Christ is Risen!
Indeed, He is Risen!
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
today is the feast of feasts,
the holy day of holy days,
the radiant dawn of salvation!
Let the heavens rejoice! Let the earth be glad!
Let all creation exult in the resurrection of the Lord!
For behold, the tomb is empty,
the grave clothes are cast aside,
and death, once proud and mighty,
lies trampled beneath the feet of the Life-giver!
Christ is Risen from the dead,
by death He conquered death,
and to those in the tombs, He granted life!
Where now, O death, is your sting?
Where now, O Hades, is your victory?
The gates of brass are shattered,
the bars of iron are sundered,
and the Risen Christ leads forth Adam and all his children
from the shadow of the pit into the light of the Kingdom!
Do you see, beloved, the wonder of this day?
He who hung upon the Tree has raised up those who fell by the tree.
He who was pierced by the lance has healed the wound of sin.
He who was laid in the tomb has broken the tomb’s finality.
This is the day the Lord has made!
Let us be glad and rejoice in it!
Come, all you faithful!
Come, you who fasted and you who did not!
Come to the feast of faith!
The table is richly laden; the Lamb is slain; the banquet of immortality is set before us.
Let none go away hungry. Let none lament their poverty.
For the Kingdom has been opened to all!
Let us forgive all by the Resurrection.
Let no one hold a grudge,
for He who was sinless has forgiven us all.
Let us love one another, for love is the badge of the Risen One.
Let us walk in newness of life,
for Christ has arisen, and we arise with Him.
O night brighter than the day!
O night of holy light!
O night of the New Creation!
For in this night, death is undone,
hell is emptied,
and heaven is filled!
Let the bells ring and the candles shine,
let the hymns rise like incense before the throne of the Lamb!
For Christ our Pascha has been sacrificed for us,
and He lives to reign forever!
Christ is Risen!
Indeed, He is Risen!
Glory to His Resurrection on the third day!
Glory to the Victor over death!
Glory to Jesus Christ, the Eternal Light!
Now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Amen.
