Blog Post

Christ Is Risen!

by Erin Doom

Feast of Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, Irene, and the Other Newly-revealed Martyrs of Lesbos; Bright Tuesday

Anno Domini 2020, April 21

The Resurrection by Theophanes the Cretan at the Chapel of St. Nicholas, Monastery of Stavronikita. Mt Athos (1545)

Christ Is Risen! Truly He Is Risen!

1. Essays & Reflections: “From Lent to Easter”

This short reflection is from our archives, written back in 2015 by Jeff Reimer, one of our regular contributors: “From Lent to Easter: Experiencing the Drama of God’s Redemption.”

2. Essays & Reflections: “The Death of Death”

Last week we reviewed a book by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos titled Feast of Feasts. Here’s a short excerpt from that book on the Resurrection:

The Resurrection of Christ is the greatest event in history. It is what distinguishes Christianity from every other religion. The other religions have mortal leaders, while the head of the Church is the risen Christ. The Resurrection of Christ is the renewal of human nature, the recreation of the human race, the living of eschatological reality. When we speak of the Resurrection, we do not separate it from the Cross, for the Cross and the Resurrection are the two poles of the redemptive experience, just as we pray in the Church, “through the Cross is joy come into all the world. Ever blessing the Lord, let us sing His Resurrection,” or just as we sing “We venerate Thy Cross, O Master: and we glorify Thy Holy Resurrection.”

Read more here.

3. Essays & Reflections: “We Walked Where There Was No Path”

The Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar has a book of homilies for the Church Year titled You Crown the Year with Your Goodness. Here’s an excerpt from the middle of his homily on Easter:

This is the supposition made by the Christian Faith. The world’s ultimate destiny – as nature and as the history of mankind – is summed up both really and symbolically in the historical destiny of the man Jesus Christ. Ecce homo: behold man! Behold life destined for death! That is his destination; thither his destiny draws him, to a profound abyss of oblivion. And the shadow cast by this end covers everything with horror and chill, confusing all the thread of reason. But with the Resurrection from the dead, of whom the man Jesus Christ is the firstfruits, man comes forth from God, new, eternal. On the other side of death he begins his immortal life. And thanks to the death on the Cross on the part of the one man Jesus Christ, who was God’s Son, expiating sin and death’s doom on behalf of all, this eternal Resurrection life reflects a brilliant light onto the whole of our doomed existence. “Death, where is thy sting, where is thy victory?”

Read the entire homily here.

4. Books: The Resurrection and the Icon by Michel Quenot

In The Icon: Window on the Kingdom, Quenot instructs us that “the icon expresses what Orthodoxy is, and like the Word of God, it transmits the Tradition of the Church.” The Resurrection and the Icon continues Quenot’s study, exploring the interdependence of Orthodox iconography and liturgical worship. Through 68 full-color icon reproductions and 26 black-and-white prints, Quenot takes the reader through the major feasts of the Church’s annual cycle, revealing how icons stand beyond human reason and help us open ourselves to the transfiguring presence of the Risen Christ.

264 pp. paper $24.95 - available at Eighth Day Books (10% off for Eighth Day Members at Patron level and above)

5. Poetry: “Ikon: The Harrowing of Hell” by Denise Levertov

6. Bible: Acts 2:14-21, Lk. 24:12-35. Online here.

7. Liturgy: Paschal Canon – Ode 3 by St John of Damascus

Here are the opening lines to the most glorious Easter hymnography penned by our patron saint:

Today is the day of Resurrection! O nations, let us shine forth; for the Pascha is the Pascha of the Lord, in that Christ did make us pass from death to life, and from earth to heaven, who now sing the song of victory and triumph.

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord!

Read the entire Ode here.

8. Word from the Fathers: The Paschal Homily

Every year at Pascha (Easter), the Orthodox Church reads the same homily by St John Chrysostom (d. A.D. 407). If you haven’t heard or read it before, I promise you it’s worth reading. Here’s the whole homily.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Support Cultural Renewal by Contributing to the Inklings Fall Fundraiser Inklings Festival Information & Registration

Contribute to Cultural Renewal by Sharing on Your Preferred Platform

In an isolating secularized culture where the Church's voice is muffled through her many divisions, Christians need all the help they can get to strengthen their faith in God and love toward their neighbor. Eighth Day Institute offers hope to all Christians through our adherence to the Nicene faith, our ecumenical dialogues of love and truth, and our many events and publications to strengthen faith, grow in wisdom, and foster Christian friendships of love. Will you join us in our efforts to renew soul & city? Donate today and join the community of Eighth Day Members who are working together to renew culture through faith & learning.