April 2026

For the first three days of April we will complete the Great Fast and then enter Holy Week. These next two weeks prepare us for the greatest feast of the Church year: Pascha, the Resurrection of Christ. The Great Fast prepares us not only to commemorate the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, but to relive them and to participate in His journey to the Cross.

Pascha is everything. God has saved us from death by dying for us and raising humanity from the grave. As we hear in the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom:

“O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are 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.”

Man is truly born, not when his mother brings him into the world, but when he comes to believe in the Risen Christ, for then he is born to life eternal. By faith in the Resurrection, man is born anew—born for eternity. As Christ says, “All things are possible to him that believeth!” (Mark 9:23). The believer is one who lives with all his heart, soul, and being according to the Gospel and faith in the Risen Lord Jesus.

As Orthodox Christians, we are called to live with Christ at the center of our lives. This can only happen through true faith and sacrificial love for Him, seeking to fulfill His holy will in all that we do. Too often, after Pascha we relax; the strictness of the Fast ends and the many services come to a close. We can relax so much that we forget all that we have just undertaken for the benefit of our souls, and all that Christ has done for our salvation.

The Paschal season lasts forty days, until the eve of the Ascension of Christ. During this time, the services begin with the joyful hymn, “Christ is risen,” and we greet one another with the Paschal proclamation: “Christ is risen!” with the response, “Indeed He is risen!” When we leave the church on Pascha, we should not simply return to our usual routines, but strive to keep the feast alive in our homes and daily lives. Singing the Troparion at our morning and evening prayers, praying the Paschal Hours, and reading Holy Scripture throughout these forty days helps us understand more deeply all that took place after Christ’s Resurrection.

Everything centers on this Feast of Feasts—the Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let us not think of Pascha as a single day, but rather bask in the joy of all that Christ has done for us. May we make the most of these final days of the Great Fast and fully immerse ourselves in Holy Week, so that we may all experience a blessed and joyous Pascha.

Fr. Mikel

What is the proper Orthodox Church Dress Code?

1) Men should not wear hats, bandanas, shorts, sleeveless shirts, or casual footwear like flipflops.

2) Women should not wear miniskirts, spandex-tight clothing, low-cut or revealing tops (unless covered with a sweater or other garment), or casual footwear like flipflops.

3) Children should be given a little more flexibility but should still wear “church clothes” so that they know they are somewhere that is special and holy.

4) Everyone should refrain from clothing that is immodest, ostentatious, a fashion-statement, or otherwise distracting from the prayerful and sacred space of the Lord’s House. Clothing or bodily adornments with images, symbols, or writing should not be worn or at least covered up, so that the holy icons and Word of God do not have to compete with the logo of our favorite sport team, the name of a music band, or the slogan of our political party.