When Time Is Not Linear: Pascha, Passover, and Why the Date Still Matters
Every year around Easter, I find myself reflecting on time —
not just dates on a calendar, but how faith understands time itself.
Christians do not all celebrate the Resurrection on the same
day. The Western Church follows the Gregorian calendar, while the Eastern
Orthodox Church calculates Pascha using the Julian calendar. As a result,
Easter and Pascha often fall on different dates, even though we are celebrating
the same event. Within each tradition, there is agreement. Between traditions,
there is difference.
At first glance, this may seem like a technical or
historical curiosity. For me, it is something much deeper.
Why Pascha Matters to Me
What feels most meaningful to me in the Orthodox Church is
that the calculation of Pascha remains closely connected to the Jewish Passover
— not only in dates, but in meaning.
The word Pascha comes directly from the Hebrew Pesach,
the name Jews use for Passover. This is not incidental. It reminds me that
Christ’s Resurrection is not detached from history but rooted within it.
Christianity does not appear suddenly, fully formed; it grows directly out of
Judaism. Christ is the fulfillment of an ancient promise, not a replacement for
it.
Because of this, Orthodox Pascha often falls in the same
season as the Jewish Passover. That closeness has always felt important to me.
To me it is mystical.
A Moment That Made It Real
I remember visiting my cousins in Melbourne, in a
predominantly Jewish neighbourhood. As our church was observing Palm Sunday,
families around us were preparing for Passover. Seeing these celebrations
unfold side by side made something click for me.
Jesus did not live outside Jewish life. He lived fully
within it — within its festivals, its rhythms, its history. His earthly family,
His teaching, and His final Passover meal were all deeply Jewish realities.
This is something Christians can easily forget.
That moment reminded me that faith is not abstract. It is
lived, inherited, remembered, and practiced across generations and communities. I also saw the connection of Judaism with Christianity. What Jesus taught came from Judaism. Sometimes Christians forget.
Time From an Orthodox Prospective.
For me, the Orthodox understanding of time goes even deeper.
I recently discovered.
In Orthodox worship, the past is not merely remembered — it
is made present.
What happened in Christ’s life is not just something we
remember from long ago. In the Church, we experience it again in the present.
When we celebrate Palm Sunday or Pascha, we are not acting out history or
marking a date on the calendar. We are stepping into the story ourselves.
By keeping the older Julian calendar for Pascha (Easter), I
feel the Church is holding on to more than a date. It keeps the deeper
meaning behind the way the Easter story fits together — Christ coming after
and fulfilling Passover. That sequence matters to me, even if it is less
“accurate” by modern astronomical standards.
While Western churches calculate Easter with greater
precision, preserving this historical and theological relationship feels
essential. Changing the calculation to align fully with the Western calendar
would risk losing something intangible but profound — a mystical awareness that
binds history, worship, and meaning together.
Freedom, Responsibility, and Love
This closeness between Pascha and Passover feels especially
beautiful because both traditions teach that freedom is sacred.
Passover proclaims liberation as a divine gift and a
responsibility. Easter continues that story through Christ, revealing that we
are saved by Him and freed not for self‑interest, but for love. His life and
sacrifice show that forgiveness and mercy are the true guides of freedom.
We are not left to struggle alone in trying to be good.
Easter proclaims that we are freed by Christ, called to live responsibly, and
invited to reflect His love in the world.
Across both traditions, the moral vision aligns: our actions
matter, freedom carries responsibility, and love stands at the centre.
What “Christ Is Risen” Means
In the Orthodox Church, saying “Christ is Risen” is
not just remembering a moment in history. It is a declaration that life has
overcome death. When I say it at Easter, my heart reacts, it feels joy.
Christ’s Resurrection proclaims that death does not have the
final word. Fear, suffering, and loss are real, but they are not ultimate.
Life, love, and hope are stronger.
This is why Pascha is not quiet or restrained. It is joyful,
loud, and full of light. The Resurrection is not treated as an idea or a
metaphor, but as a victory that continues to shape the present. Christ conquers death.
When Orthodox Christians proclaim, “Christ is Risen,”
they are saying that even in a broken world, life wins — and that truth changes
how we live. It gives us hope in this crazy world.
A Season of Greeting and Gratitude
To everyone celebrating this season:
Χριστός Ἀνέστη!
— Christ is Risen!
Καλή Ἀνάσταση! —
Have a blessed Resurrection!
Chag Pesach Sameach! — Happy Passover!
These greetings belong together. They reflect a shared story — one lived, remembered, and renewed across generations.
I love greeting my family and friends in Greek Χριστός Ἀνέστη on Easter Night, and the next 40 days after Easter we greet each with this greeting. Between now and until Easter Sunday next week we greet each other with Καλή Ἀνάσταση! I feel that I am living the easter story from its very beginning.
Easter encourages reflection and gratitude. It reminds me
that love, freedom, and faith are not ideas alone. They are practices,
relationships, and acts of remembrance that shape how we live now.
Questions for Reflection
In a world where mistrust and division seem to be growing,
how can we practice the unconditional love that Christ taught?
And thinking practically: would you like Easter to be
celebrated on the same date across all Christian traditions? If so, what should
guide that decision — history and tradition, or closer alignment with Passover?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
