Primate’s Message on the Feast of Holy Resurrection of Christ

We do not rely on ourselves,
but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9)

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

On the radiant feast of Christ’s Resurrection, these words of St. Paul speak directly to our hearts. They remind us that our hope is not founded on our own strength, our own wisdom, or our own security. Our refuge is in God—the One who raises the dead.

So often we try to secure our lives by our own efforts. We lean on our abilities, our plans, our resources. Yet the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ reveals a greater truth: when human strength reaches its limit, God’s power begins to shine. Christ rose from the tomb, trampling death by death. He showed us the path from despair to hope, from fear to courage, from spiritual death to new life.

Christ’s Resurrection is not only an event of the past; it is a living reality in our lives today. Through His earthly mission, Christ lifted humanity toward God. In the light of his Resurrection, we begin to understand the Gospel more deeply as life-giving truth. The Resurrection is God breathing eternity into our daily existence.

Easter is a new beginning. Our Lenten journey leads us through repentance, reflection, and longing, until we arrive at the empty tomb. And if we have truly prepared our hearts, the joy we experience cannot be explained by words alone. It is felt, lived, and embodied. Just as we feel physical hunger, we also feel a spiritual hunger—a longing for meaning, for forgiveness, for love. That hunger is satisfied only in the presence of God.

The Feast of the Holy Resurrection is a personal rebirth for each of us. It is victory over temptation, over sin, over the darkness that tries to overwhelm us. It is a call to awaken—within our families, within our communities, within our own hearts. And we are called to answer with courage, boldness, and above all, faith.

Blessed is the one who makes Christ’s Resurrection a mirror of their inner life. For when we root the mystery of the Resurrection deep within us, we begin to see life differently. We recognize that we carry within ourselves a reflection of the divine light.

The person who lives in the spirit of the Resurrection becomes grateful—grateful for the gift of life, grateful for grace, grateful even in trials. Strengthened by the Risen Christ, we find the true foundation to overcome evil and to live renewed by God’s love.

The Resurrection is the path that leads us toward eternity. It is the hope for which humanity thirsts. To live with this faith is to celebrate not only a feast day, but the very promise of salvation and eternal life.

Therefore, let us not rely on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. For in Christ’s Resurrection, death is defeated, hope is reborn, and true life begins anew.

Christ is risen!
Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ!

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian
Primate
Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America

Easter, 2026