KUALA LUMPUR: The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur has offered a message of hope for Easter this year, as church doors stay shut for one of its biggest feast days.
“This 2020 Easter will be remembered as an Easter in which we were unable to gather as one faith community, to witness and participate in the customary rituals and traditions of this most Holy Week,” Right Reverend Julian Leow Beng Kim said in a letter.
He described this Easter as one of “empty pews and silent church bells”.
However, he said that even though this is an unprecedented Easter, one that has never been experienced before, the core message remains the same year after year.
"... that is of 'Hope’, “ he said.
“Nothing brings hope back to life like Easter, when Jesus triumphed over death and despair, “ the archbishop stated, “so at this time, we choose to be hopeful and joyful, above everything else.
“For the Easter message gives us hope in a bewildering world and hope to face the uncertainties of the future.”
Leow said while many things have been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, love and compassion have not.
“Do what you can to help others, especially the elderly, the disabled, the poor and the isolated, and do not close your hearts to the homeless and the migrants who are suffering more than others.
“Keep your heart open to all those in need. Intercede for them, connect with them through prayers or a phone call.
“My hope and prayer for all of us this Easter is that, even if we feel trapped in what feels like an enduring exile, we shall have faith that love will triumph; that a life with deeper meaning is waiting for all of us.
“May the undying hope of Easter reach deep into the life of everyone, especially those struggling most to find hope in what seems a hopeless situation,” he added.