Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025
“They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” – St. Mark 16:1-8
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Holy Spirit preserves for us the simple conversation of the holy women, as they considered the complexity of the task before them. In their ardent devotion to Jesus, they set out to perform for his body the ritual anointing that was not done on Good Friday, as it was the eve of the Passover of the Jews. Following the strictest interpretation of the Paschal Sabbath rest, they left their homes at the earliest possible moment on Easter Sunday. It was only on the way that they began to calculate the significant obstacle they would face in the immense stone covering the tomb of Christ. How tremendously moving it is to witness this ardent love of Christ, impervious to difficulties and obstacles.
In our lives and in our day, we face many stones, boulders that we cannot move ourselves. How can we not feel wretched before the situation in Palestine, Ukraine and in numerous warring regions of Africa? We see the divisions within Christianity, even in the Church herself, and we feel overwhelmed by the impossible. With our Muslim neighbours, we want to walk in a spirit of fraternity, only to find within ourselves a spirit of suspicion. We long for the restoration of our ancestral Maronite villages and we ask like the holy women; ‘who will roll away the stone for us?’
However, all these burdens and worries are opportunities in our lives to allow God to take the helm of our existence, allowing Him to transform our doubts into assurance, and our fears into faith. For, for all humanity, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ transformed the despondency and apparent defeat of Good Friday into unimaginable hope.
Let us be confident: Jesus exceeded the expectations of the holy women. He didn't simply find someone to roll away the stone for them... He was risen.
By the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us banish all pessimism, discouragement, and despair from our hearts. What seems impossible to us is not impossible for the power of Jesus Christ, He who, on this day, conquered sin, death, and the devil.
Even our continuous falling back into sin must not discourage us. On this happy day, Christ has proven to be stronger than death itself. We must renew our faith in Him and trust in His Mercy.
Therefore, before the stones that stand in our way, I tell you, do not be afraid! Christ has conquered and if we are in Christ, we too, will share in his victory and live in his peace.
Please accept my very best Easter wishes to you and to your family.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus