BY THE GRACE OF GOD
IGNATIUS ZAKKA I IWAS
Patriarch of Antioch & All the East
Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church

No. E58/12

March 28, 2012

Apostolic Benediction to our beloved Metropolitan His Eminence Mor Theethose Yeldho and to our beloved spiritual children: the Venerable Corepiscopos, the Esteemed Priests, the Reverend deacons and all the faithful of our Malankara Archdiocese in North America.

We are glad to share with you the Peace and Joy of a blessed Easter even though there is turbulence all over the world especially in the Middle East. We are really worried about the situation in Syria. However, we place our hope in the risen Lord who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. For our Lord exhorts us in the Gospel, "No one comes to the Father except through Me." (St. John 14:6). To find comfort in Jesus Christ, the word of God, the only begotten son of God, the Light of Light and the true God of true God, is the need of the hour. There is a crisis of faith among the people when they face troubled situations in the daily lives. We remind you the words of Saint Peter, the apostle of faith to be adhered on, " Let it be known to you ail, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4: 10-12). We exhort you to resist the devil and be steadfast in the true faith to overcome all kinds of sufferings in our daily lives. The genuineness of your faith is much more precious than gold that perishes and the end of your faith is the salvation of your souls. We urge you to pray for all the people who undergo tribulation, poverty, unemployment, sexual abuse, broken family relations, addictions and various kinds of diseases; to find hope and peace in the risen Lord. Pray for the World, especially pray for those in Syria. We wish you all a blessed and happy Easter and extend our Apostolic Blessings to you. May the grace of God be with you all forever, through the intercession of the Mother of God and all the saints, Amen.

Our Father Who art in heaven...

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