Tuesday, April 13, 2010

26 • His Eminence

His Eminence
The first resurrection is, for me, the first exhale of Pascha. It is the celebration of Christ's descent into Hades and His crushing of the gates as He preached the Good News to the souls there. This day is marked by our dear bishop, Metropolitan Iakovos, joyfully throwing flowers around the church as he says "Arise O God! (and judge the earth)" (Anasta O Theos!). The children love this sweet man for his attention to their little plastic baggies -- he happily blesses them with handfuls of flowers stuffed directly into their zip-locks. The procession around the church is filled with the scrambling of little bodies across the floor as they gather the bay leaves and fresh flower petals in His Eminence's wake. The joy of the first resurrection, and the joy of this holy man connecting in such a tender way with the children, is my first exhale of the weekend. The fast continues, the preparations continue -- but the hope is real. The morning sky is lit, though the sun is not yet visible.

2 comments:

  1. THIS is my favorite moment every year. I confess I may love it more than Pascha itself. Wonderful photo!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have always especially loved Holy Saturday...it's one of the highlights of Holy Week for me.

    ReplyDelete