Today, the entire Christian world celebrates the Bright Resurrection of Christ. For Orthodox peoples, this is the most radiant and joyful day - the Feast of Feasts - which proclaims the victory of life over death. In Bulgaria, we call it Velikden (“Great Day”), because for Orthodox Bulgarians, there is no greater feast than this, the most important event in human history.

On the day of Christ’s Resurrection, all Christians joyfully exchange the exclamations: "Christ is risen!" and "Truly, he is risen!"

"This is the feast that lies at the foundation of the faith of every Christian throughout the world," notes Metropolitan Antony of Western and Central Europe in a special interview for Radio Bulgaria. "For if Christ had not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and our faith is empty.

"This firm and unshakable foundation of Christ's Resurrection has once again this year brought joy to millions of people throughout the Christian world," His Eminence noted.

According to Metropolitan Anthony, as Orthodox Christians we live in the joy of Christ's Resurrection throughout our lives, for every Sunday - every time we cross the threshold of the Church - we celebrate that very Resurrection.

Yet, for Christ to be truly risen in the souls and hearts of the faithful, they must open their souls and hearts to the light of His Resurrection, so that it may accompany them through all the days of their earthly journey.

"Christ rises in our hearts, in our souls, to renew us and to make it so that we may cast off the old, sinful human nature and be clothed in Christ. It is not by chance that many of the ascetics of piety would greet one another every day with 'Christ is Risen!' When asked why they greeted one another in this way, they answered that they truly lived daily in the Resurrection of Christ. And there is nothing strange in this, for for the Christian the feast of the Resurrection of Christ is the fundamental meaning and significance of our faith. Therefore, we live daily in the light of Christ's Resurrection, carrying it with us from one celebration of the Resurrection to the next and sharing it with all those around us, so that we may truly receive grace-filled strength for our journey through life".

In the modern world we often forget these values due to the materialism and the increasing pursuit of comfort. These things dull the natural human desire for God and turn it into a dependency on the conditions of a hostile environment.

"To our great sorrow, living in this world overwhelmed by materialism, we see that arrogance, power, and malice displace the fundamental Christian values and virtues, and the aggression that floods around us seeks to silence God's voice in the hearts of people.  More than ever, we feel the pressing need to remind ourselves of the values Christ entrusted to us: compassion, love, and mercy. Indeed, hope not only sustains man - it gives him a foundation that transforms him from helpless in his weaknesses and passions into strong and steadfast, lifting him up before the glorious face of God. Thus, we have an ever-growing need for these virtues and values to adorn our souls and fill us with spiritual strength throughout the years we are blessed to live here on earth."