Written by: Catechist Branislav Ilić
In joyfully celebrating the radiant Feast of the Resurrection of Christ, we have passed through the period of Bright Week, during which each day of the liturgical cycle is equivalent in rank to the very Feast of Feasts itself. The grace and light of Pascha do not come from the sun, nor from the angels, but from the unapproachable Light that dispels all darkness and illumines the eyes of humanity, enabling them to behold the beauty and harmony of God’s world.
Bright Week, or Paschal Week, which leads us into the New Sunday (Thomas Sunday), by its hymnographic content and entire liturgical structure, bears witness to the truth that only in the light of the Resurrection can one clearly perceive the meaning of human and cosmic existence—and the dignity that belongs to both by divine appointment.
Following the spiritual path outlined by the Church’s services, we, together with the God-bearing Fathers of the Church, are strengthened in the truth that the origin and purpose of created existence are to be found in God. As a co-worker with God, man is accountable not only for himself and his own people, but for all people and for the entire creation of God. This is the pan-human philosophy by which our faith lives and acts throughout the centuries.
The Feast of Feasts, which we liturgically celebrate for forty days, is an oasis of peace and joy—a time for spiritual self-examination, equipping ourselves with hope so that, clothed with the full armour of God found in the Church, we may endure every hardship and temptation, drawing strength from the Lord who encourages us with these words: “Take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
The Resurrection is the greatest victory over evil, sin, and death—a triumph that reminds us that we too have the possibility and responsibility to resist every spiritual fall and all that prevents us from doing good. We are not to despair, but to place our hope in the Lord so that we might receive His grace and help in all tribulations.
If, through human weakness, we fall into sin, the Holy Gospel proclaims to us: “Awake, O sleeper”—awake from sin—“and arise from the dead”—through repentance—“and Christ shall give thee light” (cf. Eph. 5:14).
To restore all things to their original harmony and to return to humanity the joy of beholding His countenance, the Lord Himself, in His infinite mercy and love, undertook a wondrous act—He became the God-man, being born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary for us and for our salvation: “Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:25).
Thus, our justification is theosis—deification in Christ Jesus—and our joy is the eternal joy and hope of the Resurrection, upon which the Symbol of Faith is founded, and which brings with it the greatest gift: the victory of life over death.
The Incarnation, as the beginning of the economy of salvation, finds its final fulfilment in the Resurrection—a reality which the Orthodox Church celebrates liturgically every Sunday without interruption. The annual liturgical cycle, as Saint Nikolaj of Ohrid and Žiča poetically says, is not “merely a memorial scroll of the dead,” but rather an ever-open dynamism of life moving toward the Coming Christ.
Thus, whoever belongs to Christ and bears the name Christian is freed from death, for the Lord Himself assures us: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
These words grant us hope in the true life—the joy of our faith. From them, we understand that His Resurrection is our resurrection, for Christ has destroyed death by His death, granting us eternal life.
Through His glorious Resurrection, the Lord has secured for us a twofold resurrection: the resurrection of the soul and the resurrection of the body. The resurrection of the soul from sin—for sin is the death of the soul—and the resurrection of the body from decay, which entered the human condition through sin.
What could be more joyous for all creation, and for us humans who are held captive by death, than the news that death has been conquered? All our earthly concerns and troubles—those shared by every person—stem ultimately from this fundamental affliction: the reality of death. The abolition of death and the restoration of communion with God in Christ will bring us the blessed life.
During these forty days of celebrating Christ’s glorious Resurrection, we chant in the services these words: “Though You descended into the tomb, O Immortal One, You destroyed the power of Hades, and You arose as Victor, O Christ God. To the myrrh-bearing women You proclaimed: ‘Rejoice!’ You gave peace to Your Apostles and resurrection to the fallen.”
The Kontakion of Pascha, a hymnographic masterpiece composed by Saint John of Damascus in the eighth century, expresses the Church’s teaching on the fruits of the Resurrection. The kontakion references Christ’s first appearance after His Resurrection: “And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying: ‘Rejoice!’ And they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him” (Matt. 28:9–10).
Here, joy is presented not as the opposite of sorrow, but as the opposite of fear. Joy, in this context, is resolute confidence, peace, and radiant humility. The text of the Paschal kontakion goes on to explain the reason for this joy: Rejoice, because Christ gives resurrection to the fallen. For eternal life requires nothing other than the desire of the human heart to receive it, and the willingness to labour to attain what one desires.
The day after New Sunday (Thomas Sunday), we share the joy of the Resurrection with the departed, for from the Saturday of Lazarus until that day, the Church refrains from visiting cemeteries or holding memorial services, as it is expressly forbidden to do so in this period. The Monday following Thomas Sunday is dedicated to prayer for the departed, as well as to the proclamation of the joy of the Resurrection.
The Church follows the apostolic command to pray for one another and for all people: “Pray for one another” (James 5:16).
The Church prays for all her members, for: “Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:8).
The earliest surviving testimony to this practice is found in the Apostolic Constitutions, a fourth-century document, which states: “Gather quietly in the cemeteries, reading from the sacred books and singing for the reposed martyrs and for all the saints and our brethren who have fallen asleep in the Lord. Offer the Eucharist in your churches and in the cemeteries, and sing at the funerals of the reposed, if they were faithful in the Lord.”
Thus, prayer for the departed is fundamentally linked to the Eucharist. “Pobusani Monday” is the first day after Thomas Sunday—nine days after the Resurrection of Christ. The name pobusani comes from the custom of going to the cemetery to tidy up and refresh the graves, often planting new flowers—typically roses—which is why this day is also called ružičalo (“rose day”).
To the cemeteries we bring Paschal eggs and proclaim the joy of the Resurrection by singing the Paschal troparion:
“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”
In this way, we express love and honour toward our departed loved ones, desiring to share with them the joy of Christ’s Resurrection—the joy of the victory over death. By doing so, we confess our faith in eternal life and in the general resurrection.
Theological justification for this memorial day is found in the very service of Thomas Sunday, where the Megalynarion speaks of Christ’s descent into Hades to proclaim to the dead His victory over death.
