Dear beneficiaries, dear benefactors and collaborators of "Caritas Moldova",

The Gospel of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening announces the fullness of Christ's mission, who "loved his own that were in the world, and loved them to the end" (Jn 13: 1). It was then the beginning of the last supper, the one at which the Savior was offered to us as food for eternal life in the form of bread and wine, the supper which was followed by his painful suffering and death on the wood of the cross, which he stretched out his arms to being nailed, he embraced the whole Universe in his supreme act of giving "for us and for our salvation."

But on Good Friday, the day of the Lord's death, only the dominion of sin and death ends, because love and life - that is, Christ himself - have the last word, and the grain of wheat fallen to the ground and dies (cf. Jn 12:24 ) brings the abundant fruit of a new life, to which each of us is called to share. This life is the great gift of the resurrection of Jesus, as the old Easter hymn says: "Christ has risen from the dead, trampling death to death, and giving life to those in the grave!"

Easter means transition: the transition from death to life, from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light, from sadness to joy, from despair to hope. But, like the Jewish people, who each year remembered reliving the great events of the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, we are called to become actors, and not mere spectators, of the resurrection of the Savior, to make the transition, that is, to realize in our lives. Easter. St. Augustine, this lover of the risen Christ, said: "At present we realize this passage through faith, which gives us the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life if we love God and neighbor, because" faith works by love "(cf. Gal 5: 6) ”(Epistle 55). And Easter means love. St. John Paul II said that "we are the people of Easter and Hallelujah is our song." Therefore, we are the people of love, the ones who receive it as a gift from God and spread it further, making it a concrete gesture.

On the morning of the resurrection, the women ran to the tomb and on the way wondered "Who will roll the stone at the entrance to the tomb?" (Mk 16: 3), because their greatest desire was to see Jesus. And eight days after the resurrection, Jesus allowed the apostle Thomas to touch the traces of his suffering (cf. Jn 19:27), his blessed wounds through which we were healed (cf. 1 Pet 2:24), so that he could be healed. the unbelief of this disciple of his. We live in a world where there are so many stones that make it difficult, if not impossible, for Jesus to be perceived, in a world full of wounds that need to be healed.

In this context, I address myself, first of all, to the beneficiaries of “Caritas Moldova”, asking them to let themselves be helped in having their stone taken from them, which prevents them from meeting the Risen Jesus in the gestures of love we make for their bodily and spiritual good; to be healed by the charity of the Risen Jesus, in order to have hope, this virtue in which they can be saved (cf. Rom 8:24).

Secondly, I address the benefactors of "Caritas Moldova", known or unknown, thanking them, on behalf of all beneficiaries and the entire team of the foundation, for putting into practice the commandment of Christ's love, aware that what I do for the little ones , I do for Jesus himself (cf. Mt 25:40), thus making the light of the resurrection overcome the darkness of despair.

Thirdly, I address all the collaborators of "Caritas Moldova" to be those angels who put aside the stone of pain and despair from the hearts of those whom Pope Francis, like the Savior, loves so much: the poor. The gestures of charity that you perform should always start from a heart full of love and dedication, so that you can conform more and more to Christ, whose heart is pierced by love. Be like Jesus, those doctors for body and soul, to heal as many wounds as possible that disfigure the face of mankind and thus become truly the light of the world and the salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13,15).

I wish you all a joyful Easter of heaven in which to shine the charity of Christ. And this, under the gentle gaze of our heavenly Mother, Mary.

Christ is Risen!

Dr. Petru Ciobanu

President of Caritas Moldova