“Tradition,” a wise man once said, “is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” As Orthodox Christians, we’ve all experienced the joy of receiving the Paschal light at the midnight Resurrection Service, and have seen the effort it necessary to bring it home, especially under challenging weather conditions. We cup our hands around our candles and try our best to guard it from the wind and rain, because the flame has been given to us to transmit to the world, from our hands and homes.

The severe restrictions under which we celebrated Pascha last spring and the long months of loneliness that followed have understandably increased in us a desire for the light Christ came to shine on the world: the light of true life, experienced in loving fellowship with God and one another. For many, they felt that the flame was challenged, flickering, losing fuel – even dying.

But what we saw was that God had not abandoned us during this pandemic – He preserved us and, paradoxically, strengthened us. He has provided fuel for the flame in our hearts by many means – improving our commitment to personal prayer, speaking to us as always through our daily Scripture readings, inspiring us with the lives of his saints, and offering us opportunities to interact in ways that previous generations would never have dreamed possible. We have gathered for spiritual instruction and even attending, via internet technologies, worship services in our own parishes and throughout the world! And He has shown us, in the absence of physical presence, how important so many things were that we’ve taken for granted – in-person worship, meetings, social gatherings, and the like.

Of course, digital engagement is no substitute for gathering as the Body of Christ in church, but it kept His fire - and in some cases, our loved ones - alive. We made these sacrifices, after all, not for ourselves, but to protect our most vulnerable – the elderly and those with chronic health conditions. We approach Pascha with a growing awareness that in God’s good time we will emerge from this pandemic. Thanks to God’s gift of scientific engagement, an increasing number of people – myself among them – are now vaccinated against the Coronavirus and have begun experiencing the joy of worshiping together.

I pray that in the end of this Lenten Season, with Holy and Great Week and the celebration of Pascha, we will experience the full joy of worship, walking in Christ’s footsteps – and that we will bring with us the flame of His love that we have better learned to kindle in our hearts, more prayerfully and grounded in the Scriptures, and more ready to share with those in need in the world. If so, then we will feel an extra swell of joy when we together hear the words of St. John Chrysostom on Pascha:

“O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory? Christ is risen! And death has been despoiled.”

May the joy of the Resurrection and the eternal flame of Pascha always burn within our hearts!