A Great Joy

A Sermon for the Day of Holy Pascha

Christ is Risen!

I greet you, dear brothers and sisters, on the all-radiant feast of Christ’s Resurrection from the dead! Rejoice, and again I say: rejoice.

So that our joy may be the greater, let us listen to the Angel of the Lord, who appeared to the Myrrh-bearing Women at the Savior’s tomb in a countenance shining like lightning—and who proclaimed to them the glad tidings of Christ’s Resurrection. When they were in terror at his countenance, which flashed out like bright lightning, he encouraged them and said: «Do not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord was laid. And go quickly, tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and goes before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. See, I have told you. And hurrying out of the tomb, they ran with fear and great joy to bring word to His disciples. As they were going to tell His disciples, Jesus met them and said: Rejoice! And they came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them: Do not be afraid; go, tell My brothers to go into Galilee, and there they will see Me… And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. And seeing Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And drawing near, Jesus said to them: All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep everything that I have commanded you; and see, I am with you all the days, to the end of the age». Here ends the account of the Evangelist Matthew of the Resurrection and of the Lord’s appearing.

Dear brothers and sisters! Christ, having risen from the dead, dies no more: death no longer has dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died once in the flesh for the destruction of sin, for our redemption from death; and in that He lives, He lives for God. So you also must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God for every virtue in Christ Jesus our Lord[1]. Christ is risen from the dead, the Firstborn from the dead. For as death came through a man (Adam),so through a Man (the God-man Christ)comes the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive[2].

Thus the truth, the reality, of our future resurrection from the dead through Christ’s resurrection from the dead has become evident, as clear as day, and the purpose of our earthly life is indicated clearly and definitely: we must live for God, for good deeds, for mutual love, and die to sin—that is, sin must lose within us all its power, all its tenacity and efficacy; we must live on earth for heaven, for God, for eternal life, which Christ’s resurrection has so clearly pointed out to us; to live only this present life, and for this present, quickly vanishing life, for flesh and blood, is a dream, an absurdity, a wasted squandering of both time and strength, countless harm and resistance to our Creator and God, who has clearly pointed out our purpose. If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ appears, your life, then you also will appear with Him in glory[3]. What, after this, is earthly life for a faithful Christian? Constant preparation for the life to come; the unceasing striving of the soul toward the Kingdom of God away from this vain life here, away from the sin that attacks us unceasingly—detachment from temporal goods, and the use of them only in such measure that they do not bind our heart to themselves or hold dominion over it: All things are lawful for me, says the apostle, but nothing shall have dominion over me[4]. — Meanwhile our earthly life takes shape in such a way that earthly cares and concerns are almost always in the foreground, and this is not in accord with the true purpose of our life. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this, that is, the earthly, will be added to you[5], given as it were in addition.

What was it that in the early Christian age, as also now, animated and continues to animate faithful Christians in the holy, angel-like life? Confidence in the resurrection of the dead, in the endless life to come, and in the recompense to each according to his works. What spurred on and strengthened the martyrs in their firm resolve—to endure for the name of Christ countless kinds of every torment, and to go to death briskly and joyfully? — Confidence in the resurrection, in the judgment, and in the recompense. They constantly kept in their hearts the words of Christ: In your patience, gain possession of your souls[6]and not a single hair of your head will be lost[7]. What stirred up and inspired the holy Fathers of our holy Orthodox Church in their labors of prayer and fasting, in their struggle against the passions, in their struggle with the heretics for the Orthodoxy of our faith—for example, for the true doctrine of the Holy Trinity, of the union of the two natures in Christ, the Divine and the Human, and of the veneration of the holy icons? — The firm conviction of the saving power of the Orthodox faith and of the recompense to come. What inspired and made wise the wondrous and most sweet hymnographers of our holy Church in composing such and so deeply wise—enrapturing every believing soul—church hymns, so varied in name and in content? What human poetry can compare with the wondrous heavenly, holy poetry of our God-inspired hymnographers? Listen closely with a sensitive, heartfelt, and discerning ear, for example, to the Paschal hymns—the festal and Sunday ones in general—and indeed to all the everyday ones. What is it that breathes in them, thinks with wisdom, sings, makes melody in the spirit, and triumphs? A living, clear-sighted faith in the resurrection and in the future life and recompense. The saints lived on earth only in body, while in soul and heart they lived in heaven, and with the dwellers of heaven they had living communion, living in one spirit with them—and after their blessed end they entered with them into the communion of everlasting blessedness.

Brethren and sisters, children of the resurrection and brethren and children of risen Christ! May our joy in the resurrection be enlightened, deep, holy, and active! May it stir us also to love for the Risen One, to a holy life, and to mutual love. Amen.