Wollongong - The Serbian Orthodox Church, along with Christians around the world, celebrates Easter today – the most joyful of holidays, the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. At the heart of Christian teaching lies Christ’s resurrection, symbolising the triumph of faith and life over death. In Orthodox churches, the Royal Doors on the altar are opened on Easter Sunday, symbolically representing how Jesus, through His resurrection, conquered darkness and death, and opened the gates of Paradise and the path to salvation for all humankind.
At our Church of Saint John the Baptist in Wollongong, a midnight Easter liturgy was held, attended by a large number of faithful. The Serbian Orthodox Church, in its Easter message, called on all members of society both at home and around the world to build peace, mutual respect, and dialogue for the good and progress of the people. The message also calls for a rejection of individualism and a return to God and a liturgical way of life – as this, it emphasises, is the only meaningful response to the problems faced by the modern world.
Christians celebrate Easter over three days, and in the Serbian Orthodox Church calendar, Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday are marked as significant holy days. Easter is a movable feast, determined by the natural calendar, and always falls on a Sunday, with a possible variation of up to 35 days – between the 4th of April and the 8th of May. This year, all Christians celebrated Easter on the same day. The next shared Easter celebration will occur in 2028.
Christ is risen – Truly He is risen!