The Octave of Easter

Russian Icon  16th Century

This entire post is taken from Wikipedia:

"The term Octave of Easter [can] refer to the eight day period from Easter Sunday until the Sunday following Easter, inclusive; or it may only refer to that Sunday after Easter, the Octave Day of Easter sometimes known as Low Sunday.

That Sunday is also known historically as St. Thomas Sunday St. Thomas Sunday is so called because the Gospel reading always relates the story of "Doubting Thomas," in which Thomas the Apostle comes to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus only after being told by the resurrected Christ to place his finger in the nail marks and his hand in His side. In the Gospel accounts, this event takes place on the eighth day after the Resurrection, hence their significance for this Sunday (John 20:19-29

In the Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and certain Eastern Catholic churches, the first Sunday after Pascha (Easter) is known as Thomas Sunday, after the Gospel passage read that day (John 20:19-31) which recounts the story of Christ appearing to the Apostle Thomas in order to dispel his doubt about the Resurrection. It should be noted that among Eastern Christians Thomas is not so much remembered as "doubting Thomas," but is rather remembered for his confession of faith: "My Lord and my God," thus being the first to publicly proclaim the two natures of Christ: human and divine.

The entire week from Pascha to Thomas Sunday, known as Bright Week or Renewal Week, is considered to be one continuous day. The hymns chanted every day are identical to those chanted on the Sunday of Pascha, with the exception of a few parts that are taken from the Octoechos (the "Book of the Eight Tones"). Each day has a different tone: Easter Sunday is Tone One, Bright Monday is Tone Two, and so on through the eight tones (skipping Tone Seven, the "Grave Tone"). On Bright Friday, in addition to the normal Paschal hymns, special stichera and a canon in honor of the Theotokos (Mother of God) are chanted in commemoration of her Icon of the "Life-giving Spring." During all of Bright Week the Royal Doors on the Iconostasis are kept open—the only time of the year when this occurs. The doors are closed before the Ninth Hour on the eve of Thomas Sunday. However, the Afterfeast of Pascha will continue until the eve of the Ascension.

Be Peace

Be Love

Be Good

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Easter Sunday ~ The Resurrection

  

Women at the Tomb & the Ascension Of Christ ~ 15th Century Painting Fr. Angelico 

When the women came to the tomb they saw the stone was moved away from the entrance and that it was empty and that Mary Magdalene looked into the tomb weeping and saw two angels sitting there who asked her why she was weeping. She told them she feared someone had taken Christ away; then she turned and saw a man she at first took to be a gardener standing there.

 He also asked her why she wept and then called her name, "Mary", and she knew he was Christ and reached for him but he told her not to touch him because he had not yet  ascended to his Father; he instructed her to go to his "brethren" and tell them,  "I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God." Mary went to the disciples and told them but they didn't believe her; later that evening Jesus appeared to them in a closed room where they were hiding from the authorities. He stood in their midst  and showed them his hands and side then he said, "Peace be unto you. as my Father sent me even so I send you". When he said this he "breathed" on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained." Thomas was not with them during this visitation and when he was told of it he did not believe Christ had come. He said he would only believe if he saw Jesus for himself and put his hands on the spots where the nails and sword had been driving into the body.

Ascention by Danny Hahlbohm

Be Peace

Be Love

Be Pure in Spirit

Be Blessed

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