Below is the sharing I wrote from my heart 4 years ago, when i truly discovered this glorious service of the Leave-taking of Pascha. + :)
We were at Antiochian Village 4 yeas ago over Mem. Day Wkend for a wonderful Orthodox family retreat, and after the weekend, we were able to go to the Monastery right by there, for this amazing service.... Thanks be to God, their little house was available so we ended up being able to stay there.... for the leave-taking of Pascha. This is the glorious service we have on the 39th day of Pascha!!! They had Vespers and Orthros the eve before with the Litugy the next morning. After that we were heading to Detroit so we would have completely missed that evening service if we had had the long drive to Detroit that day. This service is soooooooo AMAZING. For any of you who aren't that familiar with it, it is a 2nd PASCHA. IT is the EXACT same service that begins after we receive the Light on Pasha evening!!! It is such a blessed service to be in with your children, especially in a monastery or somewhere where it is done in its entirety! We sang Christos Anesti /Christ is Risen sooooo many times, even though we tried to remain somewhat calm, we were so filled with joy, we could hardly stop smiling!!!!!!
Father Demetri was so joyful and these were some of the most joyful services I have EVER experienced. Many many times throughout the services, Father Demetri was walking down the aisle, to the back, into the Nathex, and back down the middle censing all of us, the icons, the angels and saints all around, and LOUDLY JOYFULLY TRIUMPHUNTLY calling out "CHIRSTOS ANESTI" / "CHRIST IS RISEN!" and we would all respond back-"ALITHOS ANESTI! / Truly He is Risen! " it was triumphant - it was a 2nd Pascha, it was a level of Paradise I have not been to before. Glory to God for all things! How could it be that I didn't totally experience and realize the blessings of this iincredible leave-taking service until I was 40 years old... unworthy though I am... Again and agian, with the beautiful chanting of the nuns and the children's voices---we all sang Christos Anesti so many times... Pascha...Pascha (that incredible hymn)... the angel cried... fotizo fotizo... shine shine.... awwwwww- it just got better and better and better- throughout those services that evening and the next morning,
I remember feeling this joy some of the other Pascha nights in my life and especially when we have been blessed to be in vigils at Holy Cross, at St. Nektarios, at other monasteries and in when we have been blessed to be in Arizona with Yeronda Ephraim for Holy Week/Pascha. Yeronda Ephraim has this same kind of contagious joy which Father Demetri had, it is something which is very difficult to describe in words-- it is Salvific, it is peaceful - it is joyful-- it is Holy Spirit filled- it is full of Light and Love and Hope -- it is Transforming -- it is contagious -- it is a taste of Paradise and when you are experiencing it, you are IN PARADISE... in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father Alexios and Father Kyrilos, who had this vigil at St. Nektarios last year have this incredible joy!!!
At the monastery a few years ago, when we went to that service, we went downstairs after the service with Father Demetri, and we asked him if he could tell us a miracle, as we often love to do with the children at monasteries or when we are around priests or just hanging out with people in our home or anywhere in these very special blessed moments of life. Father Demetri replied to us with his prayerful, faithful eyes and voice, "I'll tell you a miracle... it's the service that just happened upstairs and the fact that the Lord brought us all together in exactly the way He did... he went on to say and put into words exactly what we were feeling in our hearts-- he said something about the place in Paradise where he had been. We needed no exchange of words... we were all feeling the same. the Holy Spirit had touched each of us in such a special way. Father Demetri also said that he didn't want the service to end. That was EXACTLY what I was feeling. There was something so beautiful also about the children's responses as he would proclaim Christ's resurrection as he walked down the aisle and the children would look up to Father Demetri's heartfelt, loving faithful, repentent, joyful eyes and respond right back with their big hearts and souls and eyes.... there is someithing about "the little children" especially after the 40 day Paschal period which we had experienced this year.
( I will explain: Being at Holy Cross this year during the 40 days after Pascha was really really incredible. Because we go to so many services and activities there each day, we are constantly running in to many people within the community and proclaiming again and again " Christ is Risen!!!" Truly He is Risen!! Being so interconnected with your community is such a blessing and we all had Christos Anesti written all over the tablets of our hearts and souls and bodies!!! Father Gerasimos had also given a sermon on how this is truly the way we should all be greeting one another morning and night each time we see someone, when we awaken, when we answer the phone, b4 we sleep, etc. Then, even more people started saying it around our community, it was so BEAUTIFUL... We were proclaiming the truth ALL over the place. Glory to God in the Highest- it was so beautiful. .. The children and Philip and I were proclaiming it in MANY different languages morning and night as we closed our prayers..... it covered us with so much JOY!!!!! Have you ever tried to say Christ is Risen/Christos Anesti!!!! with a frown? It is impossible! ) So my heart was almost beginning to mourn the end of the Paschal period, though I know the ascension is also such a blessing and I yearn to ascend up to Heaven with Christ in my heart... and then await for the Holy Spirit to come down once again... Anyway my final point in my heart is that the Lord truly heard and knew our whole experience- of the 40 days- for the children and for us... and he gave us EXACTLY what we needed to end the forty days and be filled with a peace in letting that time period go, and begin another... he gave us the MOST BEAUTIFUL, FULL Leave-taking of Pascha that we could've ever imaginged, which also truly prepared us walk toward the Ascension and Pentecost. ++
++ May we all prepare a place worthy for the Holy Spirit to stay in our souls- and touch others with love each momnet as the Lord would call us to, as we prepare for His Ascension on the 40th day, and for Pentecost/ the Holy Spirit on the 50th!! love always in Christ, + georgia&co.
and said to him,"Thomas!! Do you know what is happening right now??" Thomas looked up with precious faith and wonder in his eyes... and Markos said, "THE HOLY SPIRIT IS COMIN' DOWN AGAIN!!!!" Even though I missed that service this year... after the RESURRECTION... after 40 days of Christ among us and PROCLAIMING DAILY, "Christ is RISEN!!! TRULY He is Risen!!!...after 50 days of not kneeling... and not saying the prayer 'O Heavenly King Comforter... Spirit of Truth, who are present everywhere and fillest all things, treasury of blessings and Giver of LIFE, come and dwell in us and cleanse us from every stain and SAVE our souls... o... Good One.' ~ in the beginning of our morning prayers or Compline... and anticipating the blessed event, once again, of the HOLY SPIRIT coming back down.... our precious son so beautifully brought that reminder to my heart and soul, and suddenly, I truly felt I had been at that service... and I knew... THE HOLY SPIRIT had COME DOWN AGAIN!! Amen!+ May we remember each moment... that the Holy Spirit is truly Comforter... is present everywhere and fillest all things, and DAILY, HOURLY, may we open our hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to come and dwell in us and cleanse us from every stain and SAVE our souls...
