you – let us know this love, let us preserve it among ourselves, let us be its witnesses in a world that is increasingly afflicted by indifference and insensitivity.
Let us resist the insane and criminal attempts to sow hatred and enmity among people, among nations, let us preserve the ability to love, forgive, and trust one another.
If we do not have the inner flame, if our hearts do not burn, if we do not have love – then what is the meaning of our service, our mission, our presence in different countries, cities, and villages of Western Europe?
If salt loses its flavor, it is thrown away (Luke 14:35).
May the Risen Lord grant us all the strength and wisdom to preserve the Holy Orthodoxy, to preserve our Church, our dioceses, monasteries, parishes, and communities in the spirit of love, unity, and peace.
With the Resurrection of Christ, my dear ones, I wish you all blessings.
