Fellow Citizens,
Today, the national community joins our Christian brothers and sisters in celebrating the festival of Easter – the most significant festival in the Christian calendar.
In the lead up to Easter, Christians observe Good Friday, the day that Christ died. On the human level, Christ’s death must have bought unspeakable despair and paralysing confusion to His followers at that time. It must have seemed to them, that all hope had been lost – that all of their dreams had been swallowed up by the grave. They must have felt utterly dejected and disheartened.
What Christ’s followers felt at that time, might well not be different from what many of us feel in our lives today, from time to time. Oftentimes, we feel overwhelmed by sorrow; we feel crushed by despair.
Yet, after the anguish and the hopelessness that gripped Christ’s followers on Good Friday, Easter came. And, on that first Easter morning, those of His followers who had managed to hang on to hope, experienced the full realization of their faith and were able to participate in the most profound joy imaginable: the joy of resurrection – of rebirth and of new life.
The Christian journey of Easter – the journey from the depths of sorrow to the heights of joy – is a reflection of the journey of every human being. It is the story of walking through the darkness, knowing and believing that there will be light at the end of it all.
This Easter, as we celebrate with our families and our loved ones, let us reflect on the festival’s central theme, which speaks to the very heart of the human experience – the triumph of life over death, of joy over sorrow, and of hope over despair. Christ’s victory over the grave reaffirms to all of us that, in the face of loss, uncertainty and despair, there is the power of renewal and restoration, and with it, the promise of salvation and transformation for all of humanity. Let us, on the individual level, commit to doing everything we can to generate, in our own lives, a resurrection and a renewal of purpose, spirit and resolve. Let us participate fully in the Easter experience, by embracing that fundamental truth about the human condition – that even in our darkest moments, there is hope, and there is always the promise of a new beginning. Let us each rise to the challenge to be active participants in our own renewal—to find strength in adversity, joy in hardship, hope in despair and unity amid division.
On the national level, let us embrace the Easter teaching that, if we are to rise to the challenges of our time, we cannot turn away from our problems in despair. Let us instead commit to staying the course – to walking through the pain of our Good Fridays, and to embracing and adopting new attitudes and ways of thinking in order to bring about the transformation and rebirth we desire. Let us come to the realization that it is only if we do not give up, that we, as a nation, will come to experience the most profound joy imaginable: the joy of a nation filled with its brethren dwelling together in unity and in love.
I extend to the Christian and to the national community best wishes for a joyous and holy Easter.
