DEATH AND RESURRECTION
Great Week comes to an end at sunset of Great Saturday, as the Church prepares to celebrate her most ancient and preeminent festival, Pascha, the Feast of Feasts. The time of preparations will give way to the time of fulfillment. The glorious and resplendent light emanating from the Empty Tomb will dispel the darkness. Christ, risen from the dead, cracks the fortress of death and takes "captivity, captive" All the limitations of our createdness are torn asunder. Death is swallowed up in victory and life is liberated. "For as by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." Pascha is the dawn of the new and unending day.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the fundamental truth and absolute fact of the Christian faith., It is the central experience and essential kerygma of the Church. It confirms the authenticity of Christ's remarkable earthly life and vindicates the truth of His teaching. It seals all of His redemptive work. Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of our salvation. Together with His ascension it brings to perfection God's union with us for all eternity.
The resurrection made possible the miracle of the Church which in every age and generation proclaims and affirms "God's plan for the universe, the ultimate divinization of man and the created order." The resurrection has not yet abolished the reality of death. But it has revealed its powerlessness. We continue to die, because we die out, as a result of the Fall. Our bodies decays and fall away. God allows death to exist but turns it against corruption and its cause sin, and sets a boundary both to corruption and sin. Physical death does not destroy our life of communion with God. Rather, we move from death to life; from this fallen world to God's reign. Death disrupts and dissolves the fundamental unity of the human person, created by God as a single psycho-physical organism made of both soul and body. The separation of body and soul is the death of man himself, the discontinuation of his existence. Death and corruption of the body are a sort of falling away of the "image of God" in man. It is precisely here that we discover the meaning of Christ's resurrection as the abolishment of Hades and the reintegration of human nature.
Hades, "the place of hopeless disembodiment and disincarnation", has been abolished by Christ's resurrection. In Christ all human nature is fully and completely cured from unwholeness and mortality. This restoration will be actualized and revealed to its full extent in the general resurrection. Christ has healed out dreadful brokenness and tragic unfulfillment. Every death, every separation of soul and body, every disembodiment is temporary, for all will rise. Therefore, dying is no longer a defeat. The death of the body becomes a sleep and death itself the gate to life. In Christ the life of the flesh is being continuously transfigured into a life of the spirit. The Holy Spirit sows the seed of immortality into our bodies and renews our souls daily.
God wants to make us gods by grace, men that we are, but with out consent and not against our will. The miracle of Pascha, with its promise and gift of eternity and plenitude, is always accessible to everyone. However, salvation is accomplished only in perfect freedom, through an act of faith. No one can be compelled to believe in or love God. To receive the grace of the Paschal mystery and to keep it operative in us we must want to engage ourselves actively and creatively in the godly life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation does not come about merely as the result of individualistic piety, but through a living and dynamic relationship with the Church. As baptized devout members of the Church we become part of a community which affirms and defines our Christian identity. The faith community reminds us continuously of our vocation and helps us to realize our ultimate destiny. It calls us to abjure the false values of the fallen world and inspires us to seek after all that is noble, good, natural and sinless. It encourages us to struggle against all forms of oppression and unjust conditions which devalue and diminish human life; do more for others in the life of the world; and work for the fulfillment of the Church's vocation in the world.
Hell is found on either side of death. It is not a place but a state of being, a state of radical unfulfillment, an act of apostasy, a severance of the ultimate relationship, a deliberate rejection of God. God does not send anyone to hell. Hell is made by the devil and by men who persist in their rebellion against God, His truth and love.
In the early Church, Pascha was considered the most appropriate time for conferring the sacraments of baptism, chrismation and the Eucharist, by which salvation is made one's own personal gift. Through the celebration of the baptismal rites, the Church realizes the cosmic significance of Christ's resurrection. Christ, our true Passover, has made possible our passage from death to life and from the world of sin to the Life of God. At every Divine Liturgy we live out its implications. We renew repeatedly our baptismal pledge and are formed continuously into the body of Christ. FIlled with incomparable hope, we are called to faith and to a mission: to transform both ourselves and the world by furthering the Kingdom of God within us and within the world.
THE PASCHAL VESPERAL LITURGY (Celebrated on Saturday Morning)
Great Saturday is a day of gloom and watchful expectation. It is a day of profound silence since there is not a Eucharistic celebration. The Liturgy which is celebrated on Saturday morning properly belongs AFTER Sundown on Saturday (The beginning of Sunday according to the Church's reckoning of the time). This Liturgy is Paschal in character and content and the timing of it inadvertently confuses the faithful. By some of the pious faithful it is known as the Mikri Anastasis-- the Small Resurrection.
ARISE, O GOD, AND JUDGE THE EARTH, FOR YOU SHALL INHERIT ALL THE NATIONS
The Joyous and Paschal nature of this Liturgy cannot be missed. The Priest wears gold vestments and the readings and hymns which permeate the liturgy are very joyful in character. Additionally, this liturgy is one in which new Christians were baptized and received into the Church since we still have vestiges of the baptismal Trisagion, Epistle and Gospel. No where do we observe the sorrow that has been prevelant during Great Week. The Hymn of the Three Youths, sung in refrain, declare the praise of the entire cosmos to God---
PRAISE THE LORD AND EXALT HIM TO ALL AGES!
Further instead of the usual Trisagion- Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us we hear the baptismal hymn-- As many of you as have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia.
Following the reading of the Baptismal Epistle. Instead of the Usual Alleluia. The Priest takes laurel leaves or flowers and scatters them throughout out the Church as a sign of the Victory over Death by Christ, singing: ARISE, O GOD, AND JUDGE THE EARTH, FOR YOU SHALL INHERIT ALL THE NATIONS!
The Gospel Reading According to St. Matthew (28:1-20) also declares the Resurrection of Christ by the Angel of the Lord to the Myrrh- bearing women and concludes with the command heard in the Gospel read at Baptisms to "Go and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
At the conclusion of the Liturgy the Apolysis- Dismissal is the Usual Resurrectional One: "May Christ our true God Who rose from the dead...."
THE ORTHROS AND LITURGY OF PASCHA (Celebrated on Saturday Midnight)
CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD, BY DEATH TRAMPLING UPON DEATH AND TO THOSE IN THE TOMBS HE HAS BESTOWED LIFE!
According to prevailing practice in the Greek Archdiocese, the faithful gather in the Church around 11:00 PM on Great Saturday Night for the Paschal Pannychis or Paschal Vigil. During the service of the Pannychis the Church is kept dimly lit and in accordance with ancient customs, the candles and lamps are extinguished. The only lamp left burning is the "Sleepless Lamp" in the sanctuary before the Holy Tabernacle were the reserved sacrament is kept. After the apolysis of the Pannychis. The Intermediate Service- The Ceremony of the Light begins. Taking his Paschal Candle, the Priest lights it from the Sleepless Lamp and intones:
Come and Receive the Light from the Unwaning Light, and Glorify Christ Who is Risen from the dead.
The Holy Gate opens and the light is distributed to the faithful. When all have lit their candles the service proceeds to the outside of the Church (or if not possible to the Narthex of the Church) and the Gospel According to St. Mark is read (16:1-8). At the conclusion of the Gospel, the Priest begins the Paschal Orthros by intoning the Doxology:
GLORY TO THE HOLY, CONSUBSTANTIAL, LIFE-GIVING AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY, NOW AND FOREVER AND UNTO THE AGES OF AGES.
Lifting his candle in the air the Priest declares:
CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD, BY DEATH TRAMPLING UPON DEATH AND TO THOSE IN THE TOMBS HE HAS GIVEN LIFE!
Upon returning into the Church the Paschal Orthros Continues.
The Synaxarion:
On the Holy and Great Lord's Day of Pascha,we celebrate life-giving Resurrection of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Descending alone to grapple with Hades, Christ emerged with many spoils of victory.
To Him be the dominion to the ages of ages Amen.
EXAPOSTEILARION:
Though you slept as a mortal, You rose in three days as King and Lord, raising Adam from corruption and annulling death. O Pascha of Immortality, salvation of the world!
DOXASTIKON:
It is the Day of Resurrection; let us make ourselves resplendent for the festival and embrace one another. Let us say, brethren, even to those who hate us: "Let us all be forgiven in the Resurrection, and so exclaim:: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death and to those in the tombs bestowing life!"
The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated with full Resurrectional splendor.
The Gospel Reading is According to St. John 1:1-17
Instead of a sermon, by tradition, the PASCHAL HOMILY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM (click on link for the homily) is proclaimed.
Following services the Lenten Fast is traditionally broken in the homes of the faithful as they gather with family and friends to exchange the joy of the Lord's Resurrection, to crack the red colored eggs with child-like joy and happiness with the words spoken throughout the world-
Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! (Greek)
Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen! (English)
Christos Voskrese! Vaistinu Voskrese! (Slavonic)
Al Massi eh Kam! Hakkan Kam! (Arabic)
Krystos Voskres! Voistynu Voskres (Ukranian)
Krishti U Ngjall! Vertet U Ngjall! (Albanian)
Hristus A Inviat! Adevarat A Inviat! (Romanian)
Kristus Vstal Z Mrtvych! Opravdu Vstoupil! (Bulgarian ?)
Christus Surresurrexit! Vere Surresurrexit! (Latin)
Kristos Vaskrese! Vo-istenu Vaskrese (Serbian)
Christos T'Ensah Em' Muhtan! Exzi' Ab-Her Eokala! (?)
Krystoos Zmartfykhstal! Zapravde Zmartfykhstal! (Polish)
Kristo Ame Fu Fuka! Kweli Ame Fu Fuka! (Swahili)
Jesu Kristi Ebiliwo! Ezia O Biliwo! (Nigerian)
Ua Ala Hou 'O Kristo! Ua Ala 'I 'O No 'Oia (Hawaiian)
Christos Aloumoutsos (?)
Ha Ri Su To' Su Fuc Katsu! Jitsu Ni Fuc Katsu (Japanese)
Christo Ha Resucitado! En Verdad Ha Resucitado (Spanish)
Christus Ar Uppstanden! Han Ar Verkligen Uppstanden (Swedish)
Kristus Ust Auferstanden! Sicherlich Ist Auferstanden (German)
Kristus Nousi Kuolleista! Totiseti Nousi (Finnish)
Kokonget Kristo! Iman Kokonget (Nandi)
Christos Tenea (?)
Christos Haryav (?)
(Thanks to Fr. Christ Kontos of South Bend, Indiana for helping me out with some of the phrases. There are a few that I am not sure which language they are in- If you know, please e-mail me)
Saturday of Lazarus Palm Sunday Great Monday Great Tuesday
Great Wednesday Great Thursday Great Friday Great Saturday