Thursday, 02
May 2013 17:55
Beloved
children in the Lord,
Christ
is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
In this holy season, we
celebrate the two greatest events of our Faith: the death of Christ on the
Cross and His glorious Resurrection from the grave on the third day. These are
the two great mysteries upon which our whole life as Christians is based; and
it is by participating in them that we are joined to Christ and inherit life
everlasting. We partake of these events both in our own personal struggle and
in the liturgical life of the Church. When we take up our personal Cross and die
to sin, we begin to grasp, in part, the greatness of the mystery of the Cross,
which is the mystery of our salvation. When we have been crucified together
with Christ to sin, we are raised up with Him into a new life of virtue and
holiness. It is this reality that we experience symbolically in the season of
Great Lent and Pascha. During the Fast, we mortify our fleshly members and die
together with Christ on the Cross. Now, as we joyfully proclaim His
Resurrection, we receive a taste of the everlasting joy and sweetness of
Kingdom of Heaven.
We are still weak and
sinful human beings, but if we open our hearts to God’s grace we, together with
Christ, trample upon the dominion of the devil. Our Savior Jesus Christ is not
ashamed to make us one body with Himself and to make us fellow heirs in His
kingdom. To this end, He humbled himself for our sake, "And being found in
fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8).
Our Saviour condescended
to suffer crucifixion, which was considered in the ancient world to be one of
the most humiliating death sentences. He suffered on the Cross in order to
redeem the race of mankind, and to show us that God loves us so much, that He
would even die a shameful and agonizing death for us. Yet it was through His
death and Resurrection that our Lord defeated death and granted us everlasting
life. That is why the Church chants in her Paschal hymn "for behold,
through the Cross joy is come to the whole world"! After the Crucifixion
of Christ, the Cross was no longer a symbol of shame, but became rather a
symbol of joy and victory. Indeed, Christ changes all things! That which is
humiliated becomes exalted! That which is scarlet becomes white! That which is
profane becomes pure!
Brother and Sisters in
Christ! We have now passed through the period of Great Lent. We have passed
from death unto life and from earth unto heaven. We have passed from the Egypt
of the passions into the promised land of Israel. We have become a holy nation,
a chosen people, citizens of the Jerusalem on high. Now our Saviour is Risen!
Now He has established us in salvation! Now has He manifested Himself in us!
Now indeed are we the fellow heirs with our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Victor
over sin and death. To Him be glory forever.
Beloved,
Christ is Risen! Truly
He is Risen!
Your fervent suppliant before the
Lord,
† Demetrius of Boston
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