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THE
EASTER PROCESSION
The
priest assisted by the acolytes who carry, the fans, the incensor,
the icon of the resurrection and the banner of the resurrection
leave the church. In the mean time the choir, who leads the procession
sings: " The angels sing your resurrection oh Christ our Savior,
in heaven and us on earth make us worthy with clean heart to glorify
You ".
Outside
on a makeshift stand, the priest goes and reads the Gospel of resurrection
and proclaims the Risen Lord. The gospel explains how early in the
morning before the sunrise the myrrh bearing women went to the grave
to put the oil and the essences on the body of Christ, according
the Jewish rituals of preparing the body of a deceased person. That
they found the stone rolled and the tomb empty, etc.
This
is followed with the Hymn of resurrection " Christ is Risen from
the dead; by His death He has trampled upon death and to those in
the tombs He has bestowed Life ". Everybody sings this hymn and
embraces each other by saying Christ is Risen/ Truly is risen.
After
the petitions the procession starts returning to the church for
the rest of the service. All the lights and vigil lights at the
church are lit. Everybody follows the Easter Matins and Pascal Divine
Liturgy with their candles lit.
The
Easter procession is a reminder of the original Baptismal Procession,
which brought the newly baptized, converts or catechumens from darkness
of paganism into the Light of Christ, from death unto life. It is
an expression of the believer's own personal Passover from darkness
to sin, to the light and brightness of the kingdom of God.
The Easter procession reaches its conclusion in the celebration
of the Divine Liturgy, where we meet the RISEN LORD as the disciples
did, through Holy Communion.
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