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From the Church Bulletins. ----Our Bulletin is mailed upon request.---

PASCHA 2004 　　　　　　Ilya's Pascha Report

Around a hundred people from various countries gathered to celebrate Pascha.

Gospel was read in eight languages by
Nicholas(English), Alexei (Russian), Strahil(Bulgarian), Adrian(Romanian), Fr. George, Ilya(Slavonic), Zauli(Georgian), Eleni(Greek)

Easter 2004 at the Annunciation Church in Nagoya

Harisutosu fukkatsu! Christ is risen! Khristos voskrese!

by Ilya N. Kharin

Despite the troubles of the world around us, despite the sorrows in our own lives, every year brings us a miracle. This is the Blessed Resurrection of Christ, as He rises from the grave defeating death itself and extending salvation to the entire humankind. And together with Him, our souls and hearts rise to sing His praise, to shout with wonder and to weep with joy. But the joy is even sweeter and wonder - even greater when you share them with people from all over the world, gathered as one family in a place where many did not even hope to find such a treasure as they did here, in Nagoya.

Indeed, it still fills me with amazement and awe when I think of the path the Japanese Orthodox Church has walked. From the coming of St. Nicholas to Hakodate in Hokkaido in 1861 and the first flowering of Orthodoxy, through the hardships of the Russian Revolution and the Second World War, the Japanese Church has carried on the candle of faith to welcome us here, in Nagoya with a priest, who is both a theologian and a true spiritual father to his flock; with a matushka, who doubles as the regent of the choir and will put some professional musicians to shame; and with a family of faithful who welcome newcomers with open hearts.

But it is especially on Easter that the Nagoya church is filled with the bounties of God’s grace that dwells here. An hour before the services will commence the people start coming, hushed and reverent, gazing into the stilled darkness of the church with expectation and hidden joy, buying candles and waiting, waiting for the miracle. When the service starts at 11 PM the small church is full ? despite all the efforts to expand the standing space it does not seem like it can hold many more. But people keep coming, quietly crowding into the corners, into the dining hall outside, into the corridor ? praying, waiting. Now comes the procession around the church and the hymns are still somber and stately, darkness envelops the small candles moving in a gentle stream behind the banners and the icons. But here we are, entering back into the church…

“Harisutosu shi yori fukukatsu shi…!” “Christ is risen from the dead…!” the priest exclaims the Paschal hymn and the choir thunders in reply “…shi wo motte shi wo horoboshi!” ? “…trampling on death by death!”. The gates of Hell are broken and we are free! All the lights in the church come on and midnight turns into midday, the burning candles, the glowing gold, the shining white, and smiles on every face. We will sing the Paschal hymn many times, but it never gets old ? just more wonderful, bursting forth like a song of triumph. The hours of prayer and song are a great joy, and the tired feet and back, the lungs and throat that seem to have had their share of work some 2 hours ago, all of this loses meaning in front of the icon of resurrection, the icons of the saints and the joyful faces of the faithful.

And who are they? While most are naturally Japanese, how many people from different nations have gathered here on this blessed night. There are at least 10 countries represented and the Gospel reading today is read in 8 languages ? after the priest’s Japanese there come Greek, Georgian, Church Slavonic, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian and English. This small church, whose walls seem to have receded making it feel like a cathedral, houses a little universe, an international community united in joy and love. Today there are no borders among us, and the languages sundered at the Tower of Babel are brought together again in the union, where each remains itself, yet is one with all others. And after the unequalled spiritual feast we will sit down together before the tables for the bodily feast and talk away the joy of being together in Christ, whose children we all are....

After the long service is over and the faithful are feasting merrily outside the prayer hall itself, Father Georgii Matsushima sits in front of the icons with a peaceful smile. “You know,” he says, “the Russian refugees after the Revolution had to make garages into prayer halls to worship in. Later on, when they built beautiful great churches, they would reminisce about how pure and blessed the services were in those “garage-churches”. Maybe this is also true for our small and simple church here.”
He is right.

Jitsu ni fukkatsu! Indeed He is risen! Voistinu voskrese!