A Different Perspective on Easter

Most people are aware that the Western and Eastern Christian churches do not follow the same calendar for detrermining the date to observe Easter. For the Western church, Easter this year was March 23; Eastern Orthodox churches did not celebrate Easter until April 27.

The two branches of Christendom also have different perspectives on the meaning of Easter. We, in the Western world, focus on the empty tomb. Western Christian churches ring with such hymns as Up From the Grave He Arose on Easter Sunday. Sermons are built around the reality of the angels' testimony, "He is not here. He has risen from the grave as He said."

For an understanding of Easter from the Orthodox tradition, consider this statement from His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,

When Orthodox Christians recall the Resurrection, they are not primarily concerned intellectually with how that miracle actually took place. In fact, they think less of an empty grave and more of an open tomb, which remains an open invitation to those who believe. The miracle of Resurrection calls for an openness to confess the reality of the darkness within us and around us, admitting our role and responsibility in refusing to eradicate the suffering in our world. Then, when we stand honestly before the reality of our evil – in earnest recognition and prayerful confession of the hurt we inflict upon our neighbor within society and within the global community, and the abuse with we treat the earth’s resources – at that very moment of realization are we also able to perceive the hope and light of the Resurrection. Only then are we able to apprehend the relationship between the Resurrection and the presence of war, racism, global warming and terrorism in our world. For then, we shall also be able to discern the light of the Resurrection in our hearts and in our world.
This is why for forty days after the bright night of that Easter vigil, Orthodox Christians will continue to greet one another with the words: “Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!”

Frankly, the Eastern Orthodox perspective with its acknowledgement of human evil and how we contribute to the problems of the world is much more challenging to us. From the Western perspective, Easter is a powerful story of God's power, but has little to do with us. Now, incorporating the perspective of our sisters and brothers of the Eastern church means we can no longer think only of the power of God in evidence at the resurrection. We must consider how we should change and what we should do in order to make our world better.

May the Easter profession become a call to action for us. Christ is Risen!