Queen Elizabeth gave her first ever Easter message on Saturday to send a hopeful message to the world amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Fox News reported that even though everyone is in quarantine to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Queen said that Easter is not cancelled. Instead, she described the holiday as a symbol of faith as the world mourns.
“Many religions have festivals which celebrate light overcoming darkness,” she said. “Such occasions are often accompanied by the lighting of candles. They seem to speak to every culture, and appeal to people of all faiths, and of none. They are lit on birthday cakes and to mark family anniversaries. When we gather happily around a source of light it unites us.”
“As darkness falls on the Saturday before Easter day, many Christians would normally light candles together,” the Queen continued. “In church, one light would pass to another, spreading slowly and then more rapidly as more candles are lit. It’s a way of showing how the good news of Christ’s resurrection is being passed on from the first Easter by every generation until now.”
The 93 year-old monarch went on to remind the world that this year’s Easter will be different because of social distancing guidelines.
“This year, Easter will be different for many of us but by keeping apart we keep others safe. But Easter isn’t cancelled,” she said. “Indeed we need Easter as much as ever. The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. We know that Coronavirus will not overcome us. As dark as death can be — particularly for those suffering with grief — light and life are greater. May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future. I wish everyone of all faiths and denominations a blessed Easter.”
While the Queen does not physically appear in the video, her voice can be heard as a white candle is shown by the camera. This marks the first time that the Queen has ever given an Easter address in her 68 years on the throne, and it comes six days after she gave a speech about the coronavirus pandemic.
“I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge, and those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any,” the Queen said in that address. “That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humored resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterize this country.”
Queen Elizabeth II addresses the U.K. in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic https://t.co/kcDgYxmKqj
— TIME (@TIME) April 5, 2020
God bless the Queen for taking the time to give us all hope during this difficult period!
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