What Is "Bright Week"?

Bright Week, otherwise known as Renewal Week, begins on Pascha Sunday and ends on the following Sunday of Thomas. The name probably originates from the fact that the newly baptized catechumens from Pascha are newly illumined and bright. For them it is a time of regeneration and renewal. These newly baptized in ancient times wore all white for a week, hence the week sometimes being called White Week.

The seven days of Bright Week are seen as one day, a continuous Pascha celebration. According to the 66th canon of the Council in Trullo: "From the holy day of the Resurrection of Christ our God until New Sunday (i.e. Thomas Sunday) for a whole week the faithful in the holy churches should continually be repeating psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, rejoicing and celebrating Christ, and attending to the reading of the Divine Scriptures and delighting in the Holy Mysteries. For in this way shall we be exalted with Christ; raised up together with Him. For this reason on the aforesaid days that by no means there be any horse races or any other public spectacle." According to Bulgakov, in Imperial Russia, the taverns used to be closed during Bright Week, and no alcoholic beverages were sold. Furthermore, because of the continuous paschal celebration, there should be no fasting this week. And as the above canon states, this is a time of renewal for all Orthodox Christians and not just the newly baptized. It is a time for the faithful to bear spiritual fruit and generate new virtues for our own illumination as well.

In the Roman Empire, especially in Constantinople, this week had special joy and was celebrated with great pomp and splendor. The emperor would call the newly-baptized and the poor to a rich meal, while on Bright Thursday the Patriarch would have an honorary dinner for the clergy. Rich gifts were distributed by the emperor and official visitations were made. Prisoners with light offenses were released as well. These traditions are somewhat carried out today in Greece where state officials visit hospitals and military camps, and military sanctions are lifted.

The services of Bright Week are done joyfully and with the Royal Doors fully open. This unblocked view of the altar symbolizes the open door of Christ's empty tomb as well as the rent veil of the Jewish Temple, which was torn apart at the moment Christ died. The Gospel of John and Acts are read as well, which are the two New Testament books of renewal and beginnings.

Read more here.

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Bright Week Customs In Northern Greece

The second day of Easter in Giannitsa of Pella revives the custom of "Kounies" or "Swings" (Κουνιές). It is believed that riding a swing is good for one's health and an abundant harvest.



On the third day of Easter, Bright Tuesday, in Kalyvia Limenaria of Thassos is called "For Rain In April" (Για βρέξ΄ Απρίλη μ΄). It is an ancient custom to pray for spring rain. Residents of the community and visitors celebrate with folk dances and large pots of rice cooked with meat that is distributed to everyone.


On the same day in Ierissos of Halkidiki there is the following tradition called in Greek "Του μαύρου νιου τ΄ αλώνι" or "the black threshing floor":

After the failure of the Greek revolution in Halkidiki in 1821, the village of Ierissos, which took part in the 1821 Greek War of Independence in Macedonia, was burnt down and 400 persons were killed. According to one tradition, they were taken to a place called "the black threshing floor" and were made to dance under the swords of the Turkish soldiers. With every turn a man was beheaded. According to another tradition, the notables among others, afraid for more reprisals escaped to the mountains. When Easter arrived, it is said that the city of Ierissos appeared deserted without its inhabitants. The Turks sent for them and informed them that if they came back they would not be prosecuted in any way. On Tuesday after Easter Sunday those that had left returned. When they reached a threshing floor at the outskirts of the town, the Greeks were obliged to pass under an arch formed by the swords of Turkish soldiers, in order to show how they are subjugated to the Ottoman rule. A young man ashamed for this humiliation in front of the eyes of his loved one, seized the swords and was killed by the Turks on the spot. The dance has been danced in Ierissos every year on the first Tuesday after Easter at a place known as the "threshing floor of the black lad". It was danced of course during the Ottoman period and the reference to the young man´s loved one is meant to be an allegory of liberty.


On Bright Wednesday in the Municipal District of Eleutheron west of Kavala there is an emotional and reverent custom called "Mazidia" (Μαζίδια) that takes place dating back to Ottoman times. The faithful process with icons from the Byzantine Church of the Archangels, which is the oldest church in the region of Mazidia, to the picturesque Church of Sts. Raphael, Nicholas and Irene.

There is a blessing of artoklasia and holy water with prayers to the Risen Christ to bless the crops and a fruitful season. After venerating the icons, the procession returns to the Church of the Archangels.

Then the big feast begins in the village square. The dancing begins with the priest leading followed by the villagers. This is a tradition that goes prior to Ottoman times.



On Bright Thursday in Kalis Vrysis of Drama the icon of the Resurrection of Christ is processed around the farming areas to protect the village from all evil, especially from the extremely dangerous hail storms that could devastate the spring crop.


After Easter in Mikropoli of Drama an event called "Celebration of God" (Γιορτή του Θεού) takes place at the Chapel of St. George with a dinner there.


On the Monday of Thomas in Sitagroi of Drama the Pontic people continue their old tradition of visiting the graves with red eggs, distributing sweets and singing songs.

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The Burning of Judas in Greece

The Burning of Judas is a folk custom done in various places throughout Greece and other places. It is typically perfomed after the midnight service on Easter Sunday, though sometimes done on Good Friday or Easter Sunday afternoon after the Agape service.

Below is one account of a British tourist to Crete:

The run-up to Cretan Easter in Loutro is a time for the children of the village. For the whole week beforehand they are busily occupied in making an over-life-sized and quite fearsome effigy of Judas. They collect the wood for an enormous bonfire, and burn Judas at the stake on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday. Everyone, locals and visitors alike, gathers round the bonfire as Judas is consumed to the accompaniment of roaring cheers, exploding firecrackers, and the occasional burst of gunfire.

I do not know if this is the custom everywhere: I've only experienced Cretan Easter in Loutro.

Anyway, two years ago I was in Loutro at Easter, staying for the first time in a new studio attached to the Porto Loutro hotel. The lamppost on which Judas was hung was right outside the studio window, so I decided to watch the excitements from my own personal ringside view.

Wow! There was Judas, going up in flames about six feet from my face. I quickly shut the window (which became so hot I was afraid the whole of my little building would be consumed in the conflagratio), and continued to watch in awe as the fire roared and the cinders flew.

It was soon over; Judas dwindled into a pile of ashes to loud cheers from the children, and the bonfire slowly died.

Next day, Easter Sunday, is feast day. Stavros always cooks several lambs and goats on spits behind the hotel, Alison and her friends make a variety of wonderful salads, and everyone who is around is welcome to sit down and partake. The wine and beer flow liberally. Plans for walks that afternoon somehow don't seem so pressing any more...

Here is another account from the ritual in Sifnos:

This custom is sometimes enacted on the evening of Kali Paraskevi (Good Friday) , simultaneously with the bearing of the Epitafios through the streets, though it was observed by this author on the island of Sifnos in 1993, on the Sunday evening after the midday Easter feast, with music following it.

For this ritual, an effigy of Judas Iscariot is fashioned, somewhat like a scarecrow, of old rags stuffed into clothing with a knob-like 'head', the man like figure then affixed to a long pole and borne through the streets by a team of young men. At some point the effigy is set afire and there is a great din of firecrackers, as after (during) the midnight mass (Anastasis).

Though criticized by some as an anti-semitic ritual, and said to be known in some places in Greece as 'The Burning of the Jew', it is possible that those doing the translating of the ritual title are confusing the Greek word for Judas (Ioudhas-pronounced Yoo-dhas), with the Greek word for Jew (Ioudhaios-pronounced Yoo-dhay-ose).

Burning of Judas in Chania, Crete


Burning of Judas in Kalymnos

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Paschal Fireworks Battle In Chios

Read about this here and here.

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Syrian Christians Unite for Easter

Claire Duffett
GlobalPost
April 4, 2010

Damascus, Syria - Thousands of Syrian Christians crowded into the narrow streets of Damascus’ Old Town for weeklong Easter festivities that culminated Sunday.

Easter is always popular in Syria, where the secular government permits its approximately 1.5 million Christians to vocally celebrate their holidays. But with Orthodox and Catholic Easters coinciding this year — which happens every few years — the din of drumbeats was even louder, as every church in Damascus simultaneously announced the resurrection.

The exultant nature of the holiday this year could also be a reaction to the post-9/11 Islamic resurgence, according to Fiona McCallum, a research fellow at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews. As more Muslims grow beards and adopt the hijab, she suggested that Christians — still a minority among Syria's 21 million people, the majority of whom are Muslim — may be responding with their own, more fervent expressions of faith.

Throughout the week, Christian families dressed in new clothes and strolled the Christian neighborhood, Bab Touma, visiting churches and stopping occasionally to buy rosaries and stuffed rabbits from card tables set up along the roadsides. Young people marched in brass bands, wearing scout uniforms with lapels bearing the crests of their churches.

On Thursday night, the courtyard of the Greek Catholic cathedral resembled a rock concert. At least 2,000 people gathered to watch a Passion play, in which Jesus’ crucifixion is re-enacted. Vendors sold cotton candy and popcorn outside the gates. Attendees included many Muslims, said Ghissa, the church’s choir director.

“They’re curious to see how we celebrate,” he explained. “And why not? We all [Christians and Muslims] get along well in Syria.”

At least on the surface, this seems to be true. Inside a pub in the Christian Quarter recently, two friends, one Muslim and one Christian, joked about using each other’s faiths to double their number of holiday celebrations.

“Damascus especially is a mixed city and people are likely to have friends from other religious groups,” said McCallum, who studies the political role of Christian communities in the Middle East.

Christians in Syria also enjoy more rights than those in other Middle East countries, wrote Fred Strickert, a professor of religion at Wartburg College in Iowa, by email. Every Christmas, President Bashar al-Assad meets with representatives from the various Christian denominations in Syria. Al-Assad is an Alawite, a minority Muslim sect in a predominately Sunni country, so catering to non-fundamentalist minority religious groups helps prevent the opposition from consolidating.

The ruling party actively protects Christians from attempts to Islamicize Syrian law. Christians can organize their own civil courts, rather than follow Shariah law. And last summer, the government froze legislative proposals that would have restricted certain inter-faith marriages while allowing Muslim men to claim Christian brides without their consent. Additionally, churches receive free electricity and water, and pastors — like teachers — get tax-free allowances to buy cars.

The Grand Mufti of Damascus is also a supporter of cross-faith goodwill. He often cites a line in the Quran that says, “We have made you nations and tribes, that you may know one another,” as the necessity for dialogue among Christians and Muslims, Strickert wrote.

“Syrian Christians themselves argue that they are in the best situation in the region,” added McCallum. They maintain a relatively high standing in society, she said, holding positions in the ruling party, businesses and universities, as well as among opposition groups.

Iraqi Christians are a different story. Few attended the Bab Touma festivities, despite estimates that about 350,000 Iraqi Christian refugees now live in Syria. Like their Palestinian and Iraqi Muslim counterparts, they remain largely outside mainstream Syrian society.

“Many are living at a significantly lower social level than other Christians since they are living off of savings, crowded often into small apartments, and seeing Syria as only a temporary refuge,” explained Strickert.

Still, life here for them is undeniably safer than in Iraq. And Syria’s importance for Christians extends beyond its status as a refuge of relative tolerance. In 2001, Pope John Paul II chose Damascus’ historic Umayyad Mosque — which supposedly contains the head of John the Baptist — for his first visit to a Muslim house of worship.

In Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city with a 10-percent Christian population including about 100,000 Armenians, an international conference of religious leaders in 1997 signed an agreement to eventually unify Catholic and Orthodox Easter, of which the simultaneous holiday this year and next is a direct result, wrote Strickert. The Easter festivities were as much a display of unity as they were of devotion. Orthodox and Catholics visited each other’s churches indiscriminately, said Ghissa, the choir director.

I asked the choir director whether the crowd of 2,000-plus for the Passion play will be even larger next year.

“Inshah-Allah,” he replied in Arabic — God-willing.

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The Paschal Martyrdom of Neomartyr Panagiotis

Below is an account of the Englishman Joseph Wolff, an eccentric missionary to the Jews, who relates that when a young man named Panagiotis, in his ignorance of Islamic law entered the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem (the Dome of the Rock), some fanatic Turks grabbed him and brought him before the Pasha of Damascus as a defiler of the Islamic temple. The Pasha offered him the chance of becoming a Muslim in order to avoid death. Panagiotis remained steadfast to his Christian faith, and for that reason he was beheaded on April 5, 1820. He was 25 years old.

Facts not mentioned in this account is that Panagiotis was originally from Peloponessos, Greece but was raised in Magnesia of Asia Minor as a servant. Also that he was apprehended after worshipping at the tomb of Christ in the Holy Sepulchre.  His beheading took place on the way towards the Monastery of St John the Baptist near the Pillars of David. Before his beheading they stripped him, broke one hand at the wrist and cut off the fingers on the other. They did this to make him afraid and convert him to Islam. Also, the 5000 piastres paid by a Greek convent for the body of Panagiotis was probably paid by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Panagiotis was buried by the fathers of the Holy Sepulchre at the Cemetery of Holy Zion.

You can read the entire journal of Rev. Wolff here.

Mosque of Omar in the 19th cent.

The Holy Sepulchre

Now I will relate a remarkable instance of modern martyrdom. A young Greek, some years ago, whose name was Paniotes [Panagiotis], was servant to a Turkish Nobleman, called Osman Effendi. He came with his master to Jerusalem, and when Osman Effendi went to worship in the Mosque of Omar, this young Greek accompanied him. Soon after Osman Effendi undertook a journey to Damascus, intending to return to Jerusalem, and left Paniotes to await his return. When the Pasha of Damascus arrived here, on his annual visit, Paniotes was accused to him of having profaned the Mosque of Omar, by having entered it; he was summoned to appear before the Pasha, and questioned as to why he did so; he answered that he had followed his master, whom it was his duty to follow. The penalty was death or to turn Muhammedan, which was much pressed upon him. Paniotes exclaimed, "Christ is risen, who is the Son of the living God. I fear nothing."

Pasha: "Say God is God, and Muhammed the Prophet of God, and I adopt you as my Son."

Paniotes: "Christ is risen, I fear nothing."

They led him out before the Castle of David, and drew up the soldiers around him with their swords drawn; but Paniotes exclaimed, "I am a Christian! Christ is risen! I fear nothing!" He knelt down and prayed to Jesus Christ the Son of God, and exclaimed, "Christ is risen! I fear nothing." Even Christians advised him to turn Muhammedan. He exclaimed, "Christ is risen! I fear nothing." The executioner lifted up his fine hair which he wore, as many Greeks do, flowing down to the shoulders, and struck him several times with the sword so as to draw blood, in the hope that he might relent, but Paniotes continued, "Jesus is the Son of the living God"; and crossing himself he exclaimed, "Christ is risen, I fear nothing," and his head fell.

The Greek convent paid 5000 piastres for leave to remove his body and bury him.

Joseph Wolff preaching in Palestine

Wolff, J. (1839). Journal of the Rev. Joseph Wοlff: In a series of letters to Sir Thomas Baring, Bart: containing an account of his missionary labours from the years 1827-1831: and from the years 1835-1838. London: John Bums (pp. 232-33 LETTER V. Linthwaite, 2d April, 1839.)

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St. Mark the Anchorite: The Saint Who Moved Mountains...Literally

St. Mark the Anchorite of Athens (Feast Day - April 5)

Saint Mark was born in Athens. He related his life to Abba Serapion who, by the will of God, visited him before his death.

He had studied philosophy in his youth. After the death of his parents, St Mark withdrew into Egypt and settled into a cave of Mount Trache (in Ethiopia). He spent ninety-five years in seclusion and during this time not only did he not see a human face, but not even a beast or bird.

The first thirty years were the most difficult for St Mark. Barefoot and bedraggled, he suffered from the cold in winter, and from the heat in summer. The desert plants served him for food, and sometimes he had to eat the dust and drink bitter sea water. Unclean spirits chased after St Mark, promising to drown him in the sea, or to drag him down from the mountain, shouting, "Depart from our land! From the beginning of the world no one has come here. Why have you dared to come?"

After thirty years of tribulation, divine grace came upon the ascetic. Angels brought him food, and long hair grew on his body, protecting him from the cold and heat. He told Abba Serapion, "I saw the likeness of the divine Paradise, and in it the prophets of God Elias and Enoch. The Lord sent me everything that I sought."

During his conversation with Abba Serapion, St Mark inquired how things stood in the world. He asked about the Church of Christ, and whether persecutions against Christians still continued. Hearing that idol worship had ceased long ago, the saint rejoiced and asked, "Are there now in the world saints working miracles, as the Lord spoke of in His Gospel, 'If ye have faith even as a grain of mustard seed, ye will say to this mountain, move from that place, and it will move, and nothing shall be impossible for you' (Mt.17:20)?"

As the saint spoke these words, the mountain moved from its place 5,000 cubits (approximately 2.5 kilometers) and went toward the sea. When St Mark saw that the mountain had moved, he said, "I did not order you to move from your place, but was conversing with a brother. Go back to your place!" After this, the mountain actually returned to its place. Abba Serapion fell down in fright. St Mark took him by the hand and asked, "Have you never seen such miracles in your lifetime?"

"No, Father," Abba Serapion replied. Then St Mark wept bitterly and said, "Alas, today there are Christians in name only, but not in deeds."

After this, St Mark invited Abba Serapion to a meal and an angel brought them food. Abba Serapion said that never had he eaten such tasty food nor drunk such sweet water. "Brother Serapion," answered St Mark, "did you see what beneficence God sends His servants? In all my days here God sent me only one loaf of bread and one fish. Now for your sake He has doubled the meal and sent us two loaves and two fishes. The Lord God has nourished me with such meals ever since my first sufferings from evil."

Before his death, St Mark prayed for the salvation of Christians, for the earth and everything in the world living upon it in the love of Christ. He gave final instructions to Abba Serapion to bury him in the cave and to cover the entrance. Abba Serapion was a witness of how the soul of the one hundred- thirty-year-old Elder Mark, was taken to Heaven by angels.

After the burial of the saint, two angels in the form of hermits guided Abba Serapion into the inner desert to the great Elder John. Abba Serapion told the monks of this monastery about the life and death of St Mark.

Source

THE PRAYER OF SAINT MARK OF TRACHE "the Athenian"

Behold the final hour on earth for me ticks,

I go where the Lord shines in place of the sun,

From the dusty, fleshly garment, I am leaving,

And before Your face O Christ, I am departing.

Just one more wish over the earth, I am unfolding

Before Your Throne, with prayer I penetrate:

For all mankind, I desire salvation,

For everyone and for all, freedom from sin.

I desire that the virtuous ascetics be saved,

And all diligent laborers in Your field.

I desire that prisoners [for the Faith] because of You, be saved,

For the sake of Your love, who sacrifice themselves,

And for sinners cruel, that, violence commit

And those who endure violence for Your sake,

Salvation to the monasteries [Lavras] with monks plentiful,

Salvation to the faithful; the tearful and the poor,

Salvation to the churches throughout the whole universe,

The Shepherds of the Church, to all as to me,

All the servants of God and handmaidens all,

Whom the world knows or whom in loneliness hide:

Salvation to the baptized ones and the adopted ones,

With the Life-giving Spirit of God enlivened:

Salvation to the humble and the merciful,

Faithful emperors and princes faithful

To every heart of man, the healthy and the infirm,

And salvation to my brother Serapion.

O Powerful Lord, that is my wish

And final prayer. Let it be Your will!

Reflection of St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"Live as though you were not of this world and you will have peace." Thus spoke St. Anthony to his disciples. An amazing lesson but truthful. We bring about greater misfortunes and uneasiness upon ourselves when we desire to associate and identify ourselves, as much as possible, to remain in this world. Whenever a person retreats, as much as possible, from this world and as often as he contemplates this world as existing without him and the deeper he immerses himself in reflecting about his unworthiness in this world, he will stand closer to God and will have deeper spiritual peace. "Everyday I face death", says St. Paul (1 Corinthians 15:31), that is, everyday I feel that I am not in this world. That is why he daily felt like a heavenly citizen in the spirit. When the torturer Faustinus asked St. Theodulus: "Is not life better than a violent death?" St. Theodulus replied: "Indeed, even I think that life is better than death. Because of this, I decided to abhor this mortal and temporal life, barely existing on earth, so that I may be a partaker of life eternal."

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Pascha in a Russian Soccer Stadium

Fans Greet Each Other on Easter at Soccer Match in Moscow

Moscow, 5 April 2010, Interfax - Fans greeted each other on Easter at a Sunday evening soccer match at Moscow Lokomotiv stadium.

At the beginning of the second half of the match thousands of fans of Dynamo team started chanting "Christ is Risen!", an Interfax correspondent reports.

Thousands of fans of Lokomotiv teeam on the opposite side of the stadium responded by chanting "Truly He is Risen!"

The exchange took place several times.

The correspondent who has attended soccer matches for almost 50 years says it was the occurrence of this kind in the history of Russian soccer.

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The Three Visits of Mary Magdalene to the Tomb of Christ

by Blessed Metropolitan Antony Khrapovitsky

We have read various discussions about the apparent lack of accord among the Gospel narrations of Christ's Resurrection. There have been a number of attempts at demonstrating a concordance among the Evangelists in this regard, but not all have been successful.

I wish to offer some considerations on the subject, and I wish to begin by mentioning the most obvious point of seeming lack of accord.

In Matthew's Gospel, we read that upon being greeted by the risen Lord with the word "rejoice," Mary of Magdala and the other Mary immediately embraced His feet. Nevertheless, we read elsewhere [John 20:11-17] that, when Mary of Magdala was weeping at the empty tomb and did not recognize Christ, but thought that He was the caretaker of the garden. When she did finally recognize Him, she was forbidden to touch Him.

These narratives do not appear to conform with one another, and attempts of readers to reconcile them only produce strained interpretations and unconvincing contrivances.

The four Gospels do not describe the appearances of the Lord to the Myrrhbearing women in an identical manner. What most perplexes interpreters is the lack of accord between the accounts given by Matthew and John. It is evident that the Lord appeared to Mary of Magdala twice - once alone and the other time together with the other Mary - but the relationship of these two appearances perplexes interpreters.

The thesis by which we intend to resolve this question may be expressed as follows: the Evangelist Matthew speaks of the journey of the two Marys to the Lord's tomb, already knowing that Christ had risen from the dead.

What Matthew is describing took place after the appearance described by John when Mary of Magdala had gone to the tomb and mistaken Christ for the gardener. She had informed the apostles how she had seen the Lord and He had spoken to her, then she informed the other Mary, and both of them went to the tomb. They did not go at that time to anoint the body of Jesus, because they knew that He was risen, but they went "to see the tomb, " knowing it to be empty, but knowing also that the winding strips in which He had been buried were still there. It was not only them and the two apostles who rushed to the tomb to verify what Mary of Magdala had seen, but later, the other myrrhbearers and more than eleven others also went (Luke 24:9, 24). The Evangelist informs us that the two Mary's were made worthy of a second appearance of the angel and then of the Lord Himself.

What other evidence do we have, besides Matthew's words that they went "to see the tomb," that the events in that gospel took place after the events described in John's gospel? The second evidence is that John describes the events that occurred "while it was yet dark," while Matthew clearly speaks of something that happened "at dawn on the first day of the week."

The third point which requires our attention is the reaction of the myrrhbearers to the angel's words, and to Christ Himself. In John's Gospel, Mary appears so unprepared for the event that she cannot assimilate it and takes Christ for a gardener; in Mark's account, the angel's words bring the myrrhbearers to such terror that they "said nothing to anyone because they were afraid." Luke writes that they were overcome with fear and prostrated themselves on the ground.

Matthew's narration, on the other hand, encounters the myrrh-bearers already prepared for the encounter, though the angel reassures them: "Do not be afraid. Go and see the place where the Lord lay." In Mark's gospel, we read of the other myrrhbearing women that they "said nothing to anyone because they were afraid." Matthew, however, relates of the two Mary's that they ran "with fear and joy to announce to His disciples" that He had risen. For Mary Magdalene, this was the second encounter, and the other Mary who knew about it from her receives the news again from the Saviour Himself, being already prepared for it. From whence is this evident?

The answer to this is over fourth proof that the two women had gone to see the tomb already knowing about the Resurrection. This answer will also tell us why the Lord did not allow Mary Magdalene to touch Him the first time, but shortly after allowed both Mary's to embrace His feet.

In the Pentecostarion, on the feast of the Myrrhbearing women, we read in the ninth stichera that Mary Magdalene, "...is sent away without touching Christ..." What does it mean? Mary, who had earlier wept over her beloved teacher, seeing Him buried, is now seized with an overwhelming joy. Without comprehending His divinity or thinking about the meaning of His mysterious resurrection, she forgets herself and wishes to embrace Him as one dear to her whom she thought to be dead and gone, but is now seen alive. She gives herself over to enthusiastic joy, without comprehension.

Moreover, something is not yet complete, for He must "ascend" to the Father. Later, the Lord behaves differently to the two Marys. This time, the two women are fully aware that the Lord is appearing to the faithful as the victor over death and hades, as one ascending to the Father in the eternal kingdom, and with all authority, sending the Apostles to preach the victorious struggle with the world. Now, both women, encountering him and hearing Him greeting, "rejoice," no longer think in a worldly manner, but reverence Him as the living Son of God. Thus, He does not prevent their reverent adoration as "embrace His feet and worship Him" (Matt 28:9).

Very well, we have seen the accord between the gospels of Matthew and John, but how will we reconcile the narrative of the other two evangelists? At what point will we place the arrival of Mary of Magdala with spices and ointments, at the tomb, in the company of the other women mentioned in Mark and Luke?

The main point of our reply is that Mary Magdalene did not accompany the other women to the Lord's tomb with the spices, but the other women came after Mary had been there, and perhaps after the two Marys had seen the Lord at His second appearance, but they did not yet know about the resurrection. These other women arrived completely unprepared for the revelation of the resurrection, and there is no need to conclude that Mary Magdalene was with them; indeed, the evangelists leave open the possibility of the opposite conclusion. Both the other evangelists divide the narrative into three events:

1. The purchase of the Myrrh and spices (Mark) and the storing of them for later use (Luke);

2. The arrival at the tomb and conversation with an angel (Mark) or angels (Luke); and

3. The announcement to the apostles.

Let us begin with this last event. It is not necessary to conclude from Mark's narration that the women did not ever inform the apostles of the appearance of the angel. Mark only notes that they could not do so immediately, and that the apostles heard the news from Mary Magdalene, to whom the Lord had "appeared first" (Mark 16:9).

You see, Mark singles her out from the group of other myrrhbearers and, consequently, separates the informing of the apostles from the bringing of the spices and myrrh. Mark does not speak of her as participating in the bringing of the spices to the tomb, but only of her participation in the purchase of them (16:1) - which took place on Saturday evening, after the end of the Sabbath restrictions, that is, after the sixth hour.

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb alone "while it was still dark," and without the spices and ointments. The other women came with the myrrh and spices "at sunrise" (16:2). The Lord did not appear to all of them but only to Mary Magdalene who, therefore, was not with the others (16:9). Mark names those who purchased the spices and ointments, and those who had watched the Lord's burial, but does not repeat the names when he speaks about the bringing of the spices to the tomb.

Luke does not name the ones who prepared the myrrh, nor the ones who brought it to the tomb, but indicates that the two groups were not identical ("together with some others" Luke 24:9). Evidently some of them had obtained myrrh and spices already on Friday after the Saviour's death, but remained at rest on the Sabbath according to the law (Luke 23:55), while others purchased ointment and spices after the end of the prescribed Sabbath rest (Mark 16:1). Luke does not name the women who brought the spices, but only says of someone, "returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to the other disciples. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the Mother of James who told this to the apostles" (Luke 24:10).

In fact, as John and Mark recall, it was Mary of Magdala who began the spreading of the good news. Since the news was spread to all the disciples in addition to the eleven,:this did not happen all at once. The women had to go from house to house -- not only the two Marys, but the other myrrh-bearers as well. The testimony of Mary relates to the words of the third gospel and the gospel of John that Peter and John ran to the tomb. Peter entered the tomb and saw the linen winding strips.

Thus, the four gospels are in perfect agreement on this succession of events:

1) Some of the women purchased spices and ointment on Friday before the end of the day (Luke), while others, including Mary Magdalene, did so at the end of the Sabbath - after the sixth hour on Saturday (Mark).

2) Mary Magdalene left the others and went to the tomb at night before the morning of Sunday. There, she does not find the body of Christ (John).

3) She runs to tell Peter and John (Luke, John), and then stands alone outside the tomb weeping, when an angel appears to her, and then Jesus, whom she does not recognise. She rushes to Him, but is not allowed to touch Him.

4) Obeying His command, she goes to announce the news to the apostles (John, Mark) and the other disciples (Luke).

5) Not knowing about all this, the other myrrh-bearers come to the tomb and encounter the angels (Mark,Luke) and return too tearful to speak at first (Mark), but later also proclaim the news to everyone (Luke).

6) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, already aware of the resurrection, go to look at the tomb and the Lord's burial bandages, which Peter and John had seen (Luke, John), but which Mary herself had not seen for herself. Coming to the tomb, this time both Mary's enter it, as the angel advises them to (Matthew).

7) The angel now instructs them to confirm the news of the resurrection to the disciples and announce the coming of Christ's ascension.

8) Now fully comprehending the events, both Mary's hasten to find the apostles again, but meet the Saviour along the way, and this time, they are allowed to touch Him, embracing His feet (Matthew).

9) By the end of the day, not only the whole company of the disciples, but even the Pharisees and scribes have heard the news. These latter begin to attempt to cover up the facts.

It is clear that the two Marys went to the tomb together after Mary Magdalene had already been there alone, and that both already knew of the resurrection.(1)

Footnote:

1. [Ed. Note:] In fact, in the Menaion for 22 July, Saint Nikiforos says the same. "Mary Magdalene came thrice to the tomb, twice seeing Christ. First, at night, and then telling Peter and John, with whom she returned. Then with another a third time, seeing the Lord again and hearing Him say "rejoice" (Matthew, Chapter 28).

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A Clear Vision of Christ's Resurrection

by St. Symeon the New Theologian

Most men believe in the resurrection of Christ, but very few have a clear vision of it. …That most sacred formula which is daily on our lips does not say, “Having believed in Christ’s resurrection,” but, “Having beheld Christ’s resurrection, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, who alone is without sin.” How then does the Holy Spirit urge us to say, “Having beheld Christ’s resurrection,” which we have not seen as though we had seen it, when Christ has risen once for all a thousand years ago, and even then without anybody’s seeing it? Surely Holy Scripture does not wish us to lie? Far from it! Rather, it urges us to speak the truth, that the resurrection of Christ takes place in each of us who believes, and that not once, but every hour, so to speak, when Christ the Master arises in us, resplendent in array and flashing with the lightnings of incorruption and Deity.

For the light-bringing coming of the Spirit shows forth to us, as in early morning, the Master’s resurrection, or, rather, it grants us to see the Risen One Himself. Therefore we say, “The Lord is God, and He has given us light” (Ps. 118:27), and we allude to His second Coming and add these words, “Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord” (Ps. 118:26). Those to whom Christ has given light as He has risen, to them He has appeared spiritually, He has been shown to their spiritual eyes. When this happens to us through the Spirit He raises us up from the dead and gives us life. He grants us to see Him, who is immortal and indestructible. More than that, He grants clearly to know Him who raises us up (Eph. 2:6) and glorifies us (Rom. 8:17) with Himself, as all the divine Scripture testifies. These, then, are the divine mysteries of Christians. This is the hidden power of our faith, which unbelievers, or those who believe with difficulty, or rather believe in part, do not see nor are able at all to see.

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The Glory of St. Joseph the Hymnographer

St. Joseph the Hymnographer (Feast Day - April 4)

He who glorifies God, God also glorifies him. This was clearly and abundantly shown in the lives of the saints. St. Joseph the Hymnographer, indeed, glorified God in works, in sufferings and in hymns. God glorified him both in this life and after death. During his life, the Holy Father Nicholas appeared to him in prison and freed him. When St. Joseph wondered whether he should compose a Canon to the Apostle Bartholomew, this apostle appeared to him in radiant vestments and said to Joseph that it is well-pleasing to God that he compose this Canon. When St. Joseph died, a citizen of Constantinople learned of the glory by which God glorified His chosen one. This man had come into the church of St. Theodore Phanariot to beseech the saint to reveal to him where one of his escaped servants had hidden. Because St. Theodore was known among the people as a saint who reveals where something is that had been lost or stolen, he was called Phanariot, which means The Revealer. For three days and three nights, this man prayed and when he received no response from the saint, wanted to leave. At that moment, St. Theodore appeared to him in a vision saying: "Why do you become angry O man? Joseph the Hymnographer's soul was being separated from his body and we were with him. When he died this night, all of us whom he glorified in hymns, translated his soul to the heavens and placed it before the Face of God. That is why I was tardy in not appearing to you."

- St. Nikolai Velimirovich, Prologue

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A Paschal Homily of Blessed Justin of Chelije

Sentenced to Immortality

Man sentenced God to death; by His Resurrection, He sentenced man to immortality. In return for a beating, He gives an embrace; for abuse, a blessing; for death, immortality. Man never showed so much hate for God as when he crucified Him; and God never showed more love for man than when He arose. Man even wanted to reduce God to a mortal, but God by His Resurrection made man immortal. The crucified God is Risen and has killed death. Death is no more. Immortality has surrounded man and all the world.

By the Resurrection of the God-Man, human nature has been led irreversibly onto the path of immortality, and has become dreadful to death itself. For before the Resurrection of Christ, death was dreadful to man, but after the Resurrection of Christ, man has become more dreadful to death. When man lives by faith in the Risen God-Man, he lives above death, out of its reach; it is a footstool for his feet: “O Death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?” (I Corinthians 15:55). When a man belonging to Christ dies, he simply sets aside his body like clothing, in which he will again be vested on the day of Dread Judgement.

Before the Resurrection of the God-Man, death was the second nature of man: life first, death second. But by His Resurrection, the Lord has changed everything: immortality has become the second nature of man, it has become natural for man; and death – unnatural. As before the Resurrection of Christ, it was natural for men to be mortal, so after the Resurrection of Christ, it was natural for men to be immortal.

By sin, man became mortal and transient; by the Resurrection of the God-Man, he became immortal and perpetual. In this is the power, the might, the all-mightiness of the Resurrection of Christ. Without it, there would have been no Christianity. Of all miracles, this is the greatest miracle. All other miracles have it as their source and lead to it. From it grow faith, love, hope, prayer, and love for God. Behold: the fugitive disciples, having run away from Jesus when He died, return to Him because He is risen. Behold: the Centurion confessed Christ as the Son of God when he saw the Resurrection from the grave. Behold: all the first Christians became Christian because the Lord Jesus is risen, because death was vanquished. This is what no other faith has; this is what lifts the Lord Christ above all other gods and men; this is what, in the most undoubted manner, shows and demonstrates that Jesus Christ is the One True God and Lord in all the world.

Because of the Resurrection of Christ, because of His victory over death, men have become, continue to become, and will continue becoming Christians. The entire history of Christianity is nothing other than the history of a unique miracle, namely, the Resurrection of Christ, which is unbrokenly threaded through the hearts of Christians form one day to the next, from year to year, across the centuries, until the Dread Judgment.

Man is born, in fact, not when his mother bring him into the world, but when he comes to believe in the Risen Christ, for then he is born to life eternal, whereas a mother bears children for death, for the grave. The Resurrection of Christ is the mother of us all, all Christians, the mother of immortals. By faith in the Resurrection, man is born anew, born for eternity. “That is impossible!” says the skeptic. But you listen to what the Risen God-Man says: “All things are possible to him that believeth!” (Mark 9:23). The believer is he who lives, with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his being, according to the Gospel of the Risen Lord Jesus.

Faith is our victory, by which we conquer death; faith in the Risen Lord Jesus. Death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin. The Lord “has removed the sting of death.” Death is a serpent; sin is its fangs. By sin, death puts its poison into the soul and into the body of man. The more sins a man has, the more bites, through which death puts its poison in him.

When a wasp stings a man, he uses all his strength to remove the sting. But when sin wounds him, this sting of death, what should be done? One must call upon the Risen Lord Jesus in faith and prayer, that He may remove the sting of death from the soul. He, in His great loving-kindness, will do this, for He is overflowing with mercy and love. When many wasps attack a man’s body and wound it with many stings, that man is poisoned and dies. The same happens with a man’s soul, when many sins wound it with their stings: it is poisoned and dies a death with no resurrection.

Conquering sin in himself through Christ, man overcomes death. If you have lived the day without vanquishing a single sin of yours, know that you have become deadened. Vanquish one, two, or three of your sins, and behold: you have become younger than the youth which does not age, young in immortality and eternity. Never forget that to believe in the Resurrection of the Lord Christ means to carry out a continuous fight with sins, with evil, with death.

If a man fights with sins and passions, this demonstrates that he indeed believes in the Risen Lord; if the fights with them, he fights for life eternal. If he does not fight, his faith is in vain. If man’s faith is not a fight for immortality and eternity, than tell me, what is it? If faith in Christ does not bring us to resurrection and life eternal, than what use is it to us? If Christ is not risen, that meant that neither sin nor death has been vanquished, than why believe in Christ? For the one who by faith in the Risen Lord fights with each of his sins there will be affirmed in him gradually the feeling that Christ is indeed risen, has indeed vanquished the sting of sin, has indeed vanquished death on all the fronts of combat. Sin gradually diminishes the soul in man, driving it into death, transforming it from immortality to mortality, from incorruption to corruption. The more the sins, the more the mortal man. If man does not feel immortality in himself, know that he is in sins, in bad thoughts, in languid feelings. Christianity is an appeal: Fight with death until the last breath, fight until a final victory has been reached. Every sin is a desertion; every passion is a retreat; every vice is a defeat.

One need not be surprised that Christians also die bodily. This is because the death of the body is sowing. The mortal body is sown, says the Apostle Paul, and it grows, and is raised in an immortal body (I Corinthians 15:42-44). The body dissolves, like a sown seed, that the Holy Spirit may quicken and perfect it. If the Lord Christ had not been risen in body, what use would it have for Him? He would not have saved the entire man. If His body did not rise, then why was He incarnate? Why did He take on Himself flesh, if He gave it nothing of His Divinity?

If Christ is not risen, then why believe in Him? To be honest, I would never have believed in Him had He not risen and had not therefore vanquished death. Our greatest enemy was killed and we were given immortality. Without this, our world is a noisy display of revolting stupidity and despair, for neither in Heaven nor under Heaven is there a greater stupidity than this world without the Resurrection; and there is not a greater despair than this life without immortality. There is no being in a single world more miserable than man who does not believe in the resurrection of the dead. It would have been better for such a man never to have been born.

In our human world, death is the greatest torment and inhumane horror. Freedom from this torment and horror is salvation. Such a salvation was given the race of man by the Vanquisher of death – the Risen God-Man. He related to us all the mystery of salvation by His Resurrection. To be saved means to assure our body and soul of immortality and life eternal. How do we attain this? By no other way than by a theanthropic life, a new life, a life in the Risen Lord, in and by the Lord’s Resurrection.

For us Christians, our life on earth is a school in which we learn how to assure ourselves of resurrection and life eternal. For what use is this life if we cannot acquire by it life eternal? But, in order to be resurrected with the Lord Christ, man must first suffer with Him, and live His life as his own. If he does this, then on Pascha he can say with Saint Gregory the Theologian: “Yesterday I was crucified with Him, today I live with Him; yesterday I was buried with Him, today I rise with Him” (Troparion 2, Ode 3, Matins, Pascha).

Christ’s Four Gospels are summed up in only four words. They are: “Христос воскресе! Ваистину воскресе!” (Christ is Risen! Indeed He is risen!”). In each of these words is a Gospel, and in the Four Gospels is all the meaning of all God’s world, visible and invisible. When all knowledge and all the thoughts of men are concentrated in the cry of the Paschal salutation, “Christ is Risen!”, then immortal joy embraces all beings and in joy responds: “Indeed He is risen!”

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Pascha at Dionysiou Monastery on Mount Athos

This video is from the year 2000.

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The Holy Light (Fire) of Jerusalem 2010

In the midst of great reverence and joy at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem this afternoon, the annual miracle of the Holy Light once again took place. Later today it will travel on various airplanes to reach various destinations around the world where there are a majority of Orthodox Christians. See photos here and a video here.









Coming very soon: Ten Reasons Why I Believe The Holy Light Is A Miracle

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The Red Eggs of Pascha

Why do we dye our eggs red for Pascha?

Orthodox Christians dye our eggs red for the following reasons:

First of all, the red symbolizes the blood of Christ, which the Lord shed for our salvation.

Also, according to tradition, some time after the Resurrection of Christ, Saint Mary Magdalene went to Emperor Tiberius Caesar and courageously announced to him that Christ had risen from the dead and explained how this all took place. After she finished Tiberius noticed a man next to him holding a basket of eggs. Tiberius then challenged Mary that if what she said was indeed true, then the white eggs in the basket should be turned into red eggs. Suddenly the eggs turned red leaving Caesar perplexed. This is why our tradition is to dye our eggs red for Pascha.

This incident is depicted in the iconography of the Russian Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane of Jerusalem. The Monastery was built in 1885 by Tsar Alexander III and his siblings in honor of their mother, Tsarina Maria. Inside the church of the Monastery above the Holy Altar is a large painting which depicts Saint Mary Magdalene in front of Tiberius Caesar handing him a red egg.

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The Torn Column: Pascha 1579 AD

Below is the account of Monk Parthenios written in 1846 which he received regarding the great miracle of the Holy Light and how the plans of the Armenians were thwarted when they tried to perform the miracle. He also speaks of the Muslim man Omir who converted to Orthodoxy upon witnessing this event:

Let me tell you about this: At the Great Gates themselves, on the left side, stands a column made out of marble with a fissure from which the grace, that is, the Holy Fire, came forth. This column is honored by Orthodox as well as non-Orthodox, and even the Armenians. I would like to write a little about this incident, how the Orthodox Eastern Christians unanimously speak of it and the Turks themselves confirm it.

In the wall there is an inscribed marble slab, and they say that this very incident is written on it; but we could not read it because it is written in Syrian letters, in the Arab tongue; and I only heard about it, but did not read it. But the incident happened something like this:

At one time when the Greeks were completely oppressed by the Turkish yoke, some rich Armenians took it into their heads to force the Greeks out of the Holy Sepulchre and out of the Church of the Resurrection. They gathered a large sum of money and bribed the Ottoman Porte and all the Jerusalem authorities, assuring the unbelievers that the Holy Fire comes forth not simply for the sake of the Greeks, but for all Christians, and "if we Armenians are there, we also will receive it!" And the Turks, who are greedy for money, accepted the bribe and therefore did as the Armenians wished, and they affirmed that only the Armenians would be allowed to receive the Holy Fire. The Armenians rejoiced greatly and wrote to all their lands and to their faithful, that more of them should go on a pilgrimage. And a great multitude of them did come.

Holy Saturday approached: the Armenians all gathered in the church, and the Turkish army drove the poor Greeks out. Oh, what unspeakable grief and sorrow filled the Greeks! There was only one comfort for them -- the Grave of the Saviour, and they were being kept away from it, and the Holy Gates were locked to them! The Armenians were inside the church and the Orthodox were on the streets. The Armenians were rejoicing and the Greeks were weeping. The Armenians were celebrating and the Greeks were bitterly lamenting! The Orthodox stood opposite the Holy Gates on the court and around them stood the Turkish army, watching so that there would not be a fight. The Patriarch himself with all the rest stood there with candles, hoping that they would at least receive the Fire from the Armenians through the window. But the Lord wished to dispose things in a different way, and to manifest His true Faith with a fiery finger and comfort His true servants, the humble Greeks.

The time had already come when the Holy Fire issues forth, but nothing happened. The Armenians were frightened and began to weep, and ask God that He send them the Fire; but the Lord did not hear them. Already a half hour had passed and more, and still no Holy Fire. The day was clear and beautiful; the Patriarch sat to the right side. All of a sudden there was a clap of thunder, and on the left side the middle marble column cracked and out of the fissure a flame of fire came forth. The Patriarch arose and lit his candles and all the Orthodox Christians lit theirs from his. Then all rejoiced, and the Orthodox Arabs from Jordan began to skip and cry out, "Thou art our one God, Jesus Christ; one is our True Faith, that of the Orthodox Christians!" And they began to run about all of Jerusalem and raise a din, and to shout all over the city. And to this day they still do this in memory of the incident and they jump and shout, running around the Holy Sepulchre, and they praise the one true God, Jesus Christ, and bless the Orthodox Faith.


Beholding this wonder, the Turkish army, which was standing around on guard, was greatly amazed and terrified. From amongst them one named Omir, who was standing at the St. Abraham's Monastery on guard, immediately believed in Christ and shouted, "One is the true God, Jesus Christ; one is the true faith, that of the Orthodox Christians!" And he jumped down to the Christians from a height of more than 35 feet. His feet landed on the solid marble as if though on soft wax. And to this day one can see his footprints imprinted as though in wax, although the non-Orthodox tried to erase them. I saw them with my own eyes and felt them with my own hands. And the column with the fissure still bears the scorch marks. As for Omir the soldier, having jumped down, he took his weapon and thrust it into the stone as though into soft wax, and began to glorify Christ unceasingly. For this, the Turks beheaded him and burned his body; the Greeks gathered up his bones, put them into a case and took them to the Convent of the Great Panagia, where they gush forth fragrance until this day.

The Armenians in the Holy Sepulchre received nothing and were left only with their shame. The Pasha of Jerusalem and other Turkish authorities were greatly displeased with them and wanted to slaughter them all, but they feared the Sultan. They only punished them heavily: they say that they made each one to eat dung as he left the church.

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Vatopaidi Monastery: Lamentations and Epitaphios

Amidst 240 pilgrims together with Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, the fathers of Vatopaidi Monastery on Mount Athos celebrated the Orthros of Holy Saturday. Below are clips from the Lamentations as well as the procession of the Epitaphios.

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The Horror of Nature at the Death of Christ

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"The earth quaked, rocks were split" (Matthew 27:51).

O, what a terrible reproach against mankind! Even dead nature recognized Him Whom men were unable to recognize. All mute things trembled and began to protest, each in its own way and in its own language. The mute earth quakes - that is its language. The stones split apart - that is their language. The sun withholds its light - that is its language. All of creation in its own way protested. For all of creation is submissive to Him, as it was to Adam at one time in Paradise, because all of creation recognizes Him as it did Adam in Paradise.

How is it that irrational creation knew Him and was obedient to Him, we do not know. It is some kind of inner instinct of irrational creation, which came to them from the Word of God, by which they were created. That instinct of irrational creation is more valuable than the mind of man when darkened by sin. Of all the things which are in existence, nothing is more blind than the mind of man when darkened by sin. Not only does he not see what was created to be seen, rather, he sees that which is contrary to being, contrary to God, and contrary to the truth. These are the degrees of the blindness; beneath blindness; these are numbers below zero. This is man of lower creation. For when the priests of God in Jerusalem did not recognize their God, the storms and winds recognized Him; vegetation and animals recognized Him; the seas, the rivers, the earth, the stones, the stars, the sun and even the demons recognized Him. O what kind of shame it is for mankind!

The earth quaked, the rocks split, the sun darkened, as much in anger as in sorrow. All creation grieved over the pain of the Son of God, in Whose pain the priests in Jerusalem rejoiced. Protests and sorrow and fear! The whole of creation was frightened at the death of Him Who cried to them arise from nothing and rejoice in your being. As though it wanted to say: with whom do we remain and who will now uphold us when the Almighty gives up the Spirit?

O brethren, let us be ashamed of this protest, these sorrows and this fear of the mutes of creation! With repentance let us cry out to the Lord, the Victor: "Forgive, O Compassionate Lord, for indeed, whenever we sin and offend You, we do not know what we are doing."

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The Descent of Christ Into Hades

Below are links to three articles of interest regarding the Lord's descent into Hades:

1. The Lord's Descent Into the Underworld, Homily by St. Epiphanios of Salamis

2. Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent of Christ into Hades in Eastern and Western Theological Traditions, by Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev

3. "Anastasis" Icon, Text, And Theological Vision, by Lawrence Cross, Birute Arendarcikas, Brendan Cooke, Joseph Leach

Sermon by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"Who wills everyone to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4).

God wants that all men be saved, that is why He descended into Hades to save those who lived on earth before His coming. For, had He not descended into Hades, an enormous number of righteous souls would have perished forever. And yet, had He not descended into Hades, the main habitat of evil against God and the human race, Hades would have remained undestroyed. Therefore, the two reasons which motivated Christ, the Giver-of-Life, to descend into Hades in the Spirit are: First, to destroy the nest of the powers of Hades and, Second, to bring from Hades to Heaven, the souls of ancestors, prophets and righteous men and women, who have fulfilled the Old Dispensation (The Old Law of God) and, by that, pleased God. Before Satan was totally jubilant at gazing upon Christ humiliated and lifeless on the Cross, Christ appeared alive and almighty in the midst of Hades, the primary abode of Satan. What unexpected and dreadful news for Satan! For three years Satan wove snares against Christ on earth and in three days, behold, Christ destroyed Satan's kingdom and carried away the most precious booty in the form of a swarm of righteous souls.

O Lord, You want that all men be saved. We pray to You, save even us. For there is no salvation nor Savior outside of You. In You do we hope, You alone do we worship, You, the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always. Amen.

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Great and Holy Saturday: The Forgotten Feast

by Daniel Manzuk

It is a tragic fact that today Holy Saturday is viewed by many as an unimportant “day off” between the sorrow of Good Friday and the joy of Pascha. This is absolutely false. That view negates the essential link between the despondency of Good Friday and the ecstasy of Pascha. Holy Saturday is that indispensable link between Christ’s death and Resurrection. It is on Holy Saturday that we commemorate Christ’s conquest of death, which is sealed through the Resurrection. It is a day centered on a mystery beyond our comprehension. Christ is dead, His body lies in a tomb. Yet, at this moment of Death’s apparent victory over Life, Death is being put to death. Christ’s soul, as with every soul to that time, descends to Hades. Yet His soul is unlike any other. He is both God and Man. Hades has no power over Him. It tries to hold Him, as it has held every other soul since Adam and Eve, and fails. The Life that is in Christ the Life-giver, bursts upon the darkness of Hades like a searchlight in a small dark closet. The power of Hades is destroyed, not only over Christ, but also over His faithful subjects, us. The combination of the sight of Christ lying bodily in the tomb, yet knowing that He is simultaneously destroying death, creates an atmosphere of joyful sorrow, (unique to Orthodoxy) which compels us to “keep silent and in fear and trembling stand pondering nothing earthly minded. …” (Cherubic Hymn of Great and Holy Saturday).

This atmosphere blossoms in the Holy Saturday Liturgy, one of the most beautiful services of the year. The service begins as Vespers, with the Church arrayed in dark colors. The hymns of the “Lord I Call” speak of Hades grieving over its defeat at the hands of the “man born of Mary,” each hymn ending with the announcement of the coming Resurrection. After the Entrance, lessons from the Old Testament are read recalling salvation history from Creation through the Exodus and Holy Youths in the furnace. During this time in the ancient Church, the Catechumens were baptized in anticipation of Pascha; experiencing Christ’s death and resurrection through the Sacrament, as expressed in the Epistle of the day, which is also the Epistle of the Sacrament (Rom. 6:3-11). After the Epistle, to the joyous refrain “Arise O God, judge the earth, for to Thee belongs all the Nations,” the dark colors are replaced by white. The priest comes out dressed in white and scatters laurel leaves, bay leaves, and flower petals about the Church, as a sign of the impending victory and joy. Hades is on the ropes, Christ is conquering Death by His death, the Resurrection and eternal life are just around the corner. In token of this, the Gospel which follows makes the first proclamation of the Resurrection. Yet Christ remains in the grave. The joyful sorrow persists, evoked in the Hymn to the Theotokos: “Do not lament me O mother, seeing me in the tomb, the son conceived in the womb without seed. For I shall arise and be glorified with eternal glory as God…” This joyful sorrow will only become pure joy in the Resurrection.

For it is only through the Resurrection that Christ’s victory is complete. On Good Friday Christ became the ultimate, pure, blameless, and sinless lamb, sacrificed for us, washing away our sins with His blood. On Holy Saturday His soul enters Hades and obliterates it. Yet if He remains bodily in the grave, Death still wins, for He remains physically dead, making our faith in St. Paul’s words worthless (1 Cor.15:12-20). But Christ is both God and man. And God cannot die. To make His victory complete, He does what no one is supposed to do, He returns from the dead, “making for all flesh a path to the Resurrection from the dead” (Anaphora of the Liturgy of St. Basil).

From His betrayal by Judas, through His humiliating death and His descent to Hades, and culminating in His glorious Resurrection, the whole of the Paschal weekend is one interrelated series of events which brings about our salvation. Each event had to occur for the one before and after to have any meaning. This is His, and our Passover, (which in Greek is Pascha) from death to Life, from sin to salvation. And in this glorious campaign of salvation, Holy Saturday is the day the battle is fought, which results in the ultimate victory of Pascha. Holy Saturday is the pivotal day in the Paschal celebration. The day sorrow begins to transform into joy. The path from death to life is being laid. This is an event not to be missed. There would be no victorious Resurrection without Christ’s descent into and defeat of Hades, and for that reason there can be no true celebration of Pascha without the celebration of that victory in Hades, which is Great and Holy Saturday.

So as each of us will, God willing, experience this Passover from death to Life, we should feel compelled to accompany our Lord as He paves the way. To emulate the Myrrh-bearers who stayed faithful and kept vigil over Him, rather than the disciples who fled. So that we, like the Myrrhbearers, may be the first to receive the news of the Resurrection, and join with St. John Chrysostom in saying:

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen! and you are overthrown. Christ is risen! And the demons are fallen. Christ is Risen! And the angels rejoice. Christ is Risen! And Life reigns. Christ is Risen! And not one dead remains in the grave.”

For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

April 2008 issue of The Word magazine.

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St. Amphilochios of Iconium: On the Burial of Our Savior

by St. Amphilochios of Iconium

Delivered on Great and Holy Saturday

Let us commemorate today the solemnity of the burial of our Saviour. He has undone the bonds of death of those who were in hades, filled hades with His splendour, and roused from sleep those lying there; and we on earth rejoice exultant, recalling to mind His Resurrection, and now we fear death no more, for it shall not prevail against immortality. "Because Thou wilt not," says the Scripture, "give Thy Holy One to see corruption" (Ps. 15:10).

It may be that the Jews and the Greeks will laugh at our wisdom; the former looking for another Christ, the latter bringing their own hopes to an end in the grave; of whom the prophet has rightly said: "And their sepulchres shall be their houses forever" (Ps. 48:12).

They now laugh, but they shall weep: for they shall weep when "they look upon Him Whom they have pierced" (Zach, 12:10; Ps. 21:16), and tormented with injuries.

We now weep, but our grief will be tempered with joy.

Death has seized Our Lord Jesus Christ; but shall not keep its hold on Life. It swallowed Him; it swallowed Him, not knowing Him. But, with Him, it will give up many. Of His own will He is now held; tomorrow, He shall rise again, and hades shall be emptied.

Yesterday, on the Cross, He darkened the sun’s light, and behold in full day it was as night; today death has lost its dominion; suffering itself a kind of death. Yesterday the earth mourned, contemplating the evil hate of the Jews, and in sadness clothed itself in a garment of darkness. Today, "the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Is. 9:2).

Yesterday the earth trembled, as though it would dissolve, threatening to swallow those who dwelt in it; and the mountains were cleft asunder, the rocks were split, the Temple appeared as though naked, and as though it were a living being threw off its veil, seeking as it were to show by what had happened to itself that its holy places were no longer sacred to the Lord. They that suffered these things were lifeless, without mind. The elements mourned, as though it wanted little for them to dissolve in chaos, and bring disaster on the world, were it not that they could see the purpose of their Maker: namely, that of His own will He suffered.

O new and unheard of happening! He is stretched out upon a Cross Who by His word "stretched out the heavens" (Is. 51:13). He is held fast in bonds, "Who has set the sand a bound for the sea" (Jer. 5:22). He is given gall to drink Who has given us wells of honey. He is crowned with thorns Who has crowned the earth with flowers. With a reed they struck His Head Who of old struck Egypt with ten plagues, and submerged the head of Pharaoh in the waves. That countenance was spat upon at which the Cherubim dare not gaze. Yet, while suffering these things He prayed for His tormentors, saying: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:34).

He overcame evil by goodness. Christ undertook the defence of those who put Him to death: eager to gather them into His net, annulling the charge, and pleading their ignorance. Made the sport of their drunken frenzy, He submitted without bitterness. He suffered their drunkenness, and in His love for mankind called them to repentance. What more could He do?

Profiting nothing from that goodness, they enclose Him in a tomb Whom creation cannot contain. They seal the tomb, safe-guarding our deliverance; and fearing He would rise again, they station soldiers to watch the sepulchre. Who has ever seen the dead placed under watch?

Or rather, who has ever seen a dead body treated as an enemy? Who has ever seen one struck by death causing fear to those who have slain him? Who fears his enemy, once he has killed him? And who will not forget his enmity when sated by the death of his adversary?

Why do you still fear Him, ye Jews, Him Whom you have done away with?

Why do you dread Him Whom you have slain?

Why do you still dread Him Who has gone forth from among the living?

Why do you fear the Dead?

Why do you still fight with One Whom you have crucified?

His slaughter has made you safe: rest secure. If it is a mere man who has died, he will not rise again. If it is a mere man has died, then there is no truth in those words of His: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

If He was a mere man, then death will keep him. If He was a mere man, what need to seal His tomb: is it not useless? Wait till the third day, and see the disproof of His madness? Cease to labour in vain, and you will see what comes to pass. Cease to rage against the truth. Do not try to wage war against God, inflicting wounds only on yourself. Cease offering insults to the Sun of Righteousness, thinking you can put out its light. Cease I say, and do not try to seal up the fountain of life.

Do not begin to make difficulties for yourself.

Do not speak of guards.

Have no traffic with corruption; and the bribing of those who keep watch.

Do not attempt what is foolish; nor spend what you have in impiety; nor imagine that you will defeat God.

Do not give money to the soldiers, to say this and not that. Do not set a crowd to watch the tomb. Put not your trust in armour. The Resurrection will not be stopped by force of arms, nor impeded by seals, nor put down by soldiers, nor concealed by bribes. Rather it shall be believed in.

Have you not seen Lazarus a little while ago throw off death as though it were a sleep? Have you not seen him come forth, clothed in his cerements (burial rags), at the words: "Come forth?" Have you not seen the dead obedient to His voice when He bade him come: and the winding sheet did not prevent Him? Have you not seen how His voice restored a man already dissolving in death? He Who did that can also do this.

He Who raised His Own servant, much more shall He Himself be raised up. He Who gave life again to a body already corrupting shall not leave Himself in death.

The great blindness of the Jews, who, beholding these wonders, yet could not see: For, they have eyes and see not!

For, the god of this world hath blinded the minds of unbelievers, that the light of the Gospel may not shine unto them (Ps. 113:5; 2 Cor. 4:4). But let us for a time leave these unhappy ones in their unbelief, and let us, while contemplating in spirit the tomb of our Saviour, say with the faithful Mary: "They have taken away our Lord, and we know not where they have laid Him."

To Him and to the Father Undefiled, together with the Holy Spirit, be there glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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Sermon for Great and Holy Friday

CATECHESIS 73: On the Saving Passion of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ

by St. Theodore the Studite

Given on Great and Holy Friday.

Brethren and Fathers, while the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ when they are recalled are always able to pierce the soul, they do so especially in these present days, on which each of them reached its end. What then are they? The murderous council against Him, the Jewish arrest, His being led away to death, His arraignment before Pilate's tribunal, the interrogation, the scourging, the blows, the spittings, the insults, the mockeries, the ascent of the Cross, the nailing of his hands and feet, the tasting of gall, the piercing of His side and all the other things which blazed forth with them, which the world cannot contain, nor can anyone worthily proclaim, not human tongue, nor even all the tongues of angels together.

For let us consider, brethren, this great and ineffable mystery. The Lord "who reveals the counsels of hearts" [1 Cor. 4:5] and knows every human desire, is the One who is taken before a council of death; the Lord "who bears all things by the word of his power" [Hebrews 1:3]is the One who is handed over to sinners; the Lord "who binds the water in the clouds" [Job 26:8] and sows in the earth in due season and uniformly is the One who is led away prisoner; the Lord "who measures the heavens with the span of His hand and the earth in a handful and weighed all the mountains in the balance" [Isaias 40:12] is the one who is struck by the hand of a servant; the Lord who adorned the boundaries of the earth with flowers is the One who is dishonourably crowned with thorns; the Lord who planted the tree of life in Paradise is the One who is hanged upon an accursed tree.

O great and more then natural sights! The sun saw them and faded, the moon saw them and was darkened, the earth perceived them was shaken, the rocks perceived them and were rent, all creation was turned back at the outrages done to the Master. The lifeless elements which have no senses, as if endowed with life and sensation from fear of the Lord and from the spectacle of what is seen, were amazed and altered; and do we, who have been honoured with reason, for whose sake Christ died, remain untouched and unweeping in these days? How could we be less rational than things which have no reason, more unfeeling than the stones? In no way, my brothers, in no way.

Let us rather be amazed in a manner worthy of God, by being changed with a fair change; let us draw down tears, sacrifice the passions, changing insults for insults and exchanging wounds for wounds, the one through obedience, the other through unflinching confession. Do we not see the burning incitements of divine love? Who ever dwelt in prison for a friend? Who accepted slaughter for their beloved? But our good God not only did the one and both of them, but accepted ten thousand sufferings for the sake of us, the condemned. Fittingly then the blessed Apostle, when he thought on these things and became powerfully aware of the love of God, said: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rules nor powers, neither present nor future, neither height nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" [Rom. 8:38-39].

For such was the love God had for us that "He gave His only Son, that all who believe in him might not perish," as it is written, "but have eternal life" [John 3:16]. As an exchange for this love, the saints, when they had nothing to offer, offered their own bodies and blood by asceticism and struggle, singing with blessed David the song: "What return may we make to the Lord for all that He has given to us?" [Psalm 115:3] Let us also, brethren, cry out these words each day, as we serve Him with an unceasing attitude of love, striving again and again for what is better, so that we may become heirs with the saints of the eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and might with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

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