BRIGHT MONDAY

Christ is Risen! At the Liturgy of Bright Monday, as the Monday after Easter Sunday is called in the Orthodox tradition, the second pericope of the Book of Acts of the Apostles is read, which tells how the Apostles chose Apostle Matthias to replace the fallen Judas (Acts 1:12-17;21-26). This event was preceded by the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into Heaven. It was this that inspired the Apostles to replenish their number. The Ascension inspires the Church, as the Community of Interpreters, to reflect on the Mystery of Easter.

“God has appointed times and seasons in His own power,” said the Lord to the Apostles in the Book of Acts (Acts 1:7). The Savior spoke it as He ascended from earth to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. This alone, the very moment when this was said by the Lord, testifies to the special significance of these words of Christ.

Easter is the personification of God’s power over time and history. As the Church Father Saint Augustine wrote about this: “God, who is outside of all time, in Christ Jesus Himself became temporal; He became time in order to free us from time.” According to Scripture, the Risen Christ appeared to the disciples when the doors of the house where they were meeting were locked (cf. John 20:19). Time and space no longer had power over Him. The Risen Christ revealed in His Body that which will also become our inheritance in the Heavenly Kingdom of God and the Father.

If the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ had ended with death on the Cross, this would have been the greatest triumph of the forces of evil in history. But “God raised up His Son and sent Him to bless you,” proclaims the Apostle Peter in the Book of Acts (Acts 3:26). The Resurrection of Christ did not happen automatically. It was not the fruit of human expectations. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead is a paradoxical, incredible, victorious response of God the Father to the death of His Son on the Cross. The resurrection of Christ is a divine victory, a source of joy for all people.

The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith. Paul writes about this in his Epistles. Easter is celebrated annually, and it is always the same celebration. However, like an amazing constellation, the calendar combination of fixed and Easter holidays creates unique and instructive sequences. Thus, every time with an interval of a week, this year the orthodox Church celebrated the Annunciation, then the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, and, finally, Holy Easter. Thus, in a short time we remembered, prayerfully relived the entire history of the salvation of the world and man in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ is Risen!