Christos anesti!

Christos anesti!

Aletheios anesti!

This is the traditional Eastertide greeting and response in Greek. We would say, "Jesus is risen!" "He is risen indeed!"

Mikey and I have been attending daily Mass during this octave of Easter, and the Church makes it clear that Easter Sunday, the marvelous celebration of Jesus' glorious resurrection, continues for eight straight days. I have been enjoying hearing the Gospel accounts of the resurrected Christ at mass. And the altar is so beautifully decorated with flowers and candles. Everything is new, joyful, and triumphant. Yesterday at Mass we heard one of my favorite stories--the story of Christ meeting his disciples on the road to Emmaus: "And they knew him in the breaking of the bread." The resurrected Lord is truly with us in the Eucharist, more intimately present to us now in this blessed Sacrament than even he was to those disciples as he opened the Scriptures to them on the road. I heard a Scripture scholar explain that Emmaus was similar to our Las Vegas. It was a place of recreation, recreation that was not always so good. So after Christ's death, these disciples seem to have given up on his message and mission, deciding to turn to worldly pleasures and entertainment for consolation. And Christ came to them and turned them back towards himself, opening their eyes to his glory. Praise and honor to the Lamb who sits on the throne!