Pascha: The Greatest Feast
"When the Patriarch sang 'Christ is risen,' a heavy burden fell from our souls. We felt as if we also had been raised from the dead. All at once, from all around, the same cry resounded like the noise of many waters. 'Christ is risen' sang the Greeks, the Russians, the Arabs, the Serbs, the Copts, the Armenians, the Ethiopians one after another, each in his own tongue, in his own melody.
Coming out from the service at dawn, we began to regard everything in the light of the glory of Christ's Resurrection, and all appeared different from what it had yesterday; everything seemed better, more expressive, more glorious. Only in the light of the Resurrection does life receive meaning."1
Orthodox Christians have prepared themselves through the seven weeks of the Great Fast and Holy Week for this very moment: the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. As Mother Mary and Metropolitan Kallistos Ware put it, "It is the one and only basis for our Christian life and hope.
And, our Lord's rising from the tomb after conquering hades, sin and death opens up for all of us the Kingdom of Heaven to be one with God.
The midnight Paschal Vigil is so glorious that its sights and sounds could overwhelm us with joy. Be sure to be in church! Take a look at our special section "Pascha: The Feast of Feasts" to understand what is happening around us in church to prepare for the holiest day of the year.
-Taken from Antiochian Orthodox Christan Archdiocese of North America website
-photo used for the header was courtesy of Kaitlyn Gallimore, April 19, 2026