Christ is risen!
Indeed He is risen!
Christos ist auferstanden!
Sicherlich ist auferstanden!
Harisutosu fukkatsu!
Jitsu-ni fukkatsu!
This last one is a version from Japanese, while the one previous is German, and I think we all recognize the English. I have some doubts about the common translation flying around for the Japanese, which is often rendered "Harisutosu," a rendering I cannot find in any Japanese dictionary. (It might be a way of transliterating "Christos" from some other language.) Rather, Christ is normally rendered as "Kirisuto" with "fukkatsu" referring to reviving or restoring.
I got our priest to give the Japanese a try as a Paschal greeting this year. He loved the idea. He also wanted to include the German. He said that about 1/4 Americans have some German ancestry. Also, it seems fitting given the number of formerly Lutheran families in the parish. This Saturday our parish received a family of four (now former) Lutherans by Chrismation. (I only learned that they were from a Lutheran background just the other day.)
We spent the entire week in Fort Wayne so we could attend the liturgical services of Holy Week. We purchased the Archdiocese's liturgical book for The Services of Great and Holy Week and Pascha, edited and arranged by V. Rev. Fr. Joseph Rahal. It seems that much of the work for this book was done by Fr. Joseph when he was priest at our parish some years ago - or so I'm told.
Holy Week was wonderful and we didn't want it to come to an end.
One thing was striking last night, after coming back to Defiance tired and happy from such a wonderful week: When the day was drawing to a close I suddenly looked to my Holy Week liturgical book and felt a hollow feeling in my stomach. I had gotten quite used to being able to open that book and review what tomorrow had in store for me. Now the book has to be written as I go.
Christos Anesti!
Alithos Anesti!
