Today has been another bright day for Bright Week and the continuation of the celebration of the feast of Pascha.
The day began with the funeral service for the Handmaiden of God, Maria. Although the service was a funeral, the formatting was different and contained many of the prayers we heard at the midnight Pascha service. While it is true that the loss of someone we love is always traumatic, it is also a reminder of our mortality. How wonderful it also is that the funeral services during the Paschal season contain powerful reminders that Christ is risen and that our own death is not the end of our existence, and today’s funeral contained all of those same reminders. In this way, the trauma is lessened by our trust in the goodness of God and the promise of salvation for those who struggle to love God. As a result of all this, let us continue to celebrate the “Bright Week” of Pascha, praying for the Handmaiden of God, Maria, and for one another and remembering that, “Christ is Risen”.
