As thousands of Christians celebrate Palm Sunday today, the the Head of the Catholic Church in Fiji, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong says that Christians enter the most sacred time of the Christian calendar being the Holy Week and the Easter Triduum but at the same time, our nation faces real struggles with a drug crisis that is trapping many of our young people.
The Archbishop says these are the slaveries of our time, the shadows that call for transformation.
He says domestic violence continues to wound families and communities, while rising health challenges, including HIV, bring deep concern.
He adds that corruption and instability weaken trust, and climate change threatens our future.
His Grace says from Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to the stillness of Gethsemane, the sacrifice of the Cross, and finally the radiant joy of the Resurrection, people walk through what is truly the Week of Weeks.
He says Easter is not simply a date Christians observe; it is the very heart of the Christian faith and the feast of feasts that gives meaning to every other day of the year.
His Grace says Easter is more than a remembrance of the past, it is a living reality of our participation in Christ’s passage from death to life.
He adds that this is what we call the Paschal Mystery, the profound truth that God conquers sin and death, bringing light into every darkness.
He further adds that this mystery flows beyond the altar into our homes, our communities, and our daily lives, filling them with hope.
He says to understand Easter fully, Christians look to its roots in the Jewish Passover.
His Grace says in that sacred story, God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt through Moses, leading them into freedom.
The Archbishop says Jesus is the new and eternal Saviour, and he frees people from the deeper slavery of sin and death.
He says the Easter Triduum, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil, is the summit of worship.
He says during these sacred days, people do more than remember; they make Christ’s saving actions present among us.
His Grace adds that when they wash feet, they enter into Christ’s call to serve, and when people venerate the Cross, they bring their own suffering into His victory.
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