"But the 'Great and Holy Pascha' will be an occasion of inexpressible joy," he said.

This has been Holy Week for Orthodox Christians, and for them no feast day is more joyful than the Pascha or Easter. The fact that it is five weeks after other Christian denominations celebrated the risen Christ is an anomaly of the calendar, fourth-century astronomy and the pronouncement of the Council of Nicea in 325.

Festivities of the Pascha follow The Great Lent. It is the period of solemnity, that, if observed faithfully, results in the joy of the celebration. If Lent, a 40-day period of intense fasting, solemn services and serious self examination, is entered into earnestly, O'Brien said, a person can come to a point where it becomes too much.

"There is a point of surrender; a degree of humility is reached, where pride becomes dust," he said.

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the number 40 represents completeness, coming to fullness, done is done, O'Brien said.

"We begin Holy Week with the parable of the virgins and the oil lamps," he said. "There are empty hands, but still there is the anticipation to not give up.

"With Palm Sunday, we are on the journey to Jerusalem with Christ. By Thursday, it becomes very intense."

The Orthodox tradition is suffused with ancient ritual. Without apology or arrogance, the Orthodox believe that theirs is the "right" church, the true unbroken keeper of the apostolic tradition of Christianity.

The focus of that ritual is that it is worship of God, to communicate to souls that are hungry.

O'Brien explains it thus: "We are giving love to God, which is a sacrificial gift. Love is a divine characteristic, it is not created. We use created words to describe that which is beyond words."

According to the pronouncement of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325, Easter is to be observed the first Sunday immediately following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. (The first day of spring.)

But, because the Julian Calendar is 13 days later than astronomical time as gauged by the Gregorian Calendar, the starting point is 13 days later. Also, astronomical tables devised in Alexandria, Egypt, in the fourth century which fix the dates for the equinox and full moon are also a bit askew.

That is why Easter this year was celebrated March 31 by other Christian churches and why the Orthodox Pascha is May 5.

O'Brien expects about 100 worshipers for the celebration.

The Paschal Vigil begins at 11:30 p.m. Saturday with all in the dark. After the Nocturne psalms, the cross and candles are blessed with incense, and the doors of the sanctuary are opened.

Everyone holds a candle. After a procession around the church, the resurrection service with the Divine Liturgy begins.

"It is a very festive time," O'Brien said. "With many shouts of 'Christ is risen,' the incense is flying."

"For those who prepared themselves, their faces will be brilliant. There will be tears and smiles. An inexpressible joy."

The service will end about 2 a.m. followed by a light meal.

At noon Sunday, Paschal Vespers are followed with an egg hunt and a lamb feast.

By JIM GRANSBERY Of The Gazette Staff

Published on Saturday, May 04, 2002

.Jim Gransbery can be reached at 657-1288 or at jgransbery@billingsgazette.com