During the initial part of our Pentecost Period, that is from Pascha to the Ascension, we repeatedly sing the Easter Tropar (Christ is risen from the dead). Each time we sing it, we sing it three times in a row and we sing it to replace other hymns of the Liturgy. I know that some more modern people think that it is silly to keep repeating things over and over again.

There is a definite intent behind our Church’s repetition of this most powerful prayer. It is repeated many, many times to remind us that our Triune God is the One Who has and is revealing to us the true meaning of human life. Jesus, Who is the physical and material manifestation of our Triune God, did not reveal this to us by Himself. It is our Triune God Who has and is revealing to us that human life is immortal and that God, when He created us, knew how we must live in order to gain the fullness of life. He created us as people who must learn things so that we might voluntarily return His love. By creating humanity in the way He did, He made it possible for us to freely learn how to return His love and to become unto His likeness as expressed very concretely in the Person of Jesus.

One of the things that our constant repetitions does is highlight that the Trinity, that is the conception of God as Three-In-One, is always at the forefront of our worship. All Three Godly Persons were actively involved in the Person of Jesus. The belief that Jesus was truly God and truly man,  reveals to us something also very important, namely that while God is the life-force within human beings, He created us in such a manner that we have our own individual personalities and freedom. This again confirms the idea that although Jesus Christ was God Himself incarnate, Jesus the man also had His own individuality so that He could freely embrace living human life and be a model that all humans could attempt to imitate.

Indeed our religion provides us with such profound thoughts about God and human life – more profound, I believe, that other religions. That is why I am deeply thankful that I was given the gift of faith in the God of Christianity.

I truly hope that in some way my efforts will help others to come to this same conclusion. Pascha is