Belgrade Archbishop, Cardinal Ladislav Nemet, stated today in his Easter message that “night and darkness prevail on our streets, in our countries, on different continents” and urged that “Easter be a time of struggle for peace.”
“In the course of the last few years, we have managed to destroy peace in the world, produced wars between states, wars on our streets. We rightly ask ourselves: where is this world and our society going? Does even God not look at us at this moment to change our hearts? We find ourselves as if in darkness, as if we are buried in some unreal graves,” said Nemet, who read the message at the headquarters of the Belgrade Archdiocese.
He urged that Easter be a time of struggle for peace and that it does not come by itself.
“Peace is built, one must advocate for peace, fight for it,” Nemet said and asked how to fight.
“Jesus shows us. He presents himself as the King of Peace, while a war is being prepared around him. He is calm, while others are consumed by the restlessness of violence. He is tenderness and restraint itself, while others take swords and clubs into their hands. Good, while darkness prepares to cover the earth, while the plan for his death sentence is being forged. As the king of peace, Jesus wants to reconcile the world in the embrace of the Father and tear down every wall that separates us from God and our neighbor, for he is our peace,” Nemet emphasized.
He called for us to do everything so as not to be an obstacle to one another, but rather brothers and sisters who help with encouragement, patience, and merciful commitment.
Mentioning events from the history of the Church, he stated that “living with a heart of stone means when I am always at the center, my comfort, my truth, my interests.”
“My power, my country always first, at any price, even at the cost of thousands and thousands, tens of thousands of killed, mostly children, women, and the elderly. The dignity of people is not considered, nor the desire of the majority for a peaceful life, but rather my profit, my will at any price,” Nemet continued.
As he emphasized, “Living by the spirit is when Christ has space in me: when his gospel, his gentleness, his mercy shape my decisions, behavior, and values.”
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Source: Danas; Photo: ATA Images