Happy Pascha everyone!

Heather and I just returned from Paschal Services and it is 3:59 am... we left the house at 11:10.  There are no words to describe the Paschal Service, other than to repeat the words I spoke to my wife while we were waiting for our car to warm up outside of the temple space.  "Pascha is why I am Orthodox" I said to her, and she responded "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Right about now myself, my wife and our fellow faithful of St. Athanasius Orthodox Church are walking in Procession in front of our Store Front Temple, candles in hand singing:

Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Savior, the angels in heaven sing. 
Enable us on earth to glorify Thee in purity of heart.

Then before the doors of our Church the Clergy present sing a call and response hymn:

Verse 1: Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered, 
and let those who hate Him flee from His face.
Verse 2:  As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; 
as wax melts before the fire.
Verse 3:  So let the sinners perish before God, 
but let the righteous rejoice.
Verse 4:  This is the day which the Lord has made; 
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

The faithful respond after each verse with the Paschal Troparian:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, 
and to those in the tombs bestowing life!

We then move onto a 3 hour or so service.  Not for the faint of heart, surely but for those of us who crave an authentic, sacremental relationship with God, there is no other way.

So again I say to you, my friends (hopefully in your own language, or one close to it), believers or not...

Christ is Risen!  Indeed He is Risen!
Khristus anahgrecum!  Alhecum anahgrecum!
El Messieh kahm!  Hakken kahm!
Helisituosi fuhuole!  Queshi fuhuole!
Le Christ est ressuscite!  En verite il est ressuscite!
Kriost eirgim!  Eirgim!
Christus ist erstanden!  Er ist wahrhaftig erstanden!
Christos anesti!  Alithos anesti!
Kristus er oppstanden!  Han er sannelig oppstanden!
Khristus zmartvikstau!  Zaiste zmartvikstau!
Cristo ressuscitou!  Em verdade ressuscitou!
Cristos a inviat!  Adevarat a inviat!
Khristos voskrese!  Voistinu voskrese!
Khristos voskres!  Voistinu voskres!

And I will of course post sometime about why I am celebrating Pascha (easter) in May instead of the normal time...