— Christ is risen!
— He is risen indeed!
There are no words on earth more joyful than these! These days we remember the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, which happened miraculously on the third day after the crucifixion and death of the Saviour on the Cross near Jerusalem, on Mount Golgotha. One of the Saviour's disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, with the permission of the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, took the body of the Saviour down from the Cross and buried Him. The high priests posted guards at the Holy Sepulcher. According to Judaic customs, the tomb was a cave carved into the rock. A dead body was anointed with oils and spices, wrapped in a cloth and placed on a stone slab. And the entrance to the cave was closed with a large stone. The same was done with the body of Jesus — with one exception. His burial was done in a hurry: Friday was ending, and according to Judaic customs, no work can be done on Sabbath (which begins on Friday evening). Аnd that is why there was no time to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. The pious women, Christ's disciples, were very worried about this. They lovedChrist and wished Him to go on His last earthly way «as it should be». Therefore, early on Sunday morning, taking fragrant oils, they hurried to the Sepulcher to do everything that was necessary. Fragrant oils are also called myrrh — that is why now we call those women the Myrrh-bearing Women.
But the tomb was empty, and an Angel sat on a stone nearby, who told them that the Lord had risen, come alive from the dead as promised. The women, confused by the Angel's appearance, were even more surprised to see that the tomb was empty. Only the cloth in which the body was wrapped and the headscarf that was on the head of Christ lay in the cave.
Сalmed down a little, they remembered Christ's words about the Resurrection three days after death, which seemed misty and unclear to them at that time. The Christ's disciples thought that Christ was talking about His Resurrection not literally, but figuratively, that it was about something else! But it turned out that Christ had risen — in the truest sense of the word! The women's sadness turned to joy, and with this joyful news they hurried to the other disciples, who at first did not really believe them. But in the evening of the same day the Risen Lord Himself appeared to them …
Now we know exactly that after the Lord's torment there will be His eternal glory, and after the crucifixion on the Cross — His Bright Resurrection. But imagine the feelings of His disciples: humiliated, hated by the authorities and not accepted by most people, their Teacher died. And nothing gave hope to the apostles. Even Jesus Himself died with terrible words: «My God! Why have You forsaken Me?» (Mark 15:34). And suddenly the Christ's disciples say such joyful news …
That evening the apostles met in a Jerusalem house to discuss what had happened: at first, they refused to believe that Christ had risen — it was too beyond human understanding. The doors of the house were tightly locked — the apostles feared persecution by the Jews. And suddenly the Lord Himself came in and stood in the midst of them, said: “Peace be with you!”
After that, the Lord appeared to the apostles and not only to them more than once — until on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, He ascended to Heaven. By the way, the Apostle Thomas was not in that Jerusalem house on Sunday. And when the other apostles told him about the miracle, Thomas did not believe, for which he was called doubting. Thomas did not believe in the stories of Jesus' resurrection until he saw Him with his own eyes. And wounds from the nails with which Christ was nailed to the Cross on His body, and the Savior's ribs pierced by a spear. After that Thomas, like the other apostles, went into the world to bring the Good News to everyone. And he died martyrly for Christ: he knew for sure that Christ had risen, and even the threat of the death penalty did not make the apostle to stop telling people about it.
And the Apostle Paul, who never saw Christ in His earthly life at all, but to whom He appeared after His Resurrection, said, perhaps, the most right words about our faith: «If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile... we are of all men the most pitiable» (1Cor.15:17–19). Because: «if we have been united together in the likeness of His death [in Baptism — ed.], certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection» (Rom.6:5). The resurrection of the Savior is a sure guarantee of the resurrection of all people who have ever lived on earth. Christ is risen! Complete and unconditional victory over death! «O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory» (1Cor.15:55).
«…All of us, without exception, will stand before God in flesh, our immortal souls will unite again with these bodies in which we are now, and we will all stand on our feet… As the prophet Ezekiel says: „…the bones came together, bone to bone… the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over” (Ezek.37:7–8). And soul will enter the restored body. As Gregory of Nyssa says: „do not think that your body will be withered from old age, with wrinkles or underdevelopment of a baby, no, the Lord will restore the whole body as it was originally intended, the same body that died”. So we will stand on our feet alive, and our body will express the soul, and we will be gathered by the Lord»1.
Easter is called the «Feast of feasts and the Solemnity of solemnities». On this day all temples are decorated with flowers and red wax candles, clouds of incense announce to us regained Paradise. And the word of the Resurrection shines above the royal doors.
On Saturday evening the Shroud is taken to the altar — this symbolizes the invisible for all Resurrection of Christ. The Cross procession starts at midnight. Christians, imitating the Myrrh-bearing women, go around the church and sing the stichera:
Then the priests sing the Easter troparion three times: «Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life», and then people catch it up. The Easter stichera are sung, and everyone greets each other with joyful exclamations: «Christ is risen — He is risen indeed!» Universal jubilation is enhanced by the reading of the “Catechetical Sermon” by John Chrysostom during matins, which contains such words:«Wherefore, all — all enter into the joy of your Lord! Both the first and the last receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together; sober and slothful, honor the day equally; who have fasted and not fasted, be glad today! The table is full, all delight! The calf is fatted, nobody leave hungry! All enjoy the feast of faith, all receive the riches of goodness!» — According to ancient tradition all Christians receive communion on Easter night. Christ was resurrected and ascended to Heaven, but He is always present in His Church. And any of us can touch Him — at the main Christian divine service, the Liturgy, when a priest comes out to people with the Body and Blood of the resurrected Christ …
Since apostolic times the Christian Easter holiday has been lasting for seven days. The royal doors are not closed in all Orthodox churches these days. Prostrations are not supposed to do until the vespers of the Holy Trinity feast. The Psalter is not read during Bright Week. We read the Easter hours instead of the usual prayer rule. Regarding divine service the whole Bright Week is like one feast day: the divine service is the same all days of this week as on the first day with few changes and alterations. An ancient holy custom, which is still preserved by pious laity, is not to miss church divine services during the whole of Bright Week.
Let us open our hearts to the loving Lord! And He will enter and fill our lives with His Light, transform our souls. Celebrating Easter means to become a new person. And we sincerely wish everyone such a saving state!
But the tomb was empty, and an Angel sat on a stone nearby, who told them that the Lord had risen, come alive from the dead as promised. The women, confused by the Angel's appearance, were even more surprised to see that the tomb was empty. Only the cloth in which the body was wrapped and the headscarf that was on the head of Christ lay in the cave.
Сalmed down a little, they remembered Christ's words about the Resurrection three days after death, which seemed misty and unclear to them at that time. The Christ's disciples thought that Christ was talking about His Resurrection not literally, but figuratively, that it was about something else! But it turned out that Christ had risen — in the truest sense of the word! The women's sadness turned to joy, and with this joyful news they hurried to the other disciples, who at first did not really believe them. But in the evening of the same day the Risen Lord Himself appeared to them …
Now we know exactly that after the Lord's torment there will be His eternal glory, and after the crucifixion on the Cross — His Bright Resurrection. But imagine the feelings of His disciples: humiliated, hated by the authorities and not accepted by most people, their Teacher died. And nothing gave hope to the apostles. Even Jesus Himself died with terrible words: «My God! Why have You forsaken Me?» (Mark 15:34). And suddenly the Christ's disciples say such joyful news …
That evening the apostles met in a Jerusalem house to discuss what had happened: at first, they refused to believe that Christ had risen — it was too beyond human understanding. The doors of the house were tightly locked — the apostles feared persecution by the Jews. And suddenly the Lord Himself came in and stood in the midst of them, said: “Peace be with you!”
After that, the Lord appeared to the apostles and not only to them more than once — until on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, He ascended to Heaven. By the way, the Apostle Thomas was not in that Jerusalem house on Sunday. And when the other apostles told him about the miracle, Thomas did not believe, for which he was called doubting. Thomas did not believe in the stories of Jesus' resurrection until he saw Him with his own eyes. And wounds from the nails with which Christ was nailed to the Cross on His body, and the Savior's ribs pierced by a spear. After that Thomas, like the other apostles, went into the world to bring the Good News to everyone. And he died martyrly for Christ: he knew for sure that Christ had risen, and even the threat of the death penalty did not make the apostle to stop telling people about it.
And the Apostle Paul, who never saw Christ in His earthly life at all, but to whom He appeared after His Resurrection, said, perhaps, the most right words about our faith: «If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile... we are of all men the most pitiable» (1Cor.15:17–19). Because: «if we have been united together in the likeness of His death [in Baptism — ed.], certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection» (Rom.6:5). The resurrection of the Savior is a sure guarantee of the resurrection of all people who have ever lived on earth. Christ is risen! Complete and unconditional victory over death! «O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory» (1Cor.15:55).
«…All of us, without exception, will stand before God in flesh, our immortal souls will unite again with these bodies in which we are now, and we will all stand on our feet… As the prophet Ezekiel says: „…the bones came together, bone to bone… the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over” (Ezek.37:7–8). And soul will enter the restored body. As Gregory of Nyssa says: „do not think that your body will be withered from old age, with wrinkles or underdevelopment of a baby, no, the Lord will restore the whole body as it was originally intended, the same body that died”. So we will stand on our feet alive, and our body will express the soul, and we will be gathered by the Lord»1.
Easter is called the «Feast of feasts and the Solemnity of solemnities». On this day all temples are decorated with flowers and red wax candles, clouds of incense announce to us regained Paradise. And the word of the Resurrection shines above the royal doors.
On Saturday evening the Shroud is taken to the altar — this symbolizes the invisible for all Resurrection of Christ. The Cross procession starts at midnight. Christians, imitating the Myrrh-bearing women, go around the church and sing the stichera:
Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, // Angels sing in Heaven, // and honour us on earth // to glorify Thee with a pure heart!
Then the priests sing the Easter troparion three times: «Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life», and then people catch it up. The Easter stichera are sung, and everyone greets each other with joyful exclamations: «Christ is risen — He is risen indeed!» Universal jubilation is enhanced by the reading of the “Catechetical Sermon” by John Chrysostom during matins, which contains such words:«Wherefore, all — all enter into the joy of your Lord! Both the first and the last receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together; sober and slothful, honor the day equally; who have fasted and not fasted, be glad today! The table is full, all delight! The calf is fatted, nobody leave hungry! All enjoy the feast of faith, all receive the riches of goodness!» — According to ancient tradition all Christians receive communion on Easter night. Christ was resurrected and ascended to Heaven, but He is always present in His Church. And any of us can touch Him — at the main Christian divine service, the Liturgy, when a priest comes out to people with the Body and Blood of the resurrected Christ …
Since apostolic times the Christian Easter holiday has been lasting for seven days. The royal doors are not closed in all Orthodox churches these days. Prostrations are not supposed to do until the vespers of the Holy Trinity feast. The Psalter is not read during Bright Week. We read the Easter hours instead of the usual prayer rule. Regarding divine service the whole Bright Week is like one feast day: the divine service is the same all days of this week as on the first day with few changes and alterations. An ancient holy custom, which is still preserved by pious laity, is not to miss church divine services during the whole of Bright Week.
Let us open our hearts to the loving Lord! And He will enter and fill our lives with His Light, transform our souls. Celebrating Easter means to become a new person. And we sincerely wish everyone such a saving state!
We wish you to meet the resurrected Christ with a pure heart!
1 Priest Daniil Sysoev. Audio conversation about the Kingdom of God.