The Resurrection: A Promise Of
Life Beyond The Grave
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me,
though he die, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25)
As we approach the glorious Feast of the Holy Resurrection, both in our homeland and across the diaspora, we prepare our hearts to receive the greatest promise ever given to humankind, life beyond the grave. Through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are assured that death is not the end, but the passage to a more glorious life, an eternal life in the presence of our Divine Creator. This gift, offered freely to all who believe in Jesus Christ, is the cornerstone of our faith and the comfort of our souls.
Indeed, beloved faithful, we place our trust and hope in Him who performed the greatest miracle in all of human history. He who resurrected the lifeless Lazarus from the tomb, four days after his burial. He who proclaimed to all humanity, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25) Alleluia!
Today, 2025 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christian world once again turns its gaze to heaven with faith renewed and hearts filled with the hope of eternal life. Holy Easter, the Feast of all Feasts, is a sacred celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, timeless in its meaning, yet ever new in its promise. It reminds us that Jesus Christ is not only the miraculous Son of God who held authority over death by resurrecting Lazarus, but also the divine miracle Himself, born of the Virgin Mary, cradled in a humble manger, and sent into the world to live, suffer and labor for our salvation. When His hour came, He was mocked, betrayed, and crucified, not by strangers, but His own people. As the Scripture proclaims, “He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits, those who were disobedient long ago to God” (1 Peter 3:18–20). He died on the cross, and rose in divine glory. He ascended into heaven, His eternal home, and “sat at the right hand of God,” having conquered death and leading us towards the promise of eternal life.
Holy Week culminates in the triumph of Easter. Through the glorious Feast of the Holy Resurrection, where the power of human sin, suffering, snares of evil and wickedness is shattered. Evil is defeated, and the hope of salvation is born anew with the celebration of Holy Easter Sunday. As recorded in the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, along with other women, went to the tomb bearing spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. They were perplexed about this, when suddenly, two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!’” Luke 24:1–6. This moment, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, became the divine proclamation of salvation to all of humanity until today, to all of us, because we believe in the biblical affirmation declaring, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)
Beloved people, it is only through the Holy Resurrection that we, following the example of our Savior, are called to rise, to be transformed, to have life after death. If in this life we follow the path of resurrection Jesus Christ has shown us, we will share in His victory over death and our souls will be deemed worthy of life beyond the grave. For in the heavenly realm, our souls will dwell eternally in heaven, celebrating the victory of Easter, the triumph of life over death, of good over evil.
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On the sacred occasion of the Feast of the Holy Resurrection, we extend our heartfelt greetings to His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, and offer our warmest congratulations. We rejoice in the upcoming visit of His Holiness Aram I to our region this fall, and we await with great anticipation for the spiritual and national renewal his Pontifical presence and enlightening messages will bring to all the faithful parish communities of the Western Prelacy.
From the Western Prelacy headquarters, we also convey our heartfelt Easter blessings to the Western Prelacy clergy, council members, parishes, the families and bodies of Prelacy Armenian Schools, organizations, unions, national institutions, and to all the children of our people. To all of our beloved faithful, we proclaim with joy:
Christ has risen from the dead,
Blessed be the resurrection of Christ.
Prayerfully,
Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, Prelate
Western Prelacy of the United States
April 20, 2025
Los Angeles, United States
