NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin December 31, 2013

On this festive day of New Year we extend Our Pontifical love and blessings to you, dear faithful people of Armenia and the Diaspora.

We are welcoming the redemptive year of 2014. With the sacrament of Our Lord’s Holy Nativity we enter a new year. When the clock strikes twelve, we will extend our prayers from our churches to heaven, wishing that the year of 2014 be full of divine blessings and graces, bringing world peace, and the hope that one blessed day, hostility and wars will end, and life will blossom in solidarity, prosperity and joy.

With God’s will, 2013 was a year of benevolent results; but there were also difficult times in the Homeland as well as in the Diaspora. We are facing deep- rooted problems such as making our country prosperous, defending our rights, reinforcing our statehood and improving our national and religious life. We are concerned with the predicament of the Armenian people living amongst the conflicts in the Middle East. We are hopeful that the children of Armenia will unite in the name of love for the Homeland and nation, overcoming the troubles in the Homeland and uniting all Armenians under her roof. We must reconcile to support each other and promote the Homeland- building and nation- preserving projects. Dear ones, in this regard, as the Apostle Paul has stated: “I have a great confidence in you; I take great pride in you…” (2 Corinthians 7.4), because our faithful people have bravely endured all the hardships, shown tolerance when in distress and lived with the determination to forge a bright future, unwaveringly traversing the path of a life renewed and independent.

On this New Year’s Day, I exhort our beloved people to fill their lives with spiritual healing and pilgrimage this year. Let us lead our lives based on honesty and justice, cherish our Christian values, learn from our mistakes and misdeeds, deny and banish all the circumstances hindering our progress, so that we can build a prosperous and flourishing life in the Homeland and Diaspora and enter the year of 2015 with a clear conscience before the memory of our martyrs.

In front of the Mother Cathedral we extend our plea to the Almighty, that 2014 bring peace to all the corners of the world, good will to all the people and nations, and new paths to resolve the disputes and establish a joyful and prosperous life.

We exhort God to bring His blessings and abundant graces to our country and all our people dispersed throughout the world. We pray for the children of our nation in distress and facing difficulties. We also offer Our congratulations to the Armenian Army soldiers who defend our native borders and to all those in service. Dear ones, let Our Lord grant us all a year of strong health, benevolence and happiness. Happy New Year!

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