Beloved brothers in the Lord, archpastors, all-honorable fathers, pious monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters!
I greet you with joy with the ancient and at all times new and life-affirming victorious exclamation:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
In this wondrous consonance of truly life-giving words is the foundation of our faith, the gift of hope, the source of love.
Just yesterday we, together with the Lord’s disciples, mourned the death of our beloved Teacher, and today we triumph with the whole world - visible and invisible: "Christ is risen, joy is everlasting"(Canon of Holy Pascha). Just yesterday it seemed like I was lost last hope for salvation, and today we have gained a firm hope of eternal life in the unevening day of the Kingdom of God. Just yesterday, the specter of decay dominated creation, calling into question the very meaning of earthly existence, and today we proclaim to everyone about the great victory of Life over death.
The inspired Apostle Paul, speaking about the significance of the miracle that happened on that distant night, but always close to every Christian, directly indicates that this event is the most important for our faith. For “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain”(1 Cor. 15:14). Easter of the Lord is the core and irresistible power of Christianity: it, according to the word of St. Philaret of Moscow, creates hope, ignites love, gives wings to prayer, brings down grace, enlightens wisdom, destroys every calamity and even death itself, gives vitality to life, makes bliss not a dream, but a reality, glory - not a ghost, but an eternal lightning of eternal light, illuminating everything and no one not damaging(Word on the day of Holy Easter, 1826).
Inextricably linked with the faith in the Resurrection of Christ is the faith of the Church that the incarnate Son of God, having accomplished the Redemption of the human race, breaking the shackles of sin and death, gave us true spiritual freedom and the joy of reunification with our Creator. All of us, gathered on this radiant night in Orthodox churches, are fully involved in this priceless gift of the Savior, so that enjoy, according to the words of St. John Chrysostom, feast of faith.
Easter is the culmination of the thorny path of the Savior, crowned with suffering and the Sacrifice of Calvary. It is no coincidence that in both patristic and liturgical texts Christ is repeatedly called “the Hero of our salvation.” “I gave you an image”(John 13:15), says the Lord to the disciples and calls us all to follow the example of His life.
But how can we imitate the Savior? What might our feat be in relation to the realities of modern life? Today, when we say this word, the image of a certain legendary warrior, historical figure or famous hero from the past often appears in people's minds. But the meaning of the feat is not at all in gaining great fame or gaining universal recognition. Through feat, invariably associated with internal effort and self-limitation, we have the opportunity to experience experimentally what true and perfect love is, for sacrifice, which lies at the basis of any feat, is the highest manifestation of this feeling.
The Lord called us to the feat of active love, embodied in selfless service to our neighbors, and especially to those who especially need our support: the suffering, the sick, the lonely, the despondent. If this law of life, which was so clearly presented and expressed in the earthly life of the Savior Himself, becomes the property of the majority, then people will be truly happy. After all, by serving others, a person gains incomparably more than he gives: the Lord Himself then enters his heart, and through the sharing of Divine grace, all human life changes. Just as there is no holiness without labor, just as there is no Resurrection without Golgotha, so without feat, true spiritual and moral transformation of the individual is impossible.
When a feat becomes the content of the life of not only an individual person, but also an entire people, when the hearts of millions of people who are ready to defend their Motherland, defend high ideals and values are united in the aspiration for heavenly things, then truly amazing, miraculous and sometimes even inexplicable from the point of view of formal logic of things. Such a people acquires enormous spiritual strength, which no disasters or enemies are able to overcome. Vivid evidence of the correctness of these words is the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, achieved by the selfless feat of our people. We solemnly celebrate the 70th anniversary of this glorious date this year.
In sorrows and temptations we are called to remain calm and fearless, for we have been given great and glorious promises of victory over evil. Should we be discouraged and despair! We constitute the Church of Christ, which, according to the false word of the Lord, even gates of hell(Matthew 16:18), and Divine Revelation testifies about us, predicting that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; There will be no more crying, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed away.”(Rev. 21:3-4).
I prayerfully wish you all, Your Graces, brother archpastors, honorable fathers, dear brothers and sisters, strength of spirit and firmness in faith, peace and unfading joy in the Lord who trampled death. Imbued with the light of the Resurrection of Christ and communing with the mystery of the Easter miracle, let us share our triumphant joy with those near and far, testifying to everyone about the Savior who has risen from the grave.
May the fiery words of the Easter gospel invariably warm and comfort us all the days of our lives, grant us the true joy of being, and inspire us to do good deeds:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
CHRIST IS TRULY RISEN!
Moscow
Easter
2015
N To call this day a holiday, even the biggest holiday, is too little. It is more important than any holiday and more significant than any event in world history. On this day, all humanity, and therefore each of us, received hope of salvation, because Christ was risen. This day is called Easter, which means “transition,” and is celebrated in the Orthodox Church as the most important day of the year. Easter contains the whole essence of Christianity, the whole meaning of our faith.
« WITH word "Easter"– writes Saint Ambrose of Milan, – means "passing". This holiday, the most solemn of holidays, was named so in the Old Testament Church - in remembrance of the exodus of the sons of Israel from Egypt and at the same time their deliverance from slavery, and in the New Testament Church - in commemoration of the fact that the Son of God Himself, through the Resurrection from the dead, passed from this world to the Heavenly Father, from earth to Heaven, freeing us from eternal death and slavery to the enemy, giving us “the power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
R The crucifixion of Christ took place on Friday, which we now call Passion, on Mount Golgotha, near the city walls of Jerusalem. One of the Savior’s disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, with the permission of the procurator of Judea Pontius Pilate, removed the Savior’s body from the Cross and buried Him. The high priests posted a guard at the Holy Sepulcher.
P According to Jewish customs, the coffin was a cave carved out of the rock. The body of the deceased was anointed with oils and incense, wrapped in cloth and placed on a stone slab. And the entrance to the cave was closed with a large stone. The same was done with the body of Jesus - with one exception. His Burial was carried out in a hurry - Friday was ending, and on Saturday (which begins on Friday evening), according to Jewish customs, no business can be done. And therefore they did not have time to anoint Jesus’ body with incense.
B pious women, disciples of Christ, were very worried about this. They loved Christ, and they wanted Him to go on His last earthly journey “as it should be.” Therefore, early on Sunday morning, taking fragrant oils, they hurried to the Tomb to fulfill everything that was needed. Fragrant oils are also called myrrh, which is why we call those women myrrh-bearing wives.
« P After the Sabbath had passed, at dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And then there was a great earthquake, for the Angel of the Lord, who descended from heaven, came, rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it; his appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow; Frightened by him, those guarding them trembled and became as if they were dead; The angel, turning his speech to the women, said: Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus crucified; He is not here - He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay, and go quickly, tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead...” (Matthew 28:1-7)- this is how the Gospel tells.
AND The women, amazed at the very fact that the Angel appeared to them, actually came up and looked. And they were even more surprised to see that the tomb was empty. In the cave there was only the cloth in which the body was wrapped and the scarf that was on Christ’s head. Having come to their senses a little, they remembered the words once spoken by the Savior: “As Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40). They also remembered other words of Christ about the Resurrection three days after death, which seemed vague and incomprehensible to them. The disciples of Christ thought that the words about the Resurrection were a metaphor, that Christ spoke about His Resurrection not in the literal sense, but in a figurative sense, that it was about something else! But it turned out that Christ was resurrected - in the most literal sense of the word! The women’s sadness gave way to joy, and they ran to tell the apostles about the Resurrection... And the guards who were on duty near the Tomb and saw everything, having recovered a little from surprise and fear, went to tell the high priests about it.
E now we know for sure that after the torment of Christ there will be His eternal glory, and after the crucifixion on the Cross - His bright Resurrection. But imagine the state of His disciples: humiliated, hated by the authorities and not accepted by the majority of people, their Teacher died. And nothing gave the apostles hope. After all, even Jesus Himself died with the terrible words: “My God! Why have you forsaken Me? (Luke 15:34). And suddenly the disciples of Christ tell them such good news...
IN That evening, the apostles gathered in a house in Jerusalem to discuss what had happened: at first they refused to believe that Christ had risen - it was too beyond human understanding. The doors of the house were tightly locked - the apostles feared persecution by the authorities. And suddenly the Lord Himself unexpectedly entered and, standing in the middle of them, said: “Peace be with you!”
TO By the way, the Apostle Thomas was not in that Jerusalem house on Sunday. And when the other apostles told him about the miracle, Thomas did not believe it - for which, in fact, he was called an unbeliever. Thomas did not believe in the stories about the resurrection of Jesus until he saw Him with his own eyes. And on His body there are wounds from the nails with which Christ was nailed to the Cross, and the Savior’s ribs pierced by a spear... After this, Thomas, like the other apostles, went to preach - to convey the Good News to everyone. And he died a martyr for Christ: he knew for sure that Christ had risen, and even the threat of the death penalty did not force the apostle to stop telling people about it.
P After this, the Lord appeared to the apostles, and not only to them, more than once - until, on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, He ascended to Heaven. Knowing human nature very well: we believe nothing until we are convinced of it ourselves, Jesus, in fact, took pity on his disciples. So that they would not be tormented by doubts, He was often among them, talking to them, thereby confirming what was impossible to believe at first glance - that Christ was resurrected!
A St. Paul, who never saw Christ in His earthly life, but to whom He appeared after His Resurrection, outlined the essence of our faith: “If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is vain... then we are the most miserable of all men” (1 Cor. 15 ,17-19).
« WITH By His Resurrection, Christ allowed people to comprehend the truth of His Divinity, the truth of His lofty teaching, and the salvific nature of His death. The Resurrection of Christ is the completion of His life's feat. There could be no other end, for this is a direct consequence of the moral meaning of Christ’s life,” these are the words from the Easter sermon of Archimandrite John (Krestyankin).
X Christ was resurrected and ascended to Heaven, but He is always present in His Church. And any of us can touch Him - on the main thing Christian worship, liturgy, when the priest comes out to people with the Body and Blood of the risen Christ...
AND There are no words on earth more joyful than those that people say to each other on Easter Sunday and the next forty days: “Christ is risen! Truly risen!”
Thus, we become like the disciples of the Lord, who, after His resurrection, “said that the Lord has truly risen.” IN in short words“Christ is risen! “contains the whole essence of our faith, all the firmness of hope, all the fullness of eternal joy. These words, repeated countless times every year, nevertheless always strike our hearts with their novelty and meaning. People kiss each other with this Easter greeting. This is an ancient sign, dating back to the times of the apostles, of reconciliation and love, which unites hearts, which gives strength to forgive for the sake of Christ’s Resurrection. This is how Orthodox Christians greet each other on Easter. And on Easter they treat you to sweet Easter cakes and exchange colored ones...
The origins of this greeting
Greeting a person on Easter Day with the phrase “Christ is Risen!” and answer - “Truly he is risen!” primarily characteristic of Christians. This custom goes back centuries and has great meaning for believers. Also, during the exchange of these phrases, it is customary to kiss three times. You can say these words throughout Bright Week, which follows Easter.
This custom owes its origins to Jesus Christ himself, who lived and died for the sins of ordinary laymen. After Christ’s apostles learned about his resurrection, they told about it to every person they saw, saying the cherished phrase “Christ is risen!” Those who heard this phrase understood that Jesus was the son of God, and, confirming their words, they answered, “Truly he is risen!”
Another version says that these phrases are used for blessing. For example, a layman may make the request “Christ is Risen!”, and the priest answers “Truly He is Risen!”, which means “God bless”….
Today, Orthodox believers celebrate the main Orthodox holiday - the Resurrection of Christ or Easter. On this day, it is customary to greet each other with the phrase “Christ is Risen.”
According to the rules, this phrase should be pronounced by a person younger in age or a person occupying a lower place in the church hierarchy.
A layman, when meeting with a clergyman, must add “Bless, Father,” folding his right palm over his left to receive a blessing.
The clergyman, in turn, replies, “Truly he is risen!” God bless,” makes the sign of the cross and places his right hand on the palms of his interlocutor.
When two lay people meet, they must greet with the phrase “Christ is Risen” and respond “Truly He is Risen,” followed by a three-time kiss.
The Easter greeting has been around since apostolic times. The cry “Christ is risen!” expresses the joy of the apostles who learned about the resurrection of the Lord.
There is a belief that...
Many people write about the fact that it is not clear how to correctly say: In truth he is risen or in truth he is risen - this is a form of greeting for Christians on Easter. But many people don’t know how to speak correctly. In fact, both options are correct and correct. You just need to know how to use them correctly.
Church donation
The words “In truth He is Risen” are spoken on “Christ is Risen!” This tradition dates back to Ancient Greece, where Christianity came to Russia. Only there they spoke it differently, in Greek. The words “Christ is Risen!” They speak Church Slavonic. Prayers are also read in it, although this language may seem strange to unaccustomed ears. Many words there sound completely different from those in spoken Russian. For example, not the Mother of God, but the Mother of God in the nominative case. The result is a feeling of the neuter gender, which is perceived as a certain dialect.
In fact, in church practice...
Tonight He rose again...
Everything in this sublunary world rejoices
It's as if an angel played the lyre,
Christ looks down from the shining heavens.
“Christ is risen! Truly risen!”
And this cry is heard from everywhere,
He is welcome from young to old.
The lark is pouring from the heights of the roulade,
And towards them from the Earth everything is higher:
“Christ is risen! Truly risen!” -
In the morning people say to each other,
And the ringing of bells echoes them in harmony,
My garden is illuminated with a magical light,
And every bush is happy on Sunday.
“Christ is risen! Truly risen!”
Congratulations to all the students and guests on the holiday
Happy Sunday of Christ!
Christ is risen! Truly risen!
Peace to you, Faith, bright and pure Love! May he protect
you from all evil, our Savior Jesus Christ!
…
SMS congratulations for Easter: He is truly risen
Easter is one of the most revered holidays in Russia. On this day, people turn to each other using words of good wishes: “Christ is risen!” and hear the response “Truly He is Risen”! So if you wrote to your friend greeting card, and in response we received an SMS greeting for Easter: Truly He is Risen, and you too have joined the good tradition of Easter days.
How can you wish Happy Easter today?
The world today is changing rapidly. If before people congratulated each other on Christ, gave beautiful Easter eggs painted ritual red, invited festive table with Easter cakes and cottage cheese, now they are trying to congratulate their friends and loved ones using SMS congratulations.
SMS congratulations for Easter are a short genre. After all, you can’t write much in a message like that. Be concise too, using rhyming poetic text. Therefore, if you want to congratulate someone on...
Easter is approaching. And I, in fact, am interested in the question about whether people who do not adhere to the Christian religion need to respond to the greeting “Christ is risen” - “Truly is risen”? Or should this be done at least in order to maintain a culture of communication with a person and not once again traumatize his religious feelings? Thank you. Tatiana.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello, Tatyana!
Of course, we must treat our neighbor’s faith with caution and respect. But there is no obligation here; if a person does not believe in the Resurrection of Christ, if he does not want to share the Easter joy of a believer, then he can answer as he sees fit.
Some answer “He is truly risen,” while others simply respond by congratulating them on Easter. But no matter what we think, Christ is Risen is a fact. I congratulate you on this fact. Christ is Risen - Truly Risen!
Sincerely, Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko.
Read...
Dear readers and guests of the Blog about proper nutrition And healthy products, I sincerely congratulate you on the Holy Day Christ's Resurrection! I wish you physical and spiritual health, as well as happiness and prosperity!
Christ is risen! Truly Risen!
On this day, Christ rose from the dead and defeated death, proving to us all that death is not the end and God can save us. He was crucified for our sins, so let there be only love and goodness in our hearts.
This holiday is celebrated for 40 days, exactly as long as, according to legend, Jesus Christ stayed on earth after the resurrection. It is impossible to enjoy this wonderful holiday and express all the joy in one day or even in a week. And the most important days of the holiday are Easter itself, as well as the first week after it, which is called Bright Week. Therefore, even more than a month after the holiday itself, people say to each other “Christ is Risen!” He is truly Risen!”
There are people who enjoy themselves all year round...
Today, all of humanity, and that means each of us, have received hope of salvation, because Christ has risen.
To call this day a holiday, even the biggest holiday, is too little. It is more important than any holiday and more significant than any event in world history. This day is called Easter, which means “transition,” and is celebrated in the Orthodox Church as the most important day of the year. Easter contains the whole essence of Christianity, the whole meaning of our faith.
“The word “Easter,” writes Saint Ambrose of Milan, “means “passing.” This holiday, the most solemn of holidays, was named so in the Old Testament Church - in remembrance of the exodus of the sons of Israel from Egypt and at the same time their deliverance from slavery, and in the New Testament Church - in commemoration of the fact that the Son of God Himself, through the Resurrection from the dead, passed from this world to the Heavenly Father, from earth to Heaven, freeing us from eternal death and slavery to the enemy, giving us “the power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
The crucifixion of Christ took place in...
Christ is risen, truly risen: congratulations are heard everywhere on the street, in cities, in the world. Yes, that’s right, a long time ago a wonderful miracle happened, which spread throughout the area, and then throughout the world. This was the resurrection of the Son of the Lord himself, crucified three days ago on Golgotha. Today we are looking forward to Easter, to celebrate this event, to congratulate each other and wish only the best and brightest. This is exactly what the poems written by our best authors specifically for the occasion convey.
We see reflections in puddle mirrors.
“yawning” sun, sky in clouds.
On Easter we see everything differently, differently.
The Easter holiday has been familiar to us for a long time.
So that children love Easter,
Tell them a fairy tale about the holiday,
You tell them about goodness and miracles,
And their thoughts will be different.
Meaning will be given to the words:
Having said “Christ is Risen” - entering...
Christ is risen!
Jesus rose from earthly suffering,
Survived earthly torments.
He endured the torture in silence,
Shame and pain, mocking fervor.
He believed in a miracle of deliverance,
Our souls are mired in sin.
He believed in the Sunday miracle
And that is why he is alive in our hearts!
Christ is risen! Truly risen!
Christ is risen! Giving us hope!
And our faith only stands on that
That he has risen! Shines as before!
Let the radiance enter every home!
Fire of love, unforgiving love,
Love that gives us new life!
And let it burn like a burning bush!
Our Lord was, he is and he is coming!
Christ is risen! We will shout to the heavens!
Christ is risen! And we will become kinder!
Christ is risen! Miracles will begin
And the doors will open to a huge world!
To a world of joy, luck and goodness,
To a world of happiness, prosperity and luck.
And the bells will ring in the temples.
Happy holiday!
With the Light...
Happy Easter!
IN recent years 10-15, for some reason, many of our people began to deliberately say “Christ is Risen” instead of the usual “Christ is Risen,” which in fact does not sound at all Russian. Maybe the Russian Orthodox Church’s “activities” are to blame for this or the progressive “Orthodoxy of the brain”, I don’t know. Personally, I am generally far from any religions, much less church holidays, etc. Religion (any) is the path to ignorance, and Faith has no religion and has absolutely nothing to do with it. There we are all equal and part of one whole. But I remember how in Soviet times Traditionally, people exchanged the phrases “Christ is Risen” and “Truly is Risen,” and then many seemed to get stuck and began to say things out loud and unreadable.
It is still correct to say “Christ is risen.”
Now where does the form “resurrection” come from? In Church Slavonic it is written with an er at the end. The syllable could not end with a consonant sound at all. It read... yes, like “he is risen,” but the vowel was short. By the way, many...
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs!
The chant “Christ is risen from the dead...” - the troparion of Easter - is a kind of “calling card” of the holiday. Troparem in church tradition called a short chant that expresses the essence of the celebrated event. The joyful hymn announcing the resurrection of Christ is heard for the first time on Easter night, when the procession of the cross, having walked around the temple, stops at its closed doors. The closed doors of the temple signify the “closed tomb” - the burial cave in which the Savior’s body was laid.
At dawn of the first day after Saturday (we now call this day of the week Sunday in memory of the resurrection of Christ), when the myrrh-bearing women approached the tomb to anoint the body of their Teacher and Lord with incense, it turned out that the heavy stone that covered the entrance to the burial cave had been destroyed. dropped off. The tomb is empty: it contains only the burial shrouds in which the body of Jesus Christ was wrapped. Christ himself has risen!
The joyful song “Christ is Risen...” is repeated many times in church services throughout the forty days of Easter celebration. The news of the resurrection of the Savior is proclaimed to all peoples in all corners of the earth, and in Orthodox churches you can hear the Easter troparion sung in different languages.
In one of his sermons, Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) discussed the meaning of the troparion of Easter:
What is this amazing troparion of the greatest of holidays, so dear to us and so incomprehensible to non-Christians, even causing their ridicule?
Can fire be extinguished by fire? Can darkness be enlightened by darkness? Can evil be defeated by evil? Of course not.
Like is not destroyed by like, but only by the opposite. Fire is extinguished by water, darkness is dispersed by light, evil is defeated by good.
And yet, contrary to this universal law, Christ trampled death underfoot by His death.
What kind of death? Spiritual death. That death, the essence of which is alienation from Christ God, Who is Love, Way, Truth and Life. Spiritual death is the rejection of the path of good, love and truth, and the preference for another path - the path of evil, hatred and lies.
And this path is from the devil, the enemy of Christ, for he is the father of lies, hatred and evil. So, spiritual death from the devil.
This death was trampled by Christ with the immeasurable and inexhaustible stream of Divine love that poured out from the cross of Calvary. The devil's hatred of the human race is overcome by God's love for him.
So, the universal law has not been violated, according to which like cannot be overcome by like, but only by the opposite, and it is true that Christ trampled death by His death.
The prince of the power of the air is bound by the Cross of Christ (Eph. 2:2), and those who love Christ are given strength to fight against him and mighty protection from him.
No less amazing is the second part of the troparion: “and to those in the tombs he gave life.”
It is not only amazing, but also illuminates our hearts with the Divine light of the most precious hope. If Christ has risen, then we will rise in our bodies. For He rose from the dead as the firstborn of those who died, marking the beginning of the general resurrection.
"For as death came through man, so through man resurrection of the dead. Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will live” (1 Cor. 15:21-22).
So, not only spiritual, but also physical death was abolished by Christ through His cross and resurrection. But this is entirely a matter of God’s omnipotence, and we do not need to reason about this according to the laws of nature, for they were created by the Creator of everything, and He is free to act not according to them, but according to the laws of His Divine mind and will unknown to us.
Come, let us worship and fall before Christ, who delivered us from spiritual death and physical destruction.
How Easter was celebrated.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa (IV century)
Today, the entire universe, like one family gathered for one activity, leaving ordinary affairs, as if by a given sign, turns to prayer.
There are no travelers on the roads today; no sailors are visible at sea; the farmer, leaving the plow and spade, decorated himself with festive clothes; the taverns stand empty, noisy gatherings have disappeared, just as winter disappears with the advent of spring; the restlessness, confusion and storms of life were replaced by the silence of the holiday. The poor are adorned like the rich; the rich dress more splendidly than usual; the old man, like the young man, rushes to take part in the joy, and the sick man overcomes his illness; - a child, having changed clothes, celebrates sensually, because he cannot yet celebrate spiritually; the virgin rejoices in her soul because she sees the bright, solemn pledge of her hope; The mother of the family, triumphant, rejoices with all her household, and she herself, and her husband, and the children, and the servants, and the household, everyone is having fun.
Just as a new, newly formed swarm of bees, flying out of the beehouse into the light and air for the first time, all sit together on one branch of a tree, so on a real holiday, all members of families from everywhere gather in their homes. And truly they rightly compare the present day with the day of the future resurrection, because both gather people; only then will everyone come together, but now they are gathering in parts. As for joy and joy, in all fairness we can say that the present day is more joyful than the future: then, of necessity, those whose sins will be exposed will cry; Now, on the contrary, there are no sad people among us. Now the righteous man rejoices, and he who has not cleared his conscience hopes to be corrected by repentance. This day eases all sorrow, and there is no person so sad who would not find consolation in the celebration of the holiday.
Now the prisoner is being released; the debtor is forgiven the debt; the slave receives freedom, according to the good and humane appeal of the Church. Even if the slave had committed many important offenses that could neither be forgiven nor excused; and then his master, out of respect for the day, which is conducive to joy and philanthropy, accepts the rejected and shamed, like Pharaoh, who brought the cupbearer out of prison; for he knows that on the day of the future resurrection, in the image of which we honor the present day, he himself will have a need for the long-suffering and kindness of the Lord and therefore, showing mercy now, expects reward on that day.
Take away sadness from souls oppressed by sorrow, just as the Lord took away mortification from our body, restore the honor of the disgraced, bring joy to those saddened, as in the grave, in the dark corners of your houses; Let the beauty of the holiday bloom like a flower for everyone. If the birthday of an earthly king opens prisons, then surely the victorious day of Christ’s resurrection will not console those who mourn?
Poor people, accept this day with love as it nourishes you. Weakened and crippled, welcome this day that heals your illnesses. The hope of your resurrection is hidden in it, which prompts you to be zealous for virtue and hate vice; for with the destruction of the thought of the resurrection, everyone will have one dominant thought:
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die” (1 Cor. 15:32).
Patriarch Kirill about the Resurrection of Christ
If Christ had not been resurrected, both the preaching and the faith of those who listened to it would have been fruitless. It would be another beautiful, but essentially failed attempt to benefit humanity, another teaching, another philosophy - another human wisdom, unable to bring people closer to the fullness of life.
That is why opponents of Christianity began to deny the Resurrection from the moment of the first news of the miracle that had taken place. Some of them spoke about the initially empty tomb, others - about the abduction of the Savior’s body by the disciples. Denial of the fact of the Resurrection of Christ has been and remains the focus of efforts aimed at subverting the Christian message. As a result, many people, while accepting one part of the Gospel - the moral teaching of the Savior - simultaneously deny the evidence of the Resurrection of Christ, and thus find themselves unable to salvage the Gospel message in its entirety.
How death frightens and frightens us! It seems to a person that with his departure a black impenetrable curtain falls, oblivion and the end of everything comes. A there is no death - behind it is the light of the Resurrection. And Christ showed and proved this to us.
In his life, every person goes through trials, suffering and the bitterness of defeat. How often do we talk about the triumph of injustice, about the victory of evil over good! How many human lives are shattered by the mystery of the power of evil! But in order to avoid disappointment and despondency, one should remember: evil has already been defeated. It is defeated by the Resurrection of Christ. And when we observe the visible triumph of evil and are indignant at this, we must not forget: evil is a ghost, its power is powerless, it is defeated. The Resurrection follows the Cross. Christ rose from the dead and thereby conquered evil. To be partakers of this victory, we must be together with Christ, and then behind our cross there will always be resurrection, behind the illusory victory of evil - the true victory of good, behind sorrow - joy.
Just as, by the law of heredity and solidarity, people inherited the sin of Adam, so by the same law they can inherit that deified human nature that was revealed in Jesus Christ. And in order to make this possible, the Lord gives people a special means that brings them into the closest relationship with Him. Such a means is life in a community of like-minded people who have the same faith in the Triune God and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Son of Man, the Savior of the world. In this community of faith, that connection with Christ is achieved and realized, which helps a person to assimilate the saving fruits of the redemption and restoration of human nature that He accomplished. Such a community is the Church, which Christ acquired “with His honest Blood.”
About greetings and kisses on Easter Day
At the end of Matins, the clergy begin to make Christ among themselves in the altar while singing stichera. According to the Charter, “the kissing of the rector with the other priests and deacons in the holy altar happens: the one who comes says, “Christ is risen.” To whom I answered: “Truly he is risen.” The same should be done with the laity.
According to the Rule, the clergy, having said Christ to each other at the altar, go to the solea and here they say Christ with each of the worshipers. But such an order could be observed only in ancient monasteries, where there were only a few brethren in the church, or in those house and parish churches where there were few worshipers. Now, in front of a huge crowd of pilgrims, the priest, going out with the Cross onto the solea, pronounces a short general greeting to those present and ends it with the threefold exclamation “Christ is Risen!” with the cross overshadowed on three sides and after that returns to the altar.
The custom of greeting each other on Easter with these words is very ancient. By greeting each other with the joy of Christ’s resurrection, we become like the Lord’s disciples and disciples, who, after His resurrection, “said that the Lord has truly risen” (Luke 24:34). In short words “Christ is Risen!” lies the whole essence of our faith, all the firmness and steadfastness of our hope and hope, all the fullness of eternal joy and bliss. These words, repeated countless times every year, always, nevertheless, amaze our ears with their novelty and the meaning of a supreme revelation. As if from a spark, from these words the believing heart is ignited with the fire of heavenly, holy delight, as if feeling the close presence of the risen Lord Himself, shining with the Divine light. It is clear that our exclamations of “Christ is Risen!” and “Truly he is risen!” must be animated by living faith and love for Christ.
The kiss is also connected with this Easter greeting. This is an ancient sign, dating back to the times of the apostles, of reconciliation and love.
Since ancient times, it has been and is being performed on Easter days. St. John Chrysostom writes about the holy kiss on Easter: “Let us also remember those holy kisses that we give to each other in reverent embraces.”
Why is it customary to give each other eggs at Easter?
The custom of giving each other colored eggs for Easter dates back to the 1st century AD. Church tradition says that in those days it was customary to bring him a gift when visiting the emperor. And when the poor disciple of Christ, Saint Mary Magdalene came to Rome to Emperor Tiberius preaching the faith, she gave Tiberius a simple chicken egg.
Tiberius did not believe Mary’s story about the Resurrection of Christ and exclaimed: “How can someone rise from the dead? This is as impossible as if this egg suddenly turned red.” Immediately, before the eyes of the emperor, a miracle happened - the egg turned red, testifying to the truth of the Christian faith.
Why does the Church sanctify Easter and Easter cakes?
Easter cake is a church ritual food. Kulich is a kind of artos at the lower degree of consecration.
Where does Easter cake come from and why are Easter cakes baked and blessed at Easter?
We Christians should especially receive communion on Easter Day. But since many Orthodox Christians have the custom of receiving the Holy Mysteries during Great Lent, and on the Bright Day of the Resurrection of Christ, few receive communion, then, after the Liturgy is celebrated, on this day special offerings of believers, usually called Easter and Easter cakes, are blessed and consecrated in the church, so that eating from them reminded of the communion of the true Pascha of Christ and united all the faithful in Jesus Christ.
The consumption of blessed Easter cakes and Easter cakes on Bright Week by Orthodox Christians can be likened to the eating of the Old Testament Passover, which on the first day of Easter week God's chosen people ate as a family (Ex. 12:3-4). Also, after the blessing and consecration of Christian Easter cakes and Easter cakes, believers on the first day of the holiday, having come home from churches and having completed the feat of fasting, as a sign of joyful unity, the whole family begins bodily reinforcement - stopping fasting, everyone eats the blessed Easter cakes and Easter, using them throughout Bright Week.
Christ is Risen - Truly Risen!
The Resurrection of Christ is the essence of the Orthodox faith. “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain,” the Apostle Paul addresses Christians. One day he preached in Athens. The inhabitants of the city, famous since ancient times for their curiosity about everything new, seemed ready to listen to Paul... He told them about the One God, about the creation of the world, about the need for repentance, about the appearance of Jesus Christ in the world. The Athenians listened to the apostle with interest until he began to talk about the resurrection. Having heard about this incredible fact, they began to disperse, sarcastically saying to Pavel: “We will listen to you next time.” The story of the resurrection of Christ seemed absurd to them.
But the main thing in Paul’s sermon was precisely that Christ rose from the dead.
Christ conquered death. By His death and resurrection He brought to life everyone for whom the event that occurred in the burial cave is an indisputable fact and is perceived so closely that it becomes a fact of his own resurrection. “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will also bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14).
Christ resurrected after the Jewish Passover, a holiday established in honor of the liberation of the Israeli people from Egyptian slavery. The Resurrection of Christ became a new Easter - the joy of liberation from the slavery of death. “The word “Easter,” writes Saint Ambrose of Milan, “means “passing.” This holiday, the most solemn of holidays, was named so in the Old Testament Church - in remembrance of the exodus of the sons of Israel from Egypt and at the same time their deliverance from slavery, and in the New Testament Church - in commemoration of the fact that the Son of God Himself, through the Resurrection from the dead, passed from this world to the Heavenly Father, from earth to heaven, freeing us from eternal death and slavery to the enemy, giving us “the power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
The significance of the resurrection of Christ for humanity makes Easter the most significant celebration among all other holidays - the Feast of Feasts and the Triumph of Triumphs.
The Easter night service is permeated with optimism. Each reading and chant echoes the words of the catechetical word of St. John Chrysostom, which is read already when the morning wakes up outside the windows of Orthodox churches: “Death! Where is your sting? Hell! Where is your victory?
Christ conquered death. The tragedy of death is followed by the triumph of life. After His resurrection, the Lord greeted everyone with the word: “Rejoice!” There is no more death.
The apostles announced this joy to the world. They called this joy the “Gospel” - the good news of the resurrection of Christ. The same joy fills a person’s heart when he hears: “Christ is risen!”, and it echoes in him with the main words of his life: “Truly Christ is risen!”
