During His earthly life the Savior repeatedly pronounced words that are precious to the faithful soul: Because I live, ye shall live also (John 14:19); My peace I give unto you (John 14:27); These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full (John 15:11).
The Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, writes: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection… Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him (Rom 6:5, 8).
A new life has been opened unto man. He has been given the possibility to die to sin in order to be raised with Christ and live with Him.
“A Pascha that hath opened the gates of Paradise to us,” we sing in the Paschal canon.
There is no joy, my beloved, more luminous than our Paschal joy. For we rejoice that, in the Resurrection, our eternal life has been opened unto us.
Our Paschal joy is joy for the transfiguration (change) of our life into an incorrupt life, in our aspiration for imperishable good, an incorruptible beauty. We now celebrate the greatest mystery, the Resurrection of Christ, the defeat of the Life-giver over death! Our Savior triumphed over evil and darkness, and therefore the Paschal Divine service of our Orthodox Church is so jubilant and joyful.
The faithful awaited this solemn service, preparing themselves for it during the long weeks of the Holy Forty Days. It is natural that their hearts are now filled with inexpressible joy.
The deepest meaning of Christ’s Resurrection is in the eternal life that He gave to all His followers. For 2000 years already His followers have unwaveringly believed not only that Christ arose, but in their own coming resurrection to eternal life.
Christ the Savior spoke many times during His earthly life about Himself as the bearer of life and resurrection. But then these words of the Divine Teacher were incomprehensible not only to the people who listened to Him, but even to His disciples and apostles.
The meaning of these words became clear only after Christ’s Resurrection. Only then did His apostles and disciples understand that He is, indeed, the Lord of life and the Conqueror of death. And then they went to preach throughout the entire world.
We, beloved, great each other during these joyful days with the words “Christ is Risen!” We will continue to greet one another in this way for the course of forty days, until the day of the Lord’s Ascension.
Just two words! But these are marvelous words, expressing unwavering faith, which gives joy to the human heart, in the truth of our immortality.
Christ is Life!
He many times spoke of Himself as the bearer of life and resurrection, as the source of eternal life, which is without end for those who believe in Him.
Christ is Risen! – and may our souls rejoice in the Lord.
Christ is Risen! – and may our fear of death vanish.
Christ is Risen! – and our hearts are filled with the joyful faith that we, too, will rise with Him.
To celebrate Pascha – this means to know with all one’s heart the power and grandeur of Christ’s Resurrection.
To celebrate Pascha – this means to become a new person.
To celebrate Pascha – this means with all one’s heart and mind to thank and glorify God for His ineffable gift, the gift of resurrection and love.
In these days we all exult and joyfully celebrate, praising and glorifying the deed of the triumph of Divine love.
Christ is Risen!!!
Let us throw open our hearts to meet Him Who suffered, and died, and arose for our sake. He will enter and fill our life with Himself and His Light, transfiguring our souls. We answer this by striving towards Him along our way of the Cross, for at its end, there is no doubt, shines our own resurrection to life eternal.
~Archimandrite John Krestiankin (+2009), On Bright Week, Pravmir. Com, http://www.pravmir.com/on-bright-week/.
