Categories: hymns, feast-days
Date: 09 April 2007 04:57:10
My wishes and prayers for a blessed Paschal season to all.
Can it be that Lent, Holy Week, and the celebration of Pascha [itself; the joy radiates for weeks to come; God willing, may it continue to be reflected in us for the rest of the year...] is over? Lent was long, seems long: and yet the past few days have flown by. Yet, thanks be to God: truly a wonderful time of the year.
From all accounts, our parish Pascha celebration was wonderful. I cannot do better in terms of an explanation of it than point you to an account of it from Michael. It is truly a blessed day, as the Aposticha from the Paschal Vespers of Love (held on Sunday evening) makes clear:
Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee from before Him.
Today the sacred Pascha is revealed to us. The new and holy Pascha; the mystical Pascha; the all-venerable Pascha; the Pascha which is Christ the Redeemer; the spotless Pascha; the great Pascha; the Pascha of the faithful; the Pascha which has opened unto us the gates of Paradise; the Pascha which sanctifies all the faithful.As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire.
Hasten from that vision, O Women, bearers of Good News and say unto Zion: Receive from us the tidings of joy of then Resurrection of Christ. Dance and celebrate and rejoice now, O Jerusalem. For you beheld Christ your King, as a Bridegroom coming forth from the Tomb.So let the wicked perish at the presence of the Lord; but let the righteous be glad.
When the myrrh-bearing woman, very early in the morning, came and stood before the Tomb of the Life Giver, they found an angel sitting upon the stone. And he cried out these words to them saying, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why do your mourn the Incorruptible among those subject to decay? But go and proclaim the Good News unto His Disciples!"This is the Day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
The Pascha of delight; Pascha, the Lord's Pascha. The all-venerable Pascha has dawned for us today; let us embrace one another with joy for it is Pascha. O Pascha delivered from sorrow. For Christ has shone forth today from the tomb as from a bridal chamber and filled the women with joy saying, "Proclaim this unto my Apostles."Glory to the Father, and to the Son; and to the Holy Spirit; now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
This is the day of Resurrection; let us be radiant in the festival; let us embrace one another. Let us call brothers even those who hate us and forgive all things in the Resurrection. And therefore let us proclaim:Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life.
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life.
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life.