Christ is risen! and other salutations...

Christ is risen! Χριστός Ανέστη! Христос васкрсе!A friend of mine recently grew frustrated with the bored, unispired way he heard people wishing one another the Paschal greeting: "Christ is risen!" It seems that he'd attended a service where no one seemed to mean it. The priest called it out, and the bored congregation responded mechanically. The glorious news of Lord's resurrection had become, simply, as he put it, 'a synonym for hello'.His irritation immediately brought me back to a moment many years ago, when I was an impertinent non-denominational college student, questioning my Orthodox boyfriend on the sign of the cross. I argued that people were just crossing themselves absent-mindedly, making it an empty gesture, another superfluous piece of tradition that was getting in the way of Jesus.He looked at me seriously, and thought about it. He admitted that sometimes he wasn't already in a deep, holy place, and he'd cross himself because it was 'time' to cross himself - but that mechanical act would call him to attention, call him to God. Making the sign of the cross, that muscle memory action, would call his brain to order: wake up, and pray now.Sometimes we are mechanical. Sometimes the action precedes the inspiration -- but that's not always a bad thing.Indeed, sometimes we find ourselves in a state of 'spiritual dryness', in which we are not feeling prayerful as we might at other times -- but the advice of the Church is not to wait to pray until you feel it in your heart, but the opposite: pray harder."If you do not feel like praying, you have to force yourself. The Holy Fathers say that prayer with force is higher than prayer unforced. You do not want to, but force yourself. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force" (Matt. 11:12). -- St. Ambrose of Optina (+1891)Sometimes the action precedes the inspiration; sometimes we must force prayer in our dry state in order to fight our way back to the more fruitful season.We're three weeks past Holy Pascha; halfway through the Paschal season. If you are not feeling the 'Christ is risen!' when you call it out, don't stop saying it. Instead, say it more forcefullly -- think about it, and try to mean it."Do not rush one prayer after another but say them with orderly deliberation, as one addressing a great person for a favor. Do not just pay attention to the words, but rather let the mind be in the heart, standing before the Lord in full awareness of His presence, in full consciousness of His greatness and grace and justice." -- St. Theophan the RecluseLet your mind be in your heart. Stand before the Lord and let yourself go back to that place in your heart where you know what it means to proclaim the resurrection, and next time you call it out, mean it. Until then, let us call you back to it as often as we can.Christ is risen! Truly, truly, my friends, He really is.