Whenever I use the word "Easter", it is met with consternation - to put it no more strongly - by some Orthodox Christians. They insist that it is an "un-Orthodox" word, a word immersed in paganism, and that Orthodox should say "Pascha", not "Easter". This is part of a bigger Orthodox complex. I've also been told to use "Mystery" instead of "Sacrament", or "Nativity Fast" instead of "Advent". Funnily enough, these objections usually come from people who insist that the Latin West in the first millennium was perfectly Orthodox, yet for some reason, the Latin language is still a stumbling block for these people. But my real issue with such complaints is that they really haven't thought these objections through. If we should not use the word "Easter" because of its pagan connotations, then why not object to "Sunday" instead of "the Lord's day" (Kyriaki)? Furthermore, are we seriously supposed to reinvent the English language to teach Orthodoxy? How are we to say "Sacramental life"? "Mysterious life"? Hmmm. Doesn't quite work for me. No wonder we Orthodox are not exactly renowned for our effectiveness in mission. We are obsessed with arguing about language and culture instead of just getting on with things. Maybe we are too interested in emphasising our differences with other Christian churches, and not interested enough in simply being the Christian Church. Pascha reminds us that the Church's purpose in the world is to proclaim the good news of Christ's Resurrection, not to reinvent the languages in which that news is imparted.
