Mary is our Mother. At the hour of Christ’s death, she stood by the cross in perfect spiritual unity, crucified with Him. She died there spiritually together with Him. How deep her pain was when she saw her Son dying! However, she was the only one who believed that Jesus would be raised. Even when the apostles were paralyzed by fear and pain, she stood by the cross and believed, being the most faithful disciple.

The Scripture testifies that the Virgin Mary was not with the women who went with haste to the tomb on Sunday morning. The women were Mary Magdalene and the others with her, but the Mother of God did not go to see the tomb at all. Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, an angel rolled aside the stone. But Christ did not come out of the tomb. The angel just revealed that Jesus was not there. The tomb was empty. Jesus had left. Where is His spirit and His glorious body this night? Tradition has it that the Risen Jesus first appeared to His Mother. The Scripture is silent about this encounter. Where was the Mother of God on the night of the Resurrection? How did she spend that night?

“Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself!

Touch Me and see.“

Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch Me and see.

Jesus spoke these words when He appeared to the apostles on Sunday evening. They were shocked by the Saviour’s appearance and thought they were seeing a spirit, rather than the real Christ with His glorified body. Jesus urged them to look closely at His hands and feet and to touch Him to convince themselves that it was truly Him. He even asked them to give Him something to eat as further proof that He was in His resurrected body. They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb, which He ate in front of them. The bones of the fish remained as a testament to His real presence.

Let us remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He appears in a special way to certain favoured individuals, through whom He reminds believers of certain truths. He also often calls people to repentance and faith in Him in various ways. However, Jesus has also promised us His spiritual presence, saying: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”

The Word of God says that we were immersed through baptism into Christ’s death. Through faith we should open ourselves to the reality of Christ’s death, which overcomes sin and the devil. At the moment of His death, Jesus commits His spirit into the Father’s hands. In Christ’s death there is a great power that overcomes. Then comes the resurrection, the new life. We are to enter into Christ’s death in various life situations. It means seriously seeking God’s will and putting God first in a particular situation. In other words, renouncing our own interest, our own truth, our own experience at the present moment and sincerely accept God’s will, God’s truth. This requires self-denial. And then, by His almighty power, God can perform anew the miracle of resurrection in that situation.

In baptism we have also become partakers of Christ’s resurrection, and we should open ourselves to this truth by faith so that it may work in us. God has given us the gift of resurrection through baptism.

23 March 2026

Dear Bishops of Africa,

be mindful of your current situation and seek the solution that God desires from each of you in this most critical time for the Church. The central question is this: What constitutes a saving act of repentance today – that is, a change of heart and a change of life?

Watch this video on: https://youtu.be/JKqtW8OuFYw   
https://rumble.com/v77vlcu-bishops-of-africa.html   
https://cos.tv/videos/play/68272692915111936   
https://crowdbunker.com/v/tzB1VuVGS8   

Episode 1

Episode 2

Watch the film The Resurrection of Christ on:
Episode 1
https://youtu.be/EnIyyHpdv8w   https://crowdbunker.com/v/9wZk5ZSeWh  
https://rumble.com/v70mo06-the-resurrection-of-christ-part-1.html  

Episode 2
https://youtu.be/roQlatUl8mM   https://crowdbunker.com/v/ZcGMjxZGEy    https://rumble.com/v70ms6s-the-resurrection-of-christ-part-2.html   

Watch the film on YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzst2p_2oLcd5Z3-MNX_G6mmhVNzb0oOl
https://www.youtube.com/@FilmResurrectionofChrist

It is night. Jesus is in the tomb. The soldiers guard the tomb. Where is the Mother of God this night? How does she spend this night? Where are the Apostles? What is their state of mind? What do they feel? Horror and fear. And what about the women who had followed Jesus? What about the soldiers, enemies? What is the spiritual atmosphere in Jerusalem like? Christ is in the tomb. The enemies rejoice over Him…

But this is not the end! JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD! We do not know when exactly, the Scriptures do not say whether it was at midnight or at one or two o’clock in the morning. It is not important when exactly it happened. The whole night is holy. After Jesus’ death His spirit descended from the Father’s hands into the place called Sheol, or Hades, and crushed its gates. Then His spirit returns into the body. His body is not only raised to life but also transfigured. It means that Christ’s body is glorified. Jesus comes out of the tomb. He passes through the stone walls. The soldiers still guard the tomb but it is now empty. In the morning, an angel rolls back the stone from the door of the tomb but Christ does not come out. The angel just reveals that Jesus is not there. The tomb is empty, Jesus left the tomb. Where in Jerusalem is His spirit and His glorious body this night? Tradition has it that He first appeared to the Blessed Virgin.

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.” (1Cor 15:20-21) It is written: “The first man Adam became a living soul.” But breaking the commandment, he sinned and became a dead soul. He lost the divine life. All his descendants are born dead souls, deprived of the divine life. “The last Adam – Jesus became a life-giving Spirit.” This is the only solution for a dead soul – to receive a life-giving Spirit. How? By repentance. It means to stand up against the system of lies and pride which manipulates reason and to accept the basic realities and truths concerning earthly and eternal life: the reality of death, the reality of personal sin, the reality of God’s judgment and consequently of just eternal punishment. Another reality is to acknowledge God as the Creator of the whole universe and of all living creatures on earth. To receive the love of God, which is in Christ. He took the just punishment for our sin.

Martyrs and Other Saints

+ Elijah – Tuptalo

February

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In suffering, we must stand in the faith and not groan. We must give thanks and praise the Lord, turn our eyes to the suffering Jesus and unite our pain, loneliness, spiritual dryness and all sorts of negative feelings, which are hard to express, with the pain of Jesus. These are the best gifts which God gives us in order to deliver us from the bondage of lies, vanity and deceit of the world and old self and to bring us into the light of His truth.

Saint Henry Suso, in time of the deepest inner pain, heard the voice of Jesus in his soul: “Arise, unite your pain with Mine and you will find true peace!” He obeyed and then practised it until death, which led him to true holiness.

Let us give every thought, every problem or fear to Jesus in faith.

After Jesus talked about love at the Last Supper, Simon asked Him: “Lord, where are You going?” What did Jesus say? “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow Me later.” Peter finally said: “I will lay down my life for You.” Jesus answered him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times.” What must Peter have felt when Jesus told him this? He didn’t understand: What’s that He is saying about me? How can I deny Him? I am ready to sacrifice my life! Even if all betray Him, I never will! Peter must have looked at Jesus with sadness. Lord, what are You saying? Who do you think I am? Betray You? Never! Not me.

“The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in His name to all the nations.“

The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in His

name to all the nations.

Who said these words and where? Jesus spoke them on Sunday evening when He appeared to the apostles gathered on Mount Zion. It was here that Jesus had celebrated the Last Supper three days earlier, on Thursday evening.

The risen Jesus reminds the astonished apostles that He had foretold several times that He would suffer, but also rise from the dead on the third day. Only when this prophecy was fulfilled were the apostles’ eyes opened.

Jesus goes on to say that repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations.

“All we like sheep have gone astray…”

The first words are “all we”. That is, me, you, each of us. None of us can say: Not me. All we have gone astray. What does it mean? To go astray means not to know the way. When a child gets lost in the forest, they do not know the way back.

Straying is often a way of life for many people. Many people are confused, do not follow God, and may have a university education, yet they are straying. When someone asks them: What is the purpose of your life? Why do you live? To eat, sleep, drink, accumulate possessions, grow old and die? And what you have accumulated, you don’t even know to whom you will leave it. So what is the meaning of your life? All the learned philosophers will present different theories, but they will not give a clear answer. None of them will really answer the most important question: What is the meaning of my life? What is the meaning of my suffering? Only God can answer that. He gives us His Word, which is our light and our way. Jesus Himself is the way.

+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

Contemplating the Lord’s passion is an ancient tradition. It helps you realize more deeply what Jesus suffered for your sake. From this knowledge comes true respect, love and gratitude.

It is recommended to contemplate the Lord’s passion especially on Thursday evening and Friday, the day of Christ’s redemptive suffering and death.

Reflection

(a verse from a Lenten hymn, e.g. Kyrie eleison)

1. Jesus washes the apostles’ feet: On Thursday evening Jesus celebrates the Last Supper with His apostles.

At the beginning, Jesus washed the apostles’ feet. Thus He gave them the example of humility. He warns them against betrayal, behind which is the devil. Only a humble person can overcome the devil. Humility is truth, and truth makes you free. (We sing “Yehoshua” to the melody “You Are Our Peace”)