Great and Holy Pascha

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ^

[Kolokotronis]

Synaxarion:

Mary Magdalene, and the other women who were present at the burial of our Saviour on Friday evening, returned from Golgotha to the city and prepared fragrant spices and myrrh, so that they might anoint the body of Jesus. On the morrow, because of the law which forbids work on the day of the Sabbath, they rested for the whole day. But at early dawn on the Sunday that followed, almost thirty-six hours since the death of the Life-giving Redeemer, they came to the sepulchre with the spices to anoint His body. While they were considering the difficulty of rolling away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, there was a fearful earthquake; and an Angel, whose countenance shone like lightning and whose garment was white as snow, rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The guards that were there became as dead from fear and took to flight. The women, however, went into the sepulchre, but did not find the Lord's body. Instead, they saw two other Angels in the form of youths clothed in white, who told them that the Saviour was risen, and they sent forth the women, who ran to proclaim to the disciples these gladsome tidings. Then Peter and John arrived, having learned from Mary Magdalene what had come to pass, and when they entered the tomb, they found only the winding sheets. Therefore, they returned again to the city with joy, as heralds now of the supernatural Resurrection of Christ, Who in truth was seen alive by the disciples on this day on five occasions.

Our Lord, then, was crucified, died, and was buried on Friday, before the setting of the sun, which was the first of His "three days" in the grave; observing the mystical Sabbath, that "seventh day" in which it is said that the Lord "rested from all His works" (Gen. 2:2-3), He passed all of Saturday in the grave; and He arose "while it was yet dark, very early in the morning" on Sunday, the third day, which, according to the Hebrew reckoning, began after sunset on Saturday.

As we celebrate today this joyous Resurrection, we greet and embrace one another in Christ, thereby demonstrating our Saviour's victory over death and corruption, and the destruction of our ancient enmity with God, and His reconciliation toward us, and our inheritance of life everlasting. The feast itself is called Pascha, which is derived from the Hebrew word which means "passover"; because Christ, Who suffered and arose, has made us to pass over from the curse of Adam and slavery to the devil and death unto our primal freedom and blessedness. In addition, this day of this particular week, which is the first of all the rest, is dedicated to the honour of the Lord; in honour and remembrance of the Resurrection, the Apostles transferred to this day the rest from labour that was formerly assigned to the Sabbath of the ancient Law.

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the First Tone

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and bestowing life on those in the graves.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades' power, and You rose the victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women, "Hail!" and granting peace to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.

[Kolokotronis]

http://goarch.org/en/multimedia/quicktime/Christ_is_risen.asp

[Kolokotronis]

Christos Anesti!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JohnLongIsland]

Alithos Anesti!!!!!

[Huber]

Christos Anesti indeed. Allelujah.

Is there anything that we “Westerns” can do to show our respects for your tradition? (Some form of toast, perhaps?)

[No Truce With Kings]

Alithos Anesti!

[No Truce With Kings]

“Is there anything that we “Westerns” can do to show our respects for your tradition?”

Well . . .

Christos Anesti means “Christ has Risen” in Greek. The traditional response is “Alithos Anesti!” (Truly, He has Risen! in English.)

If you want to join in, feel free to respond with “Truly, he has risen.” All Christians can agree on that. We don’t object to our Western Christians friends saying that, and it is part of our tradition.

A many Orthodox churches, they say the call and response in as many different languages as the parishioners know. Gets to be great fun.

[Tax-chick]

At many Orthodox churches, they say the call and response in as many different languages as the parishioners know. Gets to be great fun.

We did that on Pentecost once at the Catholic church I attended in Texas.

[FormerLib]

A many Orthodox churches, they say the call and response in as many different languages as the parishioners know.

My parish added having parishioners read John 1:1-5 in as many languages as they knew. We ended up hearing it in Greek, German, French, Latin, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Bulgarian, and Romanian.

[newberger]

Last night, a priest at our parish shouted out,

“Er ist Verstanden” (He is risen in German)

No one responded so he joked that no one knew German or Norwegian (he wasn’t sure which it was). It was great fun.

But I am half German and half Norwegian so I am taking this as a challenge :-) and I told him so during the banquet!

So . . .

What is the “official” greeting and response in German AND Norwegian? I want to be ready for both.

[Tax-chick]

(Some form of toast, perhaps?)

You could try this, unless you meant the bread kind of toast:

[blinachka]

The Easter Sermon of John Chrysostom

Pastor of Constantinople (~400 AD)

Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival! Is there anyone who is a grateful servant? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive their wages! If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward; If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast! And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss. And if any delayed until the ninth hour, let him not hesitate; but let him come too. And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.

For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, as well as to him that toiled from the first. To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows. He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor. The deed He honors and the intention He commends.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord! First and last alike receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together! Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!

You that have kept the fast, and you that have not, rejoice today for the Table is richly laden! Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith. Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it.

He destroyed Hades when He descended into it. He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he said, "You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."

Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with. It was in an uproar because it is mocked. It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed. It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated. It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive. Hell took a body, and discovered God. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated! Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down! Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is Risen, and life is liberated! Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead; for Christ having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!

XPUCTOC BOCKPECE!!!! Blessings of Joy for Great and Holy Pascha to you all!! :)

[big'ol_freeper]

All Glory and Honor to He who lives!

[Honorary Serb]

Alithos anesti, from a newly-illumined (8 days ago) Orthodox Christian. Thanks be to God!!!!

After celebrating the Liturgy at my Serbian parish (with that truly heartwarming Serbian tone for the Paschal troparion) and receiving Holy Communion, I both committed Lambabalism and ate pork to fight muslim domination.

I now have an OCA home parish, and will attend the Serbian parish once a month as I have done for the past several years. I was also very happy that so many of my Lutheran friends and former fellow parishoners came to root for me at my Chrismation on Lazarus Saturday.

By the way, I am one of those Orthodox Freepers who took a partial moritorium on posting on FR during the Great Fast. So you all may be hearing more from me again.

[lightman]

By the way, I am one of those Orthodox Freepers who took a partial moritorium on posting on FR during the Great Fast. So you all may be hearing more from me again.

Thank you for your faithful witness.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

[lightman]

According to the Antiochean Orthodox The Services of Great and Holy Week and Pascha

German:

Kristus ist Auferstanden!
Sicherlich ist Auferstanden!

Swedish:

Christus ar Uppsstanden!
Han ar verkligen Uppsstanden!

Norwegian translation is not in that otherwise comprehensive collection of the Paschal greeting.

[toothfairy86]

Hristos voskrese! Vistina voskrese!
Paschal greetings in 59 languages:
http://www.oca.org/OCpaschalgreetings.asp?SID=2

[Honorary Serb]

Indeed He is risen!

[The_Reader_David]

Alithos Anesti!

[The_Reader_David]

Khristos voskrese!

Congratulations. You’re more than honorary now. My mother-in-law declared me to be Greek a while back.

[Kolokotronis]

“My mother-in-law declared me to be Greek a while back.”

A truly elevated and rare honor for a Xenos! She Who Must Be Obeyed was raised to the sublime degree of an Ellineetha (Greek woman) years back down in the maternal village after she lead the line of women dancing in the village square on May Day. Of course it didn’t hurt that she had also told all the women what was going to happen on the 1.5 years behind the times American soap operas they were watching earlier that day!

[Kolokotronis]

“After celebrating the Liturgy at my Serbian parish (with that truly heartwarming Serbian tone for the Paschal troparion) and receiving Holy Communion, I both committed Lambabalism and ate pork to fight muslim domination.”

Ha! We had a huge Canadian ham to go with the lamb yesterday and one of the women made the exact same comment...we’d eat the ham to the confusion and defeat of the Mohammedan devils!

[Kolokotronis]

“The dark shadows of the Law have passed away by the coming of grace. Who is so great a God as our God?”

[No Truce With Kings]

What is the “official” greeting and response in German AND Norwegian? I want to be ready for both.

I believe “Wirklich, wird Er Verstanden!” works as the response in German.

As for Norwegian? I’d say it’s all Greek to me, except I *am* Greek. (Well, my grandparents came from there.) Perhaps, “It’s all Ancient Egyptian to me” better states it.

[ChurtleDawg]

I have always known that in the Slavonic form-—”Christos Voskrese. Voistinu Voskrese.”

It is the same saying.

[ChurtleDawg]

Congratulations on you joining the Orthodox Communion! I have many Orthodox in my family and I love their traditions. although I go to my father’s church, the Roman Catholic, I have been to Orthodox services and always been impressed at the sheer beauty and mystery of the Orthodox Liturgy.

[Honorary Serb]

Voistinu voskrese!

Some Serbs say that I have a Serbian heart!

[Honorary Serb]

Our pork was spit-roasted pig, just like the spit-roasted lamb we had. Kudos to our Kolo of Serbian Sisters, and to the Serbian Brothers who helped with the spit-roasting!! I did no work, so take no credit.

Confusion to the Muhammadan barbarians, and to all their shills, and to the globalist manipulators who use them to do their dirty work!!!!

[Bokababe]

Alithos Anesti!!!

“Christ is Risen! Truly He Is Risen!” — the most beautiful words of any human language!

BB

[Bokababe]

"Voistinu voskrese! Some Serbs say that I have a Serbian heart!

Yes, we are going to start calling you "TS" for "True Serb", now.

Because being "a Serb" has never been about one's "bloodlines". It has always been about one's "state of mind" and "state of soul".

In the old days, if one converted from Serbian Orthodoxy to something else --like Islam -- that person was no longer considered "a Serb", they were instead from that time on called "a Turk". (The Greeks do the same, I believe.) So it works the same in the other direction, and you are now "a Serb", TS!

The old outlook on one's identity was because in the Balkans, when your allegiances mean the difference between life and death; when your moral values color your entire outlook on what is right and wrong; and when your family, your land and your country is on the line, then there is absolutely no room for "fence-sitters" and "equivocators". It is a "you are with us or you are against us" outlook.

The West sometimes looks down their nose at this kind of absolutism as "primitive", but the time is coming (if it is not already here) when Judeo-Christian America will have to make the same choices. And I am not sure that most of America is ready for that -- and what has made this much harder is that we Americans are not even sure who "us" and "them" is, anymore.

[kronos77]

Hristos Vaskrese!

Oh...pork was simply melting in my mouth yesterday!
And potatoes were soaked into pork fat:) mmmm.....

Well, back on the diet!

Oh, no, May 1st, my socialist freind are taking me to “Labor Day” selebration... Antother roasted pork! :)

[MarMema]

Kriste Aghsdga!

[MarMema]

A warm welcome to you and Many Years!

[Kolokotronis]

Cheshmaritad aghsdga!

[MarMema]

I am still eating. The matushka made me my very own gluten free Kulich. I am in heaven.

Went to Bright Monday this morning and said goodbye to all the wonderful Paschal hymns. Until next year...

Hope everything is great with you. Much love in Christ!!!

[redgolum]

Sorry I didn't see this yesterday!

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

[Honorary Serb]

Hvala, Boka! I am very honored!!!!

[Honorary Serb]

After celebrating Pascha, the on-and-off upper respiratory infection I’ve had all Great Lent long seems to have disappeared.

Maybe all that meat (lamb and pork), fat, and pork rind, plus the egg, kicked my immune system into action!!