Christ is Always Risen

Today is the Leave-taking of Pascha. It is the last day of Pascha for this year. It is the last day on which we greet each other with Christ is Risen. That does not mean Christ is not risen. He is always risen, but today we move on to the next feast of the Church.

In many parishes there is a special service that takes place this morning during which the service of the Resurrection is repeated. In other words, what we did at midnight last month, we do again with minor exceptions. It is a grand ‘final’ celebration of Pascha until next year.

Candles are put away. Banners are stored again until next year. The Icon of the Resurrection is stored until next year, and the Body of Christ is placed back on the Cross. None of this means we don’t still believe in the resurrection. It only means we aren’t celebrating it every day.

From this evening until next Pascha (April 12, 2026) the Church celebrates the resurrection only on Sundays. The congregation begins to kneel again, and the liturgical life of the Church returns to our normal daily cycle. It can be a bit emotional, but it also creates longing for next year.

Seeing the Body of Christ return to the Cross is powerful. It always reminds me to ‘get going’ on the spiritual growth that I felt so strongly only forty days ago but let slip away slowly. I will miss singing Christ is Risen, but it isn’t healthy to remain in ‘celebration mode’ too long.

That being said, just because we aren’t celebrating Pascha doesn’t mean the truth of Pascha isn’t still at the forefront of our reality. It is only because of Pascha that our fasting and prostrations make sense. Without Pascha our worship is empty the rest of the year.

As Christians we must always strive to improve ourselves and live more like Christ this year than last year. Frankly, I would settle if I could live more like Christ today than I did yesterday. Being focused on the resurrection while ‘moving on’ creates purpose for our life.

The ancient Christians lived every day with the fervor of the resurrection in their hearts. As time went on, some had to be corrected in their teaching. Others traveled the globe to proclaim the Good News that God had come to save His people. He was born, killed and was resurrected.

IN THOSE DAYS, when Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesos. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully confuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Acts 18.22-28

In today’s passage from the Acts of the Apostles, we get a glimpse of the daily life of the early Church. The early Christians weren’t celebrating Pascha every day strictly speaking, but they were living the joy the resurrection made possible. That is where we go from here.

We live our daily struggle as Christians not celebrating Pascha perpetually but not forgetting it either. Have you allowed your fervor to slip a bit? Call your spiritual father and schedule confession and get ‘re-charged’ for the daily struggle. Make confession like Pascha.

The joy of Pascha kept our fire burning. Now forty days later, the flame has weakened a bit. That’s natural. Confession will kindle the flame like Pascha did. Attending Divine Liturgy as often as possible, and the other services of the Church, all kindle the flame like Pascha.

Let’s keep moving closer and closer to God. We won’t be singing Christ is Risen again until next year, but His Resurrection can keep us going. We just have put in the work like the ancient Church. Commit to being more like God today than you were yesterday, and it all makes sense.