The Paschal Egg

The Tradition of the Paschal Egg

There is a beautiful tradition within the life of the Church for believers to have as their last meal before beginning the Great Lenten Fast, a hard boiled egg, white in color. This egg represents our sinful nature, and we eat this egg with the hope that the Lenten journey will bring us to repentance, and make us worthy to receive the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

The great and holy myrrh-bearer Mary Magdalene, equal of the apostles, during a dinner with the emperor Tiberius Caesar, was speaking about Christ’s resurrection. Caesar scoffed at her, saying that a man could rise from the dead no more than the egg in her hand could turn red. Immediately, the egg turned red. This is believed to be an explanation for dyeing eggs red at Pascha.

At the end of Matins, during the Paschal service, the priest hands out a red egg, symbolizing the blood of Christ, to each worshiper. At the beginning of the Paschal feast, following the Midnight Liturgy, believers break the Lenten Fast by again eating an egg.

As we hit our red eggs together, while saying, “Christ is Risen”, we are symbolically proclaiming the truth that Christ, by his death and holy resurrection, broke the bonds and power of death. The breaking of the eggs represents the opening of the tomb, and the crashing of the doors of hell, with Christ destroying the power of darkness and death, forever.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Wednesday April 22, 2020 / April 9, 2020
Bright Wednesday.
Bright Week. Fast-free
Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Holy Mount Sinai (movable holiday on the Wednesday of the Bright Week).
“Kasperov” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (movable holiday on the Wednesday of the Bright Week).
Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea in Cappadocia (362).
New Martyr Gabriel (1942).
Martyrs Desan bishop, Mariabus presbyter, Abdiesus, and 270 other martyrs in Persia (362).
Hieromartyr Bademus (Vadim), archimandrite of Persia (379).
Venerable Woutruide, foundress of a monastery (688) (Neth.).
Newly revealed Martyrs Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene of Lesbos (1463) (Greek).
Martyrs Fortunatus, Donatus, twelve virgins and six laymen at Sirmium (304).
St. Acacius, bishop of Amida in Mesopotamia (5th c.).

The Scripture Readings

Acts 2:22-36

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

John 1:35-51

The First Disciples

35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

Philip and Nathanael

43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”