It’s been 10 years since I entered the Orthodox church.12 years of attending the same church – something that our children probably find astounding! From the time we entered the United States, fresh off the boat from Cairo, we changed churches like teenagers change their minds. It was exhausting for all of us.

Recently in a conversation with a friend about the Orthodox Church, she said to me “You deconstructed before it got popular.” But I don’t think we deconstructed. I think we reconstructed, and it led us to where we are today.

Today as the sun set on Great and Holy Saturday, and as I prepared for our Paschal feast in the wee hours of the morning, I felt deep gratitude for the journey. It has not been easy. Like entering any foreign country, there is a rhythm to learn – feasts and fasts, sacraments, and the ascetical life of the church. It has challenged me in ways I could not imagine – and it has also offered me unexpected belonging and community. So many in our church know what it is to live between worlds, know what it is for worlds to connect or collide. The unifying thread is our collective understanding of being part of something greater than ourselves, something that, in the words of C.S. Lewis, beckons us “further up and further in.”

As I offer this year’s Pre-Paschal reflections, I’m also grateful to those of you who have been on this journey with me. For you have offered grace in your listening and honored my words in unexpected ways. I can never express how thankful I am that you continually read.

In closing, I’ll offer my favorite words from St. John Chrysostom’s Easter Sermon:

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

Blessed Pascha to those who celebrate – and to those who don’t – come visit some year! It is a glorious day!

Χριστός ἀνέστη
المسيح قام
Khristos voskres
Hristos a Inviat
Christo Ressuscitou
Christ is Risen