The Easter proclamation of the risen Lord almost always resounds twice in the springtime — one Sunday for Orthodox Christians, and another for the non-Orthodox. This year, however, by a coincidence of the calendar, all of the faithful will celebrate on Sunday. The Rev. Dimitrios Antokas, 53, is the presiding priest at Bethesda’s St. George Greek Orthodox Church, and the president of the D.C. area’s Orthodox clergy association where he speaks on behalf of his colleagues of many traditions: Greek, Syrian, Antiochan, Russian, Romanian and more. Father Antokas sat down with the Washington Examiner to share his ancient faith, and why it remains relevant on Easter Sunday 2010.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I am an Orthodox Christian. We believe in the triune God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are following and living with Christ during his teachings, his passion, his burial and resurrection. We’re a sacramental church. We believe that when Christ gathered his disciples at Passover, at the Last Supper, he left them with the command to “do this in remembrance of me” — to take the bread as his body, and the cup as his blood. This is replicated every Sunday in our church.
What can Christians gain from a specifically Orthodox celebration of Easter that might be less emphasized in a non-Orthodox church?
I think it would be in our preparation. During Holy Week, every day we have services. But even before that the seasons of the church prepare us for the glorious resurrection — we have a pre-Lenten season, and a Lenten season, and the Holy Week itself. It’s as if you are there. When you come to church, you are with Christ during all of his time. On Holy Tuesday, for example, we have the Hymn of Kassiani — it’s sung for the harlot. Here was this harlot in despair, but with Christ she saw hope. She didn’t have to say anything to Christ, but by just being near Christ, she left her despair and felt a sense of hope.
Many people reading this are interested, but unbelieving. What can Easter mean for them?
We look at the icon of the resurrection, and to those who’ve received the message of the resurrection by going to church, and following the services — they’ve received the light. We pray that those who haven’t done that are not in a place of darkness, but also that they can still find that light. We want to bring people out from darkness into light.
We were called to be Christ-centered. In Greek, the word for sin is hamartia, and it means to miss the mark, to miss being Christ-centered. But with Christ and his love for us, he lets us have another shot at it. There’s always that hope. For the broken person, we don’t break completely. We’re fixable.
Orthodox traditions are true to the earliest foundations of Christianity. Why is that valued above changing as society changes?
We believe that the foundation of the church was laid by the Seven Ecumenical Councils, and the teachings of the church fathers, guided by the grace of the Holy Spirit. That has to be the constant. Society changes, but the church remains the same. We need that one constant of faith and hope that the church gives us. Sometimes the way we deliver the message is a little bit different than it was in past times, but the message from Christ to his apostles, and from the apostles to their disciples — that’s not something we have to reinvent. It transcends time.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
I believe God is love. And that we are all made in his image and likeness. He is here to love us, and we are here to love his creation. The greatest commandment he has given us is to love your neighbor as yourself. That’s a challenge for us, but he wouldn’t have given it to us if he didn’t think we could accomplish it — and the only way we can is with his love. At the time of our baptism, we receive the grace of the Holy Spirit that transforms us, so we all have that grace. We all have God’s grace.
— Leah Fabel
