9.4.07

Christ is risen!

By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive.
He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh.
And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry:

Hell, said he, was embittered
When it encountered Thee in the lower regions.
It was embittered, for it was abolished.
It was embittered, for it was mocked.
It was embittered, for it was slain.
It was embittered, for it was overthrown.
It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.
It took a body, and met God face to face.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being risen from the dead,
Is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be glory and dominion Unto ages of ages.

Amen.

- from the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom

Happy Easter to all! Xristos Anesti!* Al Maseeh Qam!** Harisutosu Fukkatsu!*** And 'Christ is Risen' in whatever other languages you happen to speak!

* Greek (of course ;)
**Arabic
***Japanese

4 comments:

Eric said...

They celebrate Easter in Japan? I was hesitant to wish readers of my Japanese blog this because I wasn't sure.

Also, do you speak Japanese? If so, would you mind if I emailed you time to time for practice?

Greta said...

I'm not sure if Easter is big in Japan; I'm guessing not. However, it's fun to wish people a happy Easter in as many languages as possible - it is a universal holiday. :)

As for Nihongo, I have yet to begin my classes. So, I probably wouldn't be the best person to practise on. Maybe in a couple of semesters. :)

I have found this site very helpful:
http://weblog.randomchaos.com/japanese/?show=all
Also, my Lonely Planet phrasebook is excellent. However, I'm guessing you're well past those stages. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. :(

Eric said...

Ah well, it was worth a shot. Thanks for the links!

channelview said...

Good post!