“Sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth! Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day!”
The Paschal joy, like a river of grace, continues its quiet yet powerful flow, transforming and sanctifying everything it touches—every soul, all of creation.
On the Second Day of Holy Pascha, the Sacred Monastery of Bigorski once again was clothed in the radiance of the Resurrection, reflecting the eternal beauty of the Day that knows no evening.
The morning began with the solemn Paschal Matins, during which the triumphant acclamation once again resounded: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”—a hymn sung from the depths of the soul. Following Matins, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated, presided over by our beloved Elder, His Grace Bishop Partenij of Antania, together with the brotherhood of priests, and in the presence of a multitude of God’s faithful people.
After the conclusion of the Holy Liturgy, a festive Paschal procession (lity) was held. Accompanied by the joyful chanting of the Paschal Canon and Resurrectional hymns, the procession made its way from the main church to the monastic skete—the Agiasma—and then to the orchard. The entire monastic environment was sanctified with Paschal prayers, as an expression of gratitude for all that the Lord has granted us through His glorious Resurrection.
The celebration concluded with the Paschal blessing of waters, held at the monastery’s marble fountain (phiala), where all the faithful were sprinkled with holy water—a symbol of purification and of new life in Christ.
Every soul who came in a festive spirit received from the hand of the Elder a blessing and a traditional red Paschal egg.
The monastery continues to shine with a gentle spiritual light, for: “Today a sacred Pascha is revealed to us: a new and holy Pascha, a mystical Pascha, an all-honorable Pascha, a Pascha which is Christ the Redeemer; a blameless Pascha, a great Pascha, a Pascha of the faithful; a Pascha that has opened unto us the gates of Paradise, a Pascha that sanctifies all the faithful!”
Christ is Risen!
